Racing to English

Pronunciation - Vowels 2

TEACHERS NOTES

AIMS

To help learners distinguish between particular sounds and to pronounce them clearly.

CONTENTS

A set of cards which focus on the pronunciation of eight vowels. These sounds can be quite difficult for some pupils/students to distinguish.

Each of the words in the set has the same consonants (c and t) but eight different vowel sounds (actually I could only find six words to use here cat/cot/court/coat/cut/cart - but I have added two other words can't/count which have the extra `n' sound).

ACTIVITY 1 - Collect a set (for use with a small group of pupils/students)

This activity focuses on listening to the sounds and distinguishing between them.

Preparation - Print out enough of the set of cards so that each learner can have a complete set.

1. The idea of this activity is for the learners to collect the complete set of cards.

2. Shuffle all the cards; take a card, read it to the first learner (do NOT let them see it). Ask `Do you want XXX?'

3. Continue with other learners.

4. In the first round all the learners will say `yes please' and be given the card.

5. In subsequent rounds, if a learner has NOT got that word s/he must say `Yes please', if they already have it they must say `No thank you'.

6. If a learner has already got that word and then says `Yes please' take away the word card s/he has already collected!!! i.e. learners must not collect more than one card for each sound.

7. The first learner to collect the complete set of cards is the winner.

ACTIVITY 2 - Point to the word (for one or two learners)

This activity focuses first on hearing distinctions then on producing them.

1. Choose one pair of cards; place them apart where they can be clearly seen.

2. Say `Point to XXX; learner(s) point to the correct card.

3. Be careful to say the words in random order, for example (if focusing on C/T):
   Point to `Cot'. Point to `Cot'. Point to `Court'. Point to `Cot'. Point to `Court'.
   Point to `Court'. Point to `Court'. Point to `Cot'. Point to `Cot'.

4. When the learner(s) are competent at pointing to the correct sound, ask them to take it in turn to say the words and you point. This is sometimes very salutary for pupils/students who think they are making the correct distinctions but actually are still confusing them.

8 Vowels

cat	cot
coat	court
cut	cart
can't	count

Racing to English

© Gordon Ward 2010. Photocopiable only for use in the purchasing institution. Pronunciation, spelling etc: Vowels 2

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