Tammy Eison Journal 3

Review- What did you learn?

The learning perspective view wants language broken down into parts and taught directly to English Language Learners. Students will learn through exercises and then be able to apply to reading and writing. Method base focuses on making meaning. The ELL students acquire this through having conversations with others. This method doesn’t break down phonology into skills.

Allophones are the phones that make phonemes. There are about 39 phonemes in the English language. The pronunciation depends on the placement in the word. Assimilation of phonemes is where the brain anticipates the sound that comes next in the word. Phonemes are perceptual unites that differ from one another by the fact that they signal differences in meaning (Freeman and Freeman 2004, pg. 88)

Allophone of /t/ has six variations depending on the placement in the word.
This is more complex that /k/ that only has 2 allophones. The physical differences in sounds are tongue placement, aspiration, preglottalization (air blockage) and puffs of air.

Dialects are variations in language marked by certain ways of pronouncing words, particular choices of vocabulary, and even variations in syntax (Freeman and Freeman 2004, pg. 91). Your dialect could be regional, social or both. A person’s dialect could influence they way people learn to read or learn another language. However, if they are taught by the acquisition view it is not an issue with learning to read. Difficulties can occur in exercise or test of phonemic awareness. ELLs have already developed the phonology of one language, and that knowledge may influence their perception of English sounds (Freeman & Freeman 2004, pg. 92).

Another factor to consider is the phonological differences of languages. You can minimize problems between languages by focusing on constructing meaning. A great way to do construct meaning is teaching through content areas. In English we have the same sound for different letters and the words have totally different meanings ex: den and then. The Spanish speakers the words man the same, no matter the sound. As educators we need to focus more on meaning and not so much of the correct pronunciation or spelling of these words.

The word recognition view encourages the use of songs, poems, rhymes, and language games to contextualize phonemic awareness. The use of nonsense words only confuses the ELL when they try to make sense out of the word. The sociopsycholinguistic view is time spent on phonemic awareness is taking away for authentic reading which these students need to hear and practice independently to promote acquisition.  

Reflect- What did it mean to me?

            After reading this chapter, the part on dialect difference really struck home to me. I remember when I was in high school someone challenged me to take the south draw out of my speech. I practiced long and hard to prove that I could change the way I spoke. I have always been a fast talker so make sure that I am constantly checking with my ELL students to make sure they understand the lesson. When conferencing with my ELL parents I have to make a conscious effort to slow my speaking down so they too will understand what I’m trying to tell them about their child’s progress.

            I’ve always said that the English language has to be the hardest to learn because of all the different sounds that only one letter can make. This chapter confirmed my belief when I read about the 39 different phonemes that make up the English language and that one letter can have many allophones.

I love the idea of focusing on the meaning of the word and not so much on the pronunciation. A few years back all of our Kindergarten and First grade students had to take the DIBLES test. This test focus on the breakdown of phonemic awareness and the part of nonsense words was hard for my ELL’s. I was pleased to read that nonsense words are confusing to ELL because they are trying to make sense of those words.  As educators we shouldn’t be focusing so much on the individual break down of a word for any of our students and teach them the importance of the meaning of words.

Refine- How we use the information in your classroom?

            In my classroom we have played the game I have, who has. The students love to play as a class. However it has only been for letter, sight word, number and shape recognition. I had never thought of using it to help build vocabulary until last week in class. I plan to make up some new games to help my ELL have a better understanding of content vocabulary especially in Social Studies and Science.  

            Many times during the day my students use the turn and talk to discuss concepts being taught. I try my best to group my ELL students with an English speaker so they are hearing the language and acquiring the sounds in words rather than lessons on phonemic awareness. I have recently seen a student that spoke no English at the beginning of the year start to participate with his partner. Even though he is only mimicking what they are saying he is at least giving his second language a try.

            During literacy time the students are given time for independent reading practice. Then they will partner read which once again helps the ELL students hear and apply reading strategies. My students also have the opportunity to hear fluent reading during listening stations and Storia which is Scholastic e-books. I only hope that using these tools will strengthen the acquisition for their second language. We also use a lot of songs, poems and rhymes to learn concept in the classroom.

            I loved the lesson presented last week on the acrostic poem. I want to give that a try with my students to help build meaningful vocabulary. I plan to start having my students copy sentences to help improve with their writing.

  

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

Sarah Findlay

Reflection 3-

Essential Linguistics-Chapter 4

Review-What did I learn?

As with most other topics that we have discussed in this course, there are two views of teaching phonemic awareness.  There is the traditional view that argues that language is learned and it needs to be broken into components and taught explicitly.  Then there is the acquisition view that believes that students develop language through meaning and acquire phonemic awareness as they do so.  Both views have valid points and can be beneficial for all learners including English language learners. 

Freeman and Freeman discuss three very important factors when considering language learning.  First, English phonemes occur in different forms, these are called allophones.  Second, speakers from different language develop different phonemes.  Third, phonemes vary across languages.  When teaching English language learners, we need to be aware that phonemes in English are not constant, they change depending on the letters around them.  For example, the /k/ in keep and cool change because they assimilate with the e and the o, changing the way they are formed in the mouth.  Another example is the /t/.  The /t/ has six different phonemes depending on their position in the word.  For English language learners, these variations can cause much confusion. 

Another difference to consider when teaching students who have a primary language other than English is dialect differences and language differences.  Even native English speakers pronounce words differently depending on the region in which they live.  This does not propose much of a problem to new English learners; they often assume the dialect of their teacher.  However, an English speaker from a different dialect than their teacher’s may have some trouble understanding certain phonemes.  Language differences cause confusion when considering meaning of the word.  Spanish speakers specifically struggle with the /th/ and /d/ sounds.  In Spanish these phoneme differences do not change the meaning of the word, however, in English they do.  Then and den for example cause native Spanish speakers a lot of trouble. 

Reflect-What does it mean to me?

Linguistics is a topic in which I struggle.  In terms of teaching language (English) I feel that I do an adequate job. Learning and studying linguistics, on the other hand, is a struggle for me.  As I look back to my childhood, I do not remember explicit instruction on letters and sounds.  I suppose my teachers may have used the acquisition approach in their instruction.   However, as I am learning and studying, I am gaining more knowledge on the best approach to use with my students. 

It seems that a running theme in this chapter, in terms of how to best support English language learners, it to focus on meaning.  Teaching phonemes out of context can be confusing to ELLs because the sounds that letters make depend on the letters that surround it in a word.  The phoneme itself does not always make the same sound.  The letter t for example has six different phonemes depending where it is in a word.  Students with primary languages other than English may often choose the wrong sound, therefore mistaking the word.  In addition to the letter t, the letter d can also confuse English learners.  The words metal and medal sound very much alike, but use a different letters to make that sound. 

Another topic that I felt was really important to me was the idea that speakers of other languages speak more rapidly than English speakers.  I understand some Spanish and can speak fairly well, but really struggle to understand other Spanish speakers because, to me, it sounds so fast.  I wondered as I was reading this if my students feel the same about me.  I know that I talk fast, and have often had the attitude that my students will “just get used to it”.  I realize know that my “fast talking” may be hindering them from completely understanding me and from learning.  

Lastly, the authors wrote about reading text written in other dialecs, and how confusing that can be for English learners.  Many of my students love to read Junie B. Jones books.  These are fun stories, and read aloud, by a fluent English speaker, these books can be very entertaining.  I wonder, however, if my students (the 18 ELLs in my classroom) can actually decipher the language used because it’s written as if a child was speaking.  This can sometimes confuse me, so I can imagine it does the same for my students. 

Refine-How will I use this information in the classroom?

After reflecting on what I’ve learned in this chapter and my own teaching practices, I have come to some conclusions on how I can better serve my students.  I want to focus my instruction on making meaning rather than knowing what sounds different letter combinations make.  The authors explained that as children learn to read, they learn to connect the letters and sounds but they ignore the physical differences in sounds.  They do this because they are searching for meaning.  If I can support this search for meaning, by teaching context clues I will be helping them increase their vocabulary but also their phonemic awareness.  I am going to take one day of guided reading a week to look at the text and sound out and make meaning of new or unfamiliar words. 

Another thing that I definitely need to work on is my “fast talking.”  I am sure that there are times when my students do not understand everything I say because, to them, it sounds so fast; they cannot recognize the phonemes. 

Lastly, I want to use songs, poems, and rhymes to build phonemic awareness and fluency.  I recently began “Musical Mondays.”  Every Monday for 5-10 minutes, we will learn a new poem, song, or rhyme.  Last week we used choral reading to do this.  The students loved it.  They even learned a very difficult word that was in the poem: erroneously.   I would like to give them a copy and have students practice it throughout the week.  Maybe even give a reward if they can read the whole thing independently on Friday. 

Freeman, D. F. (2004). Essential Linguistics. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Reflection Essential Linguistics Journal Writing Chapter 4 - By: L. Kocks

Review – What did you learn?

            There are 39 phonemes in the English language.  Assimilation is when the brain anticipates the sound that is coming after a letter such as in keep and cool.  Word recognition should be taught in individual components and the traditional approach is phoneme awareness.  Acquisition perspective is acquired through phonemic awareness but it is done subconsciously.

            Allophones of /t/ are comprised of six variations depending on the t’s position in a word.  Such as in the following examples top, kitten, tram, pot, letter, and stop.  All six involve physical differences of things like tongue placement, aspiration, puffs of air and air blockage (preglottalization).

            Dialects are variations in language marked by certain ways of pronouncing words, particularly in choices of vocabulary and variations in syntax.  Dialect could influence people learning to read or learning a second language.  Difficulties can begin to surface in exercises or tests of phonemic awareness. ELL’s have already developed the phonology of one language, and that knowledge may influence their perception of English sounds.

            While ELL’s are building their English language there are words that have the same sounds that are different letters and/or meanings.  Such as in:  den/then, breed/breathe, T-shirt/teacher. To a Spanish speaker the meaning of words are all the same no matter the sound or sounds.  This means that for teachers they need to focus on the meaning of words, not pronunciation or spelling.

            Phonemic awareness should be taught in context such as word recognition view; through songs, poems, rhymes, and language games.  It should not be taught in isolation.  The sociopsycholinguistic view states that if too much time is spent on phonemic awareness in isolation it takes away from independent/authentic reading which promotes acquisition.

Reflect – What did it mean to me?

            The entire chapter sends a message to teachers that text books should not be used with EL’s because the vocabulary is too difficult.  We need to allow our students to attach meaning to the words they are learning and not concentrate so much on pronunciation and phonemic mistakes.  If we allow our students to experience the vocabulary through visuals, drawing pictures, graphic organizers, songs, poetry, rhymes, and language games our students will be able to have a more absolute understanding of the language.

Refine – How will I use the information in my classroom?

            We are currently studying The American Revolution and I need to allow my EL students to experience Valley Forge.  We will start the lesson by showing some of the pictures below about The Winter at Valley Forge.  (pictures could not be posted to the blog)  Students will work with a partner and look at the above pictures.  They will verbally discuss what they see in the four pictures.  Students will write words on index cards of things that they are witnessing in the pictures.  Once they are finished writing down their words students will come back to the whole group.  The teacher will have the photos displayed on the overhead projector.  The students will come to the front of the class, verbally read their index card to the class, attach it to the board, and describe why they wrote that word on their card. 

After the students have completed their vocabulary splash the teacher will show The Liberty Kids Valley Forge, being sure to stop the video to discuss key points within the video.  When the video is done allow students to begin drawing a picture of themselves at Valley Forge.  Once the students have completed their drawings they can come back to the group to share.

An extension of this lesson may be to allow students to write a story about being part of George Washington’s Continental Army.  The students will be instructed to try and use some of the vocabulary words that we placed on the board.

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.

DMontgomery Journal 3 - Chapter 4

DMontgomery Language Analysis Case Study

Chapter 4: Implications from Phonology for Teaching Reading and Teaching a Second Language

Review – What did you learn?

Allophones: Phonetic Variations

Phonemes are sounds that words are made up of. In all languages there are a group of sounds that are called phones. “The phones that make up one phoneme are called its allophones (“all the phones”)” (Freeman & Freeman, 2004, p. 87).  The word recognition view tells teachers to teach individual components. This is the traditional approach. However, the acquisition view tells phonemic awareness is subconscious. Students have the ability to manipulate the phonemes, but they do not know they are doing this. Teachers give students activities that center on meaning. Krashen is the main person behind this view.

Allophones of /t/, a complex case

            There are six variations, depending on the “t’s” position in a word. For example, top, kitten, train, pot, letter, and stop. All six involve physical differences in tongue placement, aspiration, puffs of air, and air blockage (preglottalization) (Freeman & Freeman, 2004).

Dialect Differences

            There are dialect variations in language apparent by certain ways of pronouncing words, particular choices of vocabulary, and even variations in syntax. These dialects can influence people learning to read or learning a second language. Difficulties can surface in exercises or tests of phonemic awareness. ELs already developed the phonology of L1. That knowledge may influence their perception of English sounds. For example, car keys vs. khakis (Freeman & Freeman, 2004).

Language Differences

            In English, the same sounds form different letters and therefore produce different meaning. For example, den and then, breed and breathe, t-shirt and teacher. To the Spanish speaker, the meaning is the same no matter the sound. Teachers, should therefore, focus on meaning and not necessarily the pronunciation (Freeman & Freeman, 2004).

Additional Concerns About Phonemic Awareness

            The word recognition view says to teach use phonemic awareness exercises. Poems, rhymes, language games can all be taught in context. Nonsense words should not be taught since ELs might think they are real words. Skills should be taught in isolation according to this view.

            The sociopsycholinguistic view thinks time should be spent on real reading. Time spent on phonemic awareness is seen to be wasted. Children do not have enough time to read independently if they are doing drills (Freeman & Freeman, 2004).

Reflect – What did it mean to you?

             I agree with Krashen’s view stating that children can learn phonemic awareness through reading. Individual skills do not need to be taught out of context. I do see the need for teachers to actually point out how words are alike or different while reading. They can read through the text first, and then go back to work with certain skills, if needed.

            Spanish speaking children and English speaking children pronounce words differently. For example, “d” is pronounced instead of “th” in the word them. The “th” sound is not a sound in Spanish. I have also come across “sh” for “s” in some words with Spanish speaking children.

            I have noticed differences in dialect over the years. There are so many adults who say they do not understand me when I am talking. This does not need to occur in schools. Teachers just need to be aware of the differences and take those into account when children are reading. Of course, sometimes children must clarify what they mean if the teacher does not understand what they are trying to say. There are differences between people from the North vs. the South in the United States. Therefore, there will be even bigger differences between Spanish, German, and English dialects. Teachers just need to make sure children are understanding the meaning of what is read, and focus less on the pronunciation of the words as long as it is close to the correct one.

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

            My classroom focuses on student meaning and not just pronunciation of words. Students need to feel they are doing a good job. Therefore, they are rewarded for reading gains. Activities used in class on Thursday will be utilized in my classroom. For instance, the game where words were put into pieces of wood will be employed for vocabulary building (Homann, 2013). This reminds me of the “Guess Who” game I like to use. Students have to describe the person they chose. I would use this concept for vocabulary. Students think about the meaning of a word and use words to describe the meaning. “I Have Who Has” is also a useful game for ELs. Students must use their listening skills to figure out who goes next. I would employ this game to key in synonyms, antonyms, or homophones. This can be changed for any subject area.

            The memory game presented in class would also be useful (Homann, 2013). Students must remember the placement of words to find the match. Another way I have utilized this game is to match money to its amount. This way the students  must be able to count the money and then match it to the numbers that represent that amount. Today, I took multiplication facts and answers to practice math.

            I would even use a game format to practice new words being presented. Students would have a choice of two or three pictures to go with words. The student would then match the word to the correct picture. Of course, I would go over the words and pictures at the introduction of the lesson.

            So many times children will try hard if they are playing a game. Students do not seem to notice they are even learning. They seem to focus so much more during a game format.

                                                References

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

 

Homann, L. (2013). Activity shown in class.

 

Chapter 4 Journal

Catherine Hoover

ESOL Endorsement Class-Linguistics

Journal 3- Review of Chapter 4

January 17, 2013

Review of Chapter 4

Implications from Phonology for Teaching Reading and Teaching a Second Language

            Phonology is the study of sounds used by speakers of a particular language. Phonology plays a role in both written language and second language development.  The word recognition view of reading is a teaching model that places an emphasis on learning phonics rules and word identification.  In this view, phonemic awareness can be taught outside the context of meaningful reading and is essential in order to recode texts. Linguistics and researchers who work from a sociopsycholinguistic view have different teaching methodologies. From the sociopsycholinguistic view, the educator believes that children do not need to be consciously aware of phonemes to read and to produce writing. Instead, they believe that students who are exposed to meaningful reading become better readers naturally. 

Linguistic considerations for  developing proficiency in second language learners are that students can develop language skills through various methods and then use this knowledge to develop a second language.  These methods focus on meaning construction in communication. While attempting to communicate, students subconsciously develop phonology.  Phonology is too complex to divide into skills to be taught and learned.  The first linguistic factor is that English phonemes occur in varied forms called allophones.  The second linguistic factor is that there are different dialects in different regions.  The third factor is that phonemes can vary greatly across languages. 

There are about 39 phonemes in the English language. These sounds make a difference in the meaning of words. Depending on the context, they are not always pronounced the same way. In addition, phonemes undergo changes in sounds depending on their position in a word and the words around them.  Phonemes are groups of sounds called phones. The phones that make up phonemes are groups of allophones. 

There are different allophones of the letter k depending on where the tongue is place during pronunciation. Phonemes assimilate to neighboring sounds. We produce the different sounds of the letters k and c in the words, “keep cool” by different tongue placements.  This has to be completed on a subconscious level in our brain because we produce eight phonemes per second.  If we had to consciously think about tongue placement, we could not produce the phonemes quickly enough to speak effectively.

Even more complicated are allophones of the letter t of which there are six.  All six allophones involve physical differences involving the tongue, alveolar ridge, and aspirations.  When t starts the syllable, an extra puff air, called an aspiration, is released which is not done when the t is at the end of a syllable.  Also, when the t is at the end of the syllable, air is partially blocked in the glottal region.  This process of blocking air in the throat is called preglottalization.  The third allophone of t is produced by a glottal stop.  The d allophone is called a flap flaps against the back of the front teeth.  In the next allophone, the air is stopped with the tongue pressing against the alveolar ridge releasing a /r/ sound.  The final allophone of t is only produced when none of the conditions for the first five allophones is present.  When a speaker (who may be learning a new language) is paying attention to all of these physical differences, they can become overloaded with information. 

Dialect differences may also be problematic for second language learners.  Dialects vary according to regions and social class.  Dialect differences are not as important in the sociopsycholinguistic or language acquisition view.  Second language learners will most likely acquire the same dialect as their instructor because students will simply acquire the dialect they hear most often.  Dialects are more problematic from the word recognition point of view.  The difficulties surface in exercises or tests of phonetic awareness.  For some speakers of English, the vowel sounds in caught and cot are the same.  If a child’s background does not include both of these phonemes, they may have trouble with tests involving these sounds. 

Language differences are the third linguistic factor to consider when evaluating teaching approaches as each language have their own inventory of sounds.  The problems caused by differences can be minimized when focusing on meaning construction because students can use background knowledge to make meaning.  However, tests that focus on sounds themselves may cause problems for speakers of other languages because these speakers may have already developed phonemic awareness in their first language. 

There are three additional concerns include with the word recognition view. Proponents of this view use contextualized phonemic exercises such as songs and poems to increase phonetic awareness.  With the focus on phonemes, these exercises can become abstract.  Another concern is tests including nonsense words used by some educators with the word recognition approach. The focus on sounds, not meanings, may confuse students who are trying to make sense of nonsense.  The greatest concern with exercises and tests of phonemic awareness is that time is taken away from independent reading resulting in fewer opportunities to acquire written and second language. 

In conclusion, in the word recognition view, children are expected to develop phonemic awareness which is the ability to perceive phonemes and use this to learn phonics rules.  Then, students will apply the rules to recode language.  Phonetic awareness is defined differently in the sociopsycholinguistic view where phonics is believed to be an acquired ability that allows people to distinguish between words.  When students come to school and are read to, they will develop graphophonic cues or the knowledge of sounds.  This knowledge is developed subconsciously when the focus is on meanings, not sounds.  This subconscious approach also applies to written and second language acquisition.

Reflection- Chapter 4

In reading Chapter 4, I learned how important it is to be aware of phonemes, dialect differences, and differences in languages and the problems they can cause when teaching ELL students.  Learning the sounds of English is too complicated to learn by rote memorization.   Students need to be engaged in meaningful conversations, topics of interest, and discussions of the material studied to acquire Language 2 proficiency.  Students must attend to meanings, not sounds of words, to learn to read efficiently. Students can use meanings and prior knowledge to distinguish the difference between “I saw a mouse” and “I saw a house.”  Students will use context clues to help them construct meanings.  They do this by listening to meanings not sounds. 

When instructing my third grade class, one of the most difficult tasks is to teach students to use context clues to find the meaning of unknown words.  This may be because the students are focused on pronunciation of words and not the meaning of words.   I tell them to look at all the words in the sentence to help determine meaning.   

Also, before reading Chapter 4, I never realized just how complicated language differences can be and how they can affect learners as they attempt to acquire a second language.  Now that I understand the complexity of languages, I recognize how sociospycholinquistic teaching practices (that focus on meaning) are superior to other word recognition views since it is impossible to memorize all of the sounds, spellings, and phonics of any language.

Refine-Chapter 4

            Journals and notebooks such as dialogue journals are a conversation between the teacher and the student. They are especially helpful with English language learners. Students can write about topics that interest them and proceed at their own level and pace. They have a place to express their thoughts and ideas. Also, in a journal, students can keep track of their progress throughout the year. 

            Giving students the opportunity to participate in a group activity is helpful for second language learners because it gives students a chance to learn from their peers. Also, students can develop a sense of comfort and support from working with others (Zainuddin, Yahya, Morales-Jones & Ariza, 2007)

.  Also, group discussions helps provide students with language and content understanding.  In this activity, groups are responsible for summarizing different parts of a text.  Then, they share their summary with the class.  Each student has a role in producing a response and reporting it to the class. One student acts as the scribe or writer of the material.  One student is the reporter and reads the material to the class.  There is a manager who oversees the activity.  Others students can disseminate information and tell the recorder what to write.

            Writing activities where students write responses to thought-provoking pictures can also be used for second language development. The teacher should guide the students’ writing responses from simple to complex.  Students first respond (to a picture) using a list of words.  Then students can choose an idea to write about.  Next, students fold their papers into 4 sections using a Frayer model.  Students add one sentence at a time to each of the 4 sections of their papers. 

            Content- based language learning activities where students learn new language at the same time as subject matter is being taught are important in second language acquisition.  Students can play games using content vocabulary cards to learn new vocabulary.  There are several ways vocabulary cards can be used.  Students can play matching or “guess my word” games to reinforce vocabulary words. Students can also make vocabulary/picture cards.

            Because language is not taught in isolation, the focus of second language development should be on something meaningful such as academic content. (Zainuddin, Yahya, Morales-Jones & Ariza, 2007)  Classroom activities should be designed for students to have meaningful conversations and topics of interest.

Citations

Zainuddin, H., Yahya, N., Morales-Jones, C. A., & Ariza, E. N. (2007). Fundamentals of teaching english to speakers of other languages in k-12 mainstream classrooms. (2 ed.). Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company.

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

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.

Running head:  Implications from Phonology for Teaching Reading and Teaching a Second Language  1

Implications from Phonology for Teaching Reading

and Teaching a Second Language

Cynthia Czerwonka

Harmony Elementary School

Gwinnett County Public Schools

January 4, 2013

Implications from Phonology for Teaching Reading and Teaching a Second Language                             2

Review

            Undoubtedly, phonemic awareness, or the ability to hear “that words in oral language are made up of individual sounds” (Freeman &Freeman, 2004, p. 74) is a critical precursor to readiness for reading. Similarly, phonological awareness, or “the ability to distinguish larger units of speech, such as words and syllables” (Freeman &Freeman, 2004, p. 76) is also discussed in the chapter.  In one of the two models of reading instruction mentioned in chapter 2, called the word recognition view “sounds play a central role because identifying words involves recoding written marks into the sounds of oral language” (Freeman & Freeman, 2004, pg. 74).  Children take already familiar sounds called phonemes and learn the written marks or letters that match those known sounds.  The second model is the sociopsycholinguistic model.   “Sounds play a lesser role in a sociopsycholinguistic model of reading. Readers use graphophonic cues, a combination of visual and sound information as they sample texts and make and confirm predictions” (Freeman & Freeman, 2004, pg. 75).  These models, though philosophically different both value phonemic awareness and phonology; however, they are central to the word recognition model of reading.  The sociopsycholinguistic view values phonemic awareness and phonology as tools students use as readers to make sense of text.

            “Researchers have tried to break reading down into its component parts and to determine factors that can help predict reading success for failure in young children.  Stanovich (1986), in a review of reading research “identified phonemic awareness as the key factor that differentiated good from poor readers” (Freeman & Freeman, 2004, p. 75).  Good readers were found to have good phonemic awareness, but it is unclear whether good phonemic awareness was the cause or

Implications from Phonology for Teaching Reading and Teaching a Second Language                             3

the effect of the ability to read well.  “Stanovich used the term reciprocal causation to account for a bidirectional relationship.  According to Stanovich, phonemic awareness appears to help children learn to read, and reading helps build phonemic awareness” (Freeman & Freeman, 2004, p. 76).

Reflect

            I found the information on phonemic awareness and phonology informative.  I had not really known the distinction between the two. It became clear to me that phonological awareness follows phonemic awareness since the child needs to know the individual phonemes and to use them to distinguish larger phonological units of meaning such as syllables and words.   I appreciated the information on five levels of phonemic awareness identified by Adams (1990).  I see that two of them, the ability to hear rhyme and alliteration and to blend or split syllables deal with phonology “because they involve students in manipulating parts of language” (Freeman & Freeman, 2004, p. 76).  I know that some students in my class lack adequate exposure to literature such as nursery rhymes and to books read aloud.  I believe that reading to young children along with speaking to them is invaluable in their development as speakers, readers, and later as writers. I want to provide read aloud experiences for my students lacking in those areas. I will use partner reading, small group reading, and books on tape to help provide this needed exposure to reading.

            In the sociopsycholinguistic view, researchers believe that phonemic awareness is acquired subconsciously and that “it is a natural part of language development” (Freeman & Freeman, 2004, p.78). Similarly, in acquisition of a second language, using what is called The

Implications from Phonology for Teaching Reading and Teaching a Second Language                             4

Natural Approach, “the teacher uses a variety of techniques to make the language input comprehensible.  Students focus on constructing meaning as they use the language” (Freeman & Freeman, 2004, p.84).  Grammar is not directly taught, but The Natural Approach holds that a student will develop the phonology, morphology, and the syntax of the language “in a natural order as long as he receives messages he understands” (Freeman & Freeman, 2004, p.84) much as a baby acquiring his first language would. 

Refine

            My beliefs as a teacher of reading more closely align with the sociopsycholinguistic view of teaching reading.  I believe that the main reason for reading is to understand or make sense of the text.  However, I will use information mentioned in the chapter from the word recognition model.  “Proponents of this model claim that reading is primarily a process of identifying words and that this ability can be taught and learned” (Freeman & Freeman, 2004, p. 77).  Now with my children who are ELLs or who are struggling at mid-year with reading, I will make interventions in the five areas mentioned, in this order:  phonemic awareness skills, names and sounds of letters, phonics rules, sight words, and structural analysis skills. I will keep in mind that these students will benefit from use of words already in their oral vocabularies.  “All of these abilities help students identify marks on paper as words they know in their oral vocabulary” (Freeman & Freeman, 2004, p.78).  In taking the language sample from my student for the language analysis case study, I will be able to note more closely her oral vocabulary and use that to help build her phonemic and phonetic skills. 

Implications from Phonology for Teaching Reading and Teaching a Second Language                             5

In their report Put Reading First, Armbruster and Osborn, (2001) “claim that phonemic awareness can be taught and learned” (Freeman & Freeman, 2004, p. 77) and list specific phoneme activities.  These activities are among the ones used in word work activities in my kindergarten classroom and are reflected in the Georgia Kindergarten Inventory of Developing skills standardized test.  I plan to increase emphasis on these phonemic activities as center activities within my Reader’s Workshop in my kindergarten classroom.  I will not allow them to take an inordinate amount of time away from authentic reading, because I believe students learn best to read by actually reading books of choice and by and using phonemic knowledge as a tool to help them make sense of text.  “Those who hold a sociopsycholinguistic view of reading claim that phonology plays a more limited role” (Freeman & Freeman, 2004, p. 82) in reading.  “They argue that hearing children acquire phonemic awareness naturally as part of their oral language development, and then children can use this subconscious knowledge as part of one cueing system to help them construct meaning as they read” (Freeman & Freeman, 2004, p.82).

As Freeman & Freeman (2004) mention in the text, “an important part of acquiring a language is developing this ability to differentiate the speech stream into its component parts” (p. 79).  Whole phrases are first heard, then individual words, and finally parts of words.  This knowledge makes me realize how my ELL students could feel very confused as to the messages they hear, not yet knowing the phonemes and phonetics that help them to distinguish the units of meaning in the whole phrase or sentence.  Meaning once again seems to me to be the key point to keep in mind.  “Children acquiring their first language and people acquiring a second language develop the ability to perceive differences in meaning that are signaled by variations in

Implications from Phonology for Teaching Reading and Teaching a Second Language                             6

phonemes.  They do this by attending to the meaning, not to the sounds themselves” (Freeman & Freeman, 2004, p. 79).

            In order to assist students in attending to the meaning of language, I will make a conscious effort to integrate oral language, reading and writing.  Pally (2000) discussed a method called sustained content language teaching in which “teachers teach language through academic content and organize curriculum around themes” (Freeman & Freeman, 2004, p.85).  “Students learn language as they read, write, and talk about content and become involved in investigations and studies of interest to them” (Freeman & Freeman, 2004, p. 85).    As a kindergarten teacher, I believe this type of integration works well for all students and can flow naturally from discussions about content areas such as science and social studies.  Phoneme differences occur among different languages that may be represented in the classroom.  As Freeman and Freeman (2004) suggest, “the potential problems caused by differences between languages are minimized when the focus of instruction is on meaning construction” (p. 92).  I find this information encouraging and directive for me in planning instruction.  In keeping meaning primary, I am hopeful, as Freeman and Freeman (2004) mention, that “students can acquire both oral and written English in classes in which language is learned through content area study” (p. 92).    In keeping with a sociopsycholinguistic view of phonemic and phonetic abilities, children who are read to are naturally focusing on the meaning of what they hear, not consciously aware of the sounds that produce those words.  “Then, as children begin to write, their spellings reflect their acquired knowledge of the relationship between sounds and spellings. It is not until children attempt to produce conventional spellings that they become consciously aware of the relationships between sounds and spellings” (Freeman & Freeman, 2004, p. 81).  I feel that these

Implications from Phonology for Teaching Reading and Teaching a Second Language                             7

ideas closely match the progression from oral language, to reading, to writing that I normally see in my kindergarten students and are worthy of use with all my students, particularly my English language learners.   

           

Implications from Phonology for Teaching Reading and Teaching a Second Language                             8

References

Adams, M. (1990).  Beginning to read: Thinking and learning about print.  Cambridge, MA:     

            MIT Press.

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

Pally, M. (Ed.). (2000). Sustained content teaching in academic esl/efl: A practical

      approach.  Boston:  Houghton Mifflin.

Stanovich, K. (1986). Matthew effects in reading: Some consequences of individual differences

            in the acquisition of literacy. Reading Research Quarterly, (21), 360-407.

.