Sounds of English
by Sharon Widmayer and Holly Gray
Lessons & Activities
Lessons and activities are being updated and posted. Also, check out some ideas on our Pinterest pages.
Pronunciation Cards (for Pronunciation Partners game)--
This set is for vowels and final consonants. Download all three parts and print them out. (These are formatted to fit Avery 5388 perforated index cards. 36 cards total.) This game can be played in small groups using the same rules as "Go Fish." The point of the game is to collect as many sets of 4 as possible. The student with the most sets of 4 at the end of the game wins.
Pronunciation Bingo--
a great way for students to practice hearing and saying minimal pairs
Mixers--
Print out the sheet, separate the words, and hand them out to students as they come into class. Tell them to find their partners or groups. Great warm-up or grouping activity.
Pronunciation Pyramids--a syllable game
Have students compete to build syllable pyramids. The teacher gives a topic (clothing, objects in the classroom, animals, food, etc.) and students race to build a pyramid. (One syllable word at the top, the a 2-syllable word, 3-syllable word, etc.)
Lights, Camera, Action--
an Internet-based listening, speaking, and writing activity using movie trailers
Digital Camera Vocabulary Practice--
The idea here is that students take pictures of themselves with a digital camera while they are doing the action on the card. The card has to be in the picture. Not only do my students LOVE this activity, but the digital images can be printed out and distributed to the students (One way to do that is to put them in a PowerPoint presentation). Students get a kick out of seeing their pictures and it is a great vocabulary review.
Phoneme Sorts--
Students sort the images according to the sound of the word.
Rhythm Clapping--
A kinesthetic activity to reinforce sentence stress and reductions.