The Thistlethorpe Family Tree
Guided/Communicative Practice
Give pairs of students the family tree. Point out that all the
names have /θ/ in them. Have students practice the names of
the family members. Make sure they know family vocabulary
(cousin, uncle, daughter-in-law, etc.)- Put students in pairs. Have them ask each other questions
about the family members: “Who are Beth’s children?”
“Timothy, Elizabeth, and Thad.” - Have students play a guessing game. One partner chooses a
family member and gives his/her partner clues. (“This person
is Matthew’s son.”) The other partner guesses who it is. - Info gap activity: Make two copies of the family tree, labeled
“A” and “B,” and remove different names from each one.
(Make sure there are one or two names that are included on
both versions.) Give “A” to one partner and “B” to the other.
They ask each other questions to fill in the missing names. - Have students tell stories about the family members, based
on their pictures and family relationships.
Based on an activity in Teaching Pronunciation: A Sourcebook
and Reference Guide. (Celce-Murcia et al. 2010)
Map of Bellville
Guided/Communicative Practice
Point out that all the street names in Bellville have the /b/ or /v/
sounds in them. Have students repeat the names after you.
Students work in pairs. One student chooses a spot on the map
to represent where he/she is standing now. He/she chooses a
destination on the map and asks his/her partner how to get
there. (“Could you tell me how to get to the Art Museum?” etc.)
The partner gives directions, using the street names. Then
students change roles.
Students can also add extra place names in the empty blocks,
trying to use the target sounds as much as possible. Then they
explain to their partner what they’ve added and why.
93