CT10210619

RAYNOLD RAPHAEL

CONTEXT My year six class in SK Pulau Gaya are consists of 39 pupils who are mainly of Filipinos descendants of different ethnics and backgrounds. Nevertheless, these pupils have got learnt English through three years of schooling which in the level one yet only a few of them who are able to fully grasp simple instructions in English whereas the remaining werent able to understand let alone to start off with simple conversation/ The major concern of my pupils lack of command in reading in writing is also contributed by the lack of vocabulary skills. . Vocabulary is the glue that holds stories, ideas and content together making comprehension accessible for children. (Rupley, Logan & Nichols, 1998/99). Students word knowledge is linked strongly to academic success because students who have large vocabularies can understand new ideas and concepts more quickly than students with limited vocabularies. The high correlation in the research literature of word knowledge with reading comprehension indicates that if students do not adequately and steadily grow their vocabulary knowledge, reading comprehension will be affected (Chall & Jacobs, 2003). . DILEMMA My pupils do have issue when it comes to all the four language skills; the lack of vocabulary is one of them. While trying to conduct this lesson wholly in English it was like being an alien from another planet. Still few of them manage to grasp a bit of what Im trying to teach them. This problem will surely arise when youre teaching English mixing with other language but this method is quite effective because my pupils are sitting for UPSR and it seems that Drilling method is one of the way to enhance their language skills, in this case the writing skills. Since my pupils English learning is still affected by their mother tongue, they also often find problems in grammar,. Nevertheless, they usually face a difficulty in TW30003

CT10210619

RAYNOLD RAPHAEL

English grammar, particularly in arranging words into correct utterances or sentences. It means that grammar is one of the most important parts of English to communicate with others. There are many topics of grammar that cannot be ignored. There are articles, parts of speech, modal auxiliaries, tenses, etc. However, there is part of the grammar that is considered to be the most difficult to learn for the them students, SOLUTION For the vocabulary part, it is vital for me to gain my pupils attention in order for them to improve their vocabulary skills. Using pictures through PowerPoint Presentation which they are familiar with as stimulus can gain their interest towards following a lesson. Based on constructivism approaches it is said that pupils learn language from trying to make sense of the world in which they find themselves. All the unfamiliar words that were shown to them will stimulate and make them understand a bit quicker rather than depending on the dictionary. the Its not too obvious to them but still they will be able to focused with all the pictures on the slide show. I raise some questions such as do they recognize all the pictures. Then, the atmosphere changed, my pupils began talking, asking each other although their conversation was not in English still its a good response. In teaching grammar, especially tenses, I would teach not only the form but also its function. Hence, I should give the pupils enough drills that stresses both of the form and the use of tense. It means that after learning tense, the pupils should be able to apply or use them in communication. Activities such as substitute table is suitable in helping pupils to remember the form and function where at the same time enhancing their writing skills. Furthermore, games activities can also be in cooperated where I can find various games activities through the internet for instant. This will make the task in teaching simple past tense more interesting and appealing to the pupils.

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CT10210619

RAYNOLD RAPHAEL

RESPONSE I think you could improve it by adding reading activity in order for the to build up their vocabulary skills and at the same time strengthening their reading skills. This will vary your technique and making it less redundant. Furthermore, maybe you can add some singing activity because Im aware that our pupils like singing. Try using simple English song or adapt a song in teaching tenses. Response by: Faisal Matzin (SKPG)

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