Personal Pronouns in the Nominative Case Lesson for Illiterate Hispanic Mothers

Teacher/Maestra: Tina Auth

Information necessary to participate in the lesson:

Simplified Pronunciation of Spanish Letters

Vowels: Consonants unlike English:a mop j hate make h (silent)i peaceo boatu boou (before vowel sounds like w) cuatro

Double letters/letters that don’t exist in English:n᷉ can᷉yonll yesrr (trill r) http://spanish.about.com/od/spanishpronunciation/a/pronouncing_spanish_rr.htm For Pronunciation of Spanish using IPA :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:IPA_for_Spanish

Language Immersion is Not Enough

Adults need 2 things to learn a new language:

1. A long period of regular interaction with people speaking the language. 2. Some help with making sense of what’s going on linguistically.

Making sense of what’s going on linguistically

• Adults need to create a framework for hearing sounds, figuring out how sentences work, and understanding the cultural context.

• Classroom work is one option for creating this framework.

• Without a framework, skills may plateau and the adult may have decent vocabulary, speed, and pronunciation but poor grammar and not much cultural sensitivity.

Options for prolonged interaction with people speaking the language

• Spending time in a country where the language is spoken

• Immersion in a program in which the language is spoken

• Listening to or watching news broadcasts or movies in the language and practicing dialogues or songs heard.

• Using the internet to communicate with native speakers in chat rooms, etc.

Children’s literature- “Not just for kids”

• Reduce affective blocking or nervous tension of beginners• Illustrations explain most of the vocabulary- “A picture can

say 1000 words”• Text with continuous meaning is more authentic than

sentences used as examples in grammar books.• Best books for ELL adults can be related to personal

experiences, carry universal messages, or have cultural or multicultural perspectives

• “Children’s literature can be one of the most effective teaching materials available for students of all ages” (Smallwood, 1992)

• Especially popular in ESL family programs.

Strategies for using children’s literature with low-level adults

• Pre-reading: use pictures to predict events and review key vocabulary-names of objects and characters using Pictionary or other learners to translate into Spanish for comprehension.

• Read aloud slowly checking for comprehension and showing pictures

• Discuss relating to personal experiences and checking for comprehension (translating when necessary)

• Use cooperative learning activities for opportunity to use language with a partner to complete a task

• Use word-symbol association and images/pictures in extension activities, varied to accommodate learning styles

• Make books or extension activities available for independent student learning.

The Ugly Duckling Originally by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Anderson

• Story of a goose egg that rolled into a duck’s nest and hatched into an ugly little bird that grew into a beautiful swan.

• Hans confessed that the book was “a reflection of my own life” and even referred to it as his autobiography-due to speculation that he was the illegitimate son of prince Christian Frederick, later King Christian VIII of Denmark.

• The swan is a “metaphor not just for inner beauty and talent but also for secret royal lineage.”

• This work of art was not published as “told for children” but was one of “the most mature and perfectly constructed tales he had written” in which Hans “melds together the childlike and the profound with exceptional artistry.”

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ugly_Duckling

Works CitedGarrett, N. 2007. What does it take to learn a language well? In E.M. Rickerson and B. Hilton (Eds.), The 5 Minute Linguist (pp. 132-135). Oakville, CT: Equinox Publishing Ltd.

Holt, G.M. (January, 1995). Teaching Low-Level Adult ESL Learners. ERIC Digest; 4 p.; 1 Microfiche.

Lado, A. (November, 1990). Ways in Which Spanish-Speaking Illiterates Differ from Literates in ESL Classrooms. Reports: Research Technical; 28 p.

Reid, S. (2002). Book Bridges for ESL Students Using Young Adult and Children’s Literature to Teach ESL. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, Inc.

Smallwood, B.A. (November, 1990). Children’s Literature for Adult ESL Literacy. ERIC Digest; 8 p.; 1 Microfiche.