Wednesday 22 June 2016

CHANTING STORY PATTERNS

Strengthening rhythm memory of young students

Our holistic phonics program is to have two parts. There will be the basic program for kindergarten students and an advanced program for grade 2 or any student below that level who has advanced in mastery and completed the basics.

All patterns in the program have weak strong rhythm. This is to develop the rhythm memories of young children. Rhythm is the key to absorbing and retaining information. 

Those of us who memorized the multiplication tables will never forget. So too those who memorized the nursery rhymes. Why not turn all exercises into rhythmic patterns? 

Children will take the patterns into their souls for life. What if the patterns are based on sentences with simple, complex and compound structures?

Even stories can be chanting patterns for the small children who love to scream out responses and memorize quickly. 

There is grammar in the patterns below but we do not tell the children for a year or two yet. Let them master the patterns first and learn any theory later. We move from concrete to abstract. Remember teachers?

John

My name is John
My name is John

I am 9 years old
I am 9 years old

I was born in Bukavu
I was born in Bukavu

I go to school in Eriku
I go to school in Eriku

I am in Grade 2
I am in Grade 2

Repeat


My name is John
My name is John

I am 9 years old
I am 9 years old

I was born in Bukavu
I was born in Bukavu

I go to school in Eriku
I go to school in Eriku

I am in Grade 2
I am in Grade 2

Chant questions

What is his name?
What is his name?

How old is he?

How old is he?

Where was he born?
Where was he born?

Where does he go to school?
Where does he go to school?

What grade is he in?
What grade is he in?

Chant responses

What is his name?
His name is John
What is his name?
His name is John

How old is he?

He is 9 years old
How old is he?
He is 9 years old

Where was he born?
He was born in Bukavu
Where was he born?
He was born in Bukavu

Where does he go to school?
He goes to school in Eriku
Where does he go to school?
He goes to school in Eriku

What grade is he in?
He is in grade 2
What grade is he in?
He is in grade 2

Again from the start - clap and chant louder.

(Not if the teacher has a headache)

Our basic program will have at least 30 such stories becoming more complex and exploring all the question forms of how, when, where, why, who, what, did, will, can, was, were and more.

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