Phonics #4

Summary: While the last phonics assignment was based on consonants that were fairly consistent, this section had to do with inconsistent consonants - c, g, w, and y.  It is in assignments like this that you wonder how anyone might ever have the perseverance to learn English as a second language. After completing this assignment I realized I need a lot of practice with learning and memorizing the rules. It is easy to understand as you're going along with the guide, especially when example words are provided. But at the end, like the reviews provided, it is much more difficult to generalize when w sounds like /w/ and why.

To summarize this, I again made a chart because I am a structural learning and it helps me to organize when each letter is silent or represents another letter, or sounds like ___. But for the sake of retyping some of it and internalizing it more, here are some general statement:
-The hard sound of g (goat) and c (cat) are made when followed by vowel a, o, u, OR when followed by any other letters, or when at the end of a word
-Y and W both represent consonants and vowels; they sound like consonants w (wagon) and y (yo-yo) when they are before a vowel in the syllable
-X could be removed from alphabet and in words replaced by: /ks/ box, /gz/ exact, /z/ xylophone
-While there is no rule to when an s makes a certain sound, it is likely that if it is at the end of a word (and not plural) it will either make an /s/ (miss) or /z/ (whose) sound 
-Sometimes an s represents the /zh/ or /sh/ sound
-When the letter t falls in the middle of a word it can represent: /ch/ (righteous), /t/ mountain, /sh/ action
-The t can be silent at the end of French words or when it follows f and s or when it is a tch combo.

One of the things that has been the most frustrating for me is that I do not agree with some of the points made in this book. Possibly it is because I say or pronounce things differently but it is hard for me to internalize the concept when I completely disagree with the point the author is making.
For example:
-The word hose: I pronounce the s as a /z/ sound like zipper and the book states it should sound like the /s/ in sun
-They use the word often as an example for when a t is silent after f, and I pronounce the t in often
-To demonstrate that t can sound like /ch/, they used natural, and I definitely pronounce it with a /t/

I guess one of my questions is - what happens if one of these questions comes up on the test and I miss it because I pronounce something differently? The English language is difficult to study and frustrating at times because of all the exceptions, but it is good for me to do activities like this to better empathize with my Thai students. It is always very beneficial as a teacher of anything to come across with an understanding spirit, rather than the kind of teacher who makes students feel dumb for asking questions, not getting it, or being annoyed when the information is just not sticking with the student.

Fox, B. (2010). Phonics and structural analysis for the teacher of reading. (10 ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.