Unit Four - Phonological Integration
Objectives
At the conclusion of this unit, you will be able to:
- relate software strengths to phonological tasks.
- demonstrate the use of an app in a phonological awareness lesson.
Instruction
"Some children watched as their parents read and responded to text-messages and were thus becoming acculturated into the world of electronic print" (2004, Marsh, p.62) Children are the best at observing and then wanting to emulate. It is encoded in ourselves as living beings. Every living creature needs to learn from their surroundings and some species learn the most from their parents through observation. we as teachers have to be very observant about what our students are observing. We use this knowledge as our motivator for their motivation. And finally, it is our jobs to focus their understanding during the lesson so that they come away with something new or improved. It's time to put these ideas into action. For more detailed information on understanding phonemic awareness, you can take a look at Developing Phonemic Awareness in Kindergarten Children.
There are plenty of mobile device software apps that target specific phonological tasks. The examples below are matched phonological tasks with software categories. You can find programs that are not necessarily originally designed for phonological use. Hopefully this table will help you find an app that is more creative, collaborative and realistic.
| Rhyming Words - Grouping, Speaking, Listening, Songs | Sentence Segmenting - Interactive read aloud books, Highlighted spoken words | Syllables - Songs, Chants, Rhythm, Listening |
| Onset-rime - Movable type, Grouping, Listening | Blending/Segmentation - Conjoining letter sounds, Listening | Phonemes - Speaking, Listening, Comparing |
I am going to take the evaluation I completed for the case study and evaluate it for integration into my example lesson plan. First, look at the top section, Phonological Awareness Tasks. Notice the tasks that are checked and see if the original evaluation confirms a match for your task. Also take notice of the Notes area and check for ideas and comments related to appropriate phonological selection. It is of course possible to correct or modify the evaluation after it was completed.
And then, if you feel this has a good match for your lesson, look at the Strengths and Weaknesses section and determine what qualitied will benefit the students most and what qualities will need support. Remember, the example app is a tool more than a packaged program. Other apps will look vastly different and require completely different supports. A packaged program would most likely require less assistance and more supplemental work to help make the learning more personal and have multiple modalities. Now that you know the strengths, determine if there are materials or processes that can be re-used for reasons of consistency and familiarity. How can this app add value to your lesson and ultimately your student's understanding. This is where your creativity, observations, conversations and experience comes in hand. Develop your idea keeping in mind your phonological awareness goal. Write in your additions on your lesson plan. You could also add this activity into your centers. In the next unit, you will be making support materials to make the process as meaningful as possible.
Check Your Knowledge
Use an existing or admired lesson plan that would go well with the software you chose and evaluated. Add a supporting activity with a digital mobile device experience to the lesson plan. Take all that you have learned thus far and create a pedagogically sound mobile device integration. Remember, this should be the highlighting moment for the students in the lesson. Make it count and they will not only come away excited and fascinated but also a better understanding.
Evaluation
Do you feel your objectives were not met? Was there material that was unclear or confusing? Please leave a comment in the discussion area so that I can improve the lesson. Thanks.
References
Marsh, J. (2004). The techno-literacy practices of young children. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 2(1), 51-66.
- Continue on to Unit Five - Supplements & Supports
- Go Back to Unit Three - Software