ELA100: English, Language and Literacy in Education 1

Week 10: Writing Systems and Speech

Sounds
A: Writing systems
B: The sounds of language
C: Language learning and the four resources model
Key Vocab: by the completion of this study sheet,
ensure you have both a DECLARATIVE and a PROCEDURAL knowledge of these terms
Ie what it is and how to do it
Morpheme
Phoneme
Dipthong
Base
Grapheme
Syllable
Prefix
Digraph
Phonetics
Suffix
Vowel
Phonics
Compound word
Consonant
Phonemic awareness

A: Writing Systems
SPEECH PRECEEDS WRITING
Reading: Ch 6 in the set text, esp bottom pf p 168-170
Morphemes versus Syllables.
Definition through examples and non-examples:
Happy: 1 morpheme, 2 syllables
Happiness: 2 morphemes, 3 syllables
Happily: 2 morphemes, 3 syllables

Car: 1 morpheme, 1 syllable

Carpet: I morpheme, 2 syllables

A syllable is a unit of pronunciation with one vowel sound (and a beat). Some words have
just one syllable, while others are made up of multiple syllables. Unlike a morpheme, a
syllable does not have to make meaning.
A morpheme is the smallest unit of writing/sound that means something on its own (in
relation to the word its in). A morpheme may be a word on its own (called a base e.g.
able) or may not stand alone as a word (when its a prefix e.g. dis in disable or suffix ing
in disabling), but it adds a unique meaning to the word and so changes the meaning of the
word, even though it isnt a word by itself.
A compound word is a word made up of two or more base morphemes: e.g. babysitter joins
baby and sitter
The only thing smaller than a morpheme is an individual letter or an individual sound that
lacks meaning.
Responsible: 1 morpheme (because response has nothing to
do with being responsible); 3 syllables

Carpet: 1 morpheme (because the meaning of the word has

nothing to cars or pets); 2 syllables

Homecoming: 3 morphemes (home come ing); 3 syllables

Understanding: 2 morphemes (understand ing;) 4 syllables

(or beats)

(un-der-stan-ding)

1: How many morphemes in the following?

babysitter

unmoving

challenging

unreasonable

2: Name the bold part of each word as either a prefix, base, suffix or not a morpheme at all
Disabling
create

unthinking

unthinkable unthinkable

creation

creative

B: The sounds of language

Why should a teacher know about the relationships between letters and sounds?

Phonemes, Graphemes and Digraphs and Letters

Phonemes are speech sounds made by the mouth. The building blocks of spoken
words
Graphemes are individual letters or groups of letters that represent single phonemes:
s-p-oo-n
A Digraph is a 2 letter grapheme: e.g. her
ship
car
fork
mouth mouth
wing
Letters are the visual building blocks of words. When we say the letters in a word we
describe the way it looks not the way in sounds. Irregular words have odd relationships
between letters and phonemes (who) which makes them hard to read and spell

http://www.readingdoctor.com.au/phonemes-graphemes-letters-word-burger/

Different types of sounds: Reading Ch 7 p194-5

Remember: letters can be seen, sounds can be heard.
Look at the chart on p 194: what is the difference between a blend and a digraph?
What is the difference between a digraph and a dipthong?
26 letters in the alphabet and 44 sounds (depending on dialect)
5 vowel letters and about 20 vowel and dipthong sounds (a vowel sound that slides
into another vowel sound):
THE IPA: There is an alphabet that writes all the different sounds called the IPA or International Phonetic Alphabet that shows
in writing how the sounds are pronounced (if we have learnt it of course!)

What are learning to read and write issues with the different number of and letters and
sounds?
Making sounds: have a go at making the different sounds on p195. How would you
help children do this?

Sound-Letter correspondence: Reading Ch 7 p 200 last paragraph p204, esp 203204

Have a look at Table 7.2: which spelling strategies have you seen students use? Which ones
have you used yourself?

Vowel and Dipthong practice:

Which of the following words is pronounced with a dipthong (a blended vowel sound where
the vowel slides into the next one:
Fed
plank caught
plain finger pointless
longest
dipthong
If you have time, go through the activities on p195-197 (answers at the end of the chapter)
esp 4 and 5.
Teacher Language: Youll hear teachers talking about phonetics, phonic and phonological
awareness. Theyre all to do with sounds but mean different things:

Phonetics: the study of speech sounds (done by academics studying language)

Phonics: a method of teaching the alphabetic principle or the links between letters and sounds
Phonological awareness: students ability to hear sounds in language, and break them down or build them up to make words

What phonics systems are used by teachers in this school?

Can you give an example of a student you work with who has shown phonological
awareness?

C: Language Learning Reading Ch 11 p 284-286: The four

resources model
This chapter takes a look at Freebody and Luke's four literacy resources model. This is important
and you will revisit this numerous times throughout your degree. The four roles or resources and some
examples follow:
Text code-breaker - learning and using the code or conventions of language. For children, when
reading this might be decoding individual words and sentences when reading. This requires an
understanding of the letter-sound relationships; one-to-one correspondence with one spoken word with
one written word; syntax (grammar of the sentence); punctuation such as 'reading' commas, full stops,
question marks, and exclamation marks, bolding and italics; reading left-to-right and top to bottom;

'reading' what is happening in the pictures' and so on. Similar understandings are needed when writing.

Text meaning-maker - using literacy to make meaning. For children, when reading this might be
relecting on a similar experience to the characters in a book to develop an understanding of the text.
When writing, it is the construction of meaningful texts using knowledge described above as a codebreaker as well as knowledge of the topic and context. This might also require children to consider their
similar experiences to describe the experiences of the characters in their writing.
Text user - is about using texts appropriately. This requires the user to have an understanding of the
range of genre types and why and when they might use them. Consider the use of a recipe or a
shopping list or a non-fiction book. What are the purposes and functions of each? These purposes and
functions inform how these are written and when we might want to read them. Children will interact
with a wide range of genre types as readers and writers. They need to be able to question the texts
they are reading, viewing and producing.
Text analyst - the user of the text analyses the text to determine it's usefulness for their own
purposes.
These skills need to be explicitly taught. Just giving children the opportunity is not enough for them to
develop as critically literate.

Consider yourself as a user of literacy user. Can you identify times when you use each of the
components of the four resources model?

When have you seen teachers and students using code-breaker, meaning-maker, user or analyst
practices in class?

Accessed 23 March 2016 from: http://literaturek6.weebly.com/uploads/8/5/1/8/8518867/4_resources_model.pdf

Assignment 1: Quiz 4
Revise the materials on this sheet before undertaking Quiz 4. It can be done open-book.

Assignment 2: Finalising
1: Revisit the video clip youre using for your assignment. What can you add to your report based on the material
learnt in this session?

Can you write a paragraph on writing systems or speech sounds? Or on the links that are made between speech and
writing, phonemes and letters in the interaction youre examining? Or the use of the four resources model of literacy
learning?
Do you have any reflections on your own currently language knowledge use in relation to understanding speech sounds
and the difference between phonemes and letters and your future goals to add to that section of your report?

2: Review your report: Where is it strongest? Where might you need to add more material? Note: not all sections
have to be the same length: they will be more to write about in some sections than in others, depending on the
content of the video. Have you missed any sections out that you can now fill in?

3: Proofread your report: ensure presentation is clear, spelling, grammar and other errors are eliminated before
saving and sending to al.strangeways@cdu.edu.au by the end of Week 10.