Science of Reading 101 (Part II)
The art of teaching is taking the complex and making it simple, practical, and applicable for students. In other words, our task is to translate abstract concepts into concrete clarity. Nowhere is the art of teaching more necessary than in the science of reading, where definitions can be so convoluted that even veteran teachers find them difficult to understand and explain.
When I first started studying the science of reading, I tried to find definitions for essential terms to explain them in a way that kindergartners (or at least first graders) could understand. Vowels and syllables, for example, are important terms, but what do they mean? Like most instructors, I introduced vowels by teaching the basic letters (AEIOU) and the long and short sounds they represent. Though there are fifteen vowel sounds and twenty-eight different ways to spell them, I began with the primary five. While teaching what vowels were, however, I discovered I needed help explaining (at least in simple terms) why certain sounds were classified as vowels and others weren't. I needed to understand the concept behind the facts. What was so distinct about certain sounds that only fifteen could be categorized as vowels?
So, I did a Google deep dive, and here's what I found: "There are two complementary definitions of vowels, one phonetic and the other phonological.
In the phonetic definition, a vowel is a sound, such as the English "ah" /ɑː/ or "oh" /oʊ/, produced with an open vocal tract; it is median (the air escapes along the middle of the tongue), oral (at least some of the airflow must escape through the mouth), frictionless and continuant. [4] There is no significant build-up of air pressure at any point above the glottis. This contrasts with consonants, such as the English "sh" [ʃ], which have a constriction or closure at some point along the vocal tract. In the phonological definition, a vowel is defined as syllabic, the sound that forms the peak of a syllable. [5] "
Try telling that to a first grader.
Though this explanation is technically accurate (and sounds like it came from a science of reading PD seminar), we need working definitions that teachers and students can understand and apply to build strong literacy foundations. So, let's take a stab at demystifying these terms.
What are vowel sounds?
Vowels are speech sounds that we can sing. We make vowel sounds with our mouths wide open.
For instance, think of the first sound in the word 'apple ', which is /a/. That's a vowel sound. Now try singing that sound /ahhhhhhhhhh.../.
What are consonant sounds?
Consonants are speech sounds that cannot be sung because they are interrupted by the mouth, teeth, or lips.
Consonant sound example: Now, try singing the first sound in the word Tom, which is /t/. That initial sound is a consonant because it cannot be sustained or sung.
What's a syllable?
A syllable is a word part with one vowel sound or a combination of vowel and consonant sounds. Vowels are the nucleus of syllables. We create syllables around vowel sounds.
We open our mouths once to start a syllable and close our mouths to end the syllable. Each syllable is formed by one opening and one closing of the mouth.
Syllable sound example:
"Open" has two vowel sounds:/o/ and /e/. "O" is the first syllable, and "pen" is the next syllable.
I hope this helps.
Brian
We need to find simple ways to explain essential terms to our students.
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