Reflection 3- Kristin Neely

Review- What did you learn?

As discussed in previous chapters, there are two ways of thinking about how we learn a language: language is learned or language is acquired.  There are three linguistic factors that need to be considered as educators evaluate these two different views- English phonemes occur in allophones, different dialect speakers use different phonemes, and phonemes vary across languages (Freeman & Freeman, 2004).

English has about 39 phonemes.  Each phoneme is really a group of sounds or phones.  Phones that make up one phoneme are “allophones”.  Phonemes are pronounced in different ways depending on where they are inside a word and what other sounds are in the word.  When speaking, your brain can anticipate what the tongue needs to do because of the sounds that surround the phoneme.  This is similar to the assimilation that occurs when one arrives in a new country. From an acquisition perspective, differences in pronunciation of phonemes are ok because the focus is on the meaning of the words.

There are 6 allophones of /t/.  The /t/ sound is different depending on where the letter is placed in the word.  All 6 sound variations involve physical differences of the mouth like tongue placement, aspiration, puffs of air, and air blockage.  When children are first learning to write and spell in English, allophones of /t/ and other letters can be tricky.

Dialects are variations in language marked by certain ways of pronouncing words, particular choices of vocabulary, and even variations in syntax (Freeman & Freeman, 2004).  Dialects can be regional, social or both.  Dialect is not an issue in people learning to read if instruction is based on the acquisition view.  If EL’s are given a phonemic awareness test, difficulties may arise because of differences in phoneme and dialect.  Many ELs have already developed the phonology of their L1, and that knowledge may influence their perception of English sounds (ex. car keys vs. khakis).

The last factor to consider when teaching reading or a second language is the phonological differences that occur among languages.  In English, the same sounds from different letters can have different meanings.  Examples: den/then, breed/breathe, t-shirt/teacher. To a Spanish speaker, the meaning is always the same, no matter the change in sounds.  This is not as confusing, if the focus is on making meaning and not pronunciation or spelling. 

The word recognition view believes that in order to help children and ELs succeed, we should teach language in context and through songs, poems, rhymes, and games.  We should not put the focus on phonemes or teach nonsense words, because the lessons become abstract and not beneficial to the learners.

The sociopsycholinguistic view says that children and EL’s should be authentically reading and writing in order to successfully acquire the language.  Teachers who focus too much time on phonemic awareness are taking away from the children’s independent reading time. 

In conclusion, the English language is tricky and if we take the sociopsycholinguistic view, we cannot get too wrapped up in pronunciation because factors like allophones and dialect can greatly confuse children and English Learners if we are not focusing on the actual meaning of words and phrases. 

Reflect- What did it mean to me?

This chapter reinforced my feelings about not using nonsense words when teaching small children.  I have always felt like that would be very confusing, even for the children whose first language is English. 

This chapter put a lot of focus on the sociopsycholinguistic idea of focusing on meaning while teaching, and not on pronunciation or phonemic mistakes.  I have always tried to do this with my teaching in first grade because with most first graders- their speech and spelling skills are not perfect, but are still in transition of learning.  If we focus on what the words mean, rather than how they are pronounced, I think it will make for stronger English speakers in the long run. 

This chapter also reinforced my belief that authentic reading and writing are an important part of my first grade classroom.  It is amazing how far the children come from kindergarten to the end of first grade.  We take the time to read and write every day, and it really pays off. 

Refine- How will you use the information in your classroom?

I normally use the game “I have...Who has?” with math ideas like place value, but I think it would be very easy to use it with first graders, and especially EL children, when learning about different phonemes in words. After lots of discussion and review, we could play the game.  I could put on one card “I have bat.  Who has a word that rhymes with bat?” Then the next child could say “I have cat.  Who has a word that rhymes with sack?” To make this game easier for EL’s who are not comfortable with reading English yet, you could use cards with pictures.  I found lots of links on Pinterest with game cards already made that would definitely help with phonemic manipulation. 

A website I like to use for the children who are just starting to learn about letters, phonemes, and reading is www.starfall.com.  This site has fun games for the children to play at school or at home, and it’s free.  There are basic games that help children learn letters, or more advanced games that help with rhyming words or spelling chunks (ot and og, ip and it).  The website gives lots of reinforcement and praise so the children are not easily discouraged if they don’t understand right away. 

Another “game” I like to play with the kids is making words.  The children are given a certain set of letters.  They cut the letters up and we “make words” following one of the Making Words lesson books by Patricia M. Cunningham.  The children are easily able to see the different words being made because they are able to manipulate the letters themselves on their desks.  I think these lessons are great to help with phonemic awareness, spelling, and writing.  The EL children also don’t have to worry about getting the answers wrong or being embarrassed, because I am doing the words on the board while they are working at their desks.  If they don’t have the right answer the first time, they are quickly able to fix their letter cards to match what I have put on the board before we move on to the next word.  These lessons are great for beginning rhyming skills and for performing phoneme manipulation tasks. 

I also loved the idea of incorporating acrostic poems into my Science and Social Studies units.  We are about to start a Social Studies unit on Harriet Tubman.  After reading the big book together, talking about her accomplishments, and adding important vocabulary to our AlphaBox poster, we could work in small groups to make an acrostic poem about Harriet.  The children could incorporate all that they have learned about her, the Underground Railroad, slavery, and perseverance into their poems.  Working in small groups is beneficial for EL’s because they can feel more comfortable to share their ideas with a small group of peers. 

Works Cited

Freeman, D. E., & Freeman, Y. S. (2004). Essential linguistics, what you need to know to teach reading, esl, spelling, phonics, and grammar. Heinemann Educational Books.