Review – What did you learn?
This chapter was full of information that was new to me. Each section had me thinking about the way I speak, the way my students speak, and especially the way my three year old daughter speaks. Some important information that I extracted from the chapter:
Allophones
The English language consists of approximately thirty-nine phonemes. Each phoneme is made up of several sounds called phones. The phones that make up a specific phoneme are called its allophones. Phonemes can make different sounds depending on where they are in a word (D.E. Freeman & Y.S. Freeman, 2004). This is because of a process called assimilation, which occurs when the brain tells the vocal tract to prepare for the next sound before it has even made the first sound. The Acquisition View proposes that teachers should focus on making meaning with language, and students will acquire the phonemes as they try to make meaning. On the other hand, the Learning Perspective promotes dividing up language learning into the individual parts, and teaching them, such as letters and sounds before making words and sentences.
Allophones of /t/
There are six different /t/ allophones. They are all dependent on their location in the word and their neighboring phonemes. In order to pronounce these different sounds, the tongue moves to different areas of the vocal tract, and air is either being blocked, partially blocked, or aspirated, all pronouncing different sounds. All of these distinctions can cause some real confusion for an EL.
Dialect Differences
Dialectical differences can be problematic for students learning language through a Word Recognition View or Learning Perspective. When a teacher is expecting students to identify the vowel sounds in words, for example, a southern child may have difficulty with the words pen and pin. In the south, people distinguish between these two words based on how they are used (D.E. Freeman & Y.S. Freeman, 2004). From an Acquisition View, students taught content will acquire language. These students will acquire the dialect of their teachers, classmates, and other English-Speakers whom which they spend time.
Language Differences
Another challenge that ELs may have to overcome is that their first language and English probably have differences in phonemes. Students who are learning English while learning content are able to use their schema for the topic, along with syntactic and semantic cues to assist them with words in order to make meaning. In contrast, students who are in classes dedicated specifically to language learning are often completing isolated word tasks. Without the ability to crosscheck all of the cue sources, especially using picture clues, these students may be unable to identify words. This challenge extends into oral and written language. For example, in Spanish the English word that is pronounced dat because there is no distinction in Spanish between the th sound or d sound. Students may have difficulty reading the word and writing it correctly.
Additional Concerns
Although there may be value in phonemic awareness activities, caution should be taken to make sure that teachers are not spending so much time doing these activities that they are not allowing students to participate in other reading experiences of value. Also, use of nonsense words to teach sounds in words should be limited because often children do not realize they are nonsense words, and this can be very confusing to them. From an Acquisition View, authentic reading activities promote language acquisition, not isolated language activities.
Reflect - What did it mean to you?
The main idea that I took away from this chapter is that although learning the different aspects of language, such as phonology and semantics, is important, this knowledge is best acquired through the process of making meaning. I’m not sure what that means to our Word Study and Grammar lessons. If this way of acquiring language is effective for ELs, shouldn’t it be a practice in all classrooms for all students? In the primary grades specifically, aren’t all students trying to acquire the English language?
Also, it’s obvious to me that the English language is possibly the most complex language in the world. The differences between English and other languages, particularly Spanish, for my Case Study brought to my mind that special lessons must occur to explain the differences so that my students can overcome these challenges.
Refine – How will you use the information in your classroom?
· Word Study activities using authentic texts – poetry, mentor sentences, books during Guided Reading, Read Aloud book
· Grammar lessons using mentor sentences and content-related texts
· Being aware of the language differences between English and my ELs first languages, and using Small Group Time to teach how it all works in English – Use Cuisenaire rods with Listening, Listening Discrimination, Repetition, Transformation, Guided/Independent Practice.
*This week I used the acrostic poem activity in my class. Our topic was the sun. The children read through books about the sun with partners, I read a book about the sun to them, and we created a “Word Forms” chart for words we collected from the books. Then, we brainstormed “Sun” words and phrases using the letters n, s, and u, and used both charts to write an acrostic poem together called “SUN”. Next, I gave them partners and instructed them to create acrostic poems about the sun and illustrate. For the first time doing it, it went pretty well. I would have liked to have seen a little more variety in their poems, but I think the next time they’ll be familiar with the activity, and will do better. I told them that next time they would have to write the poem by themselves.
References
Freeman, D. E., &. Freeman Y.S.(2004). Essential Linguistics: What you need to know to teach reading, ESL, spelling, phonics, and grammar. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
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