Research Paper: Student Journals

ENG 212 Contrastive Analysis of English & SpanishProfessor Cristina Guerra

Presentation date: Tuesday, November 29, 2011By: Jossette Taveras & Vanessa Sánchez-Negrón

Purpose of this presentation

Discuss and present examples of common ESL

errors from

student journals in a real setting.

Language Arts class, fifth grade students with

various learning disabilities within an inclusive

(heterogeneous) classroom

General definition of learning disabilities

Learning DisabilitiesA general term that describes specific kinds

of learning problems. Causes a student to have trouble learning and

using certain skills.

The skills most often affected are: reading writing listening speaking reasoning math

Learning Disabilities (cont.)

Vary from person to person

Researchers think that learning disabilities are caused by differences in how a person's brain works and how it processes information.

Children with learning disabilities are not "dumb" or "lazy." In fact, they usually have average or above average intelligence. Their brains just process information differently.

Objectives

Define languageDefine phonology, morphology and syntax

Identify and explain common ESL errors

What is language? Language is a complex and dynamic system which

connects certain groups of sounds and meanings. This system contains at least two kinds of units, words and sentences, plus a group of rules which tell us how to combine the smaller units into larger units. Every language has a different set of rules for combining the units that make up the language.

The essential purpose of language is communication.

Phonological SystemPhonology is the sound system of a

language.

Each language makes use of only a small number of the wide range of possible sounds that human beings are capable of uttering and discerning.

Morphological SystemThe system of how words are built. Morphemes

are meaningful units, which can sometimes stand alone as words; but often appear in combination with other morphemes.

It is important to know that words are built systematically.

Can be defined as a branch of linguistics concerned with analyzing the structure of words. The morphology of a given word is its structure or form.

SyntaxSyntax refers to the structure or architecture of

sentences.

Common ESL Errors

Performance Errors indicates that the error is not due to the

speaker’s ignorance of the grammatical rulesa processing mistake that occurs while a

language learner or native speaker is in the act of speaking or writing

EXAMPLE: a lack of subject-verb agreement in a sentence

* No matter where you live, the great taste of your favorite Lays flavors are just around the corner.

Common ESL Errors Imperfect Learning

Learners have not internalized the rule and/or the restrictions that apply to that rule

OvergeneralizationOccurs when the learner applies a grammar

rule to forms that do not take it

Influence of the Native LanguageMany ungrammatical sentences that English

language learners produce result from the transferring of grammar rule from their native language to English

Student Journals

Student Journals

Let’s identify the common errors!

Food for Thought

Teachers need to provide learners with opportunities to write about topics that are relevant to their lives, to participate in various writing activities, and to feel that their writing has value. By  integrating writing with content at every level of instruction, teachers help learners find their own voices in their new language and develop the ability to communicate effectively in different contexts and with different audiences.

You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach

him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.

 ~Clay P. Bedford

Questions/ Comments

ReferencesCowan, R. (2007). Teaching Grammar. The

teacher's grammar of English: a course book and reference guide, with answers (pp. 28-59). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Learning Disabilities. (n.d.). www.medicinenet.com. Retrieved November 22, 2011, from www.medicinenet.com/learning_disability/article.htm

Peregoy, S. F., & Boyle, O. (2005). Second Language Acquisition. Reading, writing, and learning in ESL: a resource book for K-12 teachers (4th ed., pp. 2-71). Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.