TESL 0120 Assignment 3 Maureen Spearman January 27 2020
Pronunciation Analysis and Activities: pronunciation of consonant sounds at the end of words
Objective: The objective to improve the pronunciation of the segmental consonants sounds, T, K, P, D and R at the end of words, by using a kinetic activity to help focus the students on saying these sounds.
Rationale: The Korean speaker in the video (Polushkina 2013) drops some of the consonant sounds at the end of words (eg. about, don’t, popular, most, important). This L1 interference may be caused by the lack of some consonant sounds at the end of words in the Korean language (Beghtel and Nitka-Cox 2008). Although they are allowed in Korean, they are not common. This is also a common L1 interference in Chinese learners, and the two languages have some commonalities (ESL 2017).
Overview of Activity: The activity uses an instrument (spoon, pencil, flyswatter) to physically take notice of and exaggerate the need for pronunciation of the consonant sounds at the end of the words in a paragraph. The kinetic activity gradually steps down from the physical response by removing the instrument, moving to the teacher only noting the final consonant by pointing, and then a further step down to the students reading with no help.
[Note: a similar activity could be used to help with word stress in sentences, which is another L1 interference with Korean (ESL 2017)]
Activity sequence:
1. Explain the objective of the exercise to the student(s) is to help them pronounce consonant sounds at the end of words.
2. Go over the sounds, and how to position the mouth and tongue, to ensure the students are able to say the consonant sounds and use word examples from the paragraph.
3. Read through the paragraph (see Appendix) on the overhead to the students to make sure they know the vocabulary, emphasizing the consonant sounds.
4. Hand out the wooden spoons or another instrument for tapping. (As an alternative, students can tap their foot or clap.)
5. The teacher reads through the paragraph, demonstrating to the students to tap the spoon when they say a word with a consonant ending. This will help then concentrate on saying the consonant sound.
6. Have the students read through the paragraph a few more times using the spoon, with the teacher monitoring the class.
7. First step down (no spoons): Have the group read through the paragraph with the teacher just pointing at the consonant endings to make sure they are pronounced. Do this several times.
8. Second step down (no pointing): Have the group read through the paragraph several times together without pointing at the words.
9. Ask for individual volunteers to read the paragraph to the class.
10. If time allows (or as a later follow-up), handout a second paragraph, break up into smaller groups of 3, and repeat the exercise. Encourage the students to peer-monitor.
Corrective Feedback:
1. During the first few readings of the paragraph ensure that all students are tapping the spoon where needed. If not, go back and repeat the sentence, showing which words are to be tapped.
2. As students are reading through the paragraph, walk around the class and try to listen to individuals for end consonant pronunciation. Make note of common word problems and go over them before the next read through the paragraph.
3. Remind students to peer-monitor, if small group activity is used.
References:
Beghtel, A. & Nitka-Cox, G. (2008) Korean. Portland, USA: Portland State University. Retrieved from
Polushkina, T. (2013) IELTS Speaking Part 3: Hobbies (Band 3). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48yr93hwvCk
Appendix:
Paragraph:
Pat gave the cat some food. The cat ate the food. The cat jumped on the chair and purred. Pat made his own supper. He ate steak, salad and bread. Pat took some milk from the fridge to drink. The cat rubbed on his leg. Pat poured some milk into a bowl for the cat. He put it on the floor. The cat drank all the milk. Pat sat down to watch TV. The cat sat on his lap and fell asleep.
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