Student Stumper 26: Phonetic Symbols

QUESTION: Why are there different phonetic symbols for the same sounds? Which ones should I learn?

ANSWER: First of all,  I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary for students to learn the IPA or any other set of phonetic symbols in order to master English pronunciation. However, I do think that familiarity with the symbols is helpful since they appear in dictionaries and other language resources. Being able to recognize phonetic symbols increases a learner’s independence when faced with a new word and its pronunciation. Knowing the symbols can also heighten a learner’s awareness of individual sounds. Seeing, for example, that “it” and “eat” require different symbols confirms that the short “i” and the long “e” are indeed two distinct sounds and not the same.

As a way of explaining the fact that different symbols exist for the same sounds, it might be simplest to draw a comparison:  just as spelling variations have evolved in different varieties of English (e.g., theater v. theatre), so too have different phonetic symbols.  One is not superior to another. In both cases, the important thing is to be consistent in one’s writing yet flexible when reading.  I’ve taken this stance before with regard to varieties in pronunciation, and I argued for consistency in production and flexibility in comprehension.

If you are able to choose which set of symbols to present to a learner or group of learners, you might consider what best suits their needs.  Linda Lane points out that /ay/ and /ai/ both refer to the long “i” in “time”, but for some students who do not clearly produce the glide ending in this dipthong, seeing the symbol /ay/ might be more effective in correcting the error. The understanding that /y/ is needed to join the first and second vowel sounds is important (Lane 191).

Reference:

Lane, Linda. (2010). Tips for teaching pronunciation: a practical approach. White Plains, NY: Pearson Longman

Shop and Chop: Practice with fricatives and affricates

Need to offer upper level students some practice with troubling fricatives and affricates? Consider using this activity, which contextualizes the sounds in a fun and meaningful way.

Step 1 – Read the list of phrases in the box in Task A (see Shop and Chop_activity) and have students listen and repeat after you. Next, ask them to underline fricatives: “Which words have the sounds /ʃ/ and /ʒ/? These sounds create friction. The sounds are made because you are forcing air out a tight place in your mouth. Let’s underline these sounds.” Then ask them to circle affricates: “Which words have the sounds /dʒ/ and /tʃ/? These sounds stop air before letting it out. When it does come out, there’s friction. Let’s circle these sounds.” You may have them try identifying the sounds independently and then correct their work as a class.

                 

Step 2 – Ask students to complete Task A in pairs. They must sort the phrases under the headings “What we shop for” and “What we measure”.

Answers.

What we shop for: beige shoes, a box of tissues, bed sheets, a bag of sugar, desk chair, a set of dishes, a jar of jam

What we measure: our shoe size, 2 cups of sugar, the weight of a precious gem, a tablespoon of margarine, 20/20 vision                                 

Step 3 – After correcting students’ work in Task A, have them continue working in pairs. In Task B, they must list as many answers as possible in five minutes.

Optional: Turn Task B into a game. Award 1 point for each item and 2 points if the item listed contains one fricatives /ʃ/ or /ʒ/ or one affricate /dʒ/ and /tʃ/.

ESL/ EFL Site Forecast for 2011

I’m curious to see if anyone reading this will suggest a website we should all keep our eyes on in the future. Do you anticipate the growth of any particular resource or contributions of an individual content creator? Let me share a few sources that I predict will develop some good materials for ESL/ EFL teachers and students in 2011. If you can, please add to the list.

In no particular order, here they are.

1.  Randall’s ESL Cyber Listening Lab.  This is already a well-known site in the ESL/ EFL community. However, I anticipate much growth in 2011. First off, Randall promises to make his materials accessible for use on portable devices, such as iPhones. Second, I appreciate his collection of Video Snapshots because they offer lessons on both language and culture. Yet another project I find interesting is Randall’s Multimedia Language Activities. It shows his willingness to experiment with other online tools, namely Voice Thread, to enage more of the learner.

2.  Voice of America. This is another big name, but perhaps not so many are aware of The Classroom, which offers a growing collection of multimedia lessons based on readings that range from American Life & Culture to Science & Technology. The activities that follow each article are consistent in format and pedagogically sound. Explore VOA’s virtual classroom and you’ll also find additional activities for all levels, from grammar practice to mini lessons on common idioms.

3. EnglishCafe. There are good reasons why I often collaborate with this site. I truly like the spirit of community and the willingness of all the teachers to support one another. Also, I have observed and participated in the site’s growth over the past couple of years. More and more talented teachers are joining, and that means more free resources are being developed for ESL/ EFL learners. Check out the blog posts and lessons published by Paul Meier, for example. When students ask if I have materials on a certain pronunciation topic and I don’t, I often look to see if Paul does. Then I recommend it. I do the same with the materials created by Kenneth Beare regarding grammar. When I receive requests for online lessons and I’m not available, I often steer students in the direction of fellow TESOL member, Smiling7 (aka Holly). In short, EnglishCafe is a growing community, and in 2011 I expect to see dozens of contributions to the already sizable collection of blog posts and interactive lessons created by qualified teachers around the world.

4. English with Jennifer. You didn’t think I’d miss the chance to put my own website on this list, did you? Of course, I’m excited about how it will develop in 2011! The site was launched in Februrary of this year, and over the past several months I’ve been able to consolidate my online work and make it easier for users to find resources they need. The site features projects I’ve created in response to popular demands for help with writing (Improve Your Writing), vocabulary (Word of the Day and Everday Vocabulary), listening and speaking skills (The Jim & Jen Show), and self-study (Study Tips). I hope to continue working on all these projects as time allows, and I suspect that new ideas will come about in response to other requests for online resources.

First and Last: A speaking activity

About a year ago, I posted a speaking activity called “Firsts” for upper level students. Allow me to offer another activity that could be used with both upper and lower level students. I call it “First and Last”. I find it timely for such activities as 2010 is drawing to a close, and we’ll soon be welcoming the first day of 2011.

Click here for printable First and Last_handout.

[Version A. For basic levels]

Directions for the teacher:

Step 1 – Use the activity to practice question and answer formation using the simple past. Write the following verb phrases on the board. You may add other phrases if you wish to target other irregular verbs. Be sure all words are understood.

bake a cake                                                                        ride a motorcycle dance a slow dance                                                      see a shark drink a cocktail                                                              speak to a large group go hiking                                                                             spend a lot of money make a big mistake                                                      watch a scary movie meet someone from another country         write a letter in English

Step 2 – Under the verb phrases write these prompts:

Question 1: When was the first time you ______________?

Question 2: When was the last time you ______________?

 

Answer 1: The first/ last time I ______________ was ______________. [At what age? What year? How many years ago?]

Answer 2: I never ______________.

 

Step 3 – Moving clockwise around the room, one student will ask another classmate about a first or last experience. If student A asks about a first time, then student B must ask student C about a last time. New verbs can be used in each exchange. If a student is able to recall the first or last time of a certain experience, the questioner must add one more question to learn one more detail.

Model:

Student A: When was the first time you watched a scary movie?

Student B: The first time I watched a scary movie was maybe in the seventh grade.

Student A: What film did you watch?

Student B: Aliens.

Student B: When was the last time you baked a cake?

Student C: I never baked a cake.

 

 [Version B. For intermediate and advanced levels]

Follow the same steps; however, the focus will be on pronunciation. Explain how old versus new information influence both sentence structure and sentence stress. Note how usually old information comes first and new information comes last when giving an answer. New information receives greater stress.

Before students begin the Q&A activity, share the model and underline the words that should be stressed.

Student A: When was the first time you watched a scary movie?

Student B: The first time I watched a scary movie was maybe in the seventh grade.

Student A: What film did you watch?

Student B:  I saw Aliens.

Student B: When was the last time you baked a cake?

Student C: I never baked a cake.

 Be sure students are using falling intonation for wh- questions and rising intonation for yes-no questions.

 

 

Celebrating New Year’s Eve: A whole language activity

Are you planning ahead for your last lesson of the month? Perhaps you’d like to use an activity with a New Year’s Eve theme. Here’s one for adult learners at the lower levels.  Enjoy!

Step 1 – Present the following vocabulary:

at midnight                         champagne                        make a toast                      celebrate                             dress up                               New Year’s Eve                                                                                                  tradition

 

 Step 2 – Ask them to complete the short text (Task A) on the New Year’s Eve Activity_handout.

Step 3 – Have students work in pairs to unscramble the survey questions (Task B). Then correct their work as a class. Discuss variations.

Step 4 – Have students work in small groups of 3 or 4 to discuss the questions from Task B.

Step 5 – OPTIONAL: Ask the small groups of students to create 1-2 additional questions about celebrating New Year’s Eve. Write the questions on the board and then ask each student to answer one of the questions (in a complete sentence).

Old Tool, New Uses: The Potential of Online Comic Strips

Last week I shared my opinion of Alice, online educational software that allows you to create animation and share it with your students. TESOL members like Nancy Schoenfeld have demonstrated that creative and purposeful use of technology can make a language lesson effective, fun, and memorable.

MakeBeliefsComix is another online instructional tool that is user-friendly and has different applications in the classroom. A decade ago, we were still limited to comics on paper. Today we have the ability to easily create our own digital comic stips.  Consider some possibilities. A teacher could use a 2-, 3-, or 4-panel comic strip to illustrate a language point. In a lab setting, students could use the software to create their own stories, demonstrating their grasp of a target grammar point, key vocabulary, or particular writing mechanic. Such activities could be done individually or in pairs. Since the site allows authors to print or e-mail their work, there are different options for sharing finished products with the entire class. If a room is set up with a projector, a whole group writing activity is also possible.

Bill Zimmerman is committed to helping teachers. There are different forms of support offered for the use of MakeBeliefsComix. Here is the link to the page for educators, which includes 21 classroom tips and one video demonstrating the use of the site in an ESL classroom in City College in New York.

Below are two strips I had fun creating to teach conversational etiquette. Having produced a few strips of my own, I’ll be frank and tell you that it does take some time to edit (place characters in position, scale them to the right size, insert talk balloons, etc.), but the finished product is one that leaves an impression. As with any creative medium, you’ll want to avoid overkill. I fear the “magic” would be lost with frequent use.  MakeBeliefComix (as well as Alice animation) will likely have more of an impact on language learners if the medium is kept fresh and used with care. The task should be well matched to the tool and logically placed within the lesson.

• Bad Model: Don’ts
• Good Model: Dos

Five Ways to Improve Your Grammar Presentations

I hope I’m not alone when I confess to having an off day in the classroom, but I think it’s forgivable if you’ve been able to achieve consistency in your teaching. Delivering quality presentations on a regular basis is partly due to knowing what ingredients make a “meal” suitable for your students’ appetite and pleasing to their palate.

1.      Never put too much on their plate at one time. If you have to serve a feast, serve one course at a time. In other words, break a long presentation into shorter ones. Intersperse them with follow-up exercises, giving them time to chew on each idea.

 

2.      Like the smell of food, your opening line will either draw your students in or turn them off. Avoid jumping into a nuts and bolts explanation: “Today’s topic is gerunds. What’s a gerund? Turn to page 12. A gerund is…” Make the effort to engage your students before giving important information. For instance, you can pose a question that incorporates the targeted grammar: “What do you think most people your age enjoy doing?” Use their answers to gauge how well they already understand and use the grammar and then select a few statements as models for your presentation.

 

3.      Don’t be afraid to get them involved. Who says you can’t ask a dinner guest to help out in the kitchen? Likewise, who says a grammar presentation is wholly a teacher’s performance? Make the presentation interactive. Ask the students questions, elicit their examples, and allow them the chance to offer their own explanations. This doesn’t imply letting strong students do all the talking for you. It suggests that the presentation can be a shared experience, and through their contributions (albeit varied in degree), students will feel empowered.

 

4.      Provide visual input. Think of your grammar presentation like a good dish. What you see adds to the enjoyment and ease of digesting the food. Italian dishes are known for their vibrant colors: red, green, and pasta-yellow. Japanese dishes are known for their attractive display. A grammar presentation should also be vibrant and attractive. One that consists only of words is flat and hard to assimilate. You must visually support any oral explanation. Provide useful notes on the board and keep the information concise and organized. [See my entries The Board.] Graphic organizers can be the equivalent of a Japanese bento box, or lunch box. Visual “extras” include photos, diagrams, and gestures.

 

5.      Teach with positive energy: enthusiasm is contagious. Picture a mother pinching her nose and closing her eyes before eating vegetables. What does that communicate to the children sitting at the table? Similarly, you mustn’t convey a dislike for any grammar topic. Vegetables are nutritious and with the right preparation they can be delicious. Grammar is essential and when presented well, it is valued and appreciated by students.