Proverbs and famous quotations not only provide good
pronunciation practice, but let students compare words of
wisdom in di"erent languages. Give pairs or small groups of
students a list of proverbs or quotations in English. Before
practicing pronunciation, ask them to try to guess what they
mean and think of proverbs or sayings in their own language
that have a similar meaning. With the whole class, supply the
actual meanings of the sayings, and see what similar proverbs
they’ve found in their own language. Now that students
understand the meanings of the proverbs, have them practice
reading them with appropriate pauses, prominence, and
intonation. Finally, give the class a role play situation in
which one person has a problem and another chooses an
appropriate proverb to o"er as advice.
Using drama and puppets
Dialogs, short skits, role plays, and puppet shows are simple
forms of drama that put language in context and make it
easier for students to speak with more natural intonation,
pauses, and connected speech. When students pretend to be
someone else in role plays, skits, and puppet shows, it can be
easier for them to forget their shyness and and try to imitate
new intonation patterns.
Puppets are especially useful when teaching children, who
enjoy pretending to be someone else. Be sure to keep scripted
materials at a level that the students can understand, and aim
for natural-sounding language.Puppets can be bought in toy stores or school supply stores,
but it’s also easy for children to make their own puppets:- Sock puppets: Make a face on the toe of a sock using
buttons, thread, pu"y paint, markers, or bits of cloth or
paper. Put the sock over your hand and push the sock
over your !ngers and thumb to make a moveable mouth. - Paper bag puppets: Draw eyes on the bottom of a
paper bag and a mouth lower down on the bag. Put your
hand inside the bag and move the bottom $ap up and
down to make the mouth move. - Stick puppets: Draw a picture of a character on thick
paper and cut it out. Tape or glue the picture to a
popsicle stick, drinking straw, or other stick-like object.
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