Learning About Spelling Sequences, Essay Example

Disc three of the Action Reading Program focused on shortcuts to help the student learn the Sh, Ch and Wh sounds which are commonly referred to as consonant digraphs.  This disc used multiple examples and exercises to help explain the differences between the sounds so that the students were able to connect with words that they already knew.  These exercises were unique and very useful in assisting me with the teaching process so that the students were able to learn new information and complex consonant digraphs.  From my experience, this is not an easy task to teach or to learn for students with difficulties in this area, and Disc three of the Action Reading Program presented very strong exercises to effectively accomplish this task.  Many of the exercises were participation-based and used recall and recollection techniques for the students to learn; whereas, some teaching techniques may engage in a read and recall technique that is primarily based on memorization as opposed to actual learning of the skills.  In the end the disc concluded by teaching ar, or, er, ir, and ur vowels using similar teaching and exercise techniques as those for the consonant digraphs.

Disc four continued where disc three left off and taught the vowels ai, ay, ea, ee for the first half of the disc and then ending with teaching techniques and exercises for the vowels  ie, oa, oe, ui, ue, ew.  This disc inundated the students with a series of vowels that were not easy to distinguish at times and made it difficult to understand.  I was able to use this disc for exercise purposes, but I needed to reinforce the information within the disc with my own teaching to enhance the experience for the student.  While the first part of disc three could have essentially stood alone as its own teaching tool, the latter part of disc three and all of disc four required strong teaching outside of the disc materials.  The exercises are still very strong and maintain the recall and recollection without forcing the student to memorize specific words.  Alternate words should be chosen by the teacher to ensure that the exercises in the discs do not become mundane and repetitive.

References

Goswami, U. (1991). Learning about spelling sequences: the role of onsets and rimes in analogies in reading. Child Development, 62(5), 1110-1123.

Phonics online – indiana university. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.indiana.edu/~reading/phonics/glossary/a_c.html