PHONOLGY ASSIGNMENT - elt-resourceful · Web viewThe Bulgarian speaker has very few pronunciation...

CAMBRIDGE DELTA COURSE

October 2010

Language Systems Essay for Assignment – Phonology

“Adapting phonology issues to the learners’ goals.”

Multilingual, Intermediate Classes in a Non-English speaking Environment.

Candidate’s name: Sharon Noseley

Centre Number: GR108

Candidate Number:

Number of words: 2414

Sharon Noseley Adapting phonology issues to the learner’s goals

Index:

1. Introduction………………………………………………………………………..3

2. The Intermediate, Multilingual Class in a Non-English speaking Environment – its needs and goals……………………………………………………………………….3

2.1 What aspects of pronunciation should be addressed first? ……………….4

3. Phonology and focusing on the learners’ needs…………………………………….4

4. Pronunciation issues for a Multilingual Class………………………………………5

5. Approaches and Methods to achieve our goals……………………………………..6

6. Remedies and Materials to enhance receptive and productive skills……………….6

6.1 Suggested Recognition Activities ………………………………………...7

6.2 Suggested Productive Activities…………………………………………..8

6.3 Encourage Learner Autonomy…………………………………………….9

7. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………..9

Bibliography………………………………………………………………………….10 ………………………………………………………………………………………..11

Appendices…………………………………………………………………………..12

My English and I Questionnaire…..........................................13


1.Introduction

Teaching pronunciation could be argued to be one of the most important yet difficult aspects of EFL/ESL teaching. According to Thanasoulas (2009) these are the underlying reasons it has been called the “Cinderella” of language teaching (Kelly, 1969, Dalton, 1997).In the process of communication, pronunciation is of utmost importance. Poorly pronounced segmentals (the sounds of the language for intelligibility) and suprasegmentals (stress, rhythm and intonation) can lead to misunderstanding.Gower et al (2005, p.153) inform us work on pronunciation is important for two main reasons:

1) To help the students understand the spoken English they hear.2) To help them make their own speech more comprehensible and meaningful to

others.

Personally, I decided to research phonology on the basis of discussions held in the class, in which the students repeatedly felt their speaking and listening comprehension skills were poor in relation to their writing or reading skills. The result of this discussion was the production of a questionnaire for the class, asking them about their pronunciation and comprehension abilities when listening to the spoken word in a natural environment.1 I concluded the class needed to work on phonological issues. Therefore, based on the feedback of the questionnaire, and bearing in mind the goals of the class to reach “comfortable intelligibility” by improving their speaking and listening skills for work and social goals, I researched this area to help them to achieve these goals.

2. The intermediate, Multilingual class in a non-English speaking community – its needs and goals.

The teacher’s role when considering which aspects of phonology are to be implemented into lessons, depends on the goals of the learners. Harmer (2007) advises us to consider the adult learner. He observes they often have a clear understanding of why they are learning things. Research indicates the majority of adult learners state their goals for acquiring English as a second language as, to improve communication through social networks, and most importantly, in the pursuit of improved career opportunities.

Only twenty five per cent of the world’s English speakers are actually native speakers. The term English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) has now crept into our vocabulary. This research leads one to consider the accent the learner desires. It is of utmost important our learners have a comprehensible accent to improve their opportunities in the workplace, education and other areas of life. Jenkins (1998) argued the aim to ensure our learners have no trace of a foreign accent is ‘unrealistic’. In 2002, she introduced the ‘Lingua Franca Core’. This is a 1 Appendices 1 - questionnaire


pronunciation core for teaching learners for lingua franca interactions, not interactions between a native and non-native speaker.

According to the Lingua Franca Core, the items which are not important include, the /ɵ/ and /ɗ/ sounds, vowel quality, (the difference in vowel sounds when length is not involved), weak forms such as ‘to’, ‘of’ and ‘from’, assimilation in connected speech (e.g. red paint – / rebpeit/), word stress, pitch movement and stress timing.

However, recent studies show support for the superiority of suprasegmental instruction. From classroom experience, and living in a non- English speaking environment, Jenkins has a point with regard to word stress, even within RP (Received Pronunciation) there are optional stress patterns and the rules are highly complex for an Intermediate class. However, regarding features of connected speech (weak forms, elision and linking) mistakes lead to unintelligibility for the native speaker and amongst the learners themselves (NNSs to NNSs). Adult classes are hoping to improve their career prospects; they should be introduced to these areas for receptive as well as productive understanding. As for rhythm, the multilingual class is usually a class that has mother tongue issues, as most of the world’s languages tend to be syllable-timed. As English is relatively a stress-timed language, this can lead to the learners sounding’ foreign’; a point that most of the learners implied was a hindrance when communicating in English.

2.1 What aspects of pronunciation should be addressed first?

Crawford (2008, p.1) implies the following aspects of pronunciation are highly significant in meeting the needs of learners from varied linguistic backgrounds:

Syllable stress in two, three and polysyllabic words. Syllable and word reduction.. Sentence stress and reduced words. To understand the distinction between

content words and function words.e.g. The important or new information in a sentence is stressed and not the pronouns, auxiliary verbs, articles, conjunctions and prepositions. As in the sentence ‘dogs can swim’. The ‘can’ becomes /cən/ and is not stressed.

Word endings. Especially those with consonant clusters at the end of words. They should be introduced at this point to the linguistic rules underlying these patterns, including the concepts of voiced and voiceless sounds.

According to the linguistic make up of the class, selected phonemes.2

Research shows that learners need to gain pronunciation awareness from the early stages – to learn significant features, rules and guidelines of the English Phonetic system. To improve the learners’ fluency, the basic facts of English prosody – the intonation, rhythm and timing of speech should be introduced early on.

2 Specific examples are detailed in Section 4 – Pronunciation issues for a multilingual class.


. To sum up, research, evaluation, and the selection of appropriate materials to aid students of multilingual classes (students have different mother tongues and therefore different production and perception problems) should be dealt with.

3. Phonology and focusing on the learners needs.

Kenworthy(1987) encourages us to think about the limitations and abilities of our learners. She suggests part of our role is to help learners understand and be aware of the different sounds of English. She compares this to our perception of visual images, for instance, if you have never seen a lime, you would consider it to be an unripe lemon because that is the nearest equivalent you are aware of. Sounds aren’t like fruit – sound images are different to visual images – but the process of establishing categories is basically the same and each language has its own set of categories. Learners will have a strong tendency to hear the sounds of English in terms of the sounds of their native language.

Furthermore, research conducted by the Department of Education and Training and Youth Affairs (2001) in Australia concluded the belief that pronunciation problems are caused by difficulty with articulation are not entirely true. The research states that the majority of problems stem not from physical, articulatory causes, but from cognitive causes. In other words, the problem is not that the person cannot physically produce the individual sounds, but they do not conceptualise the sounds appropriately – discriminate them, organise them in their minds, and manipulate them as required for the sound system of English. This type of conceptual difficulty could be behind other difficulties such as vowel problems, prosodic or segmental issues.

4.Pronounciation issues for a multi-lingual class .

The classes focused on include Russian, Greek and Bulgarian speakers. Thus, there are a variety of mother tongue issues.

Papaefthymiou-Lytra (2001) states the Greek and English phonological systems are so different that English is a difficult language for the Greek speaker .The sounds and the English vowel system(which makes far more distinctions than the Greek system ) are common problems. In connected speech, stress, intonation, the contrast between weak and strong forms all cause problems for the Greek speaker. One of the major problems is the lack of assimilations and elisions in the Greek language, this can cause Greek speakers to sound slow, drawling and rather formal when speaking informally.

Although a stress timed language, Russian speakers can still struggle with intonation and certain sounds. Bulgarian speakers have similar problems, mainly with the English long vowels, which they do not have in their own language.


The multilingual class requires work within these areas, especially where L1 interference is noted. The dominant areas for confusion include: consonant clusters, short and long vowels and nuclear stress, word reduction and linking in connected speech. These issues are hindering reception and production. To improve the learners’ reception skills will aid their production skills. .3

5. Approaches and Methods to achieve our goals.

Many researchers believe a ‘bottom-up approach’ is the best way to accumulate parts of the target language. Thornbury (1993) believes the consensus is a ‘top-down’ approach. He says most exercise types are still predominantly “segmental’ in their approach. Thornbury (1993) implies the “phonemic chart’ is “a manifestation’ of segmental phonology. Underhill (2005), on the other hand, believes the phonemic chart facilitates learning of the English phonemes, by visually conveying to the learner, the manner of articulation (how each sound is produced) and the place of articulation (where in the vocal tract it is produced). He recommends the use of the chart to aid learners in the areas of individual sounds, word stress, and sounds in connected speech.He encourages the teacher to help the students recognise the importance of pronunciation, through using awareness-raising activities. To assess how the learners feel about their English pronunciation and which aspects due to mother tongue influence, personality factors, age and sociocultural factors influence these beliefs accordingly.

6. Remedies and materials to enhance receptive and productive skills.

An advantage of an Intermediate class is that their overall language skills are sufficient to allow general discussion of issues in oral communication, and as mentioned above, their phonology awareness. The adult class is a motivated one and explanations of useful information on pronunciation are welcomed.

On the other hand, a disadvantage could be “fossilisation”- the learner has become used to speaking in a certain way and their habits need ‘unlearning’ and this also could include their conception of what they need to improve in their pronunciation. A multilingual class has a wide range of pronunciation needs, making it difficult to find activities appropriate for the whole class.

To deal with individual mistakes ‘on the spot’, teachers need to introduce a “pronunciation tool box”, to deal with correction on a one to one basis whenever it is possible. For example, flashcards with minimal pair words to contrast two sounds, dealing with specific class L1 interference problems. In addition, it could be suggested to introduce methods to indicate stress and rhythm in sentences on the

3 A detailed analysis of each L1 interference can be found in the lesson plan for the Introduction to the IPA chart, in the appendices.


board, the use of mime, gesture, finger indication or Cuisenaire rods to highlight stress.

Overall, Intermediate classes should be motivated towards their goals of learning English to communicate with NNSs and NSs to enhance their lifestyle. Accordingly, a bottom-up approach is appropriate to ‘go back to the basics’ and work on L1 interference issues due to the varieties of mother tongue problems present in a multilingual class. Consequently a ‘top-down’ variety of activities should then be introduced to attain ‘comfortable intelligibility’ for both listening and speaking.

6.1 Suggested Recognition Activities for the Intermediate, Multilingual Class:

1. Introduce the International Phonetic Alphabet chart. According to Thanasoulas (2000/9) and Underhill (2005) the chart is an aid in the following areas:

Helps students perceive the differences between sounds – helping the overall awareness of phonology.

Helps the teacher anticipate some L1 interference. Helps when used as a reference for correction. Helps with sound/spelling difficulties. It is a valuable study aid used in dictionaries and Web 2.0 Tools,

essential for encouraging learner independence. Helps with the recording of vocabulary – encouraging learners to

keep their own ‘dictionaries’. Improves listening micro skills.

2. Introduce recognition activities. Darn (2007, p.3) recommends: Speed dictations (the boys are good/the boy is good/the boy was

good). Dictogloss and other variations of dictation. Ask students how many words they hear in a sentence (to practice

recognising word boundaries). Ask; ‘What’s the third/fifth word?” in the sentence. Teaching weak forms and contractions at the presentation stage,

and highlighting these on the board. Matching phrases to stress patterns. Using audio scripts. Marking stresses and weak forms. Use recordings of deliberately “unnatural English”. Authentic listening and recognising Syllable stress in

two/three/polysyllabic words.e.g. PEN·cil, YES·ter·day,PHO·to·graph.

Listening and recognising syllable and word reduction.e.g The reduction of vowels as in the first syllable of a·GO(where the first syllable is reduced to a schwa.


Activities to learn the distinction of CONTENT and FUNCTION words, which are generally stressed and unstressed respectively. To recognise the non important words such as pronouns, the verb to be, auxiliary verbs, articles, conjunctions and prepositions are not stressed. This could lead to linking activities.e.g. Saw her –/sʊə ‘ə/ Dogs can swim –/dɒgz ‘kən’swɪm/.

6.2 Suggested Productive Activities for the Intermediate, Multi lingual Class:

Once recognition has been established, production activities can be introduced. Darn (2007, p.3) and Crawford (2000, p.2) recommend:

Drills (especially back chaining). Physical movement (finger clicking, clapping, tapping, jumping) in

time to the rhythm of the sentence. Focus stress on short dialogues - /kənuː/ /jes ‘aɪ kæn/ Making short dialogues, paying attention to stress and rhythm. Headlines, notes and memos (build the rhythm with the content

words). Reading out short sentences with only the stressed words.

(How..come..school?). Focus on short utterances with distinctive stress and intonation patterns

and a specific rhythm (long numbers, phone numbers, football results). Simple rhymes and tongue twisters. Songs – the rhythm of English lends itself to rock and pop music,

while rap involves fitting words into a distinct beat. Sentence stress or focus. Students pronounce sentences with

contrastive sentence stress, such as: Is she leaving TOMORROW? Is she LEAVING tomorrow? Is SHE leaving tomorrow?

Practice basic intonation partners – rising v falling can be introduced at this point along with the essentials of rhythm in spoken English.

6.3 Encourage learner autonomy.

The adult class should be encouraged to improve their pronunciation skills by themselves outside of the classroom, this is essential for learners living in a Non English Speaking environment. The teacher should:

To point out the benefits of recording their own speech and listen to the recordings of themselves and their peers, to become aware of their own strengths and weaknesses.


To emphasise our learners can communicate worldwide through on line sites and take advantage of the wealth of sites at their hands for to improve their speaking skills. To encourage autonomy, the classes should be introduced to sites such as:

www.shiporsheep.com

www.howysay.com

www.englishcentral.com

7. Conclusion

To summarise, Miller (2000) advises the features of English pronunciation have to be taught directly and practiced in communicative activities progressing from controlled to independent. Through regular pronunciation work, I hope the learners will develop their own hypotheses and ‘gut-feeling’ for English pronunciation, something experts and researchers have long agreed as an essential skill of a good learner.

Bibliography.

Books:

Dalton,C. Seidlhofer,B.(1994).Pronunciation. In Candlin,C. Widdowson,H.(ed.)Language Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.


http://www.englishcentral.com/

http://www.howysay.com/

http://www.shiporsheep.com/

Fraser,H. (2001).Teaching pronunciation:A handbook for teachers and trainers. The New South Wales Department of Education and Training Access Division.

Gower,R. Phillips,D & Walters,S. (2005). Pronunciation. In Underhill,A.(ed.) Teaching Practice.Oxford: Macmillan Publishers Limited.

Hancock,M.(2003). English Pronunciation in Use, Intermediate. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Harmer, J. (2007). How to Teach English. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

Kenworthy,J. (1987). Teaching English Prounciation. New York: Longman Incorporated.

Papaefthymiou-Lytra, S. (2001). Farsi, Greek and Arabic Speakers. In Swan,M & Smith,B.(ed).Learner English. A Teacher’s Guide to Interference and other Problems. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Roach,P. (1991). English Phonetics and Phonology.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Underhill,A.(2005). Sound Foundations. Oxford: Macmillan Publishers Limited.

Wilson, L & M. (2001). Farsi, Greek and Arabic Speakers. In Swan,M & Smith,B.(ed).Learner English. A Teacher’s Guide to Interference and other Problems. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Journal Articles:

Jenkins,J. (1997). Which Pronunciation Norms and Models for English as An International Language. ELT Journal 52/2. April. Oxford University Press.

Miller,S.(2000). Looking at Progress in a Pronunciation Class. TESOL Quarterly. TESOL Matters 10 June/July.

Thornbury,S. (1993). Having a good jaw: Voice-setting Phonology. ELT Journal 47/2 April. Oxford University Press.

Internet Sites:

Crawford, B. (2008). What aspects of Pronunciation should be addressed first?.Retrieved 22 February 2010 fromhttp://www.soundsofenglish.org/SPLIS/ask_the_experts.htm

Darn,S. (2007). Rhythm. Retrieved 14 December 2009 fromhttp://www.teachingenglish.org.uk

Jenkins,J.(2002). Global English and the teaching of prounciation.Retrieved 15 January 2010 from


http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/

http://www.soundsofenglish.org/SPLIS/ask_the_experts.htm

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk

Harakchiyska, T (2010). The role of Auditory Discrimination tests in the evaluation of Bulgarian Primary School Learners of English.Retreived 15 October 2010 from: http://bibliotecavirtualut.suagm.edu/Glossa2/Journal/march 2010

Gonzales,D & St.Louis,R.(2007). Text-to-speech applications used in EFL contexts to ehnance pronunciation. TESL-EJ Teaching English as a Second Language Vol.11.Retrieved 10 February 2010 fromhttp://tesl-ej.org/ej42/int.html

Thanasoulas,D. (n.d). Pronunciation:The “Cinderella” of Language Teaching.Retrieved 25 November 2009 fromhttp://www.developingteachers.com/articles_tchtraining/pron1_dimit


http://www.developingteachers.com/articles_tchtraining/pron1_dimit

http://tesl-ej.org/ej42/int.html

http://bibliotecavirtualut.suagm.edu/Glossa2/Journal/march

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/

APPENDICES


My English and I !!!

Please could you spare the time to answer the questions below and tell me how you feel about

your spoken English!

1) When do you hear English? For example: TV/Radio/Classroom/work. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2) Do you think English sounds nice? Does it sound like when you eat a crunchy apple or is it the sound of eating a soft banana?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________-__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3) Which accent do you prefer – American/British/Australian or other? Why?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________4) Would you like to speak English like a native speaker? or speak well enough for others to understand you?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________5) Do you like English songs? Do you think English is more musical in sound than your own language?_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________6) Which English sounds do you find difficult to say?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________7) Which English sounds do you find difficult to understand when listening?_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________8) Would you like to live in Great Britain/America/Australia or any other English-speaking areas? Why? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________9) Are you afraid to speak English outside of the classroom because you think people will not understand you or maybe laugh? Has this happened to you?_____________________________________________________________________


_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________10) Which areas of your pronunciation would you like to improve? For example, the sounds of the letters/ the rhythm and stress in English speech?_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for your time and comments – feel free to add anything else you feel you would like to discuss about English pronunciation!!_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________-______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

THANKS AGAIN! Adapted from Laroy,C.(1995). © Sharon Noseley 2010 All Rights ReservedLESSON PLANS FOR INTRODUCTION TO IPA/WORD STRESSName Sharon Noseley Date April 2010 – October2010A series of lessons – 50 mins each.

Level - Intermediate

Class Profile: This is a mixed ability, multilingual adult class. Three of the members have been working together for more than a year whilst the other 3 – 4 students are new comers. The class members’ attendance is sometimes erratic, due to their work commitments. The stronger members do help the new students and thus the class is bonding and works well together.


Lesson Aims/ Objectives for students

1. To introduce the class to the phonemic script, Over a series of lessons, to outline the advantages of learning the script to enhance pronunciation of individual sounds, and words in isolation.2. To create a “sound foundation’, through bottom-up processing. In order for future lessons, to be able to introduce suprasegmentals (stress,rhythm, intonation),through a ‘top-down’ approach

Primary Aim(s)1. Through recognition activities, help Ss perceive the differences between sounds and to allow the T to concentrate on specific L1 interference in the multilingual class. 2. To introduce productive activities to practice and overcome conceptual problems.

Secondary Aim(s)1. To encourage students to

become autonomous, especially in the Non-English speaking environment.

2. To emphasise the benefits of Computer Assisted language learning, using a dictionary and to develop their own pronunciation awareness, in the way one makes the sounds of English, and relate these sounds to stress patterns in the English language.

3. To improve listening micro skills.

Evidence

1. The multilingual class tends to hear the sounds of English in their native language. The IPA chart gives the T the opportunity to work on individual mother tongue issues, once

the sounds are established, a ‘teacher tool kit’ (flashcards created to help with particular problem areas) can be used in following lessons -‘on the spot’.

2. To ‘go back to basics’ allows the T to overcome ‘fossilisation’ issues. 3. Through recognition activities, the T

can monitor the classes improvement and self awareness.

4. Production activities, such as, drills, short dialogues, tongue twisters and rhymes will enable the Ss to produce and ‘hear for themselves’ the sounds, rhythm and stress of the language.

5. Recording Ss in class and listening to the play back of themselves and their peers, will allow for feedback.6. Informing the Ss of useful websites, using CDs and other materials available to them outside of the classroom, will help motivate autonomy, also to encourage them to create their own ‘pronunciation dictionaries’.7. To listen and recognize syllable and word reduction/content and function words/ stress and weak forms in

short dialogues will improve their listening micro skills.

Source Aids/Handouts Face to Face Intermediate Students book, (Cambridge University Press). Phonemic Chart (adapted from Underhill, A. 2005). Flashcards (Retrieved from http://bbc.co.uk/teaching english), English Pronunciation in Use (Hancock, M. CUP)

Linguistic assumptions Through the course book, the class has been exposed to pronunciation exercises and some individual phonemic symbols, however they have not been introduced


http://bbc.co.uk/teaching

to the chart and as the pronunciation exercises have not been a specific aim for the lesson, their experience and use of such exercises has been brief. The class has completed a questionnaire reviewing their ‘feelings’ towards their pronunciation, and they have stressed they feel it is an area inhibiting them both in reception and production. There are also conceptual issues, which may be behind difficulties such as vowel problems, and other segmental issues.

Anticipated Language Difficulties Fossilisation issues, which may be difficult to correct without de motivating students.

Ss may feel challenged when confronted by a new alphabet and feel overwhelmed.

As a multilingual class, they are a variety of mother tongue issues, making it difficult to find activities appropriate for the whole class.

For the Greek speaker diphthongs tend to be articulated as two separate vowels and are pronounced in two syllables. The /ə/ sound in diphthongs such as /eə/, /ɪə/, /ʊə/ is usually replaced by the nearest Greek sound /a/. Also, the long vowels may cause problems. For example, pairs like /sɪt/ and /siːt/are pronounced by the Greek speaker in a similar way. Both are pronounced as /sɪt/ , as long vowels tend to be shortened. This also occurs with /æ/ being replaced by the Greek /e/.The /ɜː/ and /ə/ are usually replaced by /e/. So for example ‘bird’ maybe pronounced /berd/ instead of /bɜːd/. The main problem with the consonants is the /ʃ/ which is often pronounced as /s/. For the Russian speaker, the most common sounds for errors are the long vowel differentiation. The /iː/ is confused with the /ɪ/. The /æ/ with the /e/. For example /bed/ and /bæd/. The consonants can cause some difficulties, for example, the /h/ is often aspirated, like a Scottish ‘loch’. There is the tendency to replace /ɵ/ or /ɗ/with the sound of /s/ or even /z/. E.g. /zen/ for /ɗen/. The sound /w/ is often said as /v/, such as /vɜːk/ for /wɜːk/.The Bulgarian mother tongue interfernce includes, the /f/ and /v/ sounds, especially when formulating the plural of certain nouns. For example, /liːf/ or /liːvs/ or even the verb /liːv/.

Solutions/Remedies To include regular feedback, encourage Ss to take the role of the teacher, and peer correct and praise the class, motivating each other.

Encourage the use of dictionaries to discover for themselves the pronunciation of individual new words, thus proving how useful the new sound alphabet is to know.

To reinforce the idea of becoming more autonomous outside of the classroom, both with listening and speaking as they ‘develop a sensitive ear’ and can produce the sounds correctly with the aid of the symbols. Deal with individual mistakes ‘on the spot’, so not to concentrate on one area that may not be appropriate for all the class. To incorporate the use of a teacher ‘tool box’ with flashcards of minimal pair words/vowel sounds and so on appropriate to each mother tongue issue. E.g. Greek speakers – the long/short vowel sounds – diphthongs – sit/seat.’.Create worksheets for individual L1 problem areas, to be used in and outside of the classroom.


Timetable Fit The class has been exposed to the phonemic script, through exercises in the course book, however they do not refer to the chart and check for pronunciation themselves, they expect the T to model it. Thus, they need to be introduced to the chart, and be encouraged to dedicate time to using the symbols themselves. There are connected speech issues in the class, which I feel cannot be worked on until sounds and individual words can be produced comprehensibly in order to achieve improved intelligibility for both listening and speaking. This is an Intermediate class, they are working towards goals and thus need to overcome ‘fossilisation’ issues and move forward.

Board Plan(s)IPA chart enlarged onto thick photo card to put on board. Board used to highlight stress/fall and rise in pitch as necessary.Underline stress and arrows for pitch.

Commentary My primary aim is to improve the class’ pronunciation in order to motivate them to attain a level, where they are more comprehendible to NNS and NS, and especially more meaningful when speaking. Also, to widen their conceptual beliefs and help them to understand the spoken English they hear at all levels, whether it be speaking to a teacher or outside of the classroom when listening to The News or watching an English film. The rationale for my decision is based upon interviews carried out with the classes, a questionnaire on their own beliefs of their pronunciation and recordings made of the Ss speaking over the last two years. Personally, as a native speaker, I sometimes do not understand the Ss utterances and I believe, their L1 interferences have ‘fossilised’. It also appears their listening skills are being challenged as they progress as an Intermediate Class, I have noted they appear to be ‘putting the blame on themselves’ for misunderstandings and I am afraid they will adopt a passive approach to incoming messages, and think speech is a stream of incomprehensible sounds. They are a highly motivated class, their knowledge of grammar and vocabulary is of a good standard for an Intermediate class as are their reading and communication skills. I would like to enhance their pronunciation and comprehension when speaking English.

As a result, I decided to approach this area ‘bottom-up’ to introduce the sounds of English. I believe this approach is necessary to overcome ‘fossilisation’ issues and as the class is multilingual, with the majority of the Ss mother tongue being syllable- timed languages, I hope by introducing the Phonemic syllables and controlled practice activities the class will be able to move on quickly to a more ‘top-down’ approach and allow me to concentrate on the broader phonological aspects of connected speech, and their link to meaning on discourse level. I agree with the holistic, integrated approach to pronunciation teaching, through focus on the suprasegmental aspects of phonology such as stress, rhythm, intonation and pitch. However, for this class, at this time I believe a ‘back to basics ‘introduction is necessary.Finally, the tasks and activities I have selected for the class, will hopefully engage the Ss and they will enjoy the confidence that comes from the direct and conscious physical experience of experimenting with the muscles in their vocal tracts, and shaping their mouths to make the sounds. This can be achieved in a fun and memorable way, using the IPA chart and follow up exercises. Bearing in mind, the areas appropriate for a multilingual class in order to achieve their aims which are to improve pronunciation to communicate with NS and NNS comfortably


and intelligibly. The exercises will concentrate on consonant sounds and clusters, long and short vowels and word stress, over a short period of time. I feel it is appropriate to start with a 50 min lesson to introduce the idea and the symbols themselves, followed by30 - 50 min ‘slots’ in following lessons as their programme allows, enabling me to give feedback, monitor and move towards suprasegmental areas, especially connected speech, with sound linking, elision, assimilation, intrusion , prominence and rhythm.


DELTA Lesson Plans

Name Sharon Noseley

Date May – October 2010

PROCEDURES OVER A PERIOD OF LESSONSLesson Teacher

ActivitiesLearner Activities Aims Material

sInteraction

Time

1 Write words on board – turn/heard/skirt/colonelWrite phonemic script for first three. Highlight the common /ɜ:/ in each word, invite Ss to find the correct pronunciation of ‘colonel’, using dictionaries.

Introduce the chart. Suggest to class to create their own ‘sound dictionary’ to relate symbols to sounds in L1.

Organize symbols into small groups – the schwa/vowels/consonants.Introduce the sounds. Point to two soundse.g./ɪ/ and /i:/

Ask Ss to pronounce words.

Ss say words as T models pronunciation.Ss use dictionary to discover pronunciation.

Ss create their own ‘sound dictionary’ in notebooks.

Ss repeat sounds as T points to chart.

Ss develop an awareness of how they produce sounds by manipulating their vocal musculature, and how the internal sensation of using the muscles relates to what is

Anticipate problem with the pronunciation of colonel.To show the usefulness of the phonemic script for instant access to pronunciation.

Ss develop an awareness of how they produce sounds by manipulating their vocal musculature, and how the internal sensation of using the

Board.Dictionaries.

Student notebook.

Phonemic Chart.

Class – TPairs

Individual

Class – T

50 mins


and model them.

Point to sound and model it ‘silently’ showing position of lips and jaw. Elicit form class.Elicit simple words with the sounds from words written on board in phonemic script.

Point to sounds and elicit from class to revise as new ones are learnt.

Handouts with exercises to point out the letters are not always the same as sounds.Fun exercises to help learn the phonemic symbols.

heard through the ears.

Ss complete handouts, monitored by teacher.

muscles relates to what is heard through the encouraging autonomy.

To show in writing, words are made of letters, in speech, words are made of sounds.To help recognition and to practice the symbols in a relaxed, and motivating way.

Flashcards with individual phonemic symbols.

Hand out 1Pairwork

2 and onwards

Revise symbols and concentrate on problem areas, noted by T in previous lesson. Use handouts with exercises specific to Ss needs as a class and teacher ‘toolkit’ to concentrate on individual student L1 interference ‘on the

Ss are encouraged to use phonemic symbols and improve pronunciation over a period of time as T incorporates ‘pronunciation time ‘into lessons.

To introduce the phonemics to the class on a ‘little but often’ basis, in a positive and motivating manner in order to build class confidence and develop a clear model to enable the Ss to correct themselves and each other, to become

Various materials as required.

Various 15 mins per lesson, or more time as timetable allows.


spot’.T introduces flashcard games/listening exercises, in following lessons on a regular basis.Phoneme activities include: spot the schwa/which sound?/odd one out/sound pairs/phonemic bingo/dictionary race/homophone exercises/homonym exercises.Introduce Ss to rhythm, stress and voice qualities. T shows a selection of video clips or asks individual Ss to speak, listening to a variety of nationalities speaking their mother tongue. T encourages Ss to notice mouth/lips/jaw/nasal voice/tongue positions and sounds.T uses an English speaker and a non-English speaker to read the same script- a dialogue, class note differences.

Class notice with the aid of handouts to contrast certain features, such as:If the speaker sounds flat/speaks with a ‘creaky’ voice/hisses a lot/says some things fast and some slow/speak through their ‘nose’.

autonomous and once the Ss get used to the exercises, pronunciation work will become more efficient and effective. The class will develop their own ‘gut feeling’, an essential learning tool.


Lesson Plan 21/10/2010

To introduce connected speech features to the multilingual Intermediate class.

Name Sharon Noseley Date 21/10/2010Length 60 mins Level Intermediate

Class Profile:

Age: AdultsNo. of Students: 6Nationality: Multilingual with Greek, Russian and Bulgarian speakers.Sexes: MixedClass background: This is a mixed ability class with two very strong students at


Intermediate level, whilst the other students are bordering pre –intermediate to immediate level. One of the students has been attending the class for over two years, the others joined 2 months ago and one student is a recent addition. Thus, they are not a ‘trained class’ as yet but all have experienced some classroom teaching and therefore are willing to join in and are open to different teaching methods. They are a serious class with definite goals and this motivates a dedicated approach to their learning.

Svetlana is from Russia. She lives in Greece and has mastered the Greek language. She learnt English at school in Russia and is a very dedicated student. She studies at home and is always willing to participate in class. She wants to achieve a high level of competence in order to work in the hotel industry. She is the strongest student and incredibly motivated and dedicated to her L2/3 acquisition.

Vasiliki is a native Greek speaker. She also speaks some Italian. She learnt English at school and in English Private schools 15 years ago. She practices English on a daily basis at work and wants to improve her English so she can obtain a B2 level qualification to improve her employment circumstances. Due to her work demands, she doesn’t find time to study and concentrate on her language skills at home.

Katerina is a native Greek speaker. She studied English in High school over 20 years ago. She uses English in the hotel where she works part time but has forgotten most of the basics of grammar and written English. She is a positive member of the class who struggles at this level but is willing to learn and eager to participate. She would like to improve her speaking skills in order to move abroad.

Pedros has just joined the class and his mother tongue is Greek. He learnt English at school 10 years ago and attended private lessons for 5 years but hasn’t used his English to communicate for a long time. He enjoys English films and listens to English music. He is a little shy and needs lots of encouragement to speak and join in activities as he has been used to formal teaching methods and tends to be reluctant to offer contributions unless asked. He is a businessman and needs to improve his English to communicate outside of Greece, usually in NNS to NNS business circumstances.

Prokopis is a new addition to the class. He is a native Greek speaker but lived in Italy for 5 years and used English to communicate as he did not speak Italian. He has never attended any formal lessons before. He wants to improve his grammar/written and speaking skills in order to continue with Business English for his work in the field of conservation of energy/electricity. He has a good command of the spoken language but struggles with comprehension.

Elena is from Bulgaria. She also speaks Greek and some Russian. She worked with young English speaking children in a ski resort in Bulgaria and thus has a very good command of spoken English and her pronunciation is very good. She feels she needs to improve her grammar and spelling as she is used to speaking English but has not officially learnt to read and write the language. She is a quiet member of the group but is always willing to learn and participate when asked.

Lesson Aims/ Objectives for students To raise Ss awareness of some of the aspects of connected speech to help them recognize the features when listening to chunks of speech and thus improve ‘’intelligibility” through reception and production.


Primary Aim(s)

Encourage Ss to recognize weak forms, vowel reduction, assimilation, elision, liaison,

and intrusion, as they hear streams of speech and thus aid comprehension. To be more confident with the physical/mental skills of phonology in order to motivate the Ss to produce the sounds themselves. To develop the Ss speaking microskills and to prove with practice, L2 interference can disappear and English pronunciation can become a Sub-conscious skill, like learning to drive.

Secondary Aim(s)

To point out a spoken sentence in written form, is not what they hear. To encourage prediction of which lexical item may/may not appear in a particular situation.

To experiment with discovery activities to sensitize students to the importance of suprasegmentals (stress/rhythm and intonation)

To enable Ss to self monitor, leading to self-correction when speaking. To revise some language for making plans and use web 2.0 tools/internet sites

to encourage autonomy.Evidence

Introduction activity highlights differences in speed and context of utterances. A slower and more careful delivery such as that of poems and limericks is easier to comprehend although there may be unknown words than that of a rapid colloquial speech between two friends on a telephone, with few new lexical items. Plus the fact one cannot see gestures and facial expressions, leads to more difficulties in comprehension. These differences are highlighted in order to introduce connected speech features, which are often the cause of confusion in listening comprehension.

Recognition activity – audio script to count how many words Ss hear and compare with written form of dialogue. Raises Ss awareness of some of the features of connected speech.

Listening to the dialogue of two native speakers interacting informally targets ‘receptive pronunciation’.

Discovery activity to allow Ss to notice by themselves the changes in natural speech by comparing a section of the dialogue in written form and spoken.

Teaching the features of connected speech at the presentation stage of lesson allows Ss to predict and recognize some features.

Highlighting and drilling, including backchaining to produce the sounds and to practice parts of the dialogue heard in order to practice speaking microskills.

‘Crazy Dictation’ encourages Ss to focus on pronunciation skills without focusing on grammar/form thus aids production and reception through a fun and motivating activity and allows fluency to develop by Ss concentrating on the ‘telephone call’, and so forgetting themselves in the meantime. This activity also adds variety and as change of pace for production.

The ‘crazy dictation’ also clarifies the presentation stage, Ss are encouraged to produce and receive as many features as possible of connected speech.

Recording Ss in class, playback allows for self and peer monitoring. By providing web site addresses and involving Ss in a site where the T can monitor the student’s individual progress encourages the student to practice outside of the classroom and builds up confidence, plus encourages autonomy.

Self – monitoring means self-correcting when speaking. This physical/mental skill will become sub-conscious through practice, the Ss are introduced to this concept throughout the lesson, thus helping to eliminate L1 interference and reach “comfortable intelligibility”.


Source Aids/Handouts Mp3 recordings in Powerpoint presentation – Retrieved from www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/pron/progs/prog1.shtml#linking1

Images and mp3 recording of audience clapping retrieved from for Powerpoint Presentation – http://images.google.com/

Hand outs 1/2/3/4 © Sharon Noseley

‘Crazy dictation’ © Sharon Noseley

Mp3 recording of ‘the Chat’ on Skype via Pamela © Sharon Noseley

Limerick/poem/Learning English pronunciation retrieved from www.youtube.com

Linguistic assumptionsThe class is already familiar with phonemic script and the sounds connected with it. I have introduced the IPA chart and over a series of lessons, we have worked on sounds in isolation, focusing on certain problem areas for individual L1 interference within this multi-lingual class. E.g. vowel distinguishing vowel sounds, short/long vowels, voiced and unvoiced sounds, consonant clusters and word stress. Recently, I have worked on stress and rhythm, including contrastive stress and identifying the content and function words in sentences. Please see the attached lesson plan for pronunciation in the previous appendices.The Face to Face course book has presented some listening exercises with reference to sentence stress and vowel reduction. At this point, we discussed some areas of spoken English and why sometimes it is difficult to understand when it is spoken naturally. The students were interested and motivated to focus on this area of pronunciation, especially as most students feel that ‘English people speak to fast’. Some of the class has experienced classes in which instruction has been focused heavily on accuracy and thus this is causing some problems in reception and production. The class work well together and have an excellent rapport.

I have also encouraged the class to keep their own ‘sound dictionaries’ which they have enjoyed and refer to away from the class, plus the students concentrate on individual mother-tongue issues on-line at http://cambridgeenglishonline.com/Phonetics_Focus/ or www.howjsay.com to encourage autonomy.

Anticipated Language Difficulties

The exposure of rapid colloquial speech for the newcomers to the class, could be a challenge and de motivating.


http://www.howjsay.com/

http://cambridgeenglishonline.com/Phonetics_Focus/

http://www.youtube.com/

http://images.google.com/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/pron/progs/prog1.shtml#linking1

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/pron/progs/prog1.shtml#linking1

Difficulties in using intonation and rhythm patterns with fluency. L1 interference will hinder productivity. Certain sounds are difficult for Greek speakers. As a class we have previously

worked on certain issues however there are some fossilization problems. E.g. long vowels are usually shortened; the lack of elisions and assimilations in Greek tends to make Greek speakers sound slow, drawling and rather formal. Stress and intonation patterns are difficult for Greek speakers to ‘feel the rhythm’ of English.

The Russian speaker has overcome many of the typical pronunciation points through past lessons; however reception is still a challenge, as the mind interprets certain sounds to L1. E.g. Long vowels sound like short vowels. Consonant clusters cause problems and intonation issues may arise.

The Bulgarian speaker has very few pronunciation issues of individual phonemes in production but does sometimes encounter problems with the discrimination of minimal pairs containing two long vowels. Plus the / æ/sound has been a challenge at the reception stage.

Remedies

To make clear to Ss that the target of comfortable intelligibility means that the learners’ productive skills need not be as sophisticated as their ‘receptive pronunciation’. To include more recognition than productive activities at this stage to motivate and encourage the new Ss this is a new area for them and practice and exposure to the language is what is needed. This lesson is to highlight awareness.

To emphasise the listening of an informal colloquial speech is to target their listening skills only, over time their productive skills will improve..

Teacher tool kit for specific L1 interference. Minimal pair flashcards. Drilling , listening to limericks , poems and natural colloquial speech will help

learners become aware of the stream of speech simplifications, and through practice I hope they will incorporate them in their own speech, and L1 intrusions will slowly disappear and fluency will enhance their intelligibility.

To encourage Ss through the ‘crazy dictation’ to put themselves ‘in character’ and the main emphasis is on the process rather than the production, to allow the T to be a spectator and to develop their own language awareness.

Board Plan(s) Stage 1 – Ss comments – fast speech/rhythm/stress/lost sounds etc Stage 4, 5 and 6 - Data projector shows dialogue in written form. . Highlight stress. Stick IPA symbols on board.Stage 7 - Board used to project PPT presentation.


Commentary My primary aim is to aid the Ss to reach ‘comfortable intelligibility’ through natural speech, when listening and to aid speaking. As a multilingual class, living in a non-English speaking environment I believe reception is sometimes a bigger problem than production (What you can’t hear, you can’t say). Moreover, if the ‘English’ sound is not clearly received, the brain of the learner converts it to the closest sound in their own language, thus I will devise exercises that allows clear practice in production and reception and give feedback to individual learners as to where problems lie and how to repair them. When the students see a spoken sentence in its written form, they have no trouble comprehending. As speech is a continuous stream of sounds, without clear-cut borderlines between each word, comprehension can be difficult thus hindering reception and production. In spoken discourse, we adapt our pronunciation to our audience and articulate with maximal economy of movement rather than maximal clarity. Thus, certain words are lost, and certain phonemes are linked together as we attempt to get our message across.As this is a multilingual class, with a variety of mother tongue issues, the majority of the class has syllable-based L1 interference; they do not have the various devices native speakers have for dealing with indistinct utterances caused by connected speech. The native speaker takes into account the context; they assume they hear words with which they are familiar with in that context. Non-native speakers, however, are rarely able to predict which lexical item may or may not appear in a particular situation. They tend to depend almost solely on the sounds which they hear.Therefore, my rationale for approaching these issues as a ‘top-down’ process is to introduce the aspects of connected speech in a natural context. Even if they do not assimilate forms such as linking words, elision, assimilation, intrusion and stress (including word stress, prominence and rhythm) at first, the simple awareness of their existence, I believe, can enable the Ss to reach their aims of a better understanding of spoken English.On a personal level, I would like to experiment with a top-down, holistic approach to suprasegmental features of speech. ‘’To go beyond the sentence and look at longer stretches of language’ (Widdowson, 1978:22). Through listening to the natural informal dialogue of two native speakers, I hope the Ss will be able to notice and recognize features of connected speech. Integrating listening and speaking skills, allows the Ss to involve their personalities and opinions, and raises their awareness of how English and other languages differ in these areas.Through fun activities such as the ‘crazy dictation’ , the class is being provided with a ‘mask’ of sorts, to hopefully create a fun and motivating way to experiment with the sounds, stress and rhythm.Overall, I feel the intermediate class is at a level where pronunciation skills need to be worked on. As it is an area which has been somewhat neglected and from the feedback I have received from questionnaires and class discussions, connected speech is an area that the Ss feel ‘they are in the dark’. This is especially true for the Ss from syllable-timed language backgrounds. In my experience, this is also causing the Ss problems on how pitch range can express interest, boredom, and so on, it is highly important and necessary for their success as English speakers to work on these areas at this stage, and makes a case for concentrating on suprasegmental features as well as the segmentals. The suprasegmentals are an area we cannot work on in just one lesson, an overnight solution is not possible, however I believe a process of gradually raising awareness in different areas over a series of lessons will enable the students to reach their goals of ‘intelligibility’ and greater understanding of spoken natural English.


DELTA Lesson Plan

Name Sharon Noseley Date 21/10/2010

PROCEDUREStage Teacher

ActivityLearner Activity Aims Material

sInteraction

Time

1 T tells Ss they will be listening to a variety of speeches – chats/limericks(explain term)/poems, For each video clip T gives out a H/O 1 with some comprehension questions to read before listening. For the limerick, pre teaches/elicits ‘dead of the night’. T Plays limerick – discusses. Was the limerick easy to understand? Slow speech as being read aloud. Checks answers.T informs Ss going to listen to a famous poet read one of his own poems. Gives H/O 2. Informs class listening for gist not specific information. Plays famous poem from Kipling. Easy to understand? If you c/ə/n…..

Listen and complete comprehension questions regarding each recording in pairs.Give feedback and discuss.

To initiate the idea that a stream of speech brings together three branches of phonology – sounds/stress and intonation. A top down approach to introduce suprasegmentals.To highlight the changes in difficulty of comprehension and production is usually due to the speed of delivery. The most difficult being rapid colloquial speech.

To prove the importance of connected speech and rhythm as a central role in L2 acquisition and competent language use. To encourage a class discussion on the ‘sound’ of the speech produced prepares Ss for pronunciation/connecte

Lap top and data projector for presentation.H/O 1/2/3Board for comments.

T – ClassPair workClass -T

12 mins

29

Checks answers.T introduces 3rd listening. Gives H/O 3.Then plays ‘The Chat”. A recording on Skype last summer between two native speakers. Checks answers.Which of the three speeches was the most difficult to comprehend?WHY? When you cannot see the other person and the gestures he uses/The speed of spoken speech?T writes comments on board.

d speech issues.

2 T informs class they will listen to ‘The Chat” again and count the number of words they hear in a certain section – “Can you get us some bread and cheese? I’m starving. We could have a picnic on the beach.” Play again if necessary. Elicits number of words. T pauses recording if necessary. T tells Ss to discuss in pairs word number.Expected answer – 12 – 14.

Ss listen and count.Discuss in pairs.Ss give feedback.Ss inform T if they need to listen again, or ask T to pause if necessary.

To enable Ss to ‘notice’ what happens in connected speech and initiate awareness of the features of continuous speech in English. To accustomise the Ss to the accents/speed of natural speech through listening.

Recording of dialogue.

Class - pair work

5 mins

4 T gives H/O 4 with Ss read and count words. To discover for H/O 1 T – class 8 mins

30

dialogue transcription in full form and displays dialogue on board.T asks Ss to count the words for the section underlined that they just listened to. Number of words is 18. Is this how many words they heard? Discuss the difference. T models certain sentences to aid recognition .e.g. Can you/bread and cheese/could have a…T revises some IPA symbols for sound changes. Symbols /ə/ /ɑː/ /ʊ/ /uː/ /ɒ/ /ʌ/T holds up flashcard of symbol and elicits each sound then sticks symbols on board below the dialogue. Introduces IPA symbols where appropriate, on a flashcard for change in sounds and sticks on board. T back chains the sentence with class.

Feedback and discuss word number.Point out changes in speech from written form they notice compared to spoken form.

Ss respond and revise sounds

Ss repeat the drill.

themselves that English in the written form is different to that of spoken. To notice there are changes in spoken discourse.

To remind Ss of sounds previously taught and to recognize the sound changes

Back chaining the longer sentence allows Ss to maintain stress patterns and to practice the longer sentence in manageable chunks.

Board /data projector.Dialogue ‘The Chat’.

Flashcards of IPA symbols.Board

5 T displays on board written form of

Ss listen to model and become aware of the

To encourage Ss to recognize the changes

Data projector.

T – ClassClass – T

4 mins

31

dialogue. T models the dialogue, elicits from Ss which IPA symbol is appropriate for sound changes and sticks the IPA symbols above the written word.T indicates stress on board and signals with hands to encourage recognition and aid production of intonation/rhythm.

differences. Ss notice the changes and produce sounds.

in connected speech through a top down approach plus incorporating stress/rhythm and intonation. To help the Ss perceive the differences and concentrate on the changes.

IPA symbol flashcards.Board to highlight stress. With arrows.

6 T divides the class into two halves. One half of the class is ‘Nicky’ and the other half is ‘Sharon’.Drill the dialogue in sections. Motions to Ss when to repeat.T signals with hand rise/fall in pitch.T elicits sentences from individual Ss. Asks a student to be ‘the teacher’ and drills class.Ss drill teacher to check correct model if necessary.

Ss repeat drill as if they are holding the conversation.Ss produce sentences on their own.

Ss drill each other as one student acts as T.

Ss drill teacher to check correct model.

Drilling the Ss at this stage allows for time to study the language and through controlled practice enables the T to aim for accurate production from the class, because in the freer activities later; there will not be the scope for such correction.To encourage the Ss feel comfortable with the fluency of natural speech/ A stress timed language. To aid retention of the sounds in spoken English

Dialogue on board. Data projector.

T – ClassSs –Ss.Class divided into two.Ss – T

5 mins

7 T presents PPT slides - features of connected speech: weak forms/linking

Ss watch/listen to PPT presentation.Ss repeat and join in drilling.

Language presentation stage – highlighting form and features of connected speech in a

PPT presentation.Board/data projector.

T – class 6 mins

32

words/disappearing words/changing sounds/added sounds/stress of content words.T drills examples from PPT and then hands out printed version of PPT presentation.

motivating and engaging approach. To focus on the construction of the features.To aid recognition and activate knowledge for future production.Drill to accustomise and practice sounds.

Print out of presentation.

8 Elicit ideas/thoughts/points raised by PPT slides.

Ss offer information to be discussed.

To recap points and discuss the ‘cues’ of the presentation To think about the features of connected speech.

PPT slides T- class 3 mins

9 T informs class, now it is time to practice. T divides the class in two. T informs class they are going to call each other to make plans to go out. One half of the class is A, the other half is B.They are going to complete a ‘crazy dictation’ paper!Students face each other in pairs, across the room.T hands out the activity and telephones. Gives A to one student in each pair and B to the other.Ss dictate their half of the dialogue to their partner, until both have

Ss involved in a productive activity. Ss rearrange chairs to face each other.Ss speak and write to complete activity.

A freer activity for production and reception.To give the Ss the opportunity to manipulate the features of connected speech in a fun, productive way. The speech is scripted thus the Ss do not have to worry about grammar/form but are allowed to focus on their pronunciation and listening skills, Plus review language for making appointments.As the T is a spectator, it allows the T to evaluate the effectiveness of the lesson’s input through

Chairs rearranged so Ss face each otherCrazy dictation hand out for A and B.Telephones.

Pair work 13 mins

33

completed it.The first pair to finish is the winner.T explains each pair have to say their part of the dialogue and the other student has to write down what they hear, the missing part of the dialogue.T checks Ss aware of what they have to do.Do you show your paper to your partner! No!Do you make up your own dialogue? No!Are you listening for specific information? Yes!T explains dialogue is written to aid connected speech and fluency. T demonstrates a line of the dialogue and asks Ss to write it down to check their understanding of the activity.T records students and acts as a spectator. .

listening to the Ss output.

10 T encourages feedback and discusses any correction points. Replays recording for Ss to listen to themselves,Gives Ss a feedback

Ss listen to recording, offer feedback and comments.

To analyse lesson and Ss feelings and production for future lessons.

H/O – feedback.Recording of class activity- laptop.

.T-ClassClass - T

.5 mins

34

handout.Extra activity or homework

T introduces www.englishcentral.com/ Demonstrates how to use the site to improve pronunciation and self monitor at home. T explains a classroom has been set up for them to improve their scores and pronunciation skills. T asks Ss to select a movie and asks for a volunteer to ‘dub’ the movie, the playback is then listened to by the class and competition sets in as each S tries to improve their score!

Ss volunteer and participate or practice at home.

To encourage the Ss to find fun activities to motivate them to practice their pronunciation skills away from the classroom and become autonomous learners and self correct their own pronunciation, thus improving reception and production through practice.

35



Hand outs

H/O 1

Limerick – There once was a man from...

Listen and answer the following questions...

Where was the man from?

What was he eating?

36

What was he doing when he thought he was eating it?

When did he wake up?

Was he really eating it?

A limerick is a humorous poem with 5 lines…

37

H/O 2

Poem – Rudyard Kipling – If

Listen and answer the following questions. You are only listening for the gist/the idea...

What is Mr. Kipling trying to tell us?

Is he giving us advice or telling us what we must always do?

Do you agree with him?

Who does he mention at the end? For whom did he write this famous poem?

Did you enjoy it?

Rudyard Kipling was an English writer, he wrote the famous‘Jungle Book’. He wrote the poem ‘If’ in 1910.

38

H/0 3

The Chat

Listen and answer the following questions.....

Is this an informal or formal conversation?

What is Sharon thinking about doing?

What does Nicky need to do before going out?

What time are they going?

What has Sharon got to do before meeting Nicky?

What does Nicky suggest they do?

Are the boys going with them?

39

H/O 4

The Chat

Sharon - Hello! It's me! Nicky- Hiya!Sharon - I was just thinking about going for a swim, do you want to come?Nicky – Er, yes. Ok. That sounds good. I’ve got to have a cup of tea first though. What time are you thinking of going?Sharon – Er, around 10 o'clock, if that's alright?Nicky – Yes, sounds alright. Could you do me a favour though?Sharon - Yes, sure! Whatever you want, my friend!Nicky – Can you get us some bread and cheese? I’m starving. We could have a picnic on the beach . Sharon – Yes sure, it's not a problem. Nicky - Thanks a lot!Sharon - You are welcome!Nicky- How about the boys …Do you think they will want to come?Sharon- To be honest, I haven't seen them for about two days.Nicky - Ok, not to worry! I‘ll see you at 10 o’clock then.Sharon - Yep! Bye for now!Nicky - See you later.

40

Crazy Dictation

You are Madonona! Say your dialogue.Listen to Sakis Rouvas and write down what he says!

Sakis: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Madonna: Hiya Sak! How y/ə / doin? That’s righ’….I’m ‘ere an’ enjoyin the sun! Sakis: ________________________________________________

Madonna: Soundz wow! C/ə/n y/ə/ book /ə/table f/ə/ Thursday night?Do y/ə/ wan me t/ə/ bring the kids, az I know y/ə/ love em!

Sakis: _________________________________________________

Madonna: Ok! Let’s talk /e/gain soon to confirm times, az I’ve gotta go now f/ə/ me massage! Bye!

Sakis:_________________________________________________

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Crazy Dictation

You are Sakis Rouvas! Say your dialogue.Listen to Madonna and write down what she says!

Sakis: Hi, itz me - Sakis! I /ɜː/d you’re in Athens for /ə/ couple ov weeks!

Madonna: _____________________________________________

Sakis: Great! Do y/ə/ wanna meet up sometime? We cudgo to /ə/new fancy restaurant overlookin’ th/ɜː/ Acropolis.

Madonna: ______________________________________________________

Sakis: That /ʊ/d be great! Bringem all!

Maddona:_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sakis: Ok! Speak soon. Seeya!

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PHONOLGY ASSIGNMENT - elt-resourceful · Web viewThe Bulgarian speaker has very few pronunciation...

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