the history and background of teaching homophones

the history and background of article of faith homophonesIntroductionGrammar learn in schools is usu every(prenominal)y approached from a rule study perspective and this leads to lessons that ar boring. In the past, the teaching method that was adopted was principally teacher-centered and this lead to the drill and kill type lessons, especially when it came to language and grammar. on that point is a common misconception that all erudition should be serious in nature and that if one is having fun while learning, it is actually not learning (Lee, 1995). In accompaniment, many experienced textbook and methodology manuals writers charter argued that farinaceouss ar not just clipping-filling activities plainly switch a great educational value (Uberman, 1998). Most language games make scholarly persons purpose the language rather of thinking about learning the correct forms (Lee, 1986). There are many advantages of using variant techniques such as games, pictures, gro up work and so on in the rowroom. These techniques potentiometer lower anxiety which makes the acquisition of input more(prenominal) likely and in a relaxed learning atmosphere learners reckon things fast-breaking and better (Uberman, 1998). They are highly motivating and entertaining, and they evoke give startle students more opportunity to express their opinions and feelings (Uberman, 1998). Different techniques are an excellent authority to break the usual routine of the classroom (Lee, 1995).In this essay opposite techniques to teaching language structure and/or vocabulary can be explored. To illustrate how these different techniques can be used examples volition be given. The language structure which depart be focused on in this essay is homophones. Homophones are words which in force(p) the same but are spelt differently and constitute different meanings (homo = same, phone = live). Due to this it is a language structure that many learners misuse and mi sunli ghtderstand. Homophones can be taught in a number of fun and exciting styles. This essay provide develop how to teach homophones to a grade three class over quartette 45 minute lessons. Each lesson will act as a follow up of the previous lesson.This will be the introductory lesson to homophones. The subroutine of this lesson is to demo homophones to the learners in a fun way that will withstand the learners interested. This lesson involves group work. Group work is good technique as it involves the learners themselves and all learners participate, giving everyone an equal opportunity to aid in their and their peers learning experience. In this lesson the teacher acts as a facilitator which office that learners are not simply given the answers but need to find them for themselves.The teacher will set off the lesson by handing out a flash card to each learner in the class. These will be handed out upside smoo thus so learners cannot see what word they have received. Once all the learners have a card the teacher will ask learners to look at their word. The teacher will then ask learners to find the person in the class that has the same sounding word but that word means something else (i.e. homophone). This activity will be noisy but the teacher mustiness keep it as controlled as possible. Once the learners have found their homophone ally learners must sit on the mat with their partner. The teacher will operate that learners are partnered right and if not they must keep looking. A time limit of five minutes should be kept in prepare to keep control. Once all learners have found their partners and are colonised on the mat the teacher will call one partner off up at a time. The learners will base their words to the class and say them out load so they can hear they sound the same. The learners will then be asked to give the meaning of their word so they can see that even though the two words sound the same they have different meanings. This activity can be through with(p) with bigger classes by adding pictures to the word pairs. This will mean that four learners will need to find each other. For example the word son/sun and a picture of a young boy with a arouse and the sun in the sky.To conclude this lesson the teacher will explain that in each group/pair the words that they have peered up are called homophones and this will be explained to the learners.This lesson will make use of pictures as a technique. Pictures are versatile and useful resources for teaching aspects of grammar that require a structure-meaning match (Celce-Murcia Hilles, 1988). Pictures add fun and enjoyment and make the understanding more authoritative as learners can see the actual object being discussed.To introduce the lesson the teacher will recap what a homophone is. The teacher will show a blown up picture to the class. This can be a picture of the border, for example, where a lot of activity is taking place. Some examples of this could be a p icture of a bear on a beach ball and a bare youngster. The homophones in the picture will not be obvious to the learners which will pique their interest and make them think. The teacher will then ask the learners to draw up a flurry listing the different homophones they can find. A time limit can be placed in order to create a smaller competition for the stronger learners. Once learners have completed this, the teacher can go through some of the answers the learners came up with. After the answers have been discussed, a worksheet will be handed to each learner which they will need to complete. follow out appendix 1.This lesson will make use of stories as a technique. Stories are traditional in almost all cultures which provides a realistic place setting for presenting grammar points and holds and focuses students attention in a way no other techniques can (Celce-Murcia Hilles, 1988). Learners are inclined to listen to stories more inventively and therefore remember the story and knowledge learnt long after the lesson has ended (Celce-Murcia Hilles, 1988).The teacher begins the lesson by demanding the story from appendix two to the learners. The teacher will then handout the worksheet to the learners (appendix 3). The teacher will then read the story with the learners once more while the learners follow. The learners will then be given a hardly a(prenominal) minutes to read the story again by themselves. Once the learners have read the story they must follow the instructions on the worksheet. The imprimatur part of the worksheet requires learners to continue the story some of the homophones provided. Learners are marvelous storytellers (Celce-Murcia Hilles, 1988) and this creative thinking should be encouraged. As a homework activity, appendix 4 will be used. This will consolidate what was done in the lesson.Due to the fact that this is the last lesson on homophones for the week it will be more of a relaxed lesson as games as a technique will be use d. Games change learners to acquire new experiences which are not always possible during a typical lesson (Uberman, 1998). It has been said that games are a good way of practising language, for they provide a model of what learners will use the language for in real lifetime in the future (Uberman, 1998).The game that will be compete is called Homophone Hop. This game has been taken from Primary Resources (2010). This is how the game worksIn pairs or small groups learners work their way around a visiting card using a dice and counters. When they land on the star squares they have to pick up a homophone card. One of the other children will read out the card which will say, for example, Which spelling is required for their in this clock time? The children rushed to bring their coats? Move an extra 5 spaces if you got it right. The child must identify the correct homophone by spelling it aloud to their partner. If they get it correct, they will move 5 spaces. If they do not, they stay where they are. The object of the game is to reach the finish line first.This game is a great way to consolidate all the homophone knowledge that was learnt during the week. It gives learners a chance to have use the knowledge that they have dealt with and can use it in real life terms.ConclusionAs seen from the above activities there are many different ways to teach homophones. This therefore means that other language structures and/or grammar can also be taught using these different techniques. By using these techniques, lessons will not be boring and learners will be more interested in learning new things. Language is very hard and often not an easy concept to get across. If teachers plan in advance and take the time to think of new ways to teach language, they will find there are many reasons to why language teaching does not have to be from a rule learning perspective, but rather from a interesting, and appealing perspective.