Receiving enough pronunciation practice is challenging for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students as the classroom often provides the only opportunity to practice and improve their pronunciation skills. Fortunately, a variety of new technology tools can provide our students with opportunities to practice pronunciation and receive feedback they need. In this week’s Teacher’s Corner, we highlight several tools students can use to practice their pronunciation skills outside of the classroom.

Level

Beginner to Advanced

Language Focus

Speaking (primary focus); reading (secondary focus)

Goals

Teachers will learn about the following tools to support student’s pronunciation practice: 

• Youglish for authentic pronunciation examples
• The Color Vowel Chart to hear proper vowel pronunciation
• VowelCat for practicing vowel pronunciation

Materials

• Teacher: computer, speakers, a microphone, Internet connection, (projector)
  • Note: This week we focus on tools that students can use for self-study. However, if you would like to use these tools in class, the projector listed above will be needed.
• Students: computer, speakers, microphone, Internet connection
• Note: These tools are needed if students will use these tools at home or in a computer lab setting.

Preparation

1. Read through all the materials carefully.
2. Look at the sites listed above: Youglish, the Color Vowel Chart, and VowelCat. Take time to explore each of the tools to understand how they function.
3. Read the materials in the links found at the end of this week’s Teacher’s Corner; they provide excellent resources in using the Color Vowel Chart in class.

Technology Tool 1: Youglish

Youglish – Youglish is a unique search engine that scans online videos for specific words or phrases. For example, students can search the phrase “how’s it going,” and the website will return a variety of videos featuring that phrase spoken in authentic contexts. For teachers, the added bonus of Youglish is it only searches speeches, interviews, news programs, and other informational videos, so the material is always classroom friendly. 

Figure 1: Youglish displays and highlights words or phrases as they are pronounced. 

A transcript, or the written script of the words, is displayed below each video so students can follow along with the audio. The transcript is interactive, and students can click on unfamiliar words. When they do, the website displays a definition of the word and provides example sentences of the word in use. Students looking to hear pronunciations in specific accents can narrow their search so that only American English pronunciation is displayed.

Technology Tool 2: The Color Vowel Chart

The Color Vowel Chart – The Color Vowel Chart is a web-based tool for students who wish to practice their English vowel pronunciation. Proper pronunciation of vowels is often indicated with the use of symbols in the International Phonetic Alphabet. These symbols can be confusing to students, so the Color Vowel Chart replaces them with words and colors featuring a specific vowel pronunciation.

Figure 3. English vowel sounds in the Color Vowel Chart.

On the Color Vowel Chart page on the American English website, teachers can find helpful guides on using the chart in class. The website also features a webinar teachers can watch to learn more about using the Color Vowel Chart in their classroom practice.

Technology Tool 3: VowelCat

VowelCat – Students looking to get more feedback on their vowel pronunciation can use the VowelCat vowel recognition software developed by Ohio University. By using VowelCat, students pronounce a vowel into their microphone and the software maps their vowel pronunciation to where in the mouth it is being pronounced.

Figure 3. VowelCat helps students improve pronunciation by using visual feedback.

The top left of the chart is the upper, front part of the mouth. The lower right of the chart is the lower, back part of the mouth. As students pronounce a vowel, their pronunciation is mapped onto the chart with a red ball. The red ball moves around the chart as a student pronounces specific vowel sounds. Students can then compare their vowel sound placements in VowelCat to the placements in the Color Vowel Chart.

Color Vowel Chart and VowelCat, when used together, can provide students the proper pronunciation of a vowel and the opportunity to practice that pronunciation while receiving visual feedback on their performance.

For more on pronunciation in the classroom, check out:

Integrating Pronunciation Across the Curriculum

To learn more about the Color Vowel Chart, check out:

Teaching Spoken English with the Color Vowel Chart

Welcome to the Color Vowel Chart

Making traditional classroom tasks and activities into games can be a fun way to get students moving and practicing language and to nudge them out of their routines. Many of the tasks and activities teachers already use for class need only to be adapted slightly for the lesson to be more active and make a lasting impression on students.

In this week’s Teacher’s Corner, we will learn about a vocabulary activity turned into a race. During each round, students will step up to answer a question while their team members help with finding the correct answer. The first team to come up with the correct answer earns a point. The competitive nature of this race encourages students to work together quickly to find answers, and the excitement of the movement around the classroom motivates students to participate. It’s a fun and easy activity to use for teaching new material or reviewing previous material. 

Beginning and above

• Listening
• Vocabulary

During this activity, students will be able to:

• Identify target vocabulary words by definitions
• Cooperate with classmates to find correct answers

• List of vocabulary words and matching definitions
• Enough chalk or markers for students to write on the board

• Divide students into groups of six

1. Tell students that in this activity they are going to work in teams to identify vocabulary words. The activity is a game where students will race against other teams to answer questions and score points. Every team member will participate in identifying new words while teammates offer help to earn points.
2. Place students into their groups, and warm up the teams with some practice.
   
   1. Direct the teams to separate parts of the room so that each team has some space.
   2. Explain that they will practice within their teams before starting the game.
   3. Tell students that they will hear a definition of a word, and as a group they must identify the matching vocabulary word. Students can work with team members to discuss the definition to choose the correct word as a team.
      
      1. For example, the teacher gives the definition: “A person who takes orders in a restaurant while you are seated at a table.” Students will then work together to come up with the word server.
   4. The groups have 30-60 seconds to come up with the answer.
   5. Practice this process a few times with several different vocabulary words.
3. Gather the students’ attention, and review the rules of the game.
   
   1. Tell students that each team will stand in a group and will choose one teammate to be ready to run to the board.
   2. The teacher will give a definition, and the teammate who has been selected must work with the group to identify the correct word and then race to the board to write the answer correctly.
   3. The first team to identify the word and correctly write it on the board will earn a point.
   4. Only the teammate chosen to go to the board for the round can write on the board. The other teammates must remain with the group but can talk to and shout out help to their teammate at the board.
   5. The next round is conducted in the same way, but a new teammate is chosen to go to the board. Each teammate must have a turn before a student can have a second turn to run up to the board.
   6. The game ends either when the teacher runs out of words or when a team reaches a certain number of points and wins.

There are a number of ways to adapt this activity to meet your classroom’s needs. First, this activity can be used for students to practice or review grammar or even sentences. Second, you can choose how big or small the teams should be to fit the space of your classroom.

One variation is to conduct the game between two teams at lightning speed with a five-minute time limit. Each team lines up and the person first in line goes first. The teacher says the definition, and the first student on each team must race to the board to write the word. Once one student writes the word correctly, the teacher says “switch,” and the students race to the back of the lines. The next students at the front of the lines listen for the next definition and race to write the word on the board. The team members can shout out help to their teammate at the board. Continue to do this for five minutes, or until everyone has had a chance to write on the board. Keep score, and the team with the most points wins.

Four Corners is a common classroom technique to get students out of their seats while giving them a lot of information in one class. In this activity, student groups work on a particular topic or activity in each corner of the classroom. Four Corners can be adapted easily to fit a variety of teaching and learning needs.

This week’s Teacher’s Corner offers a lesson that uses Four Corners to promote collaboration and encourage movement to keep class lively and active. In groups, students will be assigned a grammar point and work together to prepare an activity to teach the grammar point to each other.

Beginning and above

• Speaking
• Listening
• Grammar

During this activity, students will be able to:

• Teach classmates a grammar point they have been working on in class
• Collaborate with classmates to develop a way to teach the assigned grammar point

• Large pieces of paper for each group
• Markers
• Tape

• Divide the class into four groups.
  
  • If the class is large, this activity can be done in any number of groups. One option is to have eight groups; four groups work with each other and the other four groups work together. In this scenario, you only need four grammar points.
  • Alternatively, eight groups could be assigned and all groups interact with each other. For this scenario, you would need to prepare eight different grammar points.
• Choose the grammar points you would like learners to focus on, based on what you have done in class.
  
  • For example, grammar points could include the formation of Wh- questions, auxiliary verbs, third-person singular, plural nouns, etc. In short, choose anything that is level appropriate for your students and has already been taught in class.
• On each big piece of paper, write one of the grammar points at the top. Each piece should have a different point.
• Hang the paper in the corners of the room or the areas where groups will be sitting.

1. Start class by telling students that today they will work in groups to create a review activity for a grammar point they have been studying.
   
   1. Explain that to do this each group will be assigned a corner of the room and a grammar point.
   2. Using the big piece of paper hanging in their corner, students will write the answers to the following questions (listed on the board) on their grammar point:
      • How is this grammar structure formed? What are the rules for the form?
      • When is it used?
      • Give an example of the grammar structure as it is used in a sentence.
2. Put the students into their assigned groups and send them to their corners to respond to the questions. Tell students that they have 5-7 minutes to write their answers.
3. Circulate around the room as students work in their corners and answer any questions they might have.
4. Bring the students’ attention back to you to explain the next steps.
5. Tell students they will have 10 minutes to come up with a way to teach this grammar point to other groups. They can be as creative as they wish, but the game or activity will need to be completed in 5 minutes. Here are some possibilities:
   
   1. Students could simply go through the information they have written on their pieces of paper and then ask each group that they teach to come up with their own examples.
   2. Students could also invent a game that would help classmates practice the grammar point.
6. Give students time to work on the activity in their groups, and circulate around the room answering questions and checking in on students.
7. Once students have completed their activity plan, bring their attention back together as a group to explain the next steps.
8. First, give each student in each group a number from one to four.
9. Tell students all groups will rotate clockwise around the room to practice a new grammar point. For the first rotation, students assigned the number one will stay in their spots to teach the grammar point and present the activity to the other group that moves to their corner.
   
   1. The papers hanging in the corners or group  areas help to remind the students who are rotating which grammar point they will be learning about.
10. Remind students that they only have 5 minutes at each paper. When the time is up, the teacher can clap hands to signal the end of the round.
11. Students will then have 1 minute to reorganize so that a new presenter takes over the task and the groups can rotate to the next corner.
12. For the second rotation, the students assigned the number two will return to their original corners to present their activity, and the other groups will rotate once again. Continue this process for each subsequent rotation.
13. The activity is complete when all groups have visited each corner.
14. Wrap up the activity with a class discussion on examples each student came up with at each corner.
    
    1. If short on time, this could be done in the form of exit tickets with each student writing an example for each grammar point on a piece of paper and submitting it before leaving class.

This activity can be adapted to fit any time constraints the class might have. Instead of having each group prepare and present an activity, they could work to answer the questions listed on the board. After each group answers the questions, the rotation could start. Each group rotates together to the next corner to read about the grammar point and add their own example to the paper. After 2-3 minutes, the groups rotate again moving to the next corner. This adaptation can also be used so that all groups stay together and a student presenting doesn’t miss out on information offered at one corner.

Each week of this month’s Teacher’s Corner has required students to reflect and think critically in order to deepen their understanding of culture and how it can affect interactions. This week, students will apply their experience and knowledge to figure out how to make intercultural interactions successful, even if they are challenging.

Time: 60 minutes

Goals:

• To help students continue to reflect on what defines culture.
• To think about ways to avoid or mediate miscommunications or misunderstandings during intercultural interactions.
• To listen, speak, read, and write about culture in English.

Materials: Culture Thinking Map (Week 1) and Intercultural Interactions Thinking Map (Week 3), student notebooks, pencils

Preparation:

1.     Ensure that all of the thinking maps and descriptive lists from previous activities are displayed in the classroom so that students can see them.

2.     If desired, assign students to participate in completely new groups. Alternatively, students can continue to work in the same groups used during Activity 2 of Week 3.

3.     If you have a large class, you can make a plan for how students will present their scenes at the end of Activity 2. Instead of having each group present to the whole class, you can pair groups to present to each other.

1.     Have students get into groups (see Step 2 under Preparation).

2.     Give groups a few minutes to review the information on the Intercultural Interactions Thinking Map and the information they recorded in their notebooks about how different groups would interact with each other (See Step 6 in Week 3, Activity 2).

3.     Tell students that they will work together with their group to create a scenario where a misunderstanding or miscommunication due to cultural differences might occur. Provide students with the examples below so that they understand expectations for this part of the activity.

a.     Example 1: There are eight people in a sales department at a company. The two leaders have received a cash bonus for the achievements of their department. One leader comes from a culture where resources are shared amongst community members and accomplishments are celebrated by everyone. The other leader comes from a culture where the needs of each individual are most important and every person works for and keeps what they earn or receive. The two leaders must come up with a plan for what to do with the bonus money.

b.     Example 2: A teacher is giving a test to his or her class. The teacher notices that three of the students from the same culture group are whispering and helping each other on the test. After class, the teacher asks these three students to stay and explain why they were cheating on the test. One student explains that they were simply trying to help each other get good grades and make their parents proud because their parents want them to do well in school. The teacher must decide whether the students should get in trouble and have to retake the test.

4.     Let students know that another group of their classmates will act out the scenario they write. Allow time for students to ask questions and clarify what they are expected to do. Tell students that they will have 20 minutes to write down a scenario with their group.

5.     As students are working, move around the room and check in with each group to ensure that the scenarios make sense and will work for others to act out. Help any groups that need guidance or may be struggling with ideas.

6.     When 20 minutes have passed, check to see that all groups have finished. If needed, give students more time to complete the task.

7.     When students are done, collect all of the scenarios.

1. Explain to students that they will stay in the same groups but will receive a scenario that they did not write. On the board, write the following steps:
   
   1. Read the scenario.
   2. Discuss the different elements of culture that may cause conflict or misunderstanding in the scenario. Write these cultural elements down on the same paper as the scenario.
   3. Think about possible ways to resolve the conflict or misunderstanding. Write these resolutions down on the same paper as the scenario.
   4. Make a plan for how to act out the scenario using one of the resolutions your group thought of.
2. Answer any questions that students may have about the assignment.
3. Tell students they will have 15 minutes to discuss the scenario, brainstorm possible resolutions, and practice performing the scene.
4. When 15 minutes have passed, tell students that in a moment they will present their scene to their classmates. If you have paired groups together, as noted in Step 3 under Preparation, explain the plan to students.
5. Explain to students that as they watch their classmates, they should reflect on a few things. Write the following questions on the board:

a.     What were the different cultural elements that caused a problem in this situation?

b.     How was the conflict avoided or resolved?

6. After each group performs their scene, ask the rest of the class (or the other group if groups are paired) to discuss and share their answers to the reflection questions.
7. After all groups have shared their scenes, ask students to reflect on the following questions in their notebooks in class or for homework:

a.        What are some possible reasons that intercultural interactions can be successful or not?

b.       What are some actions you, or any person, could take to prevent or resolve misunderstandings when interacting with people from different backgrounds?

The activities in this month’s Teacher’s Corner have aimed to help students increase their cultural awareness through reflection and critical thinking. Because speakers of English come from many different backgrounds, the ability to recognize and acknowledge the less obvious elements of culture is an important skill for students studying English. With this knowledge and a better understanding of how to apply it to intercultural interactions, teachers are setting students up for success as they communicate in English.