Why is English so hard?

1. Defective orthography
English has a defective orthography meaning that the spelling of a word often has nothing/little to do with the pronunciation. This is often an issue for children learning to read(and write) as they are taught by letter- sound correspondence(synthetic phonics) but then they also must learn that the sound of a letter changes from word to word, for example the 'a' sound in 'hat' is pronounced differently than in 'hate'.




2. Irregular verbs
Children are often taught rules by adults to aid their understanding and be able to use them when they are not there, for example, 'to make a word past tense add 'ed'' however there are many exceptions to rules like these that often confuse children or people learning English. This rule applies to words like 'walk' and 'shout' but what about irregular verbs like 'hit' 'read' and 'think'. Children have to learn the rules but also when not to apply them.


3. The amount of words
English has a vast number of words – the biggest of any language, according to some scholars. It’s a particularly complex lexicon because it has many different roots and influences, including Old English and Latin, which means that there’s huge variety in how words are spelled.


4. Idioms and slang
As with most languages, spoken English tends to be more informal than written English, presenting further complexity for the student with the unenviable task of learning the language. Slang is yet another aspect of the language for learners to get to grips with, knowledge of which is necessary in order to understand informal conversation (a very basic example is “yeah”, which is slang for “yes”). English is also littered with idioms, which don’t always make sense to those learning English, but in order to speak English like a native speaker, a knowledge of idioms is essential. You’ll hear phrases such as “fat chance”, “turn a blind eye” and “call it a day” adding colour to everyday language, and it’s not just the phrases you need to learn, but their meanings and when it’s appropriate for you to use them.


5. There are so many silent letters
English has so many letters that aren't actually pronounced. “K”, such as “knife” or “knock”. There are also other silent letters at the beginning of words, such as the silent “H” at the beginning of “honour”, the “p” at the beginning of “psychology” or the “G” in “gnome”.


6. The order of the words
The difference between the right and wrong order is so subtle that it’s hard to explain beyond simply saying that it “just sounds right”. For example, we often use more than one adjective to describe a noun, but which order should they go in? We would say “an interesting little book” not “a little interesting book”. Both are technically grammatically correct, but the first “just sounds right”.


7. Homophones
English is full of homophones. E.g. 'A bandage is wound around a wound' 'the door was too close to the table to close' and 'I decided to desert my dessert in the desert'.




https://www.oxford-royale.co.uk/articles/efl-difficulties.html

How children learn to read

Who are the most popular children's authors and books? early years, infants and juniors. What makes them popular?


Puffin books

• Each Peach Pear Plum by Allan Ahlberg - I feel that the rhyming and pictures are what make this text so successful. Children will enjoy the read and are most likely to find it easier because of the rhyming patterns. There are also hidden details in each picture to keep the child entertained.
• The Snowman by Raymond Briggs  - I feel that the success of this book is down to the imagination it took to create and the amazing imagery that this book creates. Because of this Children will be able to imagine the scenery keeping them engaged in the book.
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle - I feel that the interactive element of this book is what primarily attracts children, this also makes this book very memorable and widely recognised. It also helps children learn about numbers, days of the week and time in a fun and imaginative way.
• Where's Spot? by Eric Hill - Similarly to The Very Hungry Caterpillar I feel that the popularity of this book is down to the interactive element of lifting the flaps and finding and feeling as if they are finding spot themselves. It also teaches them about everyday objects.

• The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr - The combinations of colourful illustrations and an enjoyable story make this a memorable book
• Where the Wild Things Are - The somewhat 'naughty' child may humour the children and the imaginary magical wold with interest them.
• The Gruffalo by Julian Donaldson - similarly to Each Peach the rhyming text with entice children to continue reading and the funny and almost slightly scary story will make it very memorable to t he child.
• The Cat in the Hat by Dr Seuss
• Biff, Chip and Kipper by Roderick Hunt - Designed to aid children's language development, used in 80% of schools in the UK

How are children taught to read?


1. Synthetic phonics

• 'Phonics' involves teaching letter-sound correspondences. Children are then taught to 'synthesise' and put these sounds together to create words. Teachers will start of with single letter sounds (e.g. s,a,t,p,i,n) and then move on to those which involve 2 letters (E.g. oi, ou and ai) and so on.
• “Learning the letter sounds is merely the first step. The really important bit is to teach the children what to do with them. How to blend them together for reading and how to listen for them in a word to spell it. Start simply with CVC words [consonant vowel consonant words, such as cat, hat, hop] and gradually introduce longer and more complex words.”
• Irregular words such as those with origins from another language may be hard for the child to learn and may need other strategies to be able to learn these.

* Contradicting approach NLS 

• Dr Kevin Collins came up the the Primary National Strategy(NLS) for learning how to read. He said that children might use their phonic knowledge to 'get the first consonant' but they also need to use the context, maybe the picture and the evolving story.

2. Reading schemes

• Reading scheme books will be given to children in reception at varying stages. Some chose to do this right away, some after basic phonics have been learnt.
• There will also usually be a reading diary designed for teachers to let parents identify any difficulties that their child might be having with reading.
• Different schools have different schemes, some may let the child switch books whenever they please and some have strict policies that only the teacher can switch books on a certain day.

What sorts of 'miscues' (virtuous errors based on misapplication of reading skills) do young readers make?

• "Whole word errors"- mistaking a word for another "similar looking word" often sight words e.g. simple - smile, every - very
• "Word guessing errors" - children often only look at the first letter/few letters and then guess the word e.g. chart - chimp (read a book about a chimp so now says chimp for every word starting with 'ch'
• "Tracking errors"- The words they say often contain the same sounds but are out of order e.g. no - on, form - from, left - felt
• Blending error - noticeable 'choppy sounding' 
• Letter confusion - Typically with visually similar letters e.g. b, d and p

How should caregivers deal with mistakes?

• Some caregivers prefer to help children if they get stuck on a word where as others prefer to let them learn at their own speed and allow the child to solve their own problems.
• Many people believe it is a good idea to help sound out the word rather than just reading it for them. 

Bibliography
http://www.booktrust.org.uk/books/children/booklists/241/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Magic_Key
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/08/14/reception-reading-how-your-child-will-learn-to-read-at-school-and-what-you-can-do-to-help-at-home_n_7331438.html
http://www.syntheticphonics.com/synthetic_phonics.htm
http://www.righttrackreading.com/errors.html

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