Children's Phonics Book Issues

[fcgamer 3,710]

Every year when I get to this part of the phonics book we use at the school where I teach English, I run into a situation. And it always revolves around this particular picture.

The book presents this thing under the frontal Gg sounds page, but that's obviously not what I would normally call a guitar. Yes, I know perhaps it's a goofy acoustic bass guitar, but I've never ever in my life heard someone state "Oh I play guitar" when what they are really saying is "Oh I play bass (guitar)". I then thought maybe this thing was a uke, yet it looks a bit weird to be a ukelele.

So I took the time to teach my students about various musical instruments, and then has them all write "b" for bass, despite it not being a choice in the instructions. I bet I'll get a few parent questions / complaints tomorrow regarding this.

To make things even worse, a few pages later they actually do have a picture of what we'd normally refer to as a guitar, so I've got no idea how they screwed up the earlier picture like this.

[Mega Tank 689]

That's a guitar

[The Count 425]

I think the book is generalizing the broader type of instrument. Guitar seems perfectly fine.

[RH 3,767]

Some times in illustrations, repeated things are reduced because when you draw them, it makes the drawing to complex when it's intended to be simple.  Exhibit A:

So yeah, that's a guitar and it probably is, in fact, intended for use in The Simpson's universe.

Edited December 21, 2020 by RH

[RH 3,767]

I also just noticed the guitar has 4 tuning pegs but 3 strings.  So, yeah.  To the illustrator, even 4 strings was to many, but 3 tuning pegs would have definitely looked silly.

[Hammerfestus 2,879]

Yup.  It’s just poorly drawn.  I’d like to point out that there appears to be a pick guard? slapped on behind the bridge.  So uhh yeah.  Also, If we’re getting technical the neck is way too short of a scale to be a bass.

[fcgamer 3,710]

14 minutes ago, Hammerfestus said:

Yup.  It’s just poorly drawn.  I’d like to point out that there appears to be a pick guard? slapped on behind the bridge.  So uhh yeah.  Also, If we’re getting technical the neck is way too short of a scale to be a bass.

Yeah, I also thought the neck was waaay too short. Such an odd instrument this is, wonder how bit sounds when played?

[Splain 1,896]

45 minutes ago, fcgamer said:

Yeah, I also thought the neck was waaay too short. Such an odd instrument this is, wonder how bit sounds when played?

Probably something like PLINK PLINK PLUNK PLONK

I agree that it's just a simple drawing of a guitar, and it's ok to just teach it that way. The kids are learning the G sound, not details of how to identify specific stringed instruments.

Having said that, it could be a three-string guitar, since those are a thing, except there are 4 pegs. So, given that the strings are definitely off-center above the sound hole and on the bridge, I'd say it's a cavaquinho with a broken string. No good G sounds in that though. At least there's a G string.

I remember when I was in 2nd grade, learning about Celsius. We had to look at a couple of cartoonish drawings and choose what temperature each one was, between 2 choices. There was an image that looked like this:

and the choices were 0 degrees and 10 degrees. I chose 0 degrees, because obviously if it were 10 degrees it would be a puddle of not-frozen water. I got it marked wrong, and the teacher said "but it's starting to melt." I'm still bitter about it.

[RH 3,767]

2 hours ago, Hammerfestus said:

Yup.  It’s just poorly drawn.  I’d like to point out that there appears to be a pick guard? slapped on behind the bridge.  So uhh yeah.  Also, If we’re getting technical the neck is way too short of a scale to be a bass.

I didn't think that was a pick guard but a light reflection.

[phart010 1,501]

3 hours ago, RH said:

I also just noticed the guitar has 4 tuning pegs but 3 strings.  So, yeah.  To the illustrator, even 4 strings was to many, but 3 tuning pegs would have definitely looked silly.

Maybe its an old beatup guitar and one of the strings had just busted