I like your analogies and method.  I've developed a handout to assist students use of the dictionary, " So How Do I Spell It" , but it also points out the difficulty of determining the pronunciation of vowel and consonant sounds.  I suggest they keep it in their dictionary for future reference, but we have fun with it in class.  I also use a t ongue twister, "Betty Botter", which gives practice to all of the soft vowel sounds, and it's a kick to work with too!  My students enjoy it a lot.

Betty Botter bought some butter.  "but," she said,
"This butter's bitter, and a bit of better butter
Would make a better batter."  So Betty Botter bought a bit of butter
Better than the bitter butter, and it made Betty Botter's batter better----
So it was that Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter.


I've attached a copy of the spelling handout.  Unfortunately I've not figured out how to put the sound symbols over the vowels in my computer .. so I do that by hand before copying it.


Mikal Steinbacher
Associate Faculty ESL
Cascadia Community College
________________________________
From: englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov [englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Ted Klein [taklein at austin.rr.com]
Sent: Thursday, February 07, 2008 12:52 PM
To: The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List
Subject: [EnglishLanguage 2124] Re: Topics for the list 2007, 2008

Elizabeth,

My primary interest in ESL is the application of phonology in listening, identification of sounds and improving speech, so that a person can be understood in a bank, mall or pharmacy. Phonics was designed for native speakers of English who were already programmed with their sound system. If ESL students are properly trained in the sounds of English first, along with recognition of written words, they can learn to read better later. English has 38 basic phonemes and hundreds of letter to sound "rules." Go from the easy to the difficult. Please read my "Chicken or the Egg" article at http://www.tedklein-esl.com/ESL/chickenegg.htm

Ted


----- Original Message -----
From: "Aderman Elizabeth M (79D755)" <EAderma at schools.nyc.gov<mailto:EAderma at schools.nyc.gov>>
To: "The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List" <englishlanguage at nifl.gov<mailto:englishlanguage at nifl.gov>>
Sent: Thursday, February 07, 2008 10:03 AM
Subject: [EnglishLanguage 2117] Re: Topics for the list 2007, 2008


> I'm very concerned about Literacy, too. It's important we bring in the subject of PHONICS if we are going to help ELLs READ. Margo DelliCarpini of Lehman College, NYC puts in phonics under PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS. How about this, there may be many ways to make the sound of aw- as in ball, caught, bought, long. To teach beginning phonics, we can start with the phonogram -all-and teach students to recognize the sound-syllable correspondence in the syllables all, ball, fall, call, mall. What do you do about phonics?

>

> ________________________________

>

> From: englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov<mailto:englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov> on behalf of Sally Bishop

> Sent: Mon 2/4/2008 11:04 AM

> To: The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List

> Subject: [EnglishLanguage 2106] Re: Topics for the list 2007, 2008

>

>

> I have been hoping for this for a long time.

>

> SB

>

> On Feb 1, 2008, at 6:14 PM, Ted Klein wrote:

>

>

> Lynda,

>

> I would like to see a serious discussion on the current meaning(s) of the word "literacy." I recently polled a number of my long-term ESL colleagues and most of us, including yours truly, tend to accept the semantically and historically original meaning, "the ability to read and write."  Now the limits seem to be changing and expanding quite a bit. Either we need extensive agreement on something that is mutually realistic or we need to clarify and make it "graphic literacy," "communication literacy," and/or something more tangible. If we are going to talk about it, we need to know what it really is. When I first heard of NIFL, I thought that it was all about reading, which interests me less than language teaching methodologies, techniques, approaches, the application of phonology, cultural factors and measurement in total L2 acquisition. NIFL seems to represent much more than my original interpretation.

>

> Thank you.

>

> Ted Klein

> Lake Travis in Texas

> www.tedklein-ESL.com<http://www.tedklein-ESL.com> <http://www.tedklein-esl.com/>

>

> ----- Original Message -----

>

> From: Lynda Terrill <mailto:lterrill at cal.org>

> To: englishlanguage at nifl.gov<mailto:englishlanguage at nifl.gov>

> Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2008 11:48 AM

> Subject: [EnglishLanguage 2101] Topics for the list 2007, 2008

>

>

> Dear subscribers,

>

> I'd like to sum up the topics the list discussed last year and also to look forward to possible topics of discussion this year on the list.

>

> First, I want to say that my favorite thing about this list community is that so many of you bring up  topics of interest and concern and so many of you respond so quickly. In fact, this is a subscriber -centered list and, to me, that makes this list a powerful tool.

>

> In 2007, we had several successful guest facilitated discussions and we spent some time in the fall sharing resources in a focused and reflective way, but you brought up and worked on many  other important topics as well

>

> Last year there were guest facilitated discussions on

>

> * workplace ESL

> * teaching writing to adult English language learners

> * adult ESL content standards

> * practical strategies for working with literacy-level learners.

>

>

> In addition to the focused sharing of resources, we also had the yearly discussion and sharing about TESOL/COABE sessions (as we will again).

>

> Other topics you brought up-- which were sometimes part of the above discussions or offshoots of them-- included the following:

>

> * immigration, citizenship preparation, and EL/civics

> * native language literacy

> * bilingual classes

> * phonemics and pronunciation\

> * reading aloud in adult ESL classes

> * multilevel classes;

> * vocabulary acquisition

> * offering a menu of  classes rather than general ESL classes;

> * technology and distance learning.

>

>

> By February 11, will you send your suggestions to the list for "special" discussions?

>

> Thanks, and, as always, please bring to the list issues related to teaching adult ESL as they come up.   .

>

> Sincerely,

>

> Lynda Terrill

> List moderator

> lterrill at cal.org<mailto:lterrill at cal.org>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> ________________________________

>

>

> ----------------------------------------------------

> National Institute for Literacy

> Adult English Language Learners mailing list

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> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/englishlanguage

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>

> ----------------------------------------------------

> National Institute for Literacy

> Adult English Language Learners mailing list

> EnglishLanguage at nifl.gov<mailto:EnglishLanguage at nifl.gov>

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>

>

> ----------------------------------------------------

> National Institute for Literacy

> Adult English Language Learners mailing list

> EnglishLanguage at nifl.gov<mailto:EnglishLanguage at nifl.gov>

> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/englishlanguage

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