By Reading Horizons Reading Specialist, Stacy Hurst

How many words are there in the English language? A question with a complicated answer. Depending on your criteria, the answer can range from somewhere around a quarter of a million words to one million words, give or take a few hundred thousand. Even to the most enthusiastic logophile, that is an overwhelming amount of words to use when reading, writing, and speaking. Thankfully, relatively few of these words meet most of our basic reading, writing, and speaking needs.

The English words needed for most communications are referred to by terms such as, sight words, high frequency words, and most common words. Researcher Edward B. Fry ranked these words in order of frequency. The first 25 words on the list make up about a third of all printed material. The first 100 make up about half of all written material, and the first 300 make up at least 65 percent of all written material (Fry, Kress, & Fountoukidis, 2000).

To quickly illustrate this concept, let’s look at this twenty-word quote by John F. Kennedy:

“My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

Here is what would remain if we removed words included in the first three hundred of the most frequently used words.

“fellow Americans”

Most Common Word Lesson #7 from Reading Horizons Discovery Software

The ability to quickly recognize these common words in written text helps students to read at a pace that is conducive to comprehension. Here is a painful example of what can happen to fluency when a word as common as the word the, is not automatically recognized.

The Problem

It stands to reason that these words are a major focus of beginning reading instruction. Because many teachers believe that most common words are highly irregular in their spelling, they teach students to rely on visual memorization as the best option. To teachers of these early grade levels this approach may appear to work just fine. In fact, research has shown that students in grades 1-3 do fairly well reading grade level text, increasing their accuracy and fluency each year.

This can be explained, in part, by the fact that about 80 percent of text at this level is comprised of the first three hundred most frequently used words. However, in higher levels words in text become more specialized and less familiar. In American schools, evidence of such a problem manifests itself sometime around 4th grade when reading scores cease to incline. This “4th grade slump” (Chall, Jacobs, & Baldwin; 1990) has been consistently evident over time. Without systematic, explicit phonics instruction, students will lack the skills necessary to decode words that are not as frequent.

The Solution

The notion that Most Common Words are irregularly spelled is incorrect. In fact, researchers have estimated that nearly 50 percent of English words are predictable based on sound-letter correspondences that can be taught with good phonics instruction. Another 34 percent of words are predictable except for one sound. When factoring in word origin and word meaning, they conclude that only 4 percent of English words are truly irregular (e.g., of, eye) and, as a result, may have to be learned visually (Hanna, Hanna, Hodges & Rudorf; 1966).

It is important to teach students how the sounds in language are represented in print. Phonics instruction helps students learn how to decode most words accurately and quickly so they can focus on the meaning of text. One very effective practice for teachers to implement is to teach students to recognize elements of Most Common Words that are consistent with the sound-letter patterns that they have learned during phonics instruction (Adams 1990). With this type of instruction, not only will spelling improve but reading fluency will continue to increase. Students will have the skills necessary to decode almost any word they encounter, even if it is the least frequent word out of hundreds of thousands of words in the English language.

REFERENCES

Adams, M. A. (October, 1990). Beginning Reading Instruction in the United States. ERC Digest. ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading and Communication Skills.

Chall, J. S., Jacobs, V. A., & Baldwin, L. E. (1990). The reading crisis: Why poor children fall behind. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Fry, E.B., Fountoukidis, D.L., & Kress, J. (2000). The Reading Teacher’s Book of Lists. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall

Hanna, J.S, Hanna, P.R, Hodges, R.E., & Rudorf, E. H., (1966).  Phoneme-Grapheme Correspondences as Cues to Spelling Improvement. USDOE Publication No. 32008. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.

As I have traveled to different schools across the country to train teachers on Reading Horizons methodology, I have been reminded of why phonics has a place in the classroom for older learners and how these skills fit into the "big picture" of learning to read. Here are some specific reasons why phonics has relevance beyond K-3 classrooms.

We know that reading is a critical skill. We know several students need to learn how to read better. We know that reading at an appropriate rate with adequate comprehension is necessary. So for struggling readers, including students who are non-native English speakers, what role does phonics play in this goal to acquire fluency and comprehension?

1. Fluency is compromised when students get stuck on a word.

When students come across difficult words, what happens? Their eyes stop on the word. They reread the word. They reread the sentence. They reread the word again. They may decide (after multiple, unsuccessful attempts to read the word) that they will ultimately just skip the word. Sometimes that may be necessary, and using context to determine the meaning of the unknown word is sufficient. But if that scenario is reoccurring frequently in a student's reading, is that fluent reading? No.

2. If students are using so much "brain power" to decode words, there isn't enough "brain power" left to glean meaning from the text.

If a student is getting stuck on multiple words in a text, is that student comprehending what he or she is reading? Probably not. Students need to learn strategies to decode difficult words that they come across in their reading. And these strategies need to become automatic so that students are able to decode words quickly and effortlessly. Otherwise, the lack of fluency to their reading will impede their comprehension.

3. Phonics is important to help students pronounce words correctly.

Have you ever had a student ask, "Teacher, what is this word?" And then, once they hear the word pronounced, they say, "Oh, I know that word!" When students learn the phonemes (sounds) of English and the graphemes (letters) that represent them, they are better able to pronounce words. It's important that students pronounce words correctly because it contributes to better fluency and comprehension. Sometimes a word may look unfamiliar, but once the student hears or pronounces the word correctly, the student can connect the sound of the word to the meaning of the word that he or she already has stored in the brain. Vocabulary is enhanced when students are learning meaning of words simultaneously with the pronunciation of the words.

4. Spelling is improved when students learn phonics.

As students better understand letter relationships and phonics rules, they can start to recognize and correct their spelling errors.

Combining all of these benefits, students develop skills for independent learning because they are not dependent upon a dictionary or a teacher to tell them how to decode words that are unfamiliar in their reading.
So, does phonics have a role in the older students' classroom? Yes. Even older students need to be taken back to the basics. Some teachers are concerned that taking older learners back to the sounds and letters of the alphabet and teaching decoding strategies will cause the students to feel that the instruction is too "elementary." They are afraid that the students will feel like they are being taught like children. But I feel differently. If the instruction is delivered in a non-condescending way, older learners are grateful that someone took the time to cover the foundational skills that no one else dared to. An older student learning phonics once said, "No one ever took me back far enough." And there are numerous others who share the same sentiment. Sometimes we have to return to the basics.

This post was adapted from an article on Heidi Hyte’s blog, ESLtrail.com

By Guest Writer, Robin Merrill

People learn better when they’re having fun. They relax and lose some of the anxiety that often comes with learning a new language. Here are five ways to make learning English a little more fun!

Play Trivia. You will likely want to write some questions out ahead of time. Make the questions really easy—it’s not the content we’re learning, but how to communicate questions and answers. You may vary the difficulty of the questions based on the age and skill level of your students. If you are teaching a diverse group of learners, you may even want to target specific students with specific questions, e.g., give the more advanced students the more difficult questions. You can make it more fun by handing out buzzers or bells—the first person to “ring in” gets to answer the question. Just make sure that everyone gets a turn.

Role Play. Set up specific scenarios in your classrooms, scenarios that your students will likely face. Have one student order a pizza from another student. Have a student ask for directions. Or have one student invite another student to a party. Some students will need your help to get through the scene. Other students will be able to get through a scene without assistance. For more advanced learners, there is immense value in being the secondary role player, e.g., the person receiving the pizza order or the party invitation.

Turn on the Subtitles! Find a television program that is appropriate for your class’ age and learning level. (Humor is a plus.) Watch the program with closed captioning. The students will hear the words, see the people speaking, and see the text all at the same time!

Play Word Association. Have the students sit in a circle. Start the game with a simple word and ask the person to your left to say the first (English) word that comes to mind. Then, the person to his or her left should say the first word that comes to his or her mind. Be sure to stop every so often to debrief and define any mysterious words. A variation of this game is to have each student say a word that begins with the last letter of the previous word, e.g., word, donkey, yodel, loon.

Play Word Lottery. Before class, print out dozens of simple nouns and verbs. Cut them into little slips of paper and put them into a hat or bag. Invite each student to draw two words from the hat (you can use more for more advanced students). Give them each a minute to come up with a sentence that uses those two words, and makes sense. Then invite each of them to share their sentence with the class. Collect the words and go again. It’s okay to repeat words, as the repetition helps!

More ESL Teaching Tips:

Supporting ESL Students: 10 Tips For Mainstream Teachers

The Essential, But Often Forgotten Aspect of Effective ESL Reading Instruction

Differentiated Reading Instruction for Multilevel Adult ESL Classrooms – Webinar Q&A

Classroom Practices That Accelerate Language Acquisition for ESL Students

4 Key Differences in Teaching ESL to Adults vs. Children

Robin Merrill is a children’s book author, teacher, and writes for Teacher Certification Degrees, a career site providing teacher interviews and resources for individuals interested in becoming a teacher.

By Guest Writer, Iris Yuan

Here is an interview with an ESL tutor from Tutorspree, Gabi, discussing what she has learned as she has taught ESL over the years.

“Tutoring ESL has made me take a deeper look at the underlying logic of the English language, in order to better explain it, and it has been fascinating discovering the reasons we use some bizarre idiomatic expressions, or the etymological roots of certain words.”

“I’ve found that it’s very important, in the first couple of lessons, to try to not only assess the student’s level, but also their learning style. Some students I’ve taught learn best by the practical application of what I’m teaching them -- grammar exercises or games instead of grammar dictation -- while others are essentially a sponge for any information I provide. It’s also beneficial, in private or small classes, to be flexible in terms of your own teaching style, and to let the needs – and the wants -- of the student dictate the design of your lesson plans.

“Every student is different and for some it has taken longer than others. But it is wonderfully gratifying to see a student really begin to communicate in a way that reflects their intelligence, as well as the confidence that accompanies that. My best experiences have been seeing the information I’ve taught take root and flourish.”

Gabi became qualified in ESL by completing the most rigorous and internationally-recognized English language teaching certification -- the University of Cambridge TEFL certificate [CELTA]. Later, she was accepted into a French government program, The Teaching Assistant Program in France, and taught ESL and American culture to children, aged 5 to 11, in two rural Provencal schools from 2010 to 2011. After finishing her certifications and teaching abroad, Gabi returned to the States. Gabi knows several languages -- English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Italian – and has lived in eleven countries.

For more information about Gabi, you can find her private tutor profile on Tutorspree. We’re a nationwide base of math tutors, English tutors, and more that matches you with someone great in your area. Give us a call at 1-888-886-2508 with any questions -- we'd love to hear from you!

By Guest Writer, Lauren Bailey

For several years now, I’ve actively participated in a local literacy organization, which aims at teaching ESL to recent immigrants. Although I’ve tutored and taught children before, this was my first experience teaching only adults. And what a learning experience it was! This particular organization allowed volunteer teachers to use whatever methods they thought best. Input from the class—that is, teaching adult learners what they wanted to learn specifically—was key in crafting lesson plans. Based on my experiences, this is what I’ve learned when teaching adults how to read and write in English:

1. Adults in particular always look for real–life application.

This is perhaps the most important lesson I learned while teaching adults English. Most adults have outgrown the curiosity about everything that young children naturally have. As such, adults need an immediate sense of purpose to keep themselves motivated. For my class, I usually culled reading material from things like job applications, newspapers, citizenship tests, online reviews of consumer products, etc.

2. Be aware that just because your students don’t know English doesn’t mean that they aren’t established professionals in their home countries.

Of course, as an ESL reading teacher, you know intuitively that foreign language proficiency is certainly not an indicator of intelligence or ability. Although you may know this theoretically, it can be difficult to understand this precept in practice, especially when you cannot communicate with your students fluently. Many of my students were well established professionals—doctors, lawyers, and journalists—in their home countries. Always respect the fact that your students are just as intelligent as you are, if not more.

3. Figure out each student’s learning style.

It can be easier to teach young students based on one learning style, simply because learning styles aren’t necessarily inherent; they’re learned over time. Adults, on the other hand have long-established their personal learning styles. Be sure you learn each student’s favored style, whether it’s auditory, visual, or kinesthetic, or something else, and try to teach to that style as much as you are able.

4. Give detailed feedback.

Young children do not yet have a very developed notion of what it means to “make progress.” They’re often happy just being immersed in the learning process. Adults, however, need constant feedback in order to keep them motivated. As such, be sure to give detailed feedback—including sincere praise and suggestions for improvement.

Teaching adult learners ESL, even in a casual, voluntary capacity, has been one of the most challenging experiences of my life. But when you see a mother from Korea break down crying from happiness after she sent her first email to her son who is fluent in English, you can’t help but want to continue, despite the difficulties. Good luck!

Lauren Bailey is a freelance blogger who loves writing about education, new technology, lifestyle and health. As an education writer, she works to provide information and advice to online college students and welcomes comments and questions via email at blauren99@gmail.com