English Second Language Course

3

Reflection Paper

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Learning the English language as a subject requires the application of both visual and audio instruments. I observed an 11th-grade US History Class where the students were observed on their comprehension of the language in both reading and writing. With the strategies put in place to facilitate the process, it was observed that at the beginning of the lessons, the students seemed more interested in listening to the ‘Reading Like a Historian’ comprehension passages, especially at the pre-emergent level. As far as listening helps learn a language, most of the learners were having problems understanding the stories read to them. The use of photos helped a great deal in learning new words quickly. This was a great help because when a word was taught to a learner and shown the picture, it became easier for them to identify the item being said. However, it is only appropriate for the students to listen to concise stories with essential words that have no hidden meaning in the first level. As the level continues, the passages became more complicated, and in the emergent level, they were taught listening skills and more new vocabulary and figures of speech.

On the other hand, speaking is one of the most fundamental parts of teaching the English language. From as early as the instructional stage, the learners were encouraged to practice saying the words they have learned from the story. The teacher first mentions the word and instructs learners to repeat it. As the level upgrades, the students are encouraged to look for new words and use them in writing essays that were to be presented in class as the others note down the new vocabulary. Speaking is helpful because it helps pronounce words and the eloquence of English as a language.

Vocabulary can be termed as the set of words that are used in the body of a language. The learning of new words and their meaning is essential in giving the learner the ability to grasp content at every learning level. The school learners started with the most basic words that refer to the things they already know, but as the process continues, they are given more complex parts of speech and how to use them in a sentence. This is vital in assisting the learner in understanding and knowing how to write relevant texts and passages. It is also essential in building confidence in the pupil. This strategy is very effective, but if the learning levels are not considered, it might fail because it is difficult to understand complex words when a pupil cannot grasp the simple texts and sentences.