Korean Job Discussion Forums

[tomato]

My school uses the Hooked on Phonics series. I can understand that thereis a need for phonics instruction for ESL students. I also realize that phonics instruction is completely lacking in the Let's Go series and in most other widely used series.

But the Hooked on Phonics series is not designed for ESL students. It gets tedious, both for the students and for myself, to read rows and rows of phonetically similar words which make no sense to the students. Moreover, a solid diet of this sort of thing will not enable the students to speak English.

I am going to have to supplement the series with something of my own
Here are some ideas which I have implemented or am considering implementing:

■ games

I have made a bingo game for each short vowel.

I have also made cards for a concentration game in which each player tries to match a subject, a verb, and an object. The cards look like this:



The kids like the games, but I can't spend the whole hour playing games.
That would be too much of a good thing.
I will have to do something else also.

■ songs

Here is a song which I made up:



The song can be adapted for any sentence, with measures 5-6 serving as a refrain.
But the kids will eventually get tired of this song, too.

■ arts and crafts

I have a file of origami--excuse me, 종이접기--figures, but I haven't been using it.
I shall look through the file for dogs, pigs, and anything else with a phonetically simple name.

I also have simple pictures which I copied from a set entitled 그림 그리기. I found this set in the college library in 김천. I tried to order the set from the publisher, but the publisher has gone out of business. If anyone knows where I can buy this set, please write back.

■ picture books

I have a collection of picture books which I have categorized according to their grammatical purpose. (For instance, Bears in the Night and Rosie's Walk are good for prepositions.) Perhaps I should also catalogue the books for present purposes also. For instance, I have three books about pigs, so they will go under the short I category.

I wish there were a series of picture books in which each story maximizes use of rhyming or alliterating words. That is, one story will be about a cat who cat on a mat, a bat, and a rat. Another story will be about a hag who carries rags in a bag.

I have a saddle stapler, so I can make books myself. I can't draw worth a hoot, but as long as Google is on the Web, no one will ever lack for illustrations. I guess I will have to make picture books myself.

Any other ideas?