Posted by Amy Thu April 24, 2008, 4:15 pm
"S" is for Shark
Okay, this is a pet peeve that maybe a lot of you don't get, but with my Speech Pathology background and knowing a lot about phonology (speech sounds), this kind of stuff drives me crazy. Alex has a set of magnet letters that is a letter paired with a corresponding picture of something that begins with that letter. A for apple, B for bird, C for cow, etc...those are all good. But S for shark, not so much. The picture should begin with that SOUND...S for sun, soda, soap would be perfect. To me, it's like saying K is for knife. Spellings and pairing certain letters together in words changes their sounds, such as when S is paired with an H, we get the "sh" sound, duh. The makers of these educational products should be um...educated enough to know this stuff.
Anyway, just a silly pet peeve that I felt compelled to post on the blog that no one else would maybe think twice about. But when I'm trying to teach my kid phonics, S for shark is not an appropriate example.
Okay, this is a pet peeve that maybe a lot of you don't get, but with my Speech Pathology background and knowing a lot about phonology (speech sounds), this kind of stuff drives me crazy. Alex has a set of magnet letters that is a letter paired with a corresponding picture of something that begins with that letter. A for apple, B for bird, C for cow, etc...those are all good. But S for shark, not so much. The picture should begin with that SOUND...S for sun, soda, soap would be perfect. To me, it's like saying K is for knife. Spellings and pairing certain letters together in words changes their sounds, such as when S is paired with an H, we get the "sh" sound, duh. The makers of these educational products should be um...educated enough to know this stuff.
Anyway, just a silly pet peeve that I felt compelled to post on the blog that no one else would maybe think twice about. But when I'm trying to teach my kid phonics, S for shark is not an appropriate example.
Comments
Lindsay - Sat April 26, 2008, 11:41 am
I completely agree, and I have thought about it several times, as well. :) You're not crazy. I also agree with you that the people who are making these "educational" toys should actually have an education in child education. (How many times can one use the word "education" in a sentence?)April - Fri April 25, 2008, 5:05 pm
I agree 100%. S is not for shark. I have little things like that that bother me as well. Ill see you tomorrow. :)Frances - Fri April 25, 2008, 9:33 am
When I taught kindergarten it drove me nuts too! People who make those materials should know how destructive that can be to learning! GRRRRRREmily - Fri April 25, 2008, 6:55 am
I completely agree with you. How frustrating! I liked Angela's comments about putting another picture over the letter.See you tomorrow!
Emily
Angela - Fri April 25, 2008, 1:37 am
You could always cover the picture up with a sun or something correct instead, then would help him not be confused. I'm with you though that the people shoudl have been a little bit better educated.Mom - Thu April 24, 2008, 7:27 pm
OMG, "S" is definitely not for shark - that would bug me too!2008 Mike and Amy Focosi
