Welcome, everyone, to the last day of our discussion on practical strategies
for working with literacy-level adult English language learners!

 

We've heard some innovative ideas for building learners' vocabulary and have
had an interesting talk about the pros and cons of using read-alouds in the
ESL classroom.

 

I wanted to take the discussion one step further and address the needs of
learners who cannot yet read sentences or words from textbooks.

 

Simply put, what are some ways to help learners acquire sound/symbol
correspondence?  Sight recognition of high-frequency words? The mechanics of
actual writing?

 

What strategies, activities, and materials can you share?

 

I wanted to recommend one resource that's been around for a while: "Sounds
Easy! Phonics, Spelling, and Pronunciation," by Sharon Bassano (available
from Alta Book Center Publishers for $27.95, at
<http://www.altaesl.com/Detail.cfm?CatalogID=1543>
http://www.altaesl.com/Detail.cfm?CatalogID=1543)

 

This book has clearly-illustrated photocopiable exercises for grades 5
through adult that help learners identify patterns in spelling and
pronunciation. I find that it's easy to adapt the exercises to the varied
needs of my learners - and great for a multilevel class. For instance, an
exercise emphasizing two consonants  might be useful to literacy learners in
terms of establishing the sound that goes with each letter. At the same
time, learners who can already read and write would find value in the
exercise of accurately producing and discriminating between two somewhat
similar sounds.

 

I look forward to hearing more ideas!

 

---------------------------------

Betsy Lindeman Wong

Lead Teacher

Alexandria Adult and Community Education

 

 

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