LSRW- IDENTIFICATION AND PRACTICE OF LANGUAGE ELEMENTS, STRUCTURE, VOCABULARY ETC.
LANGUAGE SKILLS
Language is a skill subject.It is a complex skill which contains several other skills. Language educators have long used the concepts of four basic language skills. They are listening, speaking, reading and writing (LSRW).
CLASSIFICATION OF LANGUAGE SKILLS
The language skills are classified I'm several ways. They are:
1.RECEPTIVE SKILLS & PRODUCTIVE SKILLS
The skills of listening and reading are called receptive skills as we are at the receiving end of communication channel when we engage in listening and reading.
The skills of speaking and writing are called productive skills as we are at the transmitting end of the communication channel when we speak or write. They're also called expressive skills.
2.ACTIVE SKILLS & PASSIVE SKILLS
Speaking and writing are called active skills. This is because we're activate the time of speaking and writing.
Listening and reading are called passive skills. We are said to be passive while listening and reading. However some argue that active cognitive processing takes place while listening and reading and so it is incorrect to describe those skills as passive skills.
3.AURAL - ORAL SKILLS & GRAPHIC MOTOR SKILLS
Listening and speaking are described as
aural-oral skills. Aural memes pertaining to ear. Reading and writing are described as graphic motor skills.
LISTENING
Listening may be defined as an act of receiving oral language. It means listening to an understanding what we hear. Listening facilities speaking. Listening comprehension is the receptor skill in the oral mode.
TYPES OF LISTENING
•Casual Listening: it means listening without a particular purpose.Eg. listening to an announcement while reading a magazine.
•Focused Listening: it means listening attentively the for getting a particular piece of information. Eg. Listening to the announcement of results.
•Intensive Reading: it is the listening for details. The focus will be on detailed comprehension of meaning. Eg. Listening to the prescriptions of a doctor.
•Extensive Reading: it is listening for getting a general idea or gist of some event. Here listening is not for complete comprehension. It may be for pleasure.Eg. listening to music while doing something else.
SUBSKILLS OF LISTENING
* Identify Sound
* Distinguish word boundaries
* Recognise word- order patterns
* Recognise stress,rhythm and intonation
* identify information
* Recognise emotional tone
LISTENING TECHNIQUES
* Listening to good speech models
* listening to news on radio and tv
* distinguish sound from minimal pairs
* Ask pupils to perform actions
* Listening to stories
* Listening to rhymes
* Listening to English conversations
TEST OF LISTENING
The following activities can be done for testing the mastery of the skill of listening
1. Ask to follow directions
2. Give an oral presentation and ask questions
3. State something and ask pupils to say true or false
SPEAKING
Speaking is the productive skill in the oral mode. It involves using correct rules of grammar, accurate pronunciation, intonation, gestures,facial expressions etc. Listening to speak a language is the shortest way to learning to read and write it.
SUBSKILLS OF SPEAKING
* Produce meaningful sound
*Use stress, rhythm and intonation
* Use the correct form of words
* Put words together in correct word order
* Use vocabulary appropriately
* Convey information
* Make mean ideas stand out from supporting details
TECHNIQUES FOR DEVELOPING SPEAKING
* Discussion
* Extempore
* Role play
*Dialogue
*Oral composition
*Story telling
*Debate
*Language games
*Reading aloud
READING
Reading means decoding written or printed symbols. It is a process of looking at the written word or printed symbol and translating it into an appropriate sound. The spoken word is further associated with an object it stands for. Reading consists of three elements. They are the symbol ,the sound and the sense. It consists of 3 S's. In silent reading 1 'S' is dropped. Reading is the respective skill in the written mode.
SUBSKILLS OF READING
* Recognise the script
* Recognise vocabulary
*Recognise basic syntactic patterns
* Elicit the main points
* Distinguish the main idea from the supporting details
* Identify the attitude of the writer
Stages in the process of Reading
1.Recognition Stage: the learner simply recognises a spoken word in its written or printed form.
2.Structuring Stage: the learner identifies the syntactic relationship of the items.
3.Interpretation Stage: the learner comprehenda meaning. He distinguishes between the writer's opinion and the facts.
The mood of the writer is inferred.
AIMS OF TEACHING READING
*To enable the pupils to pronounce words correctly.
* To help the pupils comprehend the meaning of the words
*To enable the pupils to interpret sentences accurately
* To enable the pupils read easily and fluently
* To enrich the pupils vocabulary
* To make the pupils independent learners
* To help pupils read fluently
* To increase pupils knowledge
* To create in pupil a taste for English literature.
LEVELS OF READING
There are mainly 3 levels of reading
1.Literal Level: in this level of reading, the reader can find the meaning directly in the text. The answers can be seen clearly and openly in the text.Eg.When did you buy the shirt?
2.Inferential Level: in this level the leader cannot get the exact answer directly from the text. He has to interpret the text. He reasons,analyses,classifies,compares and contrasts. Points to answer lie somewhere in between the lines.Eg. How did is occur?
3.Evaluative Level: In this level, the reader finds the exact answer beyond the text. Answers are not given directly in the text. This level is extra abstract.Eg.A thing of beauty is a joy forever.Do you agree?
Types of Reading
1.Intensive Reading
2.Extensive Reading
3.Loud Reading
4.Silent Reading
5.Scanning
6.Skimming
7.Skipping
Causes of Poor Reading
* Ignorance of the importance of Reading
* Lack of motivation
* Poor reading habits of teachers
* Faulty examination system
* Wrong methods of teaching English
* Substandard curriculum
* Lack of good libraries in schools
* Wrong attitude of the librarian to the students
* Lack of interesting books in the library
* Rigid academic schedule
Techniques for Developing Reading
* Give proper guidance
* Make pupils interested in reading
* Train pupils in oral reading
* Study pupils reading interests
* Arrange good library facilities
* Display new books on the class bulletin board
* Organise reading competitions
* Assign reading works
* Arrange class discussions on the books read
* Follow-up activities
Techniques to Improve the Speed of Reading
* Make a firm decision to improve speed
* Regular practice
* Read interesting books
* Read speedily
* Make self assessment of reading speed
* Enjoy reading
* Ensure good concentration
* Develop eye span
* Avoid regression
* Improve awareness on syntactic patterns.
Methods of Teaching Reading
*Alphabet Method: the learner is first taught to name the letters of a word and to utter the word as a whole. Eg. D- E- S- K Desk.
*Phonic/ Phonetic Method: in this method the unit of teaching is Phoneme.Eg./d/ /e/ /s/ /k/.
*Syllabic Method: The unit of teaching reading is syllable.Eg. tei - bl = table
* Word Method ( Look and Say Method): children learn to recognise whole words rather than individual sounds or letters.
* Phrase Method: in this phrase is the unit of teaching reading.
*Sentences Method: the teacher writes some sentences on blackboard and reads.
* Story Method: a paragraph with a story in it is the unit of teaching reading here.
* Eclectic Method: it is the combination of methods. It focuses on combination of Alphabet Method and Word Method.
WRITING
Writing is the productive skill in the written mode. It invoy not just graphic representation of speech, but the development and presentation of thoughts in a structured way.
Mechanics of Writing
The mechanics of writing means a compendium of the rules regarding spelling, grammar, punctuation, compounding of words, abbreviations, the representation of numbers,syllabication, the use of capitals, the use of italics, arrangement of materials and paragraphing. Word is the basic unit of writing.
SUBSKILLS OF WRITING
* Form letters accurately
* Use correct spelling
* Punctuate accurately
* Use the correct form of words
* Follow syntactic patterns
* Use vocabulary correctly
* Use the style appropriate to the purpose and audience.
* Express information explicitly
* Make the main details distinct from supporting details
* Make the text well organised and structured
Techniques for Developing Writing
* Copy writing
* Show good models of handwriting
* Give penmanship training to students
* Teach the rules of punctuation
* Develop students' knowledge of English spelling
* Develop students' mastery of English grammar
* Give practice in different writing tasks
* familiarise art of writing
* Develop students' knowledge of organizing ideas