explanation for pronunciation of words like 'tuna' table' et

[JAC]

I've got a really slow moving 15 year old student. Yesterday she was reading a list of words like 'tuna, navel, lazy, recent, ' where the first vowel sound is 'long' and which the student pronounced correctly. In the next list were words like 'cable' which she pronoounced incorrectly, saying 'cabble ' because the first vowel was followed by 2 consonants, 'b' and 'l' before the final 'e'.

Has anyone got a simple explanation they use that I could give to the student?.

[maizie]

In the next list were words like 'cable' which she pronoounced incorrectly, saying 'cabble ' because the first vowel was followed by 2 consonants, 'b' and 'l' before the final 'e'.

That sounds like an intelligent observation!

I just say that this is fairly regular 'exception'. Does she recognise that 'le' spells /ul/? When you say /ul/ the vowel sound comes between the /b/ and the /l/ so there is, in effect, only one consonant after the vowel, even if there appears not to be when the word is written. This works for most of the 'le' words (I think....)

Alternatively you could approach it by saying the the 'a' & 'e' are a split digraph.

Neither of these is completely satisfactory (e.g how do you explain 'people ) but the other thing that she should be learning is to be flexible and try everything she knows.

[palisadesk]

(e.g how do you explain 'people )

Tch, Tch!
"People" is easy. Just remind the student that "when two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking"!

Susan S.

[maizie]

You mean like in 'ou', 'oi' and 'au', Susan? Silly me, I forgot

[JAC]

Thanks people - Maizie, your explanation will do fine.
By the way here is a word I did not know how to pronounce and was called upon to do so the other day - 'phloem'.

[maizie]

Do you know it now, JAC? Sounds like 'floe-em'. There is xylem, too, pronounced 'zie-lem'. I dimly remember them from biology lessons. Something to do with the structure of a woody plant, I think.

[JAC]

Yes thanks Maizie, I looked it up!

[alice]

I totally agree. If given a choice then I wouldn't either. Just thinking about my little chap. OMG he has struggled so much with sounds that to double what he has to learn would be so confusing. I have started my little group with the vowel names because I do think they need to know them and I will do an alphabet song and basically carry on in my own way . Thanks for the responses

[Debbie Hepplewhite]

Maizie is right that we do need highly flexible readers.

I recommend the use of overview Alphabetic Code Charts from the outset of any phonics teaching including, for example, 15 year olds who are struggling compared to their peers, to demonstrate that the English alphabetic code is highly complex (the most complex alphabetic code in the world) and to demonstrate that learners may need teaching and help for many years for reading and/or spelling - and no wonder.

We need to create an ethos of highly flexible and fearless readers and spellers - not afraid to make mistakes which we can attribute to the complexity of the alphabetic code and its three complexities.

I suggest that 'incidental phonics teaching' is as important as 'systematic phonics teaching' and I have built it into my general approach and programme guidance.

Here are a few pointers for incidental teaching and ways of promoting a flexible teaching approach to address the needs of learners flexibly and to create flexible readers and writers:

http://www.phonicsinternational.com/Deb ... g_Tips.pdf

[Debbie Hepplewhite]

Here's a bit more about this 'two-pronged systematic and incidental teaching approach' - focusing on the need for flexibility for many reasons:

http://www.phonicsinternational.com/Deb ... andout.pdf