- Review the pronunciation of some new words by having
students say the words in chorus and identify the stressed
syllable. Use $ash cards or spoken words as a “trigger.” - Do a quick minimal pair practice. Write a minimal pair
on the board and label the words “1” and “2.” Say one of
the words and have students hold up one or two !ngers
to tell which word they heard. Then have them practice
the words with a partner. - Practice a song, chant, tongue twister, or poem that the
students have learned, paying attention to sounds,
rhythm, linking, or other features. - Show a picture and have students ask and answer
questions about it with a partner. Use a picture that has
objects containing sounds you want to practice, or
concentrate on intonation, rhythm, and thought groups
in the questions and answers themselves. - Do a quick dictation of one or two sentences using
familiar material containing sounds you’ve been
practicing. For this purpose, keep the sentences short.
Dictate and have students write, then show the correct
sentences and have students check their own work.
When teaching vocabulary: When you introduce new
words, make pronunciation a part of your practice. It’s not
enough for students to recognize the written form of a new
word and memorize its meaning; they need to be able to say
it correctly and recognize it when it’s said by others,
especially if it has a common reduced form. Try these ideas:- Have students repeat the new word several times when
they !rst come across it. This is important at all
pro!ciency levels—for beginners because students are
still unfamiliar with sounds and stress patterns and need
extra practice, and in more advanced classes because the
words they’re learning are likely to be longer, more
complex, and trickier to pronounce. There might also be
interference from similar words in their native language,
especially academic words. - Encourage students to associate the word with its stress
pattern—not just with its spelling. Ask them to listen and
tell you how many syllables the word has and where the
stress is. Have them mark syllables and stress in their
notes, $ash cards, or other learning materials. - Help students notice the spelling of new words as it
relates to sounds. What vowel and consonant sounds are
represented by the letters? What spelling patterns are
similar to those in other words? Are there any silent
letters or unusual spellings? Are there any related words
that have similar spellings but di"erent stress patterns
and sounds? (electric/electricity, nation/nationality)
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