Homonyms

In this session, I studied homonyms. I was a bit familiar with the my background knowledge on the subject, but certain questions asked by my lecturer had me thinking quite a bit. I will now share all that I have learnt in this class.

Homonyms can be divided into two branches of study: homophones and homographs.

-phones deal with same sound/pronunciation in words and also, the words have different spelling.

-graphs deal with same spelling of words, but their pronunciation may be different.

From this, I noted that homophones and homographs are the opposite of each other. Homographs are critical for comprehension in reading.

In order for students to understand homophones, it must be taught in CONTEXT. Allow the students to become familiar with the words and their meanings which are used in sentences.

Below are two activities on homophones. The second activity can be done after both words in each section have been taught using sentences. I intend to use these in my future writing classroom. 

In my LIT class, we identified various homophones and homographs. We also used them in sentences. Some are:

allowed/aloud

plane/plain

peer/pear/pair

eight/ate

present/present

desert/desert

Students tend to spell these words incorrectly, especially homophones. As mentioned before, students need to use the words in context. They can be given these words for the week with concentration on homophones or homographs. 

More importantly, students need to be taught spelling rules and generalizations, to be able to spell words correctly.

We analysed some reasons for which students are not able to spell words correctly. Some are:

1. The students may not have been taught spelling rules and generalizations.

2. Carelessness/Forgetfulness.

3. They depend a lot on letter-sound association.

Upon reflecting whilst in this class session, I am now aware that there is a lot of work to be done in helping students become successful. Some areas mentioned here, I have overlooked in my past teaching experiences. These areas I will provide more attention to in my future classroom. I never understood why students could not spell well and this session have allowed me to gain much insight. I will definitely go back to the classroom to implement various strategies and activities to promote learning. 

Here are some spelling activities which I made for use in my classroom:

                                   Vocabulary Word Card

Word Tic Tac Toe

Spell Wizards

The first code in number one spells the word "manners". Students ought to find the letters and create a word them using puzzle pieces. It is very vital that teachers explain the use and demonstrate how to go about using the activities to students. That way students not only enjoy, but they recognize the importance of these activities.

Students will enjoy these activities as it moves them away from the traditional pen and paper writing from calling out words to them. Be sure to create activities and use words at students' level.

Quote: "Practice with patience and persistence."