A NEW APPROACH TO THE TEACHING OF THE ENGLISH ALPHABET USING SONGS, NURSERY RHYMES AND PICTORIAL ILLUSTRATION FOR DIVERSE PHONEMES

It is a known fact that the spelling of English words cannot be used to predict how words are to be pronounced. There is no consistent relationship between the written symbols and the pronunciation of the sounds of English Language. According to Gimson, (1982), the minimum standard of performance which any ordinary learner should aim at while learning any language is the one which is easily understood by the native speakers of that language. Thus, English language is not exempted. Therefore our aim in this study is to bring into focus the aspect of pronunciation which has been seen as a problem right from the foundation of teaching and learning English Language especially in Nigeria and to employ songs, nursery rhymes and pictorial illustration to teach diverse phonemic representation of the letters of the English alphabet. The researchers have adopted this new approach to teach Nursery school pupils of ages 3-5. The study also aimed at using this method to enhance reading and writing skills among this set of pupils using four letters of the alphabet per unit with the aid of aforementioned techniques. It was discovered at the end of the exercise that the pupils and the teachers were very active while the teaching and learning were going on. The pupils were able to recognize, pronounce and identify words that are associated with the letters of the alphabet taught.