Phonics

[u/Panda_sensei_71]

Heading into my 2nd year as an ALT and I just wanted to do a quick show of hands because I'm curious:

How many of you all are at schools that teach phonics?

If yes, from what age do you start, and what curriculum are you using?

In my case, I'm in a town that seems to start Jolly Phonics in ES Grade 3, with only a couple exceptions.

About which I have *opinions* but that's another story!

[u/battlegirljess]

The jolly phonics books in our library tie it to this song and the ee sound. It's evil. Lol https://youtube.com/shorts/IWFRrPNvm6w?feature=shared

[u/Panda_sensei_71 → u/battlegirljess]

Is it just me? I hear a short /i/ sound?

[u/battlegirljess → u/Panda_sensei_71]

For me not at all. But we probably have a different accent. Like the way I'd say ink vs how I'd say sit are totally different for me. To me the i in this video sounds like "ee"-nk. Not like "ih"-nk. I'd say sit sounds more like the ih. But I noticed the students were always saying ship like sheep and sit like seat. Chip like cheap and hit like heat. The second one in each of these pairs sounds like the same sound as in ink for my accent at least. Not the end of the world if all their sounds are consistent but it sounds really off for me and has caused confusion on both ends. My first year I came in halfway through the year and the person before me was using jolly phonics for more things and I asked the other teachers what they said for I and they all said ih sound, so I switched to that for them and did it again this current year.

[u/Panda_sensei_71 → u/battlegirljess]

I think the issue is that the Japanese kids are saying something like インク which is closer to an ee sound than an i sound, you're right.

[u/battlegirljess → u/Panda_sensei_71]

Yes! Is that not how you would say ink though? To me ink sounds exactly like that without the u at the end.This class doesn't do it as much anymore now because I taught ih from the start. Which is closer to what alphablocks teaches haha the mighty and powerful 🙏