PHONICS FOR ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE (1)

Our phonics program is developing quickly as Papua New Guinea schools embrace our work and ask for more. The program is to teach children to listen, speak, read and write in English as a foreign language,

The nation has to rely on an American program that takes no account of the fact that so many PNG children do not speak English. Already a phonics program has been put on our blog that focuses on Dr Seuss type silly sentences. Please click:

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Apr 28, 2016 .. MASTERY PHONICS FOR ELEMENTARY GRADES 

But that is only part of the story. PNG children need to learn more than just words. They need the structures of English as a foreign language. They learn the rhythmic structures that show how sentences are put together.

Small children will chant patterns that help them to memorize rhythm and music of English. Once memorized never forgotten. I still remember bush poems told to me by my Australian father 60 years ago at the age of 9 years.

Children learn the weak strong stresses that make beautiful English sentences.

I go (weak strong)

I go to town ( weak strong weak strong)

I go to buy some food (weak strong weak strong weak strong)

This report gives only a small selection of patterns that will be increased on a later blog this month. I have been thanked by a kind person on blog and asked for more information. Basic rhythmic structures are as follows:

I go
I go
I go to town
I go to town
I go to town to buy some food.
I go to town to buy some food.
I go to school
I go to school
I go to school to learn to read and write
I go to school to learn to read and write.
I go to bed
I go to bed
I go to bed to sleep at night
I go to bed to sleep at night.
I sleep until the morning light
I sleep until the morning light


He goes
He goes
He goes to town
He goes to town
He goes with me
He goes with me
He goes to town with me
He goes to town with me
Come to town
Come to town
Come to town with us
Come to town with us
Come to town and buy some food
Come to town and buy some food
Wait for me at 8 am
Wait for me at 8 am
Wait for me and we will go
Wait for me and we will go

Come inside
Come inside
Come inside the house
Come inside the house
Come and sit with me
Come and sit with me
Come inside and sit with me
Come inside and sit with me
We will sit
We will sit
We will sit and watch TV
We will sit and watch TV

But this is only the start. Children have to learn the English through interaction of question and answer. This will introduce them to the basics of simple English.

They will be introduced to question forms of how? when? where? why? who? what? can? could? did? will? and more.

Peter

My name is John. I am 8 years old. I live in Lae. I go to school in Eriku. I am in grade 1.

1. What is his name?
2. How old is he?
3. Where does he live?
4. Where does he go to school?
5. What grade is he in?

Jenny

My name is Jenny. I was born in Lae. I have two brothers and two sisters. My father works in town. We live at West Taraka.

1. What is her name?
2. Where was she born?
3. How many brothers does she have?
4. How many sisters does she have?
5. Where does her father work?
6. Where do they live?

There will be many more posted on this blog over the weeks to come as teachers use the patterns here and seek more. The teachers are advised to put these exercises on a brown paper flip chart so that students chant the same patterns over and over.

Some years ago, some fool teachers declared that chanting and memorizing were an inferior way to learn. So the learning by memory died. It has to come back with reading aloud, reciting poetry, singing songs and chanting multiplication tables.

The basis of phonics is speaking aloud. Reading and writing come later. This program is very much based on the Tok Pisin phonics program designed at the RAAF School of Languages at Point Cook near Melbourne 1978-1992, 

The patterns follow a very similar line in teaching simple sentence English. Defence Force personnel became quite proficient in Tok Pisin in 4 weeks full time.

Elementary students in PNG may take 2 months to become proficient in simple sentence English. Tok Pisin patterns were chanted in a similar way to the approach as here:

Mi go
Mi go
Mi go long taun
Mi go long taun
Mi go insait long haus
Mi go insait long haus
Mi go antap long maunden
Mi go antap long maunden
Mi go kisim kaikai
Mi go kisim kaikai
Mi go long hap
Mi go long hap.