Reading and Writing Macroskills and the YLE.

Practice II-2.013

Teacher trainers: Braun, Estela

Monserrat, Liliana

Student-teacher: Martin, Melisa N.

Introduction: Receptive Vs. Productive skills

☺Reading is a receptive skill as well as listening☺Writing is a productive skill as well as

speaking☺Learning languages means acquiring these set

of skills. Students need meaningful, interactive practice in the 4 macroskills

Points to consider• All children have to learn how to read and write.• Meaning is the most important element in reading just as it

is in listening.• Just as listening came before speaking, so reading comes

before writing.The teacher should think about:• How old are the children in her/his class.• If they can read and write in their mother tongue.• If they know the roman script.• If they know there are different spellings for similar sounds

in English.• And what words might beginners recognize already.

Reading in English

•They can use other clues to understand the written word (pictures and sounds)

•They do not need to understand everything fully, just key words and general meaning.

•Learning to read in English is not as difficult if children can read in their own language, even if it is written in a different script.

Connecting sounds and lettersSuitable activities to help pupils develop reading

strategies:• ‘Read and do’: give them short written instructions on

cards to follow (point to the window…)• ‘Look and say’: understand the association between

what they hear and what they read 3rd Mid-term\Look and say approach.doc

• Play alphabet games: memory games (using letter cards), initial letter games (recognize and collect the first letters of different words), feel the letter (close their eyes and touch cut-out sandpaper letters on cards)

Connecting sounds and letters

• Make an alphabet frieze with card spaces underneath for lots of extra words that children can recognize and read

• Phonic approach 3rd Mid-term\Phonic approach.doc

• Words that children know or half-know from their mother tongue 3rd Mid-term\Words they already know.doc

Sound recognition with clusters*Make children aware of the patterns in:• Final word endings that rhyme in songs and chants• Games and songs with a focus on beginning sounds• Displays or games that emphasize a particular sound

*Help them focus on visual sound patterns: pl in plant,planet,plane,etc; st in star,stamp,story

*Talk about these patterns with the children-help them to see how they can use this awareness to guess words

*Let children point to these patterns/words when you are all reading something together

*Colour/highlight these patterns on word cards

Speaking to reading-helping sound and word recognition

Help learners to remember and pronounce new vocabulary while they are learning:

• About rhythm and intonation • How to associate meaning and sound with the

written word when they read

*Clever parrot game: children only repeat the word on the card

Word recognition

• Label things in the classroom, even pictures/photos that you use

• Keep sets of pictures and new words and phrases children have learnt recently in a special display área

• Let the children play at being teacher to revise these words and phrases

• Hand out wishes cards and praise cards with short phrases that children can bring home and read to their parents (have a nice weekend, well done, fantastic, ect)

Helping children recognize phrasesChildren acquire words and pharases when they listen; they

are unconsciously learning about word order.Activities:• That consolidate what they have heard and show them the

same patterns, written down• That allow children to slowly become aware of word order. • Early reading material: what children make up themselves• Make up group chants based on what the children already

know and using the phrases the children can read out.• Pick out phrases that you can use for matching games from

reading material.• Use picture cards and cards with labels or short phrases or

descriptions. Ask the children to find the picture to match the writing

Reading independently• When children can read silently on their own, they are

developing confidence and independence.• Children should always have time to look at a written text

before reading it aloud.• Prediction is an important part of our thinking process.

Children need to practise thinking anout and guessing what comes next.

• Children can learn to predict what a word means from:

-context

-pictures

-what they know about a topic, etc.

Encouraging children to develop as readers

• Have a reading area in the classroom with good picture books and reading cards with pictures

• Have reading material writen by you and the children• Have simple information cards or books about other

countries• If you have audio books, let the children read and

listen at the same time• Play games where reading is needed to find out

information, such as treasure hunt clues.

Writing in English

• Age• Degree of familiarity with roman script• When children write, they have to pay attention to:*develop finger control and be tidy*form letters*become familiar with the relationship between sound

and spelling in English*keep the picture of the letters in their minds*learn when to use capital letters and how to

punctuate.

Using computers

When using electronic aids/computers, they need to:

*learn the keyboard layout

*learn how to type, ideally using all their fingers and sitting properly

*learn some English expressions for using a computer/email.

Enjoy it!

Like the other 3 language skills, writing is about meaning.

-Early writing activities (copying, tracing and making letter shapes)

-Finding the letters for computer work is a matter of recognition and developing keyboard skills.

BUT children always have to think about the meaning of what they are writing.

Whatever the lesson focus is, children should enjoy the activity and feel successful.

Writing the alphabet

Very young learners enjoy:-singing the alphabet song-making the letters-writing in different colours-chatting in their mother tongue while doing

their writing

Teacher praises and

comments on children’s

writing

Writing the alphabet

• Practice letter shapes by:

*Palm-writing: feel the shape and say the letter

*Back-writing: feel the shape and write the letter (learning with their bodies)

• Tracing over dot letters• Using letter cut-out og

rough paper and stuck on cards

• Tracing the shape in the air-air writing

• Asking children to put their names or initials on their drawings and other artwork

From speaking to writing and from reading to writing

When children can physically make the letters of the alphabet or use a keyboard, they can do activities to practise their writing (tracing by hand, finishing words,etc)

But as meaning is the MOST important aim of writing, it is always important to link these activities with what children already know and what they are

learning

Writing for someone else, not just the teacher, is important. Purpose for writing

Linking with other skills

• Spelling is a link between reading and writing. People often have to spell names and adresses out loud (telephone communication)

• Use a new password each day in class. Ask children to write it the day before so they learn it and say how it is spelt in their next class.

Different kinds of writings

• Children also need help in writing longer, continuous pieces of writing, such as recipies or short stories work together, help one another and leanr to co-operate.

• Writing individually, freely and creatively.• Have fun making a book ; it gives them a

feeling of achievement (make things for others to see)

• Write to penpals (keypals)

Writing freely

• Give children as much control as possible over what they are going to write about and how. Let them write about what they are interested in

• Have regular days for checking mail and particular days por emailing so that children can plan and think about what they are going to write

• Encourage the children to be autonomous, e.g: send them to other sources to teach them how to solve problems,etc

• If children make a book, they can add other books with the same characters. Their characters can go on to have different experiences, e.g: Zozie’s holiday, Zozie’s great adventure,etc.

Conclusion• Writing is a physical skill and a language skill• Writing comes after other language work-prepare children to start to

write• Accept that pupils will make hadwriting and/or spelling mistakes

(corrected over time and not as important as their effort)• Praise and respect all efforts, no matter how small• Display as much of the pupils’ writing as you can• Keep all their written work and reuse it in other ways if you can• When children are preparing to write they need:

*support and preparation *to listen to you

*to talk and comment

Description of Monsters-APCI-1st grade 2013.wmv

Bibliography Reading in English. Rod Ellis (page 66-81).

Second Language Adquisition. Writing in English. Rod Ellis (page 82-95).

Second Language Adquisition.