Braille for Esl

7/27/2019 Braille for Esl

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TEACHING BRAILLE TO ESL

STUDENTSPresented by Betty Nobel

Dept. Head, Program For The Visually

ImpairedVancouver Community College


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Background

I have been teaching Braille for 28 years

I have taught students from countries such

as Japan, the Sudan, Viet Nam, Cuba,

Togo, Gabon, etc.


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A majority of the students I have taught

had had some basic Braille knowledge

and were literate in their own language.

Some were not literate and had no

knowledge of Braille.

Most students were in their twenties or

thirties, but some were older.


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Braille Readiness

I have used Braille readiness materials

from the Read Again series.

I have taught tracking skills using the

materials created by Sally Mangold.

Readiness materials could be used by all

students without much difficulty.


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Challenges of Using Current Braille

Texts

While learning the alphabet, there are

words used that are hard to explain if you

dont have the appropriate language.

Examples include Sentences that are

awkward and in different tenses.

Abstract language and concepts are used.

This makes Braille more difficult for non-

native speakers.


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A Different Approach

Teach the person their name first.

Teach the names of concrete objects in the

room.

Teach five words each lesson.

Examples: table, chair, hat, coat, book.

Use flash cards for these words. Students

need to learn to recognize the word but notthe letters.

You can use contractions for the concrete

words. This is a word recognition activity.


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Teach the alphabet as you normally would anddo letter recognition of single letters, pairs ofletters and then three letter words.

Once you have introduced the first twelve lettersof the alphabet you will have opportunities towork on pronunciation using three letter words tointroduce short and long vowel sounds.

Example: bad, dad, fad. Each word has a short asound, the same ending sound but differentinitial letters. Can you think of any otherexamples?


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Introduce the letter m. Then you can introduce

long vowel sounds by adding the letter e.

Example: bad bade add ade lad laid mad made

Use a line of words that all have the same soundsuch as bake, cake lake make.

Continue to teach words for concrete objects

regardless of the contractions they use.


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Other Activities

Once the entire alphabet is learned, you

can introduce punctuation and numbers by

using simple sentences such as:

I am a student.

I come from the Sudan.

My name is ---. My address is ---

My phone number is ---


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Other Activities Cont.

Introduce simple questions such as:

What is your name?

What is your address? What is your phone number?

Where are you from?

How long have you lived in Canada? How old are you?


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More Lesson Ideas

Use an English grammar book to give youideas. Normally, you would teach the simplepresent, the verbs to have and to be, andsimple questions.

You can introduce the the contraction, the shcontraction, the ar contraction and the whcontraction.

It is helpful if you can bring some example of

food such as fruit. What colour is the apple?The apple is red. What colour are thegrapes? The grapes are purple.

What is your favourite fruit?


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Lesson Ideas Cont.

Introduce questions with do and does.

You can also introduce the negative andthe apostrophe:

Do you like tea?

No I dont. I like Coffee.

Does she have a book? Yes she does.

Do you have a ball? No I dont.

Are you a teacher? No. Im a student.


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Writing Activity

Write simple stories about every day

events.

My name is Bobby. I get up at 6 oclock

every morning. I get dressed. I eat

breakfast. I brush my teeth. I walk to the

bus stop. I take the bus to school.


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Writing Cont.

Now change the way you write the story.

He is Bobby. He gets up at 6 oclock. He

gets dressed. He eats breakfast. He

brushes his teeth. He walks to the bus

stop. He takes the bus to school.

It is good Braille and English practice for

the student to read and then copy the

stories in Braille.


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Introduction of More Contractions

Contractions may be introduced as the

student becomes more comfortable with

Braille and with English. I introduce ing

when I introduce the present continuoustense.

What are you doing? I am sleeping.

What is he doing? He is writing Braille.

What is she doing? She is baking cookies.

Try to use simple examples that dont involve

other contractions.


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Introduction of Contractions Cont.

When I review questions with do I introducedo and like and have.

From now on, I add two or three contractionsper lesson.

Example: Would you like some coffee? Yes Iwould.

Would you like some orange juice? No Iwouldnt. It is helpful if some of the words

used with would are words like tea coffee orsandwich have been previously introducedas contrete objects so they can berecognized. In this way, the contractions areless strange.


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Topics for reading writing or

conversation

As much as possible, use stories abouteveryday life events such as using publictransit, ordering food in a cafeteria, usingmoney, visiting the doctor, and so on. Whenyou first read a story, have the studentrepeat words after you.

Make a list of the vocabulary from the story.

As much as possible, include all four skills inyour lessons: reading listening, writing andspeaking.


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List of Useful Resources

ESSENTIAL GRAMMAR IN USE

A self-study reference and practice book for

elementary students of English with answers

THIRD EDITION

Raymond Murphy

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS

www.cambridge.org Copyright Cambridge University Press 2007


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Resources Cont.

Composition Practice Book 1

A Text for English Language Learners

THIRD EDITION

Linda Lonon Blanton University of New Orleans

New Orleans, Louisiana

THOMSON

HEINLE Copyright 2001 Heinle, a division of

Thomson Learning, Inc.


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Resources Cont.

What A Life

Stories of Amazing People, Beginning

Milada Broukal

Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.

A Pearson Education Company.

Pearson Education, 10 Bank Street, WhitePlains, NY 10606

2001 by Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.


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Resources Cont.

What a World 1

Milada Broukal

Pearson Education 10 Bank Street, White Plains, NY 10606

Copyright 2004 by Pearson Education,

Inc.


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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the Canadian BrailleLiteracy Foundation for their generoussupport of this project.

I have consulted with the Kazen program inSeattle. Sylvia Kashdan has been veryhelpful. The Kaizen Program website ishttp://www.nwlincs.org/Kaizen/index.htm

Some of their work has been to helpmainstream teachers of ESL to successfullyintegrate students who are blind or lowvision into their classes.
http://www.nwlincs.org/Kaizen/index.htmhttp://www.nwlincs.org/Kaizen/index.htm

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Braille for Esl