Korean Job Discussion Forums

Chamchiman · Joined: 24 Apr 2006 Location: Digging the Grave

Hi everyone,

I teach in a public elementary school. A few of my fifth and sixth grade students don't know the alphabet yet, and more than a few of them can't read a basic series of words (cat, hat, sat, mat, bat...). I'm already working with them individually (during test time, I choose two students per class (who will undoubtedly get zero on the test anyway) and bring them into my office to work on phonics) but they really need to do some work at home. I'm hoping that if I recommend (to the mother through the homeroom teacher) a good phonics/alphabet/phonemic awareness/basic reading drill website, they will do a little bit of home-study via the internet.

So, can anyone recommend such a site for me? (So far I've only found sites that are geared for kids who are native speakers. The vocabulary isn't appropriate - ideally, I'd like my students to learn the 'c' and 'd' sound by studying the words 'cat' and 'dog', not 'camel' and 'donkey'.)

Cheers!

Jshuah72 · Joined: 18 Jul 2006 Location: Seoul, South Korea

Back in the States I used starfall.com until the elementary school I worked at invested in Waterford (or something spelled like that). Starfall is pretty elementary, but it is free...

ddeubel · Joined: 20 Jul 2005

Starfall works and I like their stories. It just lacks some "friendliness" in my opinion. I would recommend for students, a software program. Much better option but then again, not free. I've used a few in my day, the Clifford from Scholastics is very expensive. this one has a cheap demo

http://www.phonicstutor.com/demo2.cfm

What I'd really recommend is something that is phonics but doesn't take the head on approach. I used with success, ereader, a text to speech software program that basically goes in your browser and reads everything. Kids love it and whatever they write, it speaks. Lots of cool voices. Great teacher tool also. Get it from CAST, the leaders in this technology, Aspire Reader is the new version. Demo probably available. I used this with kids with learning difficulties and it is great.

I also have in my video folder at the end, a whole series of videos, on phonics and about each letter. Also in the video folders, Sesame Street with lots of letter stuff. As well, I would have your kids try some of the kids books in my Booknook folder. Just put up some really cool flash ones, where you click a page and it turns, like a real book.

Lots of phonics workbooks and powerpoints on the site also, just browse....hope this works and yes, I do agree that Korean students really need a lot of remedial work with basic reading.....

DD

Chamchiman · Joined: 24 Apr 2006 Location: Digging the Grave

Jshuah72 and ddeubel: thank you for the replies. I'll check out Starfall. As for software programs, two of the kids I'm working with also went to the city-funded 'Christmas party for poor kids'/'fun with foreigners' event so I'm not entirely sure they'll be able to afford an expensive program.

Anyone else with any phonics sites (especially sites geared towards speakers of other languages) to recommend?

buymybook · Joined: 21 Feb 2005 Location: Telluride

Is this what you want?

http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/#

rokricky · Joined: 18 Feb 2006 Location: Yongsan, Seoul

Try this one: www.starfall.com
It's great for kids, so detailed. The best I've seen.
They start with the alphabet in a movie format. It's really entertaining. Then you can start reading simple stories which have the cutest animations. Check out the "Who am I", "My pet" ect. section it's sooo cool!

rokricky · Joined: 18 Feb 2006 Location: Yongsan, Seoul

Ooops! I didn't read the other posts. I guess starfall is old news.

kat2 · Joined: 25 Oct 2005 Location: Busan, South Korea

Someone already posted it, but I second this one:

http://www.starfall.com/n/level-k/index/load.htm?f

I gave it to my students who can't even recgonize the letters. Its quite good and entertaining for them I think (or hope).

mikekim · Joined: 11 Aug 2006

I think this type of learning is really bad. I don't think Koreans can learn phonics to speak like us. They can't pronounce a lot of the sounds and then English looks nothing like it sounds. Unlike Hangul. So although a for apple and alligator work. There are 5 different A sounds in English and from this it looks like only 1 exists.

IE meat. mee-at? no its a silent A. meet = meat. OMFGWTFBBQ. Give up.

ajuma · Joined: 18 Feb 2003 Location: Anywere but Seoul!!

Buy "Alpha-phonics" for yourself (a little pricey, but sure worth it!) and photocopy a page or two a day for the kids. Go over the page with them, then have them practice at home. It's the best phonics-teaching tool that I've ever seen! They'll be so proud of themselves that they can actually read something after 2-3 lessons!!

http://www.amazon.com/Alpha-Phonics-Beginning-Samuel-L-Blumenfeld/dp/0941995003/ref=pd_bbs_2/102-4208738-5534530?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1176741150&sr=1-2

http://www.howtotutor.com/

K-in-C · Joined: 27 Mar 2003 Location: Heading somewhere

http://www.progressivephonics.com/free_phonics_books.htm

Chamchiman · Joined: 24 Apr 2006 Location: Digging the Grave

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I've checked out Starfall and it seems pretty decent compared to what else is out there. I'm going to spend a little time with my kids taking them through the site and we'll see how it goes.

The hagwon I used to work at had a website with a phonics section that I thought was pretty good. I'm a little disappointed that I haven't been able to find a comparable site (dedicated to speakers of other languages), but Starfall will do for now I'm sure.