Anna Layton

Individual Strategy Article

Jacobson, J., Lapp, D., & Flood, J. (2007). A seven-step instructional
plan for teaching English-language learners to comprehend
and use homonyms, homophones, and homographs. Journal Of
Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 51(2), 98-111.

This article by Julie Jacobson, Diane Lapp and James Flood (2007) in the
Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy is about the unique challenges of
non-native English speakers when dealing with tricky words. The authors
state that, while English Language Learners can typically learn social English
within 6 months to 2 years of arriving in the United States, it can take 7 to 10
years to achieve academic language proficiency, and a lot of the challenge
comes from the complexity of homonyms, homophones, and homographs in
the English language (p. 101). They give a seven-step method for teaching
these tricky words, some of which I would say is most relevant in an actual
ESL class where the focus is on understanding the language. But a lot of it is
also quite relevant for me in the Language Arts classroom.
The seven steps of this process are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Read or listen to a story with homonyms, homophones, or homographs.

Define and visualize the words through illustrations.
Identify the grammatical structure of each word.
Categorize words grammatically.
Analyze word meanings to complete sentences through the completion
of a cloze activity.
6. Produce a skit, pantomime, or create a visual for individual sentences.
7. Determine word meaning.
(Excerpted from Table 3 on page 103 of Journal of Adolescent and Adult
Literacy)

The part that I anticipate using the most in my language arts class, in
which non-native English speakers are the majority, is the first three steps. I
plan on creating and displaying a tricky words poster/sign that displays
words like their/there/theyre and to/too/two. Misuses of these words are
some of the most prevalent mistakes I see in student work. They are also
typically words that get used a lot, so their importance is undeniable. I will
give visual representation to these words on the classroom walls and call
attention to them when students are writing.
Jacobson, Lapp and Flood tout the usefulness of these seven steps
because they allow for creative expression (p. 110) by the students while
giving an organized process of learning (p. 110). The ability to process,
identify, and use homonyms, homographs and homophones allows the nonnative English speaker to transition from being only to socially literate to
academically literate.