Areas of Language Toolkit by Shannon Dunaway

Definition

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-05 15:15:02 UTC

The study of the sounds of a language (Phonology in the Classroom, n.d.).

Importance

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-05 15:15:26 UTC

It is important for English learners to study phonology because the letter sounds are the building blocks of the language. For some students the sounds will be similar to their native language, and they will be able to apply the letter sounds they already know to what they are learning. A great focus should be given to letter and sounds that are different or letters that have different sounds in different languages (Phonology in the Classroom, n.d.). These can cause confusion to students and lead to mispronunciations.

Classroom Activity : Picture Sort

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-05 15:15:49 UTC

In this activity students use pictures to make beginning letters to their sounds (Phonological and Phonemic Awareness: Activities for your Kindergartener, n.d.). This activity is great for ELs because the use of pictures helps students connect words to their meaning. This activity can be adapted to the different levels of ELs by starting with beginning sounds, to end and middle sounds. More complex words can also be used for more advanced students.

At Home Activity

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-05 15:16:19 UTC

This website has great activities for parents to work on phonology at home with their children. These are simple ideas that parents can work on with their children to practice letter sounds, rhyming, and word segmentation. This activity can help the various English proficiencies by providing different activities to match a students needs. It also provides video examples of the activity works for parents.

Definition

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-05 15:17:02 UTC

The study of morphemes or the parts of words to derive meaning (Morphology in the Classroom, n.d.).

Importance

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-05 15:17:09 UTC

It is important for English learners to study morphology because by understanding what parts of words means, students will be able to decode words better(Morphology in the Classroom, n.d.). English learners frequently come across words that they do not know the meaning to. By learning what different word parts means students will be able to use context to figure out what the words means, and how to pronounce them.

Classroom Activity: Word Matrix

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-05 15:17:21 UTC

In this activity the teacher starts with teaching the word bases, and then the different ways affixes can be added to change words (What Should Morphology Instruction Look Like?, n.d.). The teacher can help students understand how the word's meaning changes with the different affixes. This activity can be differentiated for the different proficiency levels by starting with the meaning of the base words, and as students proficiencies and skills develop, more affixes can be added to manipulate the base words.

At Home Activity

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-05 15:17:31 UTC

With the website students and parents can spin the wheel to create different words with prefixes and suffixes. They then write down the definition of the word based on it parts. Students can play the game to practice morphology with their parents at home. This activity can meet the needs a the various levels of ELs by helping them learn to decode and learn definitions of new words.

Classroom Activity : Rhyming Picture Words

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-06 15:16:13 UTC

Rhyming is an important phonology skills. In the rhyming word match students play concentration with words that rhyme (Phonological and Phonemic Awareness: Activities for your Kindergartener, n.d.). Two pairs of words that rhyme are written on cards and turned over. Students then take turns flipping the cards over until they find a match. This activity can be adapted to different proficiency levels by starting with easy to recognize rhyming words, then moving to more advanced words. More advanced students could create their own list of rhyming words that match the cards.

Classroom Activity : Tongue- Twisters

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-06 15:16:39 UTC

This is a fun way for students to practice sound pronunciation ,and become sensitive to the different sounds (Phonological and Phonemic Awareness: Activities for your Kindergartener, n.d.). This activity can be differentiate for the different EL levels by more complex twisters and sounds. Also the teacher can move from practicing tongue twisters, to picking out the sounds. The more advanced students can then create their own tongue-twisters.

Classroom Activity: Connecting English and Spanish Sounds

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-06 15:16:57 UTC

There are many sounds in English and Spanish that are similar. By making a chart a teacher can help students understand the similarities and differences between the sounds of the two languages(Phonology in the Classroom, n.d.). This can help connect what students already know about phonology and connect it to new learning.

Classroom Activity : Affix Concentration Game

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-06 15:17:33 UTC

With this activity students play the game concentration to match the different affixes to their meaning (Morphology in the Classroom, n.d.). This will help students learning the meaning of the affixes and how they can change a words meaning. This game can be differentiated for different levels of students by using more complex affixes for more proficient students.

Classroom Activity: Sight Words pronunciation and meaning

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-06 15:17:43 UTC

With this activity the teacher explicitly teaches the sight words to English learners. Many of the sight words are closed morphemes that can help students more easily decode and read by learning (Morphology in the Classroom, n.d.). This can be differentiated by teaching and practicing with these words with the newcomer students. The more advanced students can then combine words together to create new words, and be able to decode longer words.

Classroom Activity: Teaching Vocabulary with word Parts

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-06 15:17:56 UTC

In this activity when students learn new vocabulary words instead of memorizing the meaning students learn to take the new words apart and use the parts to determine the meaning of the words themselves (Morphology in the Classroom, n.d.). This can be differentiated for students by using more complex vocabulary words as students English proficiency develops. Also when students start this activity there will be a lot of teacher leading and help to complete, but as students develop mastery of this skill they will complete it more independently.

Defintion

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-18 12:55:28 UTC

Definition - Syntax are the set of rules for a language and sentence formation (Syntax in the classroom, n.d.).

Importance

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-18 12:55:36 UTC

Importance - Syntax is important because it makes language clear and understandable (Syntax in the classroom, n.d.). When people use the correct syntax in their writing and language, they can effectively convey the meaning of what they want to say.

Classroom Activity: Explicitly Teach Grammar Rules

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-18 12:55:45 UTC

English learners need to be explicitly taught English grammar rules since they did not grow up speaking the language (Syntax in the classroom, n.d.). Students can take notes and complete practice worksheets in order to learn and practice the different rules. This can be differentiated for the different levels by starting with the basic English grammar for newcomers, and adding more complex rules as students become more proficient.

Classroom Activity: Modeling

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-18 12:56:00 UTC

Modeling is when the teacher or expert in the language shows the correct way of speaking and writing English (Syntax in the classroom, n.d.). This helps English learners hear and see the correct English used correctly in everyday settings. This can also be done using tools such as sentence stems and visuals to help students create their own correct speech and writing. This can be differentiated by modeling the level of skills needed for individual classes and students based on students needs.

Classroom Activity: Sentence Anagrams

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-18 12:56:13 UTC

This is an activity where the words in a sentence are mixed up, and students are required to put the sentences in the correct order (Sedita, 2019). This helps English learners practice the correct English sentence formation . This can be differentiated for different El levels by adding more parts of speech like adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns as students become more proficient in the language.

Classroom Activity: Sentence Elaboration

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-18 12:56:22 UTC

With this activity students take their basic sentences and add details to create more complex sentences (Sedita, 2019). Students add details such as who, what, when, where ,and why. This can be differentiated for the different levels of proficiency by having more proficient students create more complex sentences adding in figurative language and vivid details.

At Home Activity

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-18 12:56:31 UTC

This websites gives students a chance to read and write using correct syntax while giving immediate feedback. This can help students at all proficiency levels practice syntax because it gives them practice with English reading and writing at their level, and helps them advance to higher levels.

Definition

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-18 12:57:07 UTC

Definition - Semantics is the study of the meaning of words and phrases in a language such as vocabulary words (Semantics in the classroom, n.d.).

Importance

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-18 12:57:12 UTC

Semantics are important because it does not matter if a person can decode words, if the words have no meaning. Semantics is the definition of the individual words in a sentence (Semantics in the classroom, n.d.). If there are many words in a sentence or paragraph that a reader does not understand, then the whole book or text will not be able to be understood.

Classroom Activity: Teaching Cognates

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-18 12:57:21 UTC

There are some words in English that are the same or very similar in other languages. By teaching students which words are cognates, then students can more easily connect the meaning of those words to learning they already have(Semantics in the classroom, n.d.). This can be differentiated by having more advanced students finding their cognates in their readings and other work, and using those cognates in order to learn new definitions.

Classroom Activity: Semantic Gradients

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-18 12:57:42 UTC

In this strategy a list of related words are put on a continuum. This strategy deepens students' understanding of words and how they are connected (Semantic Gradients, n.d.). This can be differentiated by starting with more basic and easily understood words, and moving to more complex and academic words.

Classroom Activity: Semantic Mapping

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-18 12:57:51 UTC

These are graphic organizers to help students learn and connect ideas around new words(Connecting word Meanings through Semantic Mapping,n.d). This can be differentiated by having students with lower proficiency creating maps by drawing pictures, and more proficient using words and phrases.

Classroom Activity: Teaching Idioms

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-18 12:58:00 UTC

Idioms are words and phrases that do not mean what their direct definition means(Semantics in the classroom, n.d.). These can be hard for English learners since they do not grow up learning what these mean. This can be differentiated and taught by teaching basic idioms and moving to more complex as students’ proficiency grows.

At Home Activity : Listening to Audiobooks

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-18 12:58:07 UTC

This website has great ideas of activities families can do to support their child's semantic growth. One of these activities is to listen to audiobooks which can increase a child's vocabulary. This can be differentiated by listening to books on different reading levels to learn more complex vocabulary.

Definition

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-18 12:58:32 UTC

Definition - Pragmatics is the study of how people use the language in cultural and social contexts (Pragmatics in the classroom, n.d.).

Importance

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-18 12:58:37 UTC

Pragmatics is important because in the English language there are idioms, metaphors, and phrases that mean something different than what the normal definition would mean (Pragmatics in the classroom, n.d.). A word of phrase may mean different things to different people based on their cultural and social situation. It is important to know these so that English learners can understand what is written and spoken because they can easily cause confusion.

Classroom Activity: Sentence Frames

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-18 12:58:53 UTC

This is a strategy where students are given sentences with words missing (Pragmatics in the classroom, n.d.). These can be used to help students express their ideas using correct pragmatics. This can be differentiated by as students become more proficient, the less words and phrases are missing, unit students can write competently by themselves.

Classroom Activity : Think- Write-Pair-Share

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-18 12:59:03 UTC

In this strategy after asking the students a question, the teacher gives the students time to think about the answer, write their answer down, talk about their answer with a peer, and then share it with the class (Pragmatics in the classroom, n.d.). This strategy is great for ELs because it gives them the time and support they need to answer questions. It also is great because it partners them with English speaking peers where they can hear and see English being used in the classroom. This can be differentiated by how the students are paired, either with a same language peer, a bilingual peer, or a peer who is a native English speaker.

Classroom Activity: Observation Charts

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-18 12:59:11 UTC

In this strategy students look at different photos around the room, and have to write what they observe, a question they have, connections, what happened before, and what will happen next (Pragmatics in the classroom, n.d.). This helps students use language in authentic ways, while providing support. This can be differentiated by using different pictures for different topics students are learning, and using sentence stems to help students write using correct conventions.

Classroom Activity: Teaching politeness

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-18 12:59:19 UTC

What is considered polite is different in different cultures. This is why it is important when situations arise in the classroom, to teach the politeness conventions to EL students (Pragmatics in the classroom, n.d.). Also by learning and comparing how politeness is the same and different in their native countries. It is important to teach the polite language, and what it means. This can be differentiated by teaching more complex words and phrases as students become more proficient.

At Home Activity : Pragmatic Language Skills

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-18 12:59:29 UTC

This is a great website that teaches parents how to teach and practice pragmatics at home. This can help different levels of students by using the strategies that meet the needs of their child.

Youtube Video exploring the different areas of language and why they are important

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-18 18:42:01 UTC

Reference: TrevTutor. (2015). What is Linguistics? - Introduction to Linguistics [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DF679Ks8ZR4

Strategic ways for Improving the Efficiency of Teaching Linguistics

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-18 18:45:53 UTC

A journal article with strategies to teach linguistics to English learners with disabilities.

Reference : Husin, S. A., Pahamzah, J., Rusdiyani, I., Juniardi, Y., Akrim, A., & Kasan, R. A. (2022). Strategic Ways for Improving the Efficiency of Teaching Linguistics to EFL Students with Physical Disabilities. Eurasian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 8(2), 33–44.

Teaching and Learning Pragmatics: Where Language and Culture Meet by Noriko Ishihara and Andrew D. Cohen

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-18 18:49:14 UTC

This book gives an approach for teachers to teach cultural and Teaching and Learning Pragmatics: Where Language and Culture Meet by Noriko Ishihara and Andrew D. Cohen language for communication.

Reference: Jiang, Z., & Shen, L. (2023). Ishihara, Noriko and Andrew D. Cohen:Teaching and learning pragmatics: where language and culture meet(2ndedn.). Intercultural Pragmatics, 20(4), 455–462. https://doi.org/10.1515/ip-2023-4005

The Handbook of English Linguistics

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-18 18:51:29 UTC

This book provides teachers with an indepth view of linguistics and how to apply it.

Reference:

Aarts, B., McMahon, A., & Hinrichs, L. (n.d.). The Handbook of English Linguistics. John Wiley & Sons.

Research-Based Methods of Reading Instruction for English Language Learners, Grades K-4.

shannondunaway23 — 2025-06-18 18:55:19 UTC

This is a guide to help teach the areas of language to English learners.

Reference:

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Vaughn, S., & Linan-Thompson, S. (2007). Research-Based Methods of Reading Instruction for English Language Learners, Grades K-4. https://doi.org/https://shop.ascd.org/productdisplay.cfm?productid=108002