California State University, San Bernardino CSUSB ScholarWorks Theses Digitization Project John M. Pfau Library 2005 Developing oral proficiency through poem recitation in elementary English as a second language Anne Picpican-Bell Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project Part of the Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons Recommended Citation Picpican-Bell, Anne, "Developing oral proficiency through poem recitation in elementary English as a second language" (2005). Theses Digitization Project. 2932. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2932 This Project is brought to you for free and open access by the John M. Pfau Library at CSUSB ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses Digitization Project by an authorized administrator of CSUSB ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. DEVELOPING ORAL PROFICIENCY THROUGH POEM RECITATION IN ELEMENTARY ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE A Project Presented to the Faculty of California State. University, San Bernardino In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Education: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages by Anne Picpican-Bell December 2005 DEVELOPING ORAL PROFICIENCY THROUGH POEM RECITATION IN ELEMENTARY ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE A Project Presented to the Faculty of California State University, San Bernardino by Anne Picpican-Bell December 2005 Approved by: © 2005 Anne Picpican-Bell ABSTRACT The best way' to learh a language is' not by memorizing the rules but by continuously using it. It is upon use that language becomes meaningful and essential. People, as social beings, use language in variety of ways. It is through interaction that one becomes better at using the language. However, in spite of its importance, oral language development is one of the areas that has been given little attention in the curriculum. This project proposes the development of an oral language curriculum for immigrant students at the primary elementary level. The curriculum, which is both didactic and creative, provides both knowledge and its application in social settings. It emphasizes poetry recitation as the culminating activity, which will allow students to use language with control. The dynamic nature of poetry lends support to its integration into various content areas. This conception makes possible the development of oral proficiency among immigrant students who want to make an impact on the world that they now call "home." iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I thank the following persons: Dr. Lynne Diaz-Rico, Dr. Bonnie Piller, and Mr. Tim Thelander; Lee and Alix for giving all the support and understanding throughout the completion of this project; and Claire for all her help. I also thank my friends for the moral support, and Phyllis and Tim who constantly make life easier for me. Above all, without God's intervention and guidance, nothing would have made sense. i iv DEDICATION To my family and to all ESL learners TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT............................................. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...................................... iv LIST OF TABLES................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES.................................. x CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Background of the Project ...................... 1 The Filipino Immigrants ..................... 2 History of English Teaching in the Philippines ................................ 3 Education and the English Language ......... 5 Target Teaching Level: Primary Elementary................................. 7 Instructional Challenges and Problems in Teaching English to Second-Language Learners............................ 7 Purpose of the Project.......................... 10 Content of the Project.......................... 11 Significance of the Project..................... 12 CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Phonological Awareness .............. 13 Introduction ............................... 13 o Definition of Phonological Awareness and Phonemic Awareness ......................... 14 Importance of PhonologicalA wareness ........ 19 Teaching of Phonics........................ 24 Phonological Awareness Instruction .......... 25 v Instructional Guidelines in Introducing Phonological Awareness Activities .......... 27 Summary . ,................................. 31 Software Programs for Phonemic Awareness ........ 31 Introduction........ 31 Phonological Awareness Software . .......... 32 Choosing a Software Program ................ 33 Available Software Programs ................ 35 Summary........................ ............ 44 Oral Poetry as a New Popular Poetry............. 44 Introduction ............................... 44 Oral Poetry as a New Popular Poetry........ 45 Forms of Oral Poetry....................... 4 7 Contemporary Poetry Versus New Popular Poetry..................................... 54 Comparison between Spoken Word Movement and The Beats.............................. 56 Poetry Slam in the National Level......... 57 Summary............................... : ... 59 Poetry across the Curriculum .................... 59 Introduction ............................... 59 Definition of Poetry ....................... 60 Elements of Poetry......................... 62 Figures of Speech.......................... 65 Forms of Poetry............................ 6 9 The Integration of Poetry into the Curriculum............................. 72 vi ■ Poetry and Social Studies 78 Summary.................................... 7 9 Oral Proficiency................................ 80 Introduction ............................... 80 Definition of Oral Proficiency............. 81 Variables Related to OralP roficiency ....... 82 Levels of Proficiency.................... 87 Oral Language Development..... •............ 94 Teaching Methods and Strategies that Promote Oral Language Development ......... 96 Classroom Activities that Promote Oral Language Development ....................... 100 Summary..................................... 102 CHAPTER THREE: THE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Oral Proficiency--An Integrated Teaching Approach........................................ 104 The Interrelationship of Phonological Awareness, Software Use in Teaching Phonological Awareness, Oral Poetry, and Poetry across the Curriculum with Oral Proficiency.... ..................................104 Oral Proficiency as a Goal.................. 107 Integrated Teaching Approach . ..............107 Prior Knowledge............................. 109 Methods and Strategies ..................... 110 Fun Activities.............................. Ill Technology.................................. Ill Summary..................................... 113 vii CHAPTER FOUR: CURRICULUM DESIGN Sequence of the Unit Plan.... ................ 115 CHAPTER FIVE: ASSESSMENT Types of Assessment Used in the Curriculum Unit............. .. ............................ 119 Informal Assessment ......................... 119 Formal Assessment .......................... 121 Summary..................................... 123 Conclusion........................... 123 APPENDIX A: CHARTS INDICATING ASIAN POPULATION, LANGUAGES SPOKEN AT HOME AND EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT ................... 125 APPENDIX B: SOFTWARE INTERNET RESOURCES .............. 128 APPENDIX C: LIST OF BOOKS INTEGRATING POETRY WITH VARIOUS CONTENT AREAS .................... 130 APPENDIX D: NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS ORAL READING FLUENCY SCALE ...... 135 APPENDIX E: STUDENT ORAL LANGUAGE OBSERVATION MATRIX.................................... 137 APPENDIX F: POEMS--POEM RECITATION TO PROMOTE ORAL PROFICIENCY............................... 140 APPENDIX G: LESSON PLAN-ORAL POETRY TO PROMOTE ORAL PROFICIENCY.......................... 143 REFERENCES............................................ 188 viii LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Types of Poetic Meter....................... 68 Table 2 Fluency Rates for Developing Readers ........ 86 Table 3 Fluency Increase across the Grade Levels .... 87 Table 4 Integration of Key Concepts in the Lesson Plans....................................... 116 ix LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Related Terms .............................. 17 Figure 2. Stages of Phonological Awareness Abilities.................................. 19 Figure 3. Hierarchy of Skills inR eading............. 39 Figure 4. Results of Validation Study for WiggleWorks Software ....................... 42 Figure 5. Triangle.................................. 73 Figure 6. Model for Oral Proficiency................. 105 x CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Background of the Project California, a multicultural state, has seen its fair share of immigrants from non-English speaking countries like Asia. Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Asian Indian, Korean, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, Thai, Singaporeans are collectively referred to as Asians. The Asian population in the United States has increased from seven million in 1990 to twelve million in 2000. Reeves and Bennett (2004) reported that California has 4.2 million Asians making it the state with the largest Asian population. The report also conveyed that 24 percent of the Asian population had earned at least a bachelor's degree. As a result "almost four fifths of Asians speak a language other than English at home, but about three fifths speak English very well" (p. 11). (See Appendix A) Some Asians, especially those newcomers in the country, are not proficient English speakers. Oftentimes, they feel inadequate to express their feelings, opinions, and even