INTRODUCTION
New Curriculum development has been launched in 2004, called
Competence Based Curriculum. In Competence Based Curriculum, teaching
and learning English is aimed to achieve communicative competence.
Communicative competence is formulated to prepare English language
learners to communicate with the language in order to participate in the
society of English users. In communicative competence, teacher teaches
students to use English not only to communicate in spoken language but
also in written language.
There are five competences which must be developed in communicative
competence: discourse competence, actional competence, linguistic
competence, sociocultural competence, and strategic competence. The
major competence in communicative Competence is discourse competence.
Discourse competence means to develop students’ competence in spoken and
written Language in a discourse. The discourse is communicative event
which is influenced by topic, people who involve in the discourse and
the channel used to communicate. Discourse competence can be achieved
when the language learners master the supporting competence such as
linguistic competence, actional competence, socio-cultural competence
and strategic competence. Furthermore, all the competence must be taught
by teacher in teaching learning process through selected materials.
From the material point of view, teaching English today is based on
Text Based Approach or Genre Approach. Text Based Approach use cultural
kinds of text as the basis of material to teach in order to achieve
communicative competence where discourse competence the main competence
to be developed. Genre or kinds of text is view as the best way to
develop discourse competence. There are five kinds of texts which must
be taught by the teacher: descriptive, narrative, recount, report, and
procedure text. This paper discusses about teaching narrative through
story telling as the basic approach to develop discourse competence to
achieve communicative competence.
The Nature of Narrative and Story Telling
Narrative has been taught to all people in the world. Narrative
Could be in form, of story such as fairy stories, mystery, science
fiction, roan, apartment, 2004) horror, etc.( Education It happens when
we were in the childhood. Parents or even Grandparent prefer to tell
stories to children in various ways to make them happy to deliver kids
to bed. Telling story has become a lesson since we we are still very
young.
Story telling has become a classic way in teaching attitude, belief
to young people all of the world. According to Pavlenko and Lantolf
(2000) in Deacon and Murphy (2001), stories, a form of narrative, help
us to make sense of our world. Even in academic research, they have
lately been given a higher status. Stories also have the power to reach
deep within us into areas that regular teaching may not visit, thereby
validating the language classroom for reasons that go beyond l language
learning. Our students tell us and show us that they have changed
beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors after hearing our stories. This deep
impact makes language learning an enriching experience that students
find intrinsically valuable.
The purpose of narrative is to entertain people. Furthermore,
Derewianka (1995) and Indonesian Education Department (2004) states that
narrative is not only to entertain people but also teach value from
problem solving in it. That is why narrative is very crucial to learn by
language learners because there are many living lesson in all story.
Stages in Teaching Narrative
Teaching English in Competence Based Curriculum is divided into two
cycles: oral cycle and written cycle. Both cycles deal with discourse
competence development to gain communicative competence. Each cycle has
four stages in implementing teaching learning process: building
knowledge of field, modeling of text, joint construction of text, and
independent construction of text.
The most important stage in teaching narrative text is building
knowledge of field. In this stage, teacher plays important role. Teacher
will provide students with everything related to the text that students
will listen to. This stage provides students with vocabulary, grammar,
knowledge of the story, and students’ experience. Also, in this stage
students will have some task or exercise to review their understanding
about the vocabulary, structure that they have learned. All the activity
is aimed to prepare students to comprehend the story they are going to
listen to. If there are many student fails in the exercise, it can be
predicted that they will fail to understand the story or narrative text.
That is why; this stage is the most crucial one in teaching learning
process based on Competence Based Curriculum. This stage determines
students’ competence to master linguistic competence. Everything about
lexico-grammatical features of narrative should be taught to the
students. And it is hoped that the students can master all the
linguistic features of narrative text, specifically the linguistic
features of the story that the students listen to. The successful of
teaching learning process in Competence Based Curriculum is most based
on mastery learning of the linguistic features in the building knowledge
field. It means that teacher should build and prepare students with the
knowledge of story that teacher will tell or by story telling. Most of
activities in this oral cycle is presented in spoken language. Spoken
language dominates the activities in the classroom. It does not mean
that there is no writing activity but it is suggested to use oral
communication by direct interactive in teaching learning process. Yet,
teacher plays centre role in providing students with linguistic element
during the class.
The next important stage is modeling of the text. Here, the real
story telling activity takes place. Teacher will tell story as a kind
of narrative texts to the students. Teacher should act like a story
teller. It will help learners to comprehend the story. Using gesture and
asking questions is required to attract listeners or students’
attention to focus to the story. Because the story is told in oral
cycle, teacher must tell the story in English orally. Yet, teacher can
ask students’ understanding through question answer and guide students
to understand the story. If the students find unfamiliar words in the
story, teacher can ask other students to help to translate the meaning
of the words in Indonesian, even teacher can translate the words in
Indonesian.
In modeling of text, teacher guides students to understand the story
orally. By having direct interaction during telling the story, the
teacher tries hard to attract students’ focus on the story. Teacher’s
ability to be a story teller is very useful for students to understand
the text. As if the students are listening to an interesting story from
the teacher. If the teacher just reads the story, the students will get
bore. It is hard for them to listen to the teacher. Also in this stage,
teacher examines the students about the lexicogrammatical features or
linguistic feature of narrative text that the students learned in the
previous stage, building knowledge of field. It is very crucial thing.
An important activity in modeling of text is teacher can tell more
than one story if it is necessary. From the examples of the texts, the
learners will try to understand the Generic structure of narrative.
Teacher discusses with the students and guides them to find the generic
structure of narrative. The last activity in modeling of text is to
guide student to find the language features of narrative such as
dominated by verb in past form, use of material process, focus on
temporal sequence, use of circumstances of time and place, and focus on
specific participant. Another important thing of the last activity is to
guide students to find the generic structure of narrative: orientation,
evaluation, complication, resolution, and ended with reorientation. The
evaluation and reorientation are optional. Modeling of text and
building knowledge of text are the most crucial step in teaching
learning process, because it determine whether students can go on to
the next stages or not. If these two steps cannot be achieved by
students, it is suggested to begin from the beginning. If most students
can pass these previous steps, they can go on to Joint Construction of
text.
The next stage in teaching learning process in developing discourse
communicative competence is joint construction of text. The students are
divided into some groups. The activity in this stage is dominated by
students in groups. The task in the groups is to report their
understanding about the story they have listened to the teacher to heir
friends in group. They try to gather information by sharing idea from
the story. Furthermore, in groups the students create their groups’
stories or narrative text by following the generic structure of
narrative and use the lexico-grammatical features of narrative. The
groups are the centre of the activity and they can ask teachers for
help. When the groups have their own story, they go to other groups and
tell the story while others effort to understand their friends’ story or
narrative. They can help each other in groups in order to make the
story perfect. All the activity is done orally.
The final stage in teaching narrative is independent construction of
text. This stage is intended to work individually. Each student must do
his/her own project. A student must create his/her own story. All
students can ask teacher to have a student-teacher conference. It means
that teacher will provide student with anything to help the students to
create their own text or story. When the students have finished the
project, teacher can ask them to tell the story like a story teller.
The assessment is taken during teaching and learning process. Every
time, every day, every week, and every month, teacher should have
teachers’ note of students’ achievement. The authentic assessment is
implemented during the process of learning. That is why competence is
mostly emphasized in Competence Based Curriculum. If a student has
fulfilled the oral communicative competence, he/she can go on to written
communicative competence.
Conclusion
All in all, developing students’ English communicative competence can
be done through storytelling. Most of histories in the world are told
in storytelling. By having new breakthrough in developing curriculum
changes, it is hoped that learning process ill be more enjoyable by the
students. The students will learn more about the stories written by
famous author through storytelling.
source: http://redroom.com/member/junaidi-junaidi-t-na-ali/blog/teaching-narrative-through-storytelling
28 Juni, 2012
23 Juni, 2012
ESL Quizz
how far u mastering English??? check it out by join the quizzes click here to join the quizzes
Various Paragraph
In order to write coherent essays, students need to learn about the
basic functions of various paragraphs in college writing. Most
paragraphs will have several functions to fulfill at a time and it is
important to know under what circumstances their functions can be
conjoined, if at all. The following list contains explanations regarding
content and style of different paragraphs as well as examples, click on the kind of paragraphs to read a definition and sample of each paragraph
1. Narrative paragraph
2. Expository paragraph
3. Definition Paragraph
4. Classification Paragraph
5. Description Paragraph
6. Process Analysis Paragraph
1. Narrative paragraph
2. Expository paragraph
3. Definition Paragraph
4. Classification Paragraph
5. Description Paragraph
6. Process Analysis Paragraph
success in TOEFL test strategies
TOEFL is a test that may shape your future. Should you get a good
score on it and enter the university you belong to or should you fail to
cross the line? For this reason, it is extremely important to devote
time and resources and do your best to prepare for TOEFL. In this
section we have prepared some tips that may help you throughout your
preparation process and also during the test itself. click here to read the strategies
5 Speaking Rules you need to know!
we are English for Second Language Learners, but until this semester we rarely speak English, don't we?
this article maybe help us to be able to speak bravely, click here to read the tips
this article maybe help us to be able to speak bravely, click here to read the tips
How To Write an Essay
Learning how to write an essay can be a
maddening, exasperating process, but it doesn't have to be.
If you know the steps and understand what to do, writing can
be easy and even fun.
This site, "How
To Write an Essay: 10 Easy Steps," offers a ten-step
process that teaches students how to write an essay. click here to read the steps
19 Juni, 2012
Success Secrets of Learning English
You are
about to learn the secrets that will allow you to become fluent in one of the
most amazing communication mediums on the planet, the English language.
You will learn the skills, hints and tips, but more importantly the way of thinking that will allow you to speak English to whatever level you desire. If you wish to do business, converse with friends, or simply to enjoy meeting other people, whatever your background or experience, putting these simple steps into place will dramatically increase your English ability. They are the exact same ways of thinking that I myself have used to study Physics in French at a French university, and to speak in numerous TV shows and presentations in Japanese.
If you wish you could speak English better, or even if you know nothing at all and just want a head start, this book is what you have been waiting for, the key to making English something that you, yes you, can speak beyond your wildest dreams.
1. Realise that you can be good at English.
Anyone can become good at English. You can become good at English. Race does not matter. Millions of Americans speak fluent English, yet thousands of them are biologically exactly the same as you. Where you were born does not matter. Most of the English speakers in the World today learnt English as a second, or even third language. Even in your country there are many, many highly proficient English speakers. Where you live does not matter. Whilst going to live 5 years in Hawaii may make you fluent more quickly, in this age of the internet, TV and travel it's quite possible to get fluent at English simply by living at home. Just look at how many foreigner speakers get along so well here without speaking the local language at all! It's not where you live, it's how you think.
2. Realise that English is easy.
Do you think English is difficult? If you do you will never learn to speak well. But what are you comparing this to? If you think that English is more difficult than your own language, then how can you know if you don't speak English yet? The key to being good is to realise that English is easy. Is English brain surgery or quantum mechanics? No. It's simply a foreign language, something spoken effortlessly by millions of people everyday without a second thought. Truly great speakers of English treat English as a secondary thing, not something to think about, and certainly not to worry about, it's simply another skill, like riding a bicycle or driving a car. It is something you can achieve. And you can achieve easily. All it takes is a little effort and the right way of thinking. English is easy.
3. Do something you enjoy.
You must love to learn English. You don't see it as work, but as play. To achieve this the key is to do what excites you, but do it in English. Do you have a passion for fishing, or fashion? The latest stock prices or the hottest music? What about your family or children? What gets you going? What's the one thing that if taken away from your life would have the biggest influence on you? Now imagine reading, listening and talking passionately about that subject, but in English.
4. Set a goal
How good do you want to be? Without a goal, however hard you try you will never achieve anything. You need a decided, specific, written goal. Maybe you have one already? Maybe you need a certain level of English for a promotion or pay rise? Maybe there is a special girl or boy you want to speak to in English? Maybe you have a big business trip coming up? Set that as your goal. See yourself with that promotion, with that pay rise, with that boy or girl or talking effortlessly during that business meeting. Set the goal, work everyday towards it and you will achieve it.
What if you don't have a goal already? Remember the previous point, talk about something you love in English. Imagine how long you could talk about your hobby or passion in your own language. Imagine you are in a room with like minded people, all eager to hear everything you know about your passion. Now imagine the exact same scene, but this time you are talking just as much about your passion in English. This is your new goal. However much you can talk about your passion you can now do it in English.
5. See yourself in the future.
Or if you don't have a hobby or passion, try this idea. Close your eyes. See yourself in the future. You are fluent in English. You are talking to someone. Can you see? Who is this person? The American president? The president of your company? Britney Spears? David Beckham? You are laughing and joking. You understand everything they say. They understand everything you say. You are having a thoroughly enjoyable time. You are speaking fluent English. Look in the mirror. This is you. Keep this image in mind; this is your new goal. Work everyday to make it come true.
6. Don't mind what other people think
In my first couple of days in a new country I was out drinking with some English friends. There were some local people in the bar, and naturally we were keen to meet some of the locals and have a chat and maybe share a beer or two. We were quite lucky in that one of the guys in the groups was not only really fun and friendly, he also spoke quite good English ( well, I think the beer helped a little!). When we had finished it was decided we would go to another bar. So we all got on the train. The shocking thing was that this fun, friendly, English speaking business man suddenly told us not to speak English to him on the train. He was embarrassed that other people may hear him speaking English! Wow.
Now luckily things have changed a lot over the past few years. But some people still believe that they should not speak English because other people think of them as being a "show off". There is only one reason that people would think like that: they are jealous. Admittedly if you went around saying "I'm great at English, look how bad you are!" then they probably have a point. But people who say bad things about people who speak English are merely jealous that they cannot speak themselves. Secretly, deep down they respect you for speaking English and they indeed want to become like you themselves. Even the harshest critic really respects you for speaking English and wishes to be like you. So don't hide your lantern under a bushel, if you have the chance, use your English. This is your life and you alone decide how and when you speak and in what language. Don't let what other people think stop you achieving your potential. Speak up and be proud to speak English!
And don't think that "being shy" is OK. It's not. In every country we love winners and people who have special skills. Look at the Olympics when athletes win medals, everyone appreciates their special skills、applauds their success and wishes them well. Or when scientists win Noble prizes, again everyone is proud of what they achieved, looks up to them and feels inspired to become great themselves. It's the same with you and English. If you can speak English and the people around you see this, then they will look up to you, admire and respect you. They'll be proud to know you and the people around you will be inspired by your abilities and want to become great speakers themselves. Be a role model, be an inspiration for others.
7. Take responsibility
We all start from different points in life. Some of us are born rich, some are born poor. Some have influential parents, some have no parents at all. Some have been seemingly been given great chances on a plate, some have had to work extra hard for everything they have achieved. This is life. And there's nothing to do but accept it. If we constantly say "yes, but he was born in America so of course he can speak English", or "Yes, but he went to the best university and had the best teachers" then we are blaming other people. Blaming other people is to make excuses, and making excuses is to open the path to failure. First we must take responsibility ourselves. How good you are at English is all up to you. There are millions of people in underdeveloped countries who have no food, no education and no resources, but they simply decided to learn English and did it. They took responsibility and took action. You are exactly the same, if you take responsibility and take action you will succeed. Maybe you feel you have no time? That you are too busy? But who decides how you spend your time? Don't blame other people. How you choose to spend your time is entirely decided by you. So take responsibility and take control, acknowledge that you control what, when and how you do things, and make the best use of your time to achieve your goals. Take time where you can, five minutes after taking the kids to school? A 20 minute commute to work? An extra 10 minutes while eating lunch? Your time is yours. Five minutes before breakfast? Your time is yours. Everything starts with you. You are the master of your destiny, only you can determine how good you wish to become. Decide today you wish to be brilliant. Take responsibility. Make it happen. Become a brilliant speaker.
8. Only think positive thoughts.
Just like driving a car, our thoughts are self fulfilling, whatever direction we look at when driving, or think about during the day, is the direction we will go. Successful language learners always look on the positive side of things. They see a language as something that can be mastered, one step at a time. If along the way we make mistakes, or lose faith, it does not matter as long as we continually look forward. See the goal in your mind and head towards it. However, sadly many people don't do this. Instead of focussing on the good things, they focus on the bad. They continually think of mistakes they have made, they worry that they may embarrasses themselves, they believe that English cannot be learnt, they believe they won't be understood. And true enough if this is what they think of everyday then this is what happens. But you are different. You think positive thoughts everyday and you head in the positive direction. When you make mistakes, you learn from them and move on. When you see a new challenge, new people to speak to, new words you don't know, you look forward to tackling them, you know that people will respect you for trying, even if you do make mistakes. You know that English is something you can do. You know that even if people don't understand what you say the first time, if you try often enough they will indeed understand. New things to learn are a challenge to be relished. You look forward to situations you cannot handle, so that you may learn how to make them your own. Thinking only positive thoughts, brings about only positive results.
9. A little a day
Research in other countries shows that instead of a big study session once a week, a little everyday is much more effective. Get in to a routine and don't allow your mind to forget what you have learnt. See everyday as a chance to add something extra to your English potential. Make it a routine. Like learning to play baseball or to ride a bike, or a little exercise, whatever you do everyday, you get good at it. Do a little English everyday and you will get good at it.
10. Be careful of "weird English"
When you buy your books or CDs, buy lots of different CDs from lots of different companies. The reason is that many CDs that are written by people who don't speak English and hence they contain lots of mistakes. But if you buy lots of different CDs and books, you'll soon figure out which bits of English are real, and which are not! Learn English that is cool, so that other people are so impressed they say "wow!" when they hear you speak.
11. Every step counts.
Realise that learning English everyday is like putting pennies in the bank. Every time you save a few pennies, the amount in your account increases and increases. English is the same, every time you do even just a little bit it adds and adds to how good you are. What if instead of 5 minutes everyday you did 10? What about 20 instead of 10? Every minute is a minute invested. Think how those minutes of study are building up, penny by penny, minute by minute to make you a wonderful speaker of English.
12. Work smart, not hard – part 1
One of the biggest shocks that people have about high school English is that although everyone has studied English at school, hardly anyone speaks it. I'm sure you had English classes for many years in high school, yes? And can you speak fluent English? Just imaging if you had studied your own writing for 6 years in Elementary School and couldn't write a single word! So why can't you speak English? Well, the reason is that you were working hard, but not smart. You had the wrong goals and targets in mind. Up until now the High School English system was built on ideas from the Victorian period. In that time the target wasn't communication English, because there was no-one to communicate with! The aim then was to learn foreign knowledge. People would read books in German or English or Dutch about arms, or medicine or engineering. They would dissect the grammar and translate it into for everyone to read and understand. If you think about your high school English, it was probably something just like that. And in that respect the world has succeeded. But it's not the Victorian period anymore, it's now about communication. Unfortunately the school system hasn't caught up yet, but it will! So realise that what you learnt in high school won't really help you. But don't feel bad about the time you spent, you were just working towards an unsuitable goal. And now things are different, now you have a new goal, a new motivation, and a new determination to achieve that goal!
13. Work smart, not hard – part 2
So what if you decide to work 20 hours a day on English. Will you get good? Well, what if you spent 20 hours a day practising baseball? In the beginning you might see some improvement, but after a while you'll simply get tired. Although every minute adds up, every minute has to count. Instead of simply focussing on the time, or seeing how many CDs you've listened to, work smart instead of hard. 5 minutes of good concentrated practice is worth more than a hundred hours of tediously studying grammar. You time is important, you'll never get it back, so work smart, not hard.
14. Take every chance you have.
Every chance is a gift; you'd be a fool not to take it. If you are asked to speak to some people in English, if you see someone lost on the street, if you are on holiday and want to order some food. Take the chance and do it. Speak English. Don't give into the easy path of being embarrassed or afraid. This is the new you and you take every chance you get. Who cares if you make mistakes, you will have learnt something from the experience. Taking every chance you get increases your confidence. And increased confidence leads to more chances and opportunities appearing. People will see how you are eager to help people, you will be asked to help out more and people will respect you for it.
15. Get an Electronic Dictionary
Buy an electronic dictionary. The key is to take it with you everywhere you go. Whenever you hear or see a new word, put it in the memory. Then when you have some free time, on the train or waiting to pick the kids up from school, test yourself with the "memory function". The dictionary will flash up an English word at random, and you have to guess the meaning. The best thing is that because you carry the electronic dictionary with you everywhere you go, you make emotional connections with the words. For example when you see a word you think "Oh yes, that's the word that I heard at work last week" or "Oh yeah, I first heard that word at the end of year drinking party!". This way the words become your own.
16. When you wake up in the morning...
This is another trick that I use to learn languages and you can use it too. You know in a morning and you wake up, you think to yourself "What time is it? Quick, I've got to get a shower, then some breakfast, then that meeting at 9 o'clock!". Well, I used to do that in the new language. Take a bit of time to figure out the things you want to say, learn them and then use them everyday. The best thing about this idea is that even if you make mistakes no-one will ever hear them! If you find one day that you want to say something and you don't know how to say it in English, just look it up. Either use your electronic dictionary or ask a teacher or friend.
17. Don't read at first
CDs or mp3s are always better than books to study from as you can hear the right pronunciation. If you see new words in a book, it can be difficult to know how to say them. Usually this means your pronunciation will be really bad.
Some people it's a "starting point", something to help you. It usually doesn't work as you usually never get the sound correct just by looking at the symbols. Some people say "but it's close to correct English". But that's still no good. For example, in math you wouldn't say "1+6=8", would you? Why not? Because it's wrong. But it is close! Most symbols is the same, it's close to English, but it's wrong. So at first don't read, use CDs! Practice everyday and you'll have no problems!
18. Going to bed at night.
This is another great trick that people have always used to practise writing. But here we'll use it to get your speaking to a fantastic level. All you do is grab yourself a tape player or audio recorder and speak into it all the things you did today. If you can't say something, look it up. It's great practise and is a great source of materials if you have English lessons, simply bring a copy along with you and get the teacher to go through it. Remember, a little everyday is your key to great English skills.
19. Be honest, don't lie.
If someone says to you "Wow, you speak great English!". Don't turn round and say "Oh no, I don't speak English well!". That's a lie! You do speak English well! Say "Thank you". It always surprises me that most people say they speak very bad English, but if I simply say "hello" in their language they start saying how well I speak it! I'm sure you can say much, much more than "hello" in English, so you must be good!
20. Get everyone involved
Of course learning English by yourself is fun, but why not share that fun with other people? Make it a house rule that from 7 till 8 PM people can only speak English. If anyone speaks another language by mistake they have to put some money in a special savings box. You can use that money for a special treat. Or if you have kids, if they keep asking for things like burgers or candy, only give it to them if they can ask in English. Or at work, make one of your daily meetings in English. If everyone is working smart at getting good at English, it's even easier to learn.
21. Speak as much as you can, but don't become a groupie!
Now that you're listening to CDs and speaking English everyday, you are getting really good. Now to get to the next level you also need to practice real English with lots and lots of people. Don't worry, it's easy! One way is to use the internet. Look online for "language exchanges".
Or see if you can help people in your town or city. When I live in other countries I usually can't speak the language in the beginning and it is hard to do even simple things like shopping or paying a gas bill. But there are always lots of people who help me out, even if the only English they can say is "hello". It really means a lot to me when people make an effort to communicate and help me.
In this way I make lots of really great friends, and you can too. If there are new people in town, go and visit and see if there is anything you can help with. Or ask at your community centre if there are groups or classes that help foreign visitors.
Or you could try offering free languages lessons to new visitors. I'm always looking for language teachers when I move to a new country!
The only thing I would ask is, don't become a "Groupie!". Just like with everyone else, talk to someone if you like them and want to talk to them. Don't just see English speakers as a free English lesson. We are people too! But if you put in a little effort, you can help people out, make lots of friends and learn lots of English.
22. Take your holidays abroad. It can be cheaper!
I always say this to people and they always say "It's too expensive!". Not always, check online and you might find some amazing deals.
If you can, try and avoid package tours. With a package tour, you are inside a kind of "bubble" where you don't have to speak English. What you should do is to just book a flight and hotel. "That's too scary!", you may say. But don't worry, that's what makes it fun! Don't believe all you hear about foreign countries being dangerous, they're not. For example, in England all we hear about other countries is of earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons and volcanoes. If you only read the English news you'd think the World was very, very dangerous place. But it's not like that really, is it? And it's the sam
e with other countries. Just like being at home, as long as you don't do anything too stupid, you'll be fine. Enjoy the World, because it's a fantastic place. Plus now you have the confidence and English skills to enjoy it even more.
23. Forget writing
You don't need to learn to write. How much of your daily communication is speaking / listening? How much is reading / writing? That's the same balance you should use when learning English. For most people this means over ninety percent of the time should be speaking and listening. This is great news, because it means you can learn a whole lot more in a much shorter space of time. Just concentrate on the important points of speaking and listening.
24. For reading do phonics
If you do wish to read English, for example to read road signs or maps etc, there is a really easy way. It's called "phonics". Now this might sound complicated, but it's very simple. All it means is that instead of learning the names of the letters, for example "Ay, Bee, See", you learn the sounds the letters make. Have a play here (GenkiPhonics.com) and you'll see what I mean. Once you've done the basic sounds, which only takes a few afternoons, you'll be able to read eighty percent of English words. Which isn't too bad, is it?
25. Watch one TV programme a week in English
Thanks to satellite and bilingual TVs, as well as the internet & DVDs, it's now really easy to watch programmes in English. But don't start off by saying "right, I'm only going to watch TV in English from now on!". Just like swimming, you don't start by jumping in the deep end of the pool. Start off in the shallow water, just watch one programme a week in English, then gradually move on, and eventually you'll be swimming on your own, and be able to watch anything in the original English. Don't worry if you don't understand it all, I only understand 80% of some American TV shows. With practice, just a little every week, you soon figure out what the new words mean, and eventually you'll be able to watch any programme or movie you like in English, with no problems.
26. Set goals and do things one at a time
Earlier on we talked about goals. Can you still see the image in your mind of you speaking to that famous person in English? Can you still see you laughing and joking in English? Good. The thing is that you can only aim for one goal at a time. Some people say things like "Oh, this month I'll do English everyday, I'll exercise and lose 10 kilograms and I'll learn how to cook Thai food". But you can only do one thing at a time. Make English your number one priority. Then when you have achieved that goal, make all your other dreams come true.
27. You can do it!
Confidence is the key. You are special. You can do it. You are a very clever person, after all you've had the energy to keep reading right to the end of this book. It's not brain surgery, it's not genetic engineering, it's just English, and you can do it. Stay with it, just five minutes a day and you will become better than you every imagined. It's all up to do. Decide to become a great speaker. Believe it will happen, and it will.
28. Do it today!
So you're all geared up ready to be able to speak English today? Well, do it! Don't wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow never comes! Don't think; do it! There's never been a better time for you to start. Whatever you are doing after reading this book, do it in English. If you are going to the shops, call in at a bookstore and buy some CDs. If you are in the house, put the TV on in English. If you are planning what to make for dinner, think about what you would like - in English. If you are listening to this book on CD, then let the English version play. The best time to start is right now! You are the new you, the new you speaks great English and the new you starts now
sourced: http://genkienglish.net/teaching/start-your-own-school-tip-7-how-to-get-more-students
You will learn the skills, hints and tips, but more importantly the way of thinking that will allow you to speak English to whatever level you desire. If you wish to do business, converse with friends, or simply to enjoy meeting other people, whatever your background or experience, putting these simple steps into place will dramatically increase your English ability. They are the exact same ways of thinking that I myself have used to study Physics in French at a French university, and to speak in numerous TV shows and presentations in Japanese.
If you wish you could speak English better, or even if you know nothing at all and just want a head start, this book is what you have been waiting for, the key to making English something that you, yes you, can speak beyond your wildest dreams.
1. Realise that you can be good at English.
Anyone can become good at English. You can become good at English. Race does not matter. Millions of Americans speak fluent English, yet thousands of them are biologically exactly the same as you. Where you were born does not matter. Most of the English speakers in the World today learnt English as a second, or even third language. Even in your country there are many, many highly proficient English speakers. Where you live does not matter. Whilst going to live 5 years in Hawaii may make you fluent more quickly, in this age of the internet, TV and travel it's quite possible to get fluent at English simply by living at home. Just look at how many foreigner speakers get along so well here without speaking the local language at all! It's not where you live, it's how you think.
2. Realise that English is easy.
Do you think English is difficult? If you do you will never learn to speak well. But what are you comparing this to? If you think that English is more difficult than your own language, then how can you know if you don't speak English yet? The key to being good is to realise that English is easy. Is English brain surgery or quantum mechanics? No. It's simply a foreign language, something spoken effortlessly by millions of people everyday without a second thought. Truly great speakers of English treat English as a secondary thing, not something to think about, and certainly not to worry about, it's simply another skill, like riding a bicycle or driving a car. It is something you can achieve. And you can achieve easily. All it takes is a little effort and the right way of thinking. English is easy.
3. Do something you enjoy.
You must love to learn English. You don't see it as work, but as play. To achieve this the key is to do what excites you, but do it in English. Do you have a passion for fishing, or fashion? The latest stock prices or the hottest music? What about your family or children? What gets you going? What's the one thing that if taken away from your life would have the biggest influence on you? Now imagine reading, listening and talking passionately about that subject, but in English.
4. Set a goal
How good do you want to be? Without a goal, however hard you try you will never achieve anything. You need a decided, specific, written goal. Maybe you have one already? Maybe you need a certain level of English for a promotion or pay rise? Maybe there is a special girl or boy you want to speak to in English? Maybe you have a big business trip coming up? Set that as your goal. See yourself with that promotion, with that pay rise, with that boy or girl or talking effortlessly during that business meeting. Set the goal, work everyday towards it and you will achieve it.
What if you don't have a goal already? Remember the previous point, talk about something you love in English. Imagine how long you could talk about your hobby or passion in your own language. Imagine you are in a room with like minded people, all eager to hear everything you know about your passion. Now imagine the exact same scene, but this time you are talking just as much about your passion in English. This is your new goal. However much you can talk about your passion you can now do it in English.
5. See yourself in the future.
Or if you don't have a hobby or passion, try this idea. Close your eyes. See yourself in the future. You are fluent in English. You are talking to someone. Can you see? Who is this person? The American president? The president of your company? Britney Spears? David Beckham? You are laughing and joking. You understand everything they say. They understand everything you say. You are having a thoroughly enjoyable time. You are speaking fluent English. Look in the mirror. This is you. Keep this image in mind; this is your new goal. Work everyday to make it come true.
6. Don't mind what other people think
In my first couple of days in a new country I was out drinking with some English friends. There were some local people in the bar, and naturally we were keen to meet some of the locals and have a chat and maybe share a beer or two. We were quite lucky in that one of the guys in the groups was not only really fun and friendly, he also spoke quite good English ( well, I think the beer helped a little!). When we had finished it was decided we would go to another bar. So we all got on the train. The shocking thing was that this fun, friendly, English speaking business man suddenly told us not to speak English to him on the train. He was embarrassed that other people may hear him speaking English! Wow.
Now luckily things have changed a lot over the past few years. But some people still believe that they should not speak English because other people think of them as being a "show off". There is only one reason that people would think like that: they are jealous. Admittedly if you went around saying "I'm great at English, look how bad you are!" then they probably have a point. But people who say bad things about people who speak English are merely jealous that they cannot speak themselves. Secretly, deep down they respect you for speaking English and they indeed want to become like you themselves. Even the harshest critic really respects you for speaking English and wishes to be like you. So don't hide your lantern under a bushel, if you have the chance, use your English. This is your life and you alone decide how and when you speak and in what language. Don't let what other people think stop you achieving your potential. Speak up and be proud to speak English!
And don't think that "being shy" is OK. It's not. In every country we love winners and people who have special skills. Look at the Olympics when athletes win medals, everyone appreciates their special skills、applauds their success and wishes them well. Or when scientists win Noble prizes, again everyone is proud of what they achieved, looks up to them and feels inspired to become great themselves. It's the same with you and English. If you can speak English and the people around you see this, then they will look up to you, admire and respect you. They'll be proud to know you and the people around you will be inspired by your abilities and want to become great speakers themselves. Be a role model, be an inspiration for others.
7. Take responsibility
We all start from different points in life. Some of us are born rich, some are born poor. Some have influential parents, some have no parents at all. Some have been seemingly been given great chances on a plate, some have had to work extra hard for everything they have achieved. This is life. And there's nothing to do but accept it. If we constantly say "yes, but he was born in America so of course he can speak English", or "Yes, but he went to the best university and had the best teachers" then we are blaming other people. Blaming other people is to make excuses, and making excuses is to open the path to failure. First we must take responsibility ourselves. How good you are at English is all up to you. There are millions of people in underdeveloped countries who have no food, no education and no resources, but they simply decided to learn English and did it. They took responsibility and took action. You are exactly the same, if you take responsibility and take action you will succeed. Maybe you feel you have no time? That you are too busy? But who decides how you spend your time? Don't blame other people. How you choose to spend your time is entirely decided by you. So take responsibility and take control, acknowledge that you control what, when and how you do things, and make the best use of your time to achieve your goals. Take time where you can, five minutes after taking the kids to school? A 20 minute commute to work? An extra 10 minutes while eating lunch? Your time is yours. Five minutes before breakfast? Your time is yours. Everything starts with you. You are the master of your destiny, only you can determine how good you wish to become. Decide today you wish to be brilliant. Take responsibility. Make it happen. Become a brilliant speaker.
8. Only think positive thoughts.
Just like driving a car, our thoughts are self fulfilling, whatever direction we look at when driving, or think about during the day, is the direction we will go. Successful language learners always look on the positive side of things. They see a language as something that can be mastered, one step at a time. If along the way we make mistakes, or lose faith, it does not matter as long as we continually look forward. See the goal in your mind and head towards it. However, sadly many people don't do this. Instead of focussing on the good things, they focus on the bad. They continually think of mistakes they have made, they worry that they may embarrasses themselves, they believe that English cannot be learnt, they believe they won't be understood. And true enough if this is what they think of everyday then this is what happens. But you are different. You think positive thoughts everyday and you head in the positive direction. When you make mistakes, you learn from them and move on. When you see a new challenge, new people to speak to, new words you don't know, you look forward to tackling them, you know that people will respect you for trying, even if you do make mistakes. You know that English is something you can do. You know that even if people don't understand what you say the first time, if you try often enough they will indeed understand. New things to learn are a challenge to be relished. You look forward to situations you cannot handle, so that you may learn how to make them your own. Thinking only positive thoughts, brings about only positive results.
9. A little a day
Research in other countries shows that instead of a big study session once a week, a little everyday is much more effective. Get in to a routine and don't allow your mind to forget what you have learnt. See everyday as a chance to add something extra to your English potential. Make it a routine. Like learning to play baseball or to ride a bike, or a little exercise, whatever you do everyday, you get good at it. Do a little English everyday and you will get good at it.
10. Be careful of "weird English"
When you buy your books or CDs, buy lots of different CDs from lots of different companies. The reason is that many CDs that are written by people who don't speak English and hence they contain lots of mistakes. But if you buy lots of different CDs and books, you'll soon figure out which bits of English are real, and which are not! Learn English that is cool, so that other people are so impressed they say "wow!" when they hear you speak.
11. Every step counts.
Realise that learning English everyday is like putting pennies in the bank. Every time you save a few pennies, the amount in your account increases and increases. English is the same, every time you do even just a little bit it adds and adds to how good you are. What if instead of 5 minutes everyday you did 10? What about 20 instead of 10? Every minute is a minute invested. Think how those minutes of study are building up, penny by penny, minute by minute to make you a wonderful speaker of English.
12. Work smart, not hard – part 1
One of the biggest shocks that people have about high school English is that although everyone has studied English at school, hardly anyone speaks it. I'm sure you had English classes for many years in high school, yes? And can you speak fluent English? Just imaging if you had studied your own writing for 6 years in Elementary School and couldn't write a single word! So why can't you speak English? Well, the reason is that you were working hard, but not smart. You had the wrong goals and targets in mind. Up until now the High School English system was built on ideas from the Victorian period. In that time the target wasn't communication English, because there was no-one to communicate with! The aim then was to learn foreign knowledge. People would read books in German or English or Dutch about arms, or medicine or engineering. They would dissect the grammar and translate it into for everyone to read and understand. If you think about your high school English, it was probably something just like that. And in that respect the world has succeeded. But it's not the Victorian period anymore, it's now about communication. Unfortunately the school system hasn't caught up yet, but it will! So realise that what you learnt in high school won't really help you. But don't feel bad about the time you spent, you were just working towards an unsuitable goal. And now things are different, now you have a new goal, a new motivation, and a new determination to achieve that goal!
13. Work smart, not hard – part 2
So what if you decide to work 20 hours a day on English. Will you get good? Well, what if you spent 20 hours a day practising baseball? In the beginning you might see some improvement, but after a while you'll simply get tired. Although every minute adds up, every minute has to count. Instead of simply focussing on the time, or seeing how many CDs you've listened to, work smart instead of hard. 5 minutes of good concentrated practice is worth more than a hundred hours of tediously studying grammar. You time is important, you'll never get it back, so work smart, not hard.
14. Take every chance you have.
Every chance is a gift; you'd be a fool not to take it. If you are asked to speak to some people in English, if you see someone lost on the street, if you are on holiday and want to order some food. Take the chance and do it. Speak English. Don't give into the easy path of being embarrassed or afraid. This is the new you and you take every chance you get. Who cares if you make mistakes, you will have learnt something from the experience. Taking every chance you get increases your confidence. And increased confidence leads to more chances and opportunities appearing. People will see how you are eager to help people, you will be asked to help out more and people will respect you for it.
15. Get an Electronic Dictionary
Buy an electronic dictionary. The key is to take it with you everywhere you go. Whenever you hear or see a new word, put it in the memory. Then when you have some free time, on the train or waiting to pick the kids up from school, test yourself with the "memory function". The dictionary will flash up an English word at random, and you have to guess the meaning. The best thing is that because you carry the electronic dictionary with you everywhere you go, you make emotional connections with the words. For example when you see a word you think "Oh yes, that's the word that I heard at work last week" or "Oh yeah, I first heard that word at the end of year drinking party!". This way the words become your own.
16. When you wake up in the morning...
This is another trick that I use to learn languages and you can use it too. You know in a morning and you wake up, you think to yourself "What time is it? Quick, I've got to get a shower, then some breakfast, then that meeting at 9 o'clock!". Well, I used to do that in the new language. Take a bit of time to figure out the things you want to say, learn them and then use them everyday. The best thing about this idea is that even if you make mistakes no-one will ever hear them! If you find one day that you want to say something and you don't know how to say it in English, just look it up. Either use your electronic dictionary or ask a teacher or friend.
17. Don't read at first
CDs or mp3s are always better than books to study from as you can hear the right pronunciation. If you see new words in a book, it can be difficult to know how to say them. Usually this means your pronunciation will be really bad.
Some people it's a "starting point", something to help you. It usually doesn't work as you usually never get the sound correct just by looking at the symbols. Some people say "but it's close to correct English". But that's still no good. For example, in math you wouldn't say "1+6=8", would you? Why not? Because it's wrong. But it is close! Most symbols is the same, it's close to English, but it's wrong. So at first don't read, use CDs! Practice everyday and you'll have no problems!
18. Going to bed at night.
This is another great trick that people have always used to practise writing. But here we'll use it to get your speaking to a fantastic level. All you do is grab yourself a tape player or audio recorder and speak into it all the things you did today. If you can't say something, look it up. It's great practise and is a great source of materials if you have English lessons, simply bring a copy along with you and get the teacher to go through it. Remember, a little everyday is your key to great English skills.
19. Be honest, don't lie.
If someone says to you "Wow, you speak great English!". Don't turn round and say "Oh no, I don't speak English well!". That's a lie! You do speak English well! Say "Thank you". It always surprises me that most people say they speak very bad English, but if I simply say "hello" in their language they start saying how well I speak it! I'm sure you can say much, much more than "hello" in English, so you must be good!
20. Get everyone involved
Of course learning English by yourself is fun, but why not share that fun with other people? Make it a house rule that from 7 till 8 PM people can only speak English. If anyone speaks another language by mistake they have to put some money in a special savings box. You can use that money for a special treat. Or if you have kids, if they keep asking for things like burgers or candy, only give it to them if they can ask in English. Or at work, make one of your daily meetings in English. If everyone is working smart at getting good at English, it's even easier to learn.
21. Speak as much as you can, but don't become a groupie!
Now that you're listening to CDs and speaking English everyday, you are getting really good. Now to get to the next level you also need to practice real English with lots and lots of people. Don't worry, it's easy! One way is to use the internet. Look online for "language exchanges".
Or see if you can help people in your town or city. When I live in other countries I usually can't speak the language in the beginning and it is hard to do even simple things like shopping or paying a gas bill. But there are always lots of people who help me out, even if the only English they can say is "hello". It really means a lot to me when people make an effort to communicate and help me.
In this way I make lots of really great friends, and you can too. If there are new people in town, go and visit and see if there is anything you can help with. Or ask at your community centre if there are groups or classes that help foreign visitors.
Or you could try offering free languages lessons to new visitors. I'm always looking for language teachers when I move to a new country!
The only thing I would ask is, don't become a "Groupie!". Just like with everyone else, talk to someone if you like them and want to talk to them. Don't just see English speakers as a free English lesson. We are people too! But if you put in a little effort, you can help people out, make lots of friends and learn lots of English.
22. Take your holidays abroad. It can be cheaper!
I always say this to people and they always say "It's too expensive!". Not always, check online and you might find some amazing deals.
If you can, try and avoid package tours. With a package tour, you are inside a kind of "bubble" where you don't have to speak English. What you should do is to just book a flight and hotel. "That's too scary!", you may say. But don't worry, that's what makes it fun! Don't believe all you hear about foreign countries being dangerous, they're not. For example, in England all we hear about other countries is of earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons and volcanoes. If you only read the English news you'd think the World was very, very dangerous place. But it's not like that really, is it? And it's the sam
e with other countries. Just like being at home, as long as you don't do anything too stupid, you'll be fine. Enjoy the World, because it's a fantastic place. Plus now you have the confidence and English skills to enjoy it even more.
23. Forget writing
You don't need to learn to write. How much of your daily communication is speaking / listening? How much is reading / writing? That's the same balance you should use when learning English. For most people this means over ninety percent of the time should be speaking and listening. This is great news, because it means you can learn a whole lot more in a much shorter space of time. Just concentrate on the important points of speaking and listening.
24. For reading do phonics
If you do wish to read English, for example to read road signs or maps etc, there is a really easy way. It's called "phonics". Now this might sound complicated, but it's very simple. All it means is that instead of learning the names of the letters, for example "Ay, Bee, See", you learn the sounds the letters make. Have a play here (GenkiPhonics.com) and you'll see what I mean. Once you've done the basic sounds, which only takes a few afternoons, you'll be able to read eighty percent of English words. Which isn't too bad, is it?
25. Watch one TV programme a week in English
Thanks to satellite and bilingual TVs, as well as the internet & DVDs, it's now really easy to watch programmes in English. But don't start off by saying "right, I'm only going to watch TV in English from now on!". Just like swimming, you don't start by jumping in the deep end of the pool. Start off in the shallow water, just watch one programme a week in English, then gradually move on, and eventually you'll be swimming on your own, and be able to watch anything in the original English. Don't worry if you don't understand it all, I only understand 80% of some American TV shows. With practice, just a little every week, you soon figure out what the new words mean, and eventually you'll be able to watch any programme or movie you like in English, with no problems.
26. Set goals and do things one at a time
Earlier on we talked about goals. Can you still see the image in your mind of you speaking to that famous person in English? Can you still see you laughing and joking in English? Good. The thing is that you can only aim for one goal at a time. Some people say things like "Oh, this month I'll do English everyday, I'll exercise and lose 10 kilograms and I'll learn how to cook Thai food". But you can only do one thing at a time. Make English your number one priority. Then when you have achieved that goal, make all your other dreams come true.
27. You can do it!
Confidence is the key. You are special. You can do it. You are a very clever person, after all you've had the energy to keep reading right to the end of this book. It's not brain surgery, it's not genetic engineering, it's just English, and you can do it. Stay with it, just five minutes a day and you will become better than you every imagined. It's all up to do. Decide to become a great speaker. Believe it will happen, and it will.
28. Do it today!
So you're all geared up ready to be able to speak English today? Well, do it! Don't wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow never comes! Don't think; do it! There's never been a better time for you to start. Whatever you are doing after reading this book, do it in English. If you are going to the shops, call in at a bookstore and buy some CDs. If you are in the house, put the TV on in English. If you are planning what to make for dinner, think about what you would like - in English. If you are listening to this book on CD, then let the English version play. The best time to start is right now! You are the new you, the new you speaks great English and the new you starts now
sourced: http://genkienglish.net/teaching/start-your-own-school-tip-7-how-to-get-more-students
Important Things to Consider When Helping Your Child Read
Is your child
reading books that are too difficult?
Children who
are weak at reading want to be better. They tend to choose books that are too
difficult for them and pretend they are better than they really are. It can be
very difficult to get across to a child that this won't help him improve. Many,
many times I have seen children just looking at the pictures while pretending
to read. This is a complete waste of time for school aged children who should
be reading independently.
'High interest,
low skill' books are often presented to children who are struggling with
reading. They usually appear very simple to an adult but, in fact, many of
these books are much too difficult. When the child's reading doesn't improve,
the conclusion is often that there's something wrong with him. Now of course it
is sensible to investigate the possibility of learning disabilities, but test
results often show that that there are no such disabilities - the child is just
very weak at reading. Having said this, these hi-lo books are great when a
child does have basic reading skills but just doesn't like reading. The topics
are very engaging.
The bottom line
is that a child needs to be able to read 95% of the words easily when reading
independently. That usually works out to knowing all but three or four words on
the page. It's really important to make sure the level of text is right for
your child's current reading skill. This is because, with reading, confidence
is everything.
Reading prompts
that work
It is tempting
to tell your child the words he doesn't know and hope that he'll remember them,
but there are far more effective ways to help an early reader. What should you
say to help when he reaches that first unknown word? What sort of prompting is
appropriate?
When he
hesitates before attempting a word, ask (in a conversational tone of voice) Can
you see something in the picture to help you? or What's happening in the
story? or What's the information about in this book? (This last one
applies to books that are informational rather than narrative.) When he's had a
try at reading the word (whether correctly or incorrectly), ask Does that
make sense? If he reads it incorrectly, then ask What would make sense
there?
These sort of
prompts are about the meaning of the text.
You can also
prompt him to use his knowledge of how language works and the structure of oral
language and grammar. When he hesitates before attempting a word, ask, What
would sound right there? When he's had a try at reading the word (whether
correctly or incorrectly), ask Can we say it that way? If he reads the
word incorrectly, then say Try again and think what would come next.
These are
structure prompts.
Another
appropriate way to prompt is by getting him to focus on the initial letters or
clusters or patterns of letters and the sound they make. When he hesitates
before attempting a word, ask What does it start with? or Can you
start to say the word? or Can you get your mouth ready to say the word?
(Asking him to look for smaller words he knows within the unknown word can also
be very helpful.)
When he's had a
try at saying the word (whether correctly or incorrectly), ask Do you know
another word that looks like that? or You said...... Does that look
right?
If he reads the
word incorrectly, then ask Do you know another word that starts with those
letters? or What do you know about letter patterns that might help?
These are
visual prompts.
Timing your
prompts
You are trying
to build up your child's confidence in his own ability so you need to allow him
time to have a go at working a word out before you prompt at all. This is
usually known as 'wait time'. 'Wait time' is something that any adult can have
trouble with. Either we're in a hurry ourselves or we're trying to help too
soon to save the child from embarrassment (which is giving the child the
message that we don't think he can do it). Instant help can also result in lazy
children. It takes practice to hold back but you'll be surprised at the
results. A 'wait time' of 10-15 seconds or so is recommended. Try it!
If your child
can't work out a word in that amount of time, follow the instructions above for
meaning, structure and visual prompts. Two prompts are enough. Any more would
make it seem like too big a deal.
If your
meaning, structure and visual prompts don't work, you should read the situation
carefully. If your child is showing signs of stress, ask 'Would you like me
to tell you the word?' Don't just tell him what the word is because he is
likely to feel disempowered and that will not help to build confidence. By
asking if he'd like you to tell him, he is still in control of his own
learning. There's a big difference.
If he says Yes,
just tell him the word calmly without making any fuss. You don't need to say
anything else.
If he says No
(but you can see he's getting frustrated), help by breaking up the word with
your fingers and saying Let's break it down into chunks.
For example, if
the word is brown, you'd point out the br and say, This part
says brrrr. Then point to the n and say, This part says nnn. You
know those two chunks.
Then point to
the ow and say, I can help with this chunk. It says oww, just like the oww
in cow. So when we put the chunks together in order we get brrr, then oww, and
then nnn. See if you can put them together. If he can't do this, say it for
him. You will need to work on phonological awareness exercises in this case. If
he can put the sounds together, say That's right and move straight on.
If he says No
(and wants to keep trying to work it out by himself) that's great. If he
can't work it out, or if he comes up with the wrong word, just say the word
correctly once and move on.
You'll find
that some meaning, structure and visual prompts work better for your child than
others. Every child is different. To find out which type or what questions your
child relates to best you need to try them all.
Also, by giving
meaning, structure and visual prompts you are getting him to think about the
text in a broad way. This helps avoid the 'barking at print' that is very
common with children who have become so focused on decoding words that they
have no idea of the meaning of the text.
Experiment with
giving different types of prompts for different words (not the whole lot for
one word.) Keep up the variety while you learn how your child responds to each
type. And if you find that over time (ie weeks) your child responds best to
visual prompts, throw in the other types as well from time to time to keep that
broader thinking going.
Your two goals
are to:
- Take away the stress for your child...by making sure he can read 95% of the text independently
- Help him build up confidence in his ability...by prompting the right way
- Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ali_Roundtree