STAFF DAY 2007 ESL InService Friday September 7
STAFF DAY 2007 ESL In-Service Friday, September 7, 2007 Chapman Education Center Garden Grove Adult Education
Problem Areas for Vietnamese and Latino ESL Students Presenter/Facilitator/Author Cherita Stevens, ESL Teacher Chapman Education Center
Presenter’s Background Awards: Who’s Who in American Education Presenter, CATESOL Statewide Conference Publications: U. S. History Workbook - Grade 11. Works of Poetry. PBS Learner’s Kit on U. S. Government/Grade 12. U. S. History and Government for ESL Citizenship students, 2006.
Presenter’s Background - 2 Formal Training: BA, - Social Science; MA – Ed. Leadership; TESOL Certificate General Secondary Credential, Grades 7 – 14 and Adult Administrative Services Credential, K-12 and Adult Foreign Languages: English and French – Speak, Read and Write Greek, Latin, Spanish – Read Experience: 8 yrs 10 yrs 5 yrs - Junior High School Teacher – Regular Core Curriculum High School: U. S. History Teacher – Regular Curriculum ESL and Computer Lab Director of Adult Education, Half Moon Bay
How this Workshop was Developed 1975: Term paper, - UCLA, TESOL Certificate 1990: Notes on the needs of Latino students were added, Half Moon Bay, CA. 2006: The format was changed from “teaching notes” to “workshop”. 2007: The workshop was made into a Powerpoint DVD Presentation.
Purposes of the Workshop Identify the major speaking and grammar problem areas for Vietnamese and Spanish ESL students. Discuss teaching strategies which can help students in solving these problem areas.
SIGN IN, PLEASE Please sign the attendance sheet. Pick up a Handout. Give me your Staff Dev form to sign. Take an evaluation form to fill out. Thanks in advance for attending.
Workshop Overview Problem Areas for ESL students A. Vietnamese – Grammar/Pronunciation B. Spanish - Grammar/Pronunciation Strategies and Implications for Teachers A. Worksheets and Resources B. 18 Classroom Activities
Why is it hard for our ESL students to learn the English language? 7 years to learn a second language. Average student at GGAE – attends less than 2 yrs. Why does it take so long? This workshop will provide some highlights into this issue. This is not a complaint because the problem provides us with jobs.
How many times have you said. . . • It’s “he says”, not “he say” ? § It’s “I’m going home now, ” not “Go home now. ”
How many times do you teach “Start each sentence with a capital letter? ” “End each sentence with a period? ”
There are some good reasons for this. There are some good reasons that you have to teach these constructions over and over again. It’s not stupidity, or poor listening skills, or a bad attitude on the part of your students. It’s the difference in language structures that is responsible for the need to re-teach and re-re-teach. The languages are vastly different. Here are some examples.
Vietnamese Speakers: Grammar Example #1 – Difference in verb forms Verb forms in Vietnamese do not have 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd person forms. That’s right. So the entire English verb conjugation chart seems totally useless to a Vietnamese-speaking student. He does not think “he say” is wrong at all. He hasn‘t forgotten what you said. He just doesn’t think it’s important. This means that there are no verb conjugations in Vietnamese. - no 1 st , 2 nd, and third person forms - no singular or plural forms - one form of the word is all that is needed. “One size fits all”
A simple chart like this is not simple at all. Present Tense of the verb BE Singular Plural I am We are You are He, She, It is You are (pl) They are
Why Not? It’s not simple because we are asking the student to use six forms of the verb “Be” where one form is sufficient in their own language.
Vietnamese- Grammar Examples #2 - Verb Tenses Fewer verb tenses: - no past, present or future tense is required. (optional) As a result, the word “go” is normally spoken by Vietnamese students to indicate past, present or future tense. They see no need for a past form or a future form.
Gender Forms - #3 No gender forms, or optional Masculine, Feminine, Neuter forms are not required. He, She, It are used interchangeably in Vietnamese.
Articles and Quantifiers. Example #4 The articles, “A” and “An” are not required. Quantifiers like some, many, few, are not used in Vietnamese. These words exist in Vietnamese, but are optional.
Vietnamese Grammar #5 Pronouns Use of pronouns is not required No pronouns. So saying “it is” at the beginning of a sentence makes no sense to the Vietnamese. This explains why many Vietnamese businesses display signs that say “Buy donut here”.
#6 - Punctuation There are no punctuation marks or punctuation rules required in Vietnamese. When the adult Vietnamese students at GGAE learned Vietnamese as children, there was no punctuation being taught. Learning punctuation is a challenge.
Possessives - #7 Very little use of possessives in Vietnamese our, your, my, his, hers, it’s, their, for example. “Here’s book, ” is therefore a very commonplace phrase in Vietnamese.
Vietnamese Grammar – Example #8 – Word Order • English Word Order: Subject-Verb-Object The man went home after dinner. Vietnamese Word Order: Time Expression-Noun. Adjective (optional) Man dinner home went.
Vietnamese Pronunciation Example #1 The sounds “l” and “r” are used interchangeably. “l” may be pronounced as “r” Explanation: the “r” sound is nonexistent in Vietnamese. Strategy: show pictures of lips and the jaw position for each sound.
Vietnamese Pronunciation Examples #2– Unvoiced Word Endings The last syllable of a word is said softly, or not at all. So, “Have a good day, ” may sound like “Have good ‘de. ” Explanation: The ends of words, phrases and sentences are not “voiced. ” There is no audible sound, just air. Strategy: Ss should practice holding the final sound.
Pronunciation Example #4 Vietnamese The sounds “th” voiced and “th” unvoiced are non-existent in Vietnamese. These sounds are usually pronounced as “d” or “t”. Explanation: These sounds do not exist in Vietnamese. Strategy: Ss should practice both voiced and unvoiced sounds with a partner.
Pronunciation Examples Vietnamese Example #5: No “z” sound and “X” is pronounced as an “s”. “z” is pronounced as “s”. The word “zipper” is pronounced “sipper” Xin is “Sin. ” Explanation: There is no letter or sound for “z” in Vietnamese.
Grammar examples - Spanish Differences in Word Order Adjectives in Spanish come after the noun, not before, as in English. For example, English requires “brown house. ” Spanish requires “house brown. ” Strategy: Use lots of easy adjective exercises.
Grammar Examples - Spanish Word Order Differences The verb in Spanish occurs at the end of the sentence rather than after the noun as in English. Example: The quick fox after the lazy dog ran. Strategy: Frequent short sentence exercises.
Pronunciation - Spanish The letter “y” is pronounced as “j. ” Example: Yes is pronounced as “Jes” or “Ches”. Yellow is pronounced as “Jello” or Chellow. ” *Strategy: Practice the “Ya” sound and elongate.
Pronunciation - Spanish The letter “h” is silent. Example: Harry is pronunced “arry. ” Strategy: SS should practice with a hand in front of the mouth until they can feel the air when they say “Harry. ”
Pronunciation - Spanish “z” is pronounced as an “s” As in Vietnamese, zipper is pronounced “sipper. ” The word “size” is usually pronounced “sise. ” Strategy: Ss should practice an elongated voiced “zz” sound and then words ending in “z”.
Pronunciation - Spanish Additional sounds: nya The ~ sound does not exist in English.
Spanish Pronunciation – G and W The sound “w” may be pronounced “g” Example: “Orangewood Ave” is often pronounced “Orangegood” Ave. Explanation: The sound “w” is nonexistent in Spanish. Strategy: record the Ss speaking because they don’t notice what they are saying.
Pronunciation – Spanish Dropped endings The rule in Spanish is for unvoiced endings. So the word “tomorrow” is usually pronounced as “tomor” or “tomora” Strategy: have the students practice the last syllable of a word and elongate, as in “tomorroooow” or yesterdaaaay”.
Pronunciation – Spanish Rolled “r” The letter “r” is usually rolled or trilled in Spanish. Explain that what is proper in Spanish is not good English. Students can continue to roll the “r” when they are speaking Spanish. Strategy: Have the students practice saying “r” and cut off the sound quickly. “Really, run, hamburger, raise your hand”.
Discussion Break In groups of three, write down answers to these questions and share your answers with your partners. What are the most difficult sounds and grammatical constructions for your students to learn? What kind of phonics materials would you like to have? What teaching strategies work for you?
Comparison in Number of Sounds: Sounds in English – 52 Sounds in Spanish – 43 Sounds in Vietnamese - 92
Comparison of Sounds - detail: Sounds in Vietnamese – 92 including tones * There are sounds for the letters *A tonal quality with separate meanings - Seven tone types with distinct meaning for each type. The same spelling of a word can have seven different meanings depending on the tone. *Different intonation types Historical Note: Vietnamese was created as a simplification of Chinese.
Major Language Families Indo European – Latin and Greek roots: English, French, Spanish, German, Greek and Latin African type: Swahili, Lontombe Asian – pictorial languages: Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Polynesian, Tagalog, Samoan Sanskrit type: - Hebrew, Sanskrit, Hindi, Aramaic, Arabic - American Indian type: Sioux, Navaho, Mohawk, Delaware, etc Primitive languages: Cave drawings, Ugaritic, Hieroglyphics Tribal and Aborigine – some are not yet fully decoded , even today.
LANGUAGE FAMILIES MAP World Language Families
Implications for Teaching ESL 1. The learning task of the ESL learner is monumental. 2. Teaching increments (Learning chunks) must be kept small. (How much to teach in one day, i. e. )
Implications 3. Statements and examples must be kept short, clear and concise. 4. Directions must be short and simple with just a few steps at a time. If the directions have twenty-five steps, then the topic is too complex.
Implications 5. Patience is of the utmost importance. 6. Do not fear over-repetition.
Implications 7. Do not despair if what you taught last week is not remembered this week. People need to hear a concept five times before they remember it according to learning theory experts.
Implications 8. Seek out networking opportunities with other ESL teachers. * Workshops * Conferences * Newletters
Other Implications Other implications from workshop participants: Discussion Moment! What implications or conclusions would you add to the mix?
Now you see the problem. . . Here are some strategies. My explanation to a mystified learner: “English has extra words and extra rules. That’s why it takes so long to learn. ” My solution: Teach phonics every week, ten –fifteen minutes. Explain the problem.
YOU MAY WONDER. . . “Does this explanation actually work? ” Yes, it does, sometimes, actually work.
Permission granted. . . Yes, you may use my explanation, if you wish. But don’t publish it and say you thought of it yourself. Thanks.
Teach Phonics Every Week. Teachers must teach Phonics in some form every week. Do not stop with vowels and consonants. Go on into Dipthongs and Blends. Teach how vowel sounds change with differing consonants. Teach sound families: bite, kite, site, etc.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT An old slogan, but true. To improve any skill, practice is essential. To improve reading, read daily. To improve in tennis, play daily. To improve in Englsh pronunciation, practice daily.
Now that you see the problem. . . Yes, you must teach phonics every week. Something, different, of course, but some aspect of phonics should be in your regular routine. In every vocabulary lesson, work on the sounds as well as the meanings. Phonics in context goes over a little better. Keep a set of tapes in the cabinet. Have your students record their voices on tape or themselves on camcorder. At the computer lab, use the programs with recording features.
Now that you see the problem. . . Here are some strategies for Grammar. Read the phrases correctly out loud so students hear sounds and grammar the right way. Provide short daily worksheets on phonics topics at the start of class (5 -10 min).
Internet Sites Randall’s Cyber Lab www. randalls cyber lab. com By Randall Davis www. English Club. com/Listening
Frequently Asked Questions Dear Cherita: “How do you happen to know this stuff? ” Answer #1: I studied comparative linguistics as part of my Master’s program. Answer #2: I can read several languages, but can speak only two. In the process of learning to read several languages, you just start to notice certain differences and similarities. (English, French, Latin, Greek, Spanish) Answer #3: I’ve done some research.
HANDOUT – PART 2 18 SPEAKING ACTIVITIES FOR ESL STUDENTS Check out this list Discuss
Responses/Questions? Good practices that you have used? How can we do more to help students with this difficult situation? What else would you like to have in this workshop?
References and Resources Noam Chomsky, Ph. D, Prof and author in Linguistics Theory Dr. M. Clarke, Ph. D, Professor of French, 1975. Milton Friedland, Ph. D, Professor of Linguistics, CSULA, 1997 Jane Goodall, Ph. D, Communication among Primates ____ English Training for Tagalog Speakers, U. S. Army, 1955. Thane Hedges, Ph. D, Prof of Speech Therapy, 1975 Hunter, Madeline, Teaching Mastery, 1990, UCLA Professor, UCLA Language Institute
References, continued Dolch and Fry Word Lists www. dolch-words, com/dolch. html Mead, Margaret, Growing up in Samoa, and other writings. Hacker, Diana, 1997 – 2007, ESL Writer’s Reference, Publisher’s name unknown.
References, continued Textbooks – Garden Grove Adult Ed Get class sets from the resource room at your school site. Pronounciation Pairs Pronunciation – A Realistic Aapproach. Pronunciation Pairs – Binder by Judy Goyette Lesson Series, U. S. Toy, Constructive Playthings, Blackline masters for phonics and language, Garden Grove, California.
Online Articles History of Languages, Wiki. Pedia, 2001. Sociocultural Aspects of Language Teaching, 1999(ERIC). Than, Tran. Nine Aspects of Vietnamese Learning, 2007. Language Families Chart. Which Languages are Easiest to Learn? (2003) Difficult English Sounds for ESL Learners, 2001.
References – Personal Interviews, Lectures and Teleconferences South African Minister of Communication, 1980, “Pigmy Tribes are the Toughest Group to Reach. ” Interviews with the Pollards of India – University Teachers, 1978 Translators and Decoders of the Aboriginal Tribes of Australia (CSULA Lecturers) 1996. U. S. Dept of Education, 2000, Grant Reviewer.
References - Dictionaries Langenscheidt Vietnamese Dictionary, 2000, “Rules of Grammar and Pronunciation. ” Langenscheidt Spanish Dictionary, 2000. “Rules of Grammar and Pronunciation. ” Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary of English , “Rules of Grammar, Spelling and Pronunciation. ” Strunk, William. Elements of Style. 2001. New York City Library Desk Reference, “Rules of Grammar and Spelling, ” 2006
Video Resources Jazz Chants: Books and tapes. United Streaming Video – Phonics topic (“Alphabet Movie”) Now called “Discovery Streaming. ” Tapes from the Resource Room at your school site (“Consonants and Vowels”). Make puppet shows and have the puppets say different sounds. See the handout.
Website and Blog Visit my website at: www. cheritastevens. com Click on the ESL Link and record your comments, strategies, stories and questions on the Workshop Blog.
The End Copyright 1993 and 2007@ Cherita W. Stevens, M. A. , Orange, CA 92866 All Rights Reserved. This presentation cannot be duplicated or copied without permission.
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