The Use of Phonics and Vocabulary Building
Strategies in Teaching Non-language Subjects
10 May 2014
St. Joan of Arc Secondary School
Why phonics?
Phonics…
• refers to a method for speakers to read and write that language
• involves teaching how to connect the sounds with letters or groups of letters (e.g., the sound /k/ can be represented by c, k, ck or ch spellings) and teaching students to blend the sounds of
letters together to produce approximate pronunciations of unknown words
Phonics…
• helps students analyze the letters, letter combinations and syllables in a word;
• enables students to decode or "sound-out" a word they have in their speaking vocabulary.
• helps students “encode” unfamiliar words when they listen to a word and try to spell them out.
The printed word Processing
Meaning
Word recognition
Dual-route theory of written word recognition
The printed word Processing
Meaning
Spelling-sound correspondence
rules
Introduction of Phonics in the English Curriculum
Year 1
1 phonics lesson per week in S1 and S2
conducted by NET
the role of English teachers:
First term: observers
Second term: co-teaching with NET
also embedded in daily teaching
Introduction of Phonics in the English Curriculum
Year 2
Introduced in S1
Conducted by English teachers
Embedded in daily teaching
Steps to teach pronunciation using phonics
• Locate the vowel(s) in the word (magic e, 2-in-1)
• Cut up the word
• Identify the number of syllables
• Sound out different parts of the word using letter-sound correspondence or small
words (long and short vowel, digraph)
• Blend the sounds and pronounce the word
4. How do you say the different parts?
be…gin…ner
1. How many a, e, i, o, u do you see in this word?
2. How can you cut up this word?
beginner How do you say this word?
3. How many syllables are there?
5. Now, put them together and say the word.
Listen to the teacher and say the word.
4. How do you say the different parts?
lit…ter
1. How many a, e, i, o, u do you see in this word?
2. How can you cut up this word?
litter How do you say this word?
3. How many syllables are there?
5. Now, put them together and say the word.
Listen to the teacher and say the word.
i = short i
Support given to
non-English teachers
1) Professional Development Workshops
Service providers / universities
Supported by our NET
2) Lesson observation on non-English teachers
NET / English teachers are invited to be observers
Post-lesson observation feedback
Support given to
non-English teachers
3) Demonstration
NET / English teachers demonstrate the use phonics in Science / Mathematics
classes
4)Resource teachers
NET / English teachers act as resource teachers
Limitations
• English words do not have a one-to-one speech-sound to symbol relationship.
Example:
Single Letter / Different Sounds Apple /ˈæpəl/
Always /ˈɔlweɪz/
About /əˈbaʊt/
Acorn /ˈeɪkɔrn/
Artist /ˈɑrtɪst/
Limitations
• Same Sound – Different Letters
• Long vowel e
• Be, tree, quay, sea, people, piece, complete, seize, key
Limitations
• The many homonyms in English create difficulties for students when they try to spell words using phonics
• see / sea
• pair / pear
• bare / bear
Limitations
record (n.) Vs record (v.)
• Phonics skills may not help students in areas like stress and intonation.
•which ‘e’?
•stress?
Recommendations
• Raise students’ awareness of the
unpredictable relationship between letters and sounds.
• Enhance students exposure to English through reading
Vocabulary Building
• translation from English to Chinese is more demanding for students when understanding new concepts. not recommended
• Vocabulary building can be done through identifying things. (i.e. learning vocabulary in groups or categories but not in separate items)
Vocabulary Building
• vocabulary worksheet can be designed in the form of diagram labelling instead of a table with vocabulary.
Ways to explain vocabulary
• 1. Synonyms
• 2. Antonyms
• 3. Pictures
• 4. Mime / Actions
• 5. Sound
• 6. Reality
Q & A
Thank you!
