Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Binch Lover]

I'm doing a 7 day camp at my public elementary school during vacation. We have around 45 students, mainly from 3rd and 4th grade. I level tested them in the past few days and found that around two thirds of them can't read basic words like hat, tin...while the rest can read fluently. So I've decided to try and make phonics the focus of this camp for the lower levels.

I've split them up into 3 groups; 2 groups that can't read and a high level group that can read quite well, with which I will concentrate on speaking and maybe writing.

For the low level groups, I really want them to be able to read basic sentences by the end of the camp (7x50 minute classes). I have access to a couple of phonics books, but the activities are very repetitive. I was thinking of showing some videos from ddeubel's site too and using starfall.com, but I don't have a clear idea of how to teach phonics in an effective and interesting way.

Can anyone give some advice? Thanks

[Tony_Balony]

Hi,

Thats a tough call because phonics is fantastically dull for a number of reasons. You need to integrate phonics into games.

[tomato]

Hello, Binch Lover!

Apparently most other teachers don't know, either.
I asked the same question a few weeks ago:

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=91626&highlight=

I'm glad that your inquiry got one, and now two, responses.
That's two more responses than I got.

[trubadour]

I did some phonics today with elementary stu's in a hagwon. Loads of stuff: keep it easy - we did -ap and -op words today (tap and top, for example), most of my stu's can read and write well but they still found it challenging because there can be subtle differences in sounds they may already misspronounce. Indeed, when they struggled to get the differences it made me realise how much one just relies on context. I haven't done much phonics but I am quite surprised how difficult they find it. Partly they don't trust the alphabet (what did the Roman's ever do for us, really?) so they don't tend to pay too much attention to the actual letters. A hint here is to make it absurd the differences by using sentences e.g. you want to wear my cat? My hat??

Anyway, loads of stuff - use picture cues for many many games. MANY games! fly swat games (hit the right card), running games (run to the right cards), guess the number games (stick the pics on the board, number them, then write a number under your hand and get them to guess - by saying the word - the right card), write the number games (a good one to start with); actions, action games, etc.
we had writing races today - give 'em a run up and a pen and they have to write the word or the sentence on the board first..) Often these are more sorta listening based, but that last one is cool becuase it gives 'em a chance to practice without any performance anxeity they are just saying the words to help their guy win the race.

Drills CAN be fun, and are important.

follow up with exercises where they have to number similar sounding words in the order said, fill the gaps in little rhymes (good practice before a game of bingo)

At the end you might be able to get them to rhyme them and mb make funny poems.

hope that helps

[ddeubel]

Binch Lover,

Good that you are using those videos. Also, to keep it fun, try some of the Seasame street. Either download from my collection or go to youtube.

I also have a really lengthy ppt on phonics. I want to add audio but still have to get around to it. But without audio , you'll find it in my presentation folder. I would also recommend the leveled reader, A-Z books. You need a membership but can print these low level books which you can read together. They also have worksheets. I have hundreds collected from myself and another teacher and will upload shortly to my sites account. Teachers who join my community will get access [efl classroom] They are great and give lots of choice and students can also colour and personalize them.

I'm not a big fan of Tomato's N V O games, especially with younger kids. But it all depends on the children and size of group and can't say it isn't helpful completely. I prefer teaching phonics wholistically, rather than individual sounds and linking / creating words by syllables. Syllables are helpful but when it comes to communication, they don't mean a thing other than to a linguist (phony phonemes). One way is to use flashcards. one side the picture, the other side the word. Children learn to pronounce the words from other students and the teacher. One good way is to use a set in a powerpoint, go over the pronounciation and then print this powerpoint , 6 slides to a page and cut and you have flashcards for the children to play games with. Collect/keep and you have great sets for all vocab. areas.

I also recommend reading together. Even some of the Dr. Seuss, I have on line or the nursery rhymes powerpoint full of nursery rhymes. This too is phonics!!! Really is and don't let people tell you it isn't . Phonics is just teaching students to categorize/evaluate text and speech. Connect the two. Reading in a different context.

Good luck but your focus on this will be very helpful. For your own learning and also that of the students.

DD

[Binch Lover]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Good timing with this question, as I'm trying to put together an intensive course focused on pronunciation for more advanced MS students. The first main challenge I'm trying to overcome is how to focus more on suprasegmental rather than segmental phonology. There are many guides and games for the latter (syllable articulation) but not so many for developing skills that aim for improving the latter (use of voice frequency, timing and manipulation of pitch, and duration, stress, and loudness of syllable combinations). In the case of young learners there is much more potential to improve this area, and improvement in this area correlates heavily to improvement in other areas of language acquisition, but we tend to rely on mimicking native speakers in class, which can be boring, repetative, and not targetted on specific improvements.

The second challenge is having to rely almost entirely on integrative motivation, as there are few instrumental motivators beyond students' compliancy to the teacher's wishes. Improved phonology presents little or no immediate academic award (or failure little or no immediate consequences) for students. To overcome this I'm trying to put together a game based on hwa-tu (하투) in which students try to match cards containing phrases with the same stress patterns. I'm still trying to figure out how to adapt it to the rules of hwa-tu but when I'm done I'll try to post my new game. I'm also going to try to make a modified game out an activity using origami that Jinks taught me.

[tomato]

[ddeubel]

[trubadour]

[Yu_Bum_suk]