Teaching Mythologies

that Enliven the Class

Jose Donnie S. Sajonia, PhD
Lesson Outcomes:
- Identified the steps specific for each
strategy to teach mother Tongue
- Made a concept map on the nature of
every strategy
- Constructed own lesson exemplar on
own mother tongue
- Demonstrated one of the strategies
learned
Inspire Oneself

BUS STOP KABANKALAN

 let’s say you would like to go to Kabankalan, but
the last Bus has already left. Do you have another
options?
Can you suggest what transportation facilities will
you take to reach Kabankalan? Give at least four.
1. ___________ 3. __________
2. ___________ 4. __________
Just like taking a ride to Kabankalan, it is not
difficult to learn and teach the mother tongue. There
are many ways of doing it. Would you like to know
what these are? Come! Let’s take a ride.
 The ways to learn the mother tongue are varied and
interesting. Your choice depends on the different
needs of the learners, the teaching-learning materials,
the subject matter, and your own familiarity with the
method.
There are four strategies that we need to learn.
These are:
1. Two-Track Approach
a) with focus on meaning
b) with focus on accuracy
2. Total Physical Response (TPR)
3. Audio-Lingual Method (ALM)
4. Language Experience Approach (LEA)
I. Two-Track Approach
The Two-Track Approach in learning how to read
and write in the Mother Tongue has a “Meaning Track”
(focus on the whole texts) and an “Accuracy Track”
(focus on the sounds of the language).
Jim Cummins said, “the most effective approaches
to developing initial reading skills are those that
combine extensive and varied exposure to meaningful
prints (story, meaning track) with explicit and
systematic instruction in phonemic awareness and
letter-sound correspondence (primer, accuracy track).
These two tracks are two sets of reading strategies
and it is hoped that overtime the tracks will converge.
If this is achieved, the children are now on the
Reading Expressway!”
A. The Meaning Track
The meaning track, as a strategy, makes use of shared
reading, experience story, listening story and library time,
reading alone and creative writing.
Steps in teaching, Using The Meaning Track
There are four major steps in the Meaning Track. These steps are
the following:
Step 1. Introduce the Shared Reading Story
- Introduce the story topic. Ask the students about people and
events from their own lives that encourage the students to think
about the topic of the story.
- Have your pointer (a long, straight stick) ready to move
under the words as you read.
Step 2. Read the story using the Reading Plan
- Read the title of the story. Ask the students to tell ypou what
they think the story will be about. Encourage them to share their
ideas.
- Open to the first picture. Ask the students to say what they
see. Then say, “let’s read the page”. Read the text for that page,
moving the pointer smoothly under the text as you read.
- Do the same for each page, stopping 2 or 3 times and ask
“what do you think will happen next?”
- When you have finished reading the story, ask the students
some questions like these: “What part of the story did you like
best?” Why do you like the party best?”
- Then read the story following the Reading Plan. Move the
pointer smoothly under the words as you and the students read.
The Reading Plan
1. Teacher reads the entire text to the
students.
2. Teacher reads text to the students.
3. Teacher reads one part of the text (if more
than a word) with one or two students
volunteers
4. One or two students volunteers read that
part of the text.
5. Teacher reads the entire text again with all
the students.
Step 3. Do the Matching Word Activity
- Pick up the Matching Word cards that you prepared. Open the
Big Book to the page with words that match your word cards.
- Give the Matching word cards to volunteers. (If you are using
a small book, write the words one-by-one on the chalkboards
instead on the word cards)
- Volunteers put their cards under the word on the page that is
the same as the word on their card. When they have matched
the word correctly, read the word with them and everyone clap.
Help them if they have trouble. Do this with each Matching Word
that you selected. (If you are using a small book, show the
students the word you wrote on the chalkboard and tell the
students to hold up their book and point to that word on their
page.
Step 4. Do the Hide-A Word Activity
- Find first sentence that you chose for the
Hide –A-Word activity. Read that sentence with
the students.
- Hold a small pieces of paper over one of
the important words in that sentence
- Read the sentence again, including the
word that is covered, with the students.
- Ask the students, “Which of the words in
that sentence did I cover?”
- If they say the correct word, uncover the
word and praise them. Then read the
sentence again with the students.
- If they say wrong word, point to the word
they said and show them that this is NOT the
word that is covered. Read the sentence
again, using the pointer to show them the
words they are reading. Let them try again
to identify the word.
- Do this with the other two “ Hide-a Word”
sentences.
B. The Accuracy Track
The accuracy track uses picture and key words, big
box, sentence-making and breaking, spelling and
handwriting.
here are fifteen steps in the Accuracy Track. They are
the following:
Step 1. The teacher introduces the key word picture.
Step 2. The teacher introduces the keyword.
Step 3. The teacher does the syllable activity with the
class.
Step 4. She works on the “Break-the-Word Activity with
the class.
Step 5. She works on the “make the Word
Activity” with the class.
Step 6. Class works on the Big Box for word
building.
Step 7. Students find the new keyword in the
Big Box.
Step 8. Students find other words in the Big
Box.
Step 9. The teacher points to all the words
found by the students as they read those to
her.
Step 10. Do the Break-the-Sentence Activity.
Step 11. Do the Make-the- Sentence Activity.
Step 12. The teacher points to the parts of
the Break-the-Sentence and Make-the-
Sentence Activity as students read to hear.
Step 13. Teachers show how to write the new
letter in the air and on their partner’s back and
on their hand.
Step 14. Students practice writing the new
keyword on their paper or slate.
Step 15. Spelling
II. Total Physical Response (TPR)
A. What is TPR?
TPR is a method for learning a language that
combines listening and responding physically to
directions. Language learners listen to directions, observe
others responding to the directions and then respond to
the directions themselves (no speaking at first). Later TPR
activities provide the learners with opportunities to speak
in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.
TPR involves language learning through hearing,
seeing, doing. We hear meaningful language (directions),
we observe others following the directions, and then we
respond to the directions through physical action.
 This strategy is based on the theory that the memory is
enhanced through association with physical movement,
hence , it is built around the coordination of speech and
action.
In TPR, the teacher has an active and direct role
because he is the one who decides what to teach, models
and presents the new material, and selects supporting
materials from classroom use. James Asher, the person who
developed this strategy, recommends that the teacher be
well-prepared, well organized and has to write detailed
lesson plans because is fast-moving and spontaneous.
B. Steps in the TPR method:
In TPR, there are 3 steps to be done. They are as
follows:
Step 1. Directions. Teacher introduces new vocabulary
through directions.
Step 2. Modelling. Teacher and 2 volunteer students
respond to the directions through modelling the
appropriate actions.
Step 3. Demonstration. Students listen to the directions
again and respond with the appropriate physical actions.
(Students do not speak at first. They just respond through
physical actions. Later, when they are ready, they start
giving commands to each other and gradually use more of
Intensify Learning
After reading the description of each strategy let us now work on some exercises.
Activity 1: Concept Mapping
Get a partner and work together. Make a concept map indicating the nature of each
strategy for learning mother tongue.

Name of Characteri Focus Key Words

Strategy stics
Audio-Lingual Method (ALM)

A. What is ALM?
This method emphasizes spoken language with correct
pronunciation and grammar. Language learning is viewed as habit
formation; hence repetition and drill are used to teach students
correct forms in the new language.
The objectives of ALM are accurate pronunciation and grammar,
which is the ability to respond quickly and accurately in speech
situations and knowledge of sufficient vocabulary to use with
grammar is the starting point for student.
Reading the dialogues aloud, repetition for model sentences and
drilling are the main activities. Key structures from dialogues are the
B. Steps in the ALM
There are six steps to follow in ALM. Here they are:
Step 1. Modelling. Teacher models the reading of the
dialog while children listen.
Step 2. Students (as a group) repeat the dialogue after
the teacher until mastery is achieved.
Step 3. Using drills for practice. Teacher initiates a chain
drill for students to practice the dialogue individually.
Step 4. Teaching Substitution and Transformation
drills. Teacher gives clues for substitution to be made in the
dialog already mastered, starting with simple substitutions
to transformation drills.
Step 5. Teaching pronunciation lesson. Teacher introduces a
knowledge of the native language.
Step 6. Grammar Exercises. (for mastery of the grammar
lesson, but no rule is given by the teacher)

IV. Language Experiences Approach (LEA)

B. What is LEA?
The language Experience Approach interrelates the
different language arts and uses the children’s experiences
as basis for reading materials. The rationale for this
approach has been stated very concisely by one of its
proponents, R.V. Allen:
 “What I can think about, I can talk about.
What I can say, I can write-or someone can
write for me
What I can write, I can read what I write,
and what other people can write for me to
read.”
 Since the stories used in the LEA are developed by
the children, they are motivational. Because they use the
language of the children, the reading material is
meaningful to them. A child’s background may be limited,
but every child has experiences that can be converted into
stories. In addition, the teacher can plan interestingly
firsthand experiences that can result in reading a material
that is meaningful for all students. LEA is consistent with
schema theory. Because it uses the child’s experiences as
basis for written language, the child has adequate schema
to comprehend the material and can thus develop the
schema for reading, that includes the idea, that written
words have meaning (Hacker, 1980).
 With LEA, reading grows out of natural, ongoing
activities. Children can see the relationships between
reading and their oral language. This offers good
opportunities for developing the concepts of writing words
and sentences. During the language experience process,
children see the transformation from oral language to print
take place, including directionality, spacing between words,
and punctuation and capitalization. Framing the individual
language units with that hands also helps to illustrate their
meanings. Another benefit is that, observations made
during dictation and reading of a language experience story
and during the follow-up activities can provide the teacher
with diagnostic insights into children’s reading difficulties.
 As a hands-on approach to learning to read and
write, various strategies are suggested to generate
the stories from children. One is to let them
perform/observe an activity and ask them to explain
what they did/saw step-by-step. As they dictate
their experiences, the teacher writes them down
and helps pupils to formulate them into a story.
Reading by groups follows.
Another way to do it is to ask a pupil to draw a
picture and underneath it, the teachers write the
sentence dictated by the pupils. A collection of their
drawings can be made and can be bound later.
Reading and writing follow.
B. Steps in LEA
There are nine steps when LEA is used as a strategy. They are as
follows:
Step 1. Participating in a common experience. Focus on an
experience, either firsthand or vicarious, that is common to all children.
Step 2. Discussing Experience
Step 3. Generating vocabulary that authors most likely would use if
they were writing about the topic or idea.
Step 4. Recording pupils’ experiences or cooperative writing of
the story on a chart, the board, or a computer. Make sure students
can clearly see what you write. With young pupils, try not to rephrase
there sentences unless grammatical errors make text meaning
confusing. With older pupils, editing makes more sense.
Step 5. Reading the text aloud, modelling fluency
and making connections between speech and print
by pointing to each word.
Step 6. Inviting students to read and reread the text
orally and silently. This promotes fluency.
Step 7. Once the complete text is known by a
student or group, begin to focus on the smaller
components of the text such as sentences, words, and
letters. This will foster word recognition skills. Use sentence
strips and word cards so students can manipulate the text.
Step 8. Writing the finished story on an experience
chart.