Remedial Instruction IN English PDF

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MAJORSHIPArea: ENGLISHFocus: Remedial Instruction in EnglishLET Competencies: Develop the students’ ability to organize, design, implement, and evaluate remedial English program in any of the four macro skills. The review material consists of the following: I. The Remedial Classroom: Organization an...

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MAJORSHIP Area:

ENGLISH

Focus: Remedial Instruction in English LET Competencies: • Develop the students’ ability to organize, design, implement, and evaluate remedial English program in any of the four macro skills. The review material consists of the following: I. The Remedial Classroom: Organization and Management A. Organization 1. Curriculum 2. Instruction 3. Assessment B. Management Components of Remediation II. Remedial Instruction in READING A. Correcting Perceptual and Decoding Deficits in Word Recognition B. Definition of Terms C. Correcting Sight-Word Knowledge Deficit D. Correcting Basic Sight Vocabulary Deficit E. Correcting Knowledge on Sound-Symbol Correspondence F. Remediation through Phonemic Awareness G. Remedial Vocabulary Instruction III. Remedial Instruction in LISTENING A. Factors Affecting Students’ Listening Comprehension B. Internal Factors C. External Factors D. How to Improve Students’ Listening Comprehension IV. Remedial Instruction in SPEAKING A. What makes speaking difficult B. Teaching Pronunciation C. The Use of Accuracy-based Activities D. Talking to Second Language Learners in the beginning level V. Remedial Instruction in WRITING A. Areas of Difficulty for Students with Writing Problems B. Qualities of Strong Writing Instruction C. Adaptations for Struggling Writers D. Teaching Handwriting E. Teaching Spelling

I. The Remedial Classroom: Organization and Management A remedial program primarily helps students address language skills deficits by helping them acquire self-confidence to face their own weakness and overcome these through the acquisition of self-help strategies. A thorough assessment must be conducted before organizing a remedial program, while consistent monitoring is imperative in managing the program. Remedial Instruction in English |1

Below are general instructional guidelines that should be considered (Strickland, 1998 cited in Gunning, 2003 and in Vacca, Vacca, and Gove, 1991):  Instruction is systematic when it is planned, deliberate in application, and proceeds in an orderly manner. This does not mean a rigid progression of one-size-fits-all teaching.  Intensive instruction on any particular skill or strategy should be based on need. Thus, intensity will vary both with individuals and groups.  There is no substitute for ongoing documentation and monitoring of learning to determine the order in which skills should be addressed and the level of intensity required to help a child or group of children succeed in a particular area.  To track specific goals and objectives within an integrated language-arts framework, teachers must know the instructional objectives their curriculum requires at the grade or year level they teach. A. Organization In organizing a remedial program, one must consider the following factors: 1. CURRICULUM a.Base goals and standards for language learning on theory and research. b.Relate teacher beliefs and knowledge about instruction to research. c.Organize the curriculum framework so that it is usable d.Select materials that facilitate accomplishment of school goals. 2. INSTRUCTION a. The program must identify instructional strategies and activities for learners. b. Instruction must be based upon what we know about the effective teaching of language skills. c. Those involved in designing or selecting instructional activities need to consider the variables that contribute to success in language learning, given its interactive and constructive nature. d. Time must be provided in the classroom for practice. e. Composing should be an integral part of the program. f. Students should be given opportunities to become independent and to self-monitor their progress. g. The climate in a school must be conducive to the development of students. h. The school must develop an organizational structure that meets individual needs of students. i. The program must provide for coordination among all language programs offered in the school. 3. ASSESSMENT a. Use assessment to guide instruction. b. Develop scoring guides and rubrics. c. Seek alignment among various layers of assessment. B. Management School-based remedial sessions tend to involve 3 to 10 learners, and typically last between 30 to 50 minutes, depending Remedial Instruction in English |2

on whether they are in the elementary or secondary level. A plan to maximize the utilization of that time should be a high priority. To ensure that the program is effective, one must consider the six components of an ideal remedial program (Manzo & Manzo, 1993). These principles may also be applicable in remediation for other skills aside from reading.

1.

The orientation component. The orientation component provides continuity and focus to the remedial session. It may be an engaging question or statement related to local or national news, or even school life. It must focus on structured routines, materials, equipment, venue, people involved, and the objective of the program.

2.

Direct Instruction Component. This is the instructional heart of the remedial session. It should never be traded away, even for one period, without some compelling reason.

3.

Reinforcement and Extension Component. This period of time ideally should build on the direct instructional period and be spent in empowered reading, writing, and discussion of what was read. Writing activities may vary from simply listing key words to summarizing and reacting.

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Schema-Enhancement Component. This unit of time should be spent in building a knowledge base for further reading and independent thinking. It is an ideal time to teach study skills such as outlining, note taking, and memory training. Ideally, it should flow or precede Component 3.

5.

Personal-Emotional Growth Development. There is little learning or consequence that can occur without the learner involvement and anticipation of personal progress.

Cognitive Development Component. This component should contain an attempt to enhance basic thinking operation such as: inference, abstract verbal reasoning, analogical reasoning, constructive-critical/ creative reading, convergent and divergent analysis, problem-solving, and metacognition. II. Remedial Instruction in READING A. Correcting Perceptual and Decoding Deficits in Word Recognition We can identify the student who has insufficient competence in the visual analysis of words in two ways. First, the student, when pronouncing words verbally, selects inappropriate elements to sound out and often he/she tries again and again to use the same analysis even when it does not work. The second way can be done when the teacher shows him/her the word covering up parts of it, if the student is able to recognize it, then at least one of his/her problems in word recognition is faulty visual analysis (Ekwall & Shanker, 1988). 6.

B. Definition of Terms 1. Alphabetic Knowledge: understanding that letters represent sound so that words may be read by saying the sounds represented by the letters, and words may be spelled by writing the letters that represent the sounds in a word. 2. Sight-Word Knowledge: all words any one reader can recognize instantly (with automaticity) not necessarily with meaning. 3. Basic Sight Words: a designated list of words, usually of high utility. 4. Knowledge on Sound-Symbol Correspondence: (a.k.a. graphophonic knowledge) the readers’ ability to use phonics, phonemic, and structural analysis knowledge. Remedial Instruction in English |3

C. Correcting Sight-Word Knowledge Deficit 1. Write a sentence on the chalkboard with the new word used in context. Underline the word. 2. Let students read the sentence and attempt to say the new word using context clues along with other word-attack skills. If you are introducing a new story, it is especially important that you do not tell them each new word in advance, as this deprives them of the opportunity to apply word-attack skills themselves. 3. Discuss the meaning of the word or how it is used in talking and writing. Try to tie to something in their experience. If possible, illustrate the word with a picture or a concrete object. 4. Write the word as students watch. Ask them to look for certain configuration clues such as double letters, extenders, and descenders. Also ask them to look for any well-known phonograms or word families, e.g. ill, ant, ake, but do not call attention to little words in longer words. 5. Ask students to write the word themselves and to be sure have them say the word while they write it. 6. Have students make up and write sentences in which the word is used in context. Have them read these sentences to each other and discuss them. D. Correcting Basic Sight Vocabulary Deficit 1. Have the students trace the word; write it on paper, or use chalk or magic slates. 2. Have the students repeat the word each time it is written. 3. Have the students write the word without looking at the flash card; then compare the two. 4. Create “study buddies.” Match learners in the classroom with fellow students who have mastered the words. Take time to teach the “tutors” how to reinforce new words. Provide a big reward to both tutor and learner once the learner has attained the goal. 5. Provide reinforcement games for students to use on their own or with their study buddies. Games may be open-ended game boards or developed by levels according to the sublists. 6. Provide charts, graphs, and other devices for students to display their progress. These serve as excellent motivators, especially since students are competing with themselves rather than each other. 7. Use your imagination. Have students dramatize phrases, build a sight-word “cave,” practice words while lining up, read sight-word “plays,” etc. E. Correcting Knowledge on Sound-Symbol Correspondence Vowel Rules or Principles and Accent Generalizations 1. In words containing a single vowel letter at the end of the word, the vowel letter usually has the long vowel sound. (Note that this rule refers to words and not just syllables.) There is a similar rule for single word letters at the end of syllables 2. In syllables containing a single vowel letter at the end of the syllable, the vowel letter may have either the long or short vowel sound. Try the long sound first. (Note that this has the same effect as rule 1.) 3. A single vowel in a syllable usually has the short vowel sound if it is not the last letter or is not followed by r, w, or l. When explaining this to students it is often helpful to indicate that a single vowel in a closed syllable is usually short. Students should be taught that a closed syllable is one in which there is a consonant on the right-hand side. They will also need to know, as indicated above, the r, w, and l control rules. 4. Vowels followed by r usually have a sound that is neither long nor short 5. A y at the beginning of a word has the “y” consonant sound; y at the end of a singlesyllable word, when preceded by a consonant, usually has the long I sound; and y at the end of a multisyllable word, when preceded by a consonant, usually has the long e sound. (Some people hear it as short i.) Remedial Instruction in English |4

In words ending with vowel-consonant-silent e the e is silent and the first vowel may be either long or short. Try the long sound first. In teaching this rule, stress that the student should be flexible; i.e. try the short vowel sound if the long one does not form a word in his or her speaking-listening vocabulary. It has been demonstrated that students who are taught to be flexible in attacking words when applying rules such as this become more adept at using word-attack skills than those who are not taught this flexibility. 7. When aj, ay, ea, ee, and oa are found together, the first vowel is usually long and the second is usually silent. 8. The vowel pair ow may have either the sound heard in cow or the sound heard in crow. 9. When au, aw, ou, oi, and oy are found together, they usually blend to form a diphthong. 10. The oo sound is either long as in moon or short as in book. 11. If a is the only vowel in a syllable and is followed by l or w, then the a is usually neither long nor short. 6.

NOTE: Accent has less importance for a corrective reader than the vowel rules. This is true partially because a student who properly attacks a new word in his or her speaking-listening vocabulary but not sight vocabulary is likely to get the right accent without any knowledge of accent generalizations. Also, teach students the use of affixes so they will have better understanding of contractions, inflectional and derivational endings for change tense, number form and function. These will lead to students’ sufficient use of structural analysis strategy. Syllabication Principles 1. When two consonants stand between two vowels, the word is usually divided between the consonants, e.g., dag-ger and cir-cus. In some of the newer materials, materials are divided after the double consonant, e.g., dagg-er. It should be remembered that in reading we are usually teaching syllabication as a means of word attack. Therefore, we should also accept a division after double consonants as correct even though the dictionary would not show it that way. 2. When one consonant stands between two vowels, try dividing first so that the consonant goes with the second vowels, e,g., pa-per and motor, Students should be taught that flexibility is required in using this rule; if this does not give a word in the student’s speaking-listening vocabulary, then the student should divide it so that the consonant goes with the first vowel, as in riv-er and lev-er. 3. When a word ends in a consonant and le, the consonant usually begins the last syllable, e.g., ta-ble and hum-ble. 4. Compound words are usually divided between word parts and between syllables in this parts, e.g., hen-house and po-lice-man. 5. Prefixes and suffixes usually form separate syllables. F. Remediation through Phonemic Awareness The following are Critical Phonemic Awareness skills students should learn

1.

Sound Isolation. Example: The first sound in sun is /ssss/. Example Instruction: In sound isolation use conspicuous strategies. a. Show students how to do all the steps in the task before asking children to do the task. Example: (Put down 2 pictures that begin with different sounds and say the names of the pictures.) "My turn to say the first sound in man, /mmm/. Mmman begins with /mmm/. Everyone, say the first sound in man, /mmm/." Non-example: "Who can tell me the first sounds in these pictures?" b. Use consistent and brief wording.

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c.

2. a.

b.

c.

d.

Example: "The first sound in Mmman is /mmm/. Everyone say the first sound in man, /mmm/." Non-example: "Man starts with the same sound as the first sounds in mountain, mop, and Miranda. Does anyone know other words that begin with the same sound as man?" Correct errors by telling the answer and asking students to repeat the correct answer. Example: "The first sound in Man is /mmm/. Say the first sound in mmman with me, /mmm/. /Mmmm/." Non-example: Asking the question again or asking more questions. "Look at the picture again. What is the first sound?" Blending (Example: /sss/ - / uuu/ - /nnn/ is sun). In blending instruction, use scaffold task difficulty. When students are first learning to blend, use examples with continuous sounds, because the sounds can be stretched and held. Example: "Listen, my lion puppet likes to talk in a broken way. When he says /mmm/ - /ooo/ - /mmm/ he means mom." Non-example: "Listen, my lion puppet likes to talk in a broken way. When he says /b/ - /e/ - /d/ he means bed." When students are first learning the task, use short words in teaching and practice examples. Use pictures when possible. Example: Put down 3 pictures of CVC words and say: "My lion puppet wants one of these pictures. Listen to hear which picture he wants, /sss/ - /uuu/ - /nnn/. Which picture?" Non-example: ".../p/ - /e/ - /n/ - /c/ - /i/ - /l/. Which picture?" (This is a more advanced model that should be used later.) When students are first learning the task, use materials that reduce memory load and to represent sounds. Example: Use pictures to help them remember the words and to focus their attention. Use a 3-square strip or blocks to represent sounds in a word. Nonexample: Provide only verbal activities. As students become successful during initial learning, remove scaffolds by using progressively more difficult examples. As students become successful with more difficult examples, use fewer scaffolds, such as pictures. Example: Move from syllable or onset-rime blending to blending with all sounds in a word (phoneme blending). Remove scaffolds, such as pictures. "Listen, /s/ - /t/ - /o/ - /p/. Which picture?" "Listen, /s/ - /t/ - /o/ - /p/. What word?" Non-example: Provide instruction and practice at only the easiest levels with all the scaffolds.

3.

Segmenting (Example: The sounds in sun are /sss/ - /uuu/ - /nnn/) In phoneme segmentation instruction, strategically integrate familiar and new information. a. Recycle instructional and practice examples used for blending. Blending and segmenting are sides of the same coin. The only difference is whether students hear or produce a segmented word. Note: A segmenting response is more difficult for children to reproduce than a blending response. Example: "Listen, my lion puppet likes to say the sounds in words. The sounds in mom are /mmm/ - /ooo/ - /mmm/. Say the sounds in mom with us. " b. Concurrently teach letter-sound correspondences for the sounds students will be segmenting in words.

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c.

d.

Example: Letter sound /s/ and words sun and sit. Put down letter cards for familiar letter-sounds. Then, have them place pictures by the letter that begins with the same sound as the picture. Non-example: Use letter-sounds that have not been taught when teaching first sound in pictures for phoneme isolation activities. Make the connections between sounds in words and sounds of letters. Example: After students can segment the first sound, have them use letter tiles to represent the sounds. Non-example: Letters in mastered phonologic activities are not used. Explicit connections between alphabetic and phonologic activities are not made. Use phonologic skills to teach more advanced reading skills, such as blending lettersounds to read words. Example: (Give children a 3-square strip and the letter tiles for s, u, n.) Have them do familiar tasks and blending to teach stretched blending with letters.

G. Remedial Vocabulary Instruction Vocabulary is initially acquired in four ways: • Incidentally, through reading and conversation • Through direct instruction, as when a teacher or auto-instructional program is used intentionally build vocabulary power • Through self-instruction, as when words are looked up in a dictionary or their meaning are sought from others in a conscious manner. • Through mental manipulation while thinking, speaking ,and writing 1. Considerations in remedial vocabulary instruction Connect vocabulary instruction to the natural processes of word learning. The literature on vocabulary acquisition tends to divide the teaching of vocabulary into five phases. These are: a. Disposition – opening the student’s mind and will to engage new words. b. Integration – establishing ties between the meaning of a new word and the student’s existing knowledge. c. Repetition – provisions for practice distributed over time, as well as opportunities for frequent encounters with the word in similar and differing contexts. d. Interaction and meaningful use – social situations conducive to using new words in interactions with others and, thus, mentally referencing new words in listening, reading, writing, and speaking. e. Self-instruction – maintaining an awareness of new words outside the classroom. 2.

Concept-Based Approach to Vocabulary Building a. Identify the relevant and irrelevant features of the concept in questi...