Understanding vocabulary and language in English can be confusing for all learners, particularly if they are only just learning to read and write. In her recent webinar, Jane Ritter looked at 5 fun ideas to get young learners thinking about pronunciation. Keep reading to discover what what was covered.
How you teach pronunciation to primary learners will depend on your working context. Understanding sound and spelling relationships are important from the start. Implicit teaching of phonology can build confidence and help learners produce language more effectively. A short pronunciation focus can be of benefit to learners . . . and it can be fun!
Idea #1 – Sounds
Simple activities like ‘sound meatballs’ help learners recall words that start with certain sounds or have sounds in words. The focus can easily change.
This activity encourages learners to produce words related to sounds they find on paper meatballs. Encourage the students to serve up the spaghetti but tell them there are only a few meatballs. They can keep the meatball if they can make a word with the letter. In this activity, students fish out the meatball and identify the sound. If they can say a word with the letter they put the meatball on their plate. I introduce this with consonants and then introduce other sounds depending on the words we are studying.
Idea #2 – Break down words
Encourage your students to break down words into manageable parts. This helps them to focus on sounds within words and how they can be blended or segmented e.g. tr-ain.
An activity that helps them to focus on this is ‘a robot comes to tea’. Tell your students a robot will be joining them. Have some tea sets ready for students to play with.
Tell your students the robot only understands if you speak like a robot. You could make masks for the students who take on the role of the robot. Demonstrate the activity with a student, e.g.:
Robot: C-a-n I h-a-v-e a c-u-p o-f t-e-a?
Student: Y-e-s, m-i-l-k?
Robot: N-o, s-o-m-e s-u-g-a-r p-l-e-a-s-e.
Student: H-e-r-e y-o-u a-r-e.
Then let them play in groups.
Idea #3 – Rhyme
Rhyme is an important part of language learning and is something that helps boost creativity. Magic spells are another great way to include rhyme. Ask students to listen to the first spell and tell you the rhyming words. Write some spells on the board and ask the children to come up and underline the words that rhyme. Give them part of a spell and ask them to complete it.
A follow up activity could then be to get students to write their own spells in pairs. They could then illustrate them and display them around the classroom.
Idea #4 – Linking
When we say a sentence in English, we join or link words to each other. Because of this, the words in a sentence do not always sound the same as when we say them individually. Linking is very important in English and it is important to practise in both controlled and freer activities.
Encourage learners to notice differences in full phrases compared to individual words. Back-chaining and simple dictation are easy to prepare and do with students. Songs and chants help to reinforce this.
Idea #5 – Intonation
With primary learners, we can begin to introduce intonation from the start. This does not need to be complex. It is important they recognise how intonation can convey meaning. Start with a simple word like yes or OK. Ask your students to say it as if they were surprised, angry, happy, sad, or bored. As you introduce other emotions and functions, encourage them to reflect on how intonation changes meaning. Simple dialogues and role-plays are also a great way to practise this.
Pronunciation should be included in our lessons in short, simple activities enabling learners to build good foundations for future learning. Try a little bit at a time, with a short focus each lesson.
Watch the full webinar
Catch up on Jane´s webinar and others in our Catch Up FUN series.
Activities adapted from:
- Fantastic ideas for teaching phonics. Alistair Bryce-Clegg, Bloomsbury, 2013
- I hear with my little ear. Liz Baldwin, LDA, 2007
If you enjoyed this article, make sure to check out Allen Davenport’s recent blog post with 5 FUN activities to make sure every learner is enjoying the classroom.