Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Andrew Hill
National University of Education. She studies English Language Education. She will pursue a
PhD-English Education in the United States next fall. I have been asked to improve Carlies
struggled with minimal pairs two words that differ by only a single sound (Finegan, 2014, p.
116) particularly phonemes /u/ and //. My lesson plan addresses this weakness.
The lesson begins with a warm up activity: minimal pair bingo. The worksheets
features 30 words (15 minimal pairs) (Appendix B). One-third are /u/ and // minimal pairs, one-
third are /s/ and // minimal pairs, and another third are /l/ and /r/ minimal pairs. The latter two
sets were not tested in my diagnostic but are minimal pairs that often challenge Korean L2
learners (p. 93). In this activity, the tutor says 24 words (each one-half of a minimal pair). For
example: Alive/arrive, siege/seize, and kooky/cookie. The student must be able to distinguish
between them. Carlie selects 24 of these words and writes them into the worksheets boxes. For
example, if the tutor says arrive but the student marks alive, they cannot mark their
respective box.
The subsequent lecture and activity target phonemes /u/ and //. To teach Carlie to
pronounce and recognize /u/, we will access the University of Iowas Sounds of Speed online
phonetics demonstrations (Appendix C) . The tongue should be placed high in the back of the
mouth, and the lips should be rounded and tense (p. 93). Given Carlies background in
linguistics, I can use specific academic terminology (as we do in our own linguistics class) to
To teach Carlie how to pronounce and recognize // - and ultimately distinguish it from
/u/ I will again access the aforementioned webpage (Appendix D). I will explain the
RUNNING HEAD: Justification Pronunciation Diagnostic 3
positioning of this vowel: high in the back of the mouth, and the lips should be rounded and lax
I will also demonstrate this with my own mouth. Finally, Carlie will practice this. After I
have shown Carlie how to make these shapes, we will engage in our primary activity:
Telephone Numbers. In doing so, she will practice /u/ and // minimal pairs and demonstrate
her understanding of the vowel positions she just learned. As this activity comes to an end, we
will briefly wrap up the class. I will give Carlie paper and markers and ask her to draw visual
representations no words permitted of the content of our lesson. This activity is based not in
any specific pedagogy but in Carlies love of the visual and artistic medium. This creative
exercise will serve to reinforce what she has learned in a unique way.
RUNNING HEAD: Justification Pronunciation Diagnostic 4
Works Cited
Finegan, Edward (2014-01-01). Language: Its Structure and Use (Page 309). Cengage Learning.
Kindle Edition.