Central Washington University ScholarWorks@CWU All Master's Theses Master's Theses 1969 A Beginning Reading Program in Marshallese Charles E. Eko Central Washington University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/etd Part of the Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Educational Methods Commons, and the Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons Recommended Citation Eko, Charles E., "A Beginning Reading Program in Marshallese" (1969). All Master's Theses. 1088. https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/etd/1088 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Master's Theses at ScholarWorks@CWU. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@CWU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A BEGINNING READING PROGRAM IN MARSHALLESE A Thesis / Presented to the Graduate Faculty Central Washington State College In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Education by Charles E. Eko July, 1969 uo1.8U'!lf" A\ 'lbnqsua1ra ;)8~no 1 •qlllS UC!}Jill''.f'"ll :t/. J~~!{UJJ If.~"'-~}~,'. q?.1 No11~:n10~ 7V1::i.1c1s 'F,;? I'€" ·1 L l.._s ct7 APPROVED FOR THE GRADUATE FACULTY ________________________________ John E. Davis, COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN _________________________________ Azella Taylor _________________________________ Doris Jakubek Nan Rikaki Ro Im Rijikul Ro Ilo Ailin In Majel Kin Menin Joij Im Jiban Ko Ami · Kaj oj o Nan Na Kom Emol. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. INTRODUCTION • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM • • • • • • • • • • • • 2 NEED FOR THE STUDY • • • • • • • • • • • • • 2 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY • • • • • • • • • • 5 No Standard Orthography • • • • • • • • • 6 Extremely Limited Materials in Marshallese • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 6 Untrained Teachers • • • • • • • • • • • • 6 Geography • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 7 Culture • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 8 II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE • • • • • • • • • • • 9 LANGUAGE EXPERIENCE APPROACH • • • • • • • • 14 SUMMARY • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 22 III. A BEGINNING READING PROGRAM IN MARSHALLESE • • 23 INTRODUCTION • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 23 SCOPE AND SEQUENCE • • • • • • • • • • • • • 24 Vocabulary • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 24 Perceptive Skills • • • • • • • • • • • • 25 Comprehension • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 26 Oral Expression • • • • • • • • • • • • • 27 Vocabulary • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 27 Word Analysis • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 28 Structural Analysis • • • • • • • • • • • 28 ii CHAPTER PAGE Word-form Clues • • • • • • • • . • • • • 29 Comprehension • • . 29 Oral Reading . 30 Silent Reading • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 31 Primary Word List • • • • • • • . • • • • 31 READING BEGINS WITH TALKING TIMES • • • • • • 39 TAKING CHILDREN'S DICTATION • • • • • • • • • 42 SAMPLE LESSON: READING NAMES • • • • • • • • 43 SAMPLE LESSON: TEACHING MARSHALLESE ALPHABET • • • • • • • • • • • • • . 46 SAMPLE LESSON: TEACHING LETTERS AND BEGINNING SOUNDS • • • • • • • • • • • • • 49 SAMPLE LESSON: EXPERIENCE CHART • • • • • • 54 SAMPLE LESSON: TEACHING LIKENESSES AND DIFFERENCES • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 55 SAMPLE LESSON: TEACHING THE COLOR WORDS • • 56 SAMPLE TEST: VISUAL DISCRIMINATION--THE ALPHABET • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 57 SAMPLE LESSON: TEACHING LETTER SOUNDS • • • 59 SAMPLE LESSON: A FOLLOW-UP LESSON TO AN EXPERIENCE CHART WRITTEN BY THE CLASS • • • 62 SAMPLE TEST: TEST FOR AUDITORY DISCRIMINATION • • • • • • • . • • 65 SAMPLE LESSON: RHYMING WORDS • • • • • • • • 65 SAMPLE LESSON: SYLLABLES • • • • • • • • • • 67 SAMPLE LESSON: QUESTIONS • • • • • • • • • • 67 SAMPLE LESSON: USING CONTEXT CLUES • • • • • 68 iii CHAPTER PAGE SAMPLE LESSON: POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE STATEMENTS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 69 SAMPLE LESSON: ANSWERING QUESTIONS USING POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE STATEMENTS • • • • • 70 SAMPLE LESSON: FUTURE TENSE • • • • • • • • 71 SAMPLE LESSON: PAST TENSE • • • • • • • • • 72 SAMPLE LESSON: PRIMER--"TIRS KAB ALEK REJ ETAL IN ANOR" • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 74 SAMPLE LESSON: INTRODUCTORY LESSON FOR JILU AJRI, FIRST READER ••••••• • • 83 SAMPLE LESSON: STORY CARDS . 86 Careful Reading in Arithmetic • • • • • • 90 Completing Sentences • • • • • . • • • • 90 Little Stories to Act • • • • • • • • • • 91 Word Classification • • • • • • • • • • • 92 Arranging Sentences in Order • • • • • • • 93 SAMPLE LESSON: INFORMAL EVALUATION • • • • 94 Marshallese Reading, "Check List for Beginning Reading" • • • • • • • • • • • 96 SAMPLE TEST: TEST FOR READING READINESS (FORMAL EVALUATION) • • • • • • • • • • • 98 General Directions for the Test • • • • • 99 Scoring the Readiness Test • • • • • • • • 100 IV. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS • • • • • • • • • • • 102 BIBLIOGRAPHY • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 104 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The Americans have held the Marshall Islands in trust since the close of World War II. An education system was offered to the indigenous population under both the military and civilian governments. The standards of educa­ tion have not always been clearly defined. Providing an adequate educational system for Marshallese children has been handicapped by enormous problems: logistics, lack of funds, lack of supplies, untrained personnel, poorly paid teachers, inadequate supervision, poor leadership and little organized coordinated curriculum. In spite of the handicaps, progress has been made. The majority of the Marshallese teachers today have less than a high school education, although tremendous effort is being made to upgrade teachers through in-service programs and summer in­ stitutes. Many teachers in the field have had little, if any, training prior to beginning their careers as teachers. This past year saw the first teacher training program beyond high school. In the field many teachers have not been able to be very productive because of their lack of education. Most outer island schools are poorly supplied, many without furniture, and such essentials of learning as books, pencils, paper, blackboards, etc. Without 2 adequate training and virtually no formal curriculum Marshallese Education has not moved ahead very rapidly. An example, by way of comparison: Saipan (Trust Territory headquarters) in the Marianas, this year will be sending approximately 90 percent of its eighth grade graduates to high school, whereas in the Marshalls less than 24 percent of the eighth grade graduates are permitted entrance to high school. In 1966 the Congress of Micronesia passed a territory­ wide law that all indigenous children learn to read and write in their native tongue during the first two years of their education prior to their study of the same in English (the second language for all six districts). Few Marshallese children have had any formal training in learning to read and write in their native tongue. I. STATEMENT OF PROBLEM The purpose of this study was to develop a be­ ginning reading program in the indigenous Marshallese where there currently is no formal program, designed in a way to enable the indigenous teacher to teach reading. II. NEED FOR THE STUDY The Educational Administrator for the Marshalls District, Mr. John Feazell and the Coordinator of Teacher 3 Training, Mrs. Alan Eckes had asked this writer to construct a beginning reading program in Marshallese this past year. The purpose of this program was to provide for the immediate need of a curriculum in this area and at the same time offer the untrained teacher an aid to teach beginning reading. This writer was chosen because of interest in the field of teaching reading, background of experience in the teaching of reading, knowledge of the Marshallese language, and experience and understanding of the problems of the outer island schools. The following letter substantiates this. 4 TRUST TERRITORY OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDS Office of the District Administrator Marshalls District May 30, 1969 Dr. John E. Davis Department of Education Central Washington State College Ellensburg, Washington Dear Dr. Davis: The work which has been done by Charles Eko during the past two years in the area of beginning reading in the Marshallese language is proving to be of great value to us here in the Marshall Islands. Although work has been done off and on for years in this area, there has never been such a complete help for the Marshallese teacher in the methods to be used. We have already used his daily lesson plans in some of our teacher training and plan to use them even more widely this coming year. As in all efforts of this kind, there has been much revision during composition and there will undoubtedly be more revision as it is tested fully in the classroom. Although I realize that evaluation of a guide such as this will be difficult for a person who is unfamiliar with the language, both Mr. Eko and I would appreciate constructive criticism which will.enable us to improve this guide. In my work with teacher education in this district, this aid to instruction promises to be most useful. I hope it pleases you as much as it has those of us who have seen it and propose to use it. Sincerely, Grace Eckes Coordinator, Teacher Education Marshall Islands District cc: District Director of Education 5 During the 1968-69 year the writer was involved in the writing of this beginning reading program, acting as a cooperating teacher for the Marshall Islands Teacher Training Center and a classroom teacher in the Long Island School. The materials which have been created have been used and tested in the classroom with