Standard 7 – Instructional Planning Skills Artifact 2 Joely

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Standard 7 – Instructional Planning Skills

The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structure of the discipline(s)
he or she teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter
meaningful for students.

Artifact II for Standard Seven: Instructional Planning Skills

Name of Artifact: FL665 Final Paper - Accent Reduction

Date: Spring 2010

Course: FL665 Sociocultural & Sociolinguistic Perspectives in Language

Rationale

Campbell, Cignetti, Melenyzer, Nettles & Wyman (2007) say that an effective teacher

plans instruction based on four factors: 1) subject matter, 2) individual needs of learners, 3)

community needs, and 4) curriculum goals (p.49). In this rationale, I discuss why my final paper

on the need for accent reduction training in the adult ESL classroom exemplifies Standard 7 –

Instructional Planning Skills and encompasses Campbell et al’s four factors of effective

instruction.

A foreign accent results from “phonological differences with, or interference from, an

individual’s 1st language” (Fromkin, Rodman & Hyams, 2007, p. 411). There’s absolutely

nothing wrong with having a foreign accent. In fact, many people, myself included, find foreign

accents quite interesting and attractive, such as the English spoken by actors Javier Bardem from

Spain and Marion Cotillard from France. Problems with foreign accents occur when they impede

communication; thereby causing the speaker personal and professional difficulties. Accent

reduction training in the adult ESL classroom supports the individual needs of learners and the

needs of the community with whom they interact, by fostering clear communication. Careful

instructional planning, as demonstrated by my sample instructional activities in the paper’s

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appendices D & E, ensures that the training is meaningful for the students by mimicking real-life

communicative situations, such as a telephone conversation and a presentation.

Standard three of the Texas Adult Education Standards and Benchmarks for ABE, ASE

and ESL Learners is “speak so others can understand”, which it further defines as the ability to

“pay attention to conventions of oral English communication, including grammar, word choice,

register, pace, and gesture in order to minimize barriers to listener’s comprehension” (Texas

Center for the Advancement of Literacy & Learning, 2008). Accent reduction training in the

adult ESL classroom is in accordance with standard three’s objective of “speak so others can

understand”, which in turn supports curriculum goals.

In this rationale, I have endeavored to prove why my final paper on the need for accent

reduction training in the adult ESL classroom meets the criteria for Standard 7 – Instructional

Planning Skills, and why it encompasses Campbell et al’s four factors of effective instruction.

I believe that a teacher must continuously revaluate their discipline, so that they can provide the

most meaningful instruction to students. Accent reduction is a way of examining your subject

(the English language) and utilizing your instructional planning skills to their fullest capacity.

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References

Campbell, D.M., Cignetti, P.B., Melenyzer, B.J., Nettles, D.H. & Wyman, R.M. (2007).

How to develop a profession portfolio (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

Fromkin, V., Rodman, R. & Hyams, N. (2007). An introduction to language (8th ed.).

Boston: Thomson Wadsworth.

Texas Center for the Advancement of Literacy & Learning. (2008). Texas Adult Education

Standards and Benchmarks for ABE, ASE and ESL Learners. Retrieved October 6, 2010,

from http://www-tcall.tamu.edu/taesp/guide08/3speakesl.html

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Artifact II - FL665 Final Paper - Accent Reduction

Running head: ACCENT REDUCTION

What did you say?

The Need for Accent Reduction Training in the Adult ESL Classroom

Option A: Instructional Packet

Student - Joely C. Rogers

University of Southern Mississippi

May 10, 2010

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Abstract

This instructional packet seeks to explore the challenge of foreign accents in the adult English as

a second language (ESL) classroom and build a case for accent reduction training in college-

level ESL courses. In the 1st section we examine the Critical Period Hypothesis, discuss the

sociocultural stigma faced by 2nd language learners with heavy accents and take a look at the

profession of accent reduction trainers. The 2nd section presents 5 instructional activities

designed by the author to help ESL students seeking to reduce their accents in English. Please

note that the goal in accent reduction is not to eliminate an individual’s accent, but to reduce it to

the point where communication is not impeded.

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What did you say?

The Need for Accent Reduction Training in the Adult ESL Classroom

This instructional packet examines the challenge of foreign accents in the adult English

as a second language (ESL) classroom. I am willing to bet $1,000 right now that when most

Americans hear the word ‘accent’ they automatically think of a ‘southern’ accent. Much like

‘southern culture’, the U.S. southern accent has alternately been glorified and excoriated in

modern media. As a native southerner I have often cringed while watching a non-southern

Hollywood actor’s attempts at a southern accent. Very few can do it accurately, and almost none

do it well. The linguistic definition of an accent is differences in pronunciation between one

variety of a language and another; for example the differences in pronunciation between

someone born and raised in Texas vs. New York City (Chaika, 2008). Accent is one of the

features of a dialect, which also includes differences in grammar, vocabulary, syntax and

common expressions (National Science Foundation, n.d.). In 2nd language acquisition, however,

an accent refers to the “phonological differences with, or interference from, an individual’s 1st

language” (Fromkin, Rodman & Hyams, 2007, p. 411). This is normally called a ‘foreign’

accent. For the purpose of brevity an ‘accent’ will hereby be understood to mean a foreign accent

corresponding to the definition offered by Fromkin et al.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with having a foreign accent. In fact, many people,

myself included, find foreign accents quite interesting and attractive, such as the English spoken

by actors Javier Bardem from Spain and Marion Cotillard from France. Problems with accents

occur when they impede communication. A couple of semesters ago I had the opportunity to

observe an accent reduction class for ESL students at Brookhaven Community College in Dallas,

Texas. All of the students in the class were adult learners of English, meaning they began their

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English studies after the age of 18, and they were all classified as advanced due to the number of

years of English they had studied at that point. Their knowledge of English wasn’t the problem.

The problem was that phonological differences from their native languages were interfering with

their English pronunciation so much that it was causing them personal and professional

difficulties. I was fascinated by the various accents of students in the class; the communication

problems that had occurred as a result of them and the instructor’s method of helping them

reduce their accents and therefore become better communicators. The instructor’s credo was that

she is not seeking to eliminate a student’s accent, because it’s a unique part of their individuality,

but rather she is seeking to reduce it to the point where communication is not impeded.

This instructional packet seeks to explore the challenge of foreign accents in the adult

English as a second language (ESL) classroom and builds a case for accent reduction training in

college-level ESL courses. In this 1st section we will examine the Critical Period Hypothesis,

which offers a possible explanation as to why an accent may still linger even after many years of

2nd language study; we will discuss the sociocultural stigma faced by 2nd language learners with

heavy accents; and we will take a quick look at the profession of accent reduction trainers. The

second section presents 5 instructional activities designed to help ESL students reduce their

accents in English.

Critical Period Hypothesis and Accents

Over the past 17 years since moving to Texas I have worked with immigrants from many

countries including Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, the Philippines, Vietnam, France, Peru,

Sierra Leone, Brazil, Venezuela, China, Iran and Pakistan. All of these people spoke English as

their 2nd language; with the exception of the Sierra Leonean, for whom English was one of her 5

languages. And, all of these people spoke English with an accent. Their pronunciation varied

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depending on their age, years in the U.S., and country of origin, but none of them at the time I

knew them would ever be mistaken for a native speaker. Something interesting I noticed long

before I enrolled in graduate school to become an ESL teacher was that the children of these 2nd

language speakers spoke without an accent. A couple of the kids also spoke the 1st language of

their parents, but their English was no different than the average American kid who was a native

speaker. Why was this? Growing up I had always heard that you learned language by listening to

your parents. This was obviously not the case for my friends’ children or else they would sound

just like their parents. And, it was more specific than the children just being ‘Americanized’,

which is a term I heard many of the parents use with regard to their kids differing speech and/or

personalities. As a result of my 2nd language acquisition courses I now understand the

pronunciation differences between adult 2nd language speakers and their American born children

may possibly be explained by a linguistic theory called the Critical Period Hypothesis.

The Critical Period Hypothesis, hereafter known as CPH, states that there is a

“biologically determined period of life when language can be acquired more easily and beyond

which time language is increasingly difficult to acquire” (Brown, 2007, p. 57). The CPH has is

basis in the theory of brain lateralization. The human brain is composed of a left and right

hemisphere and starts out fairly undifferentiated at birth, but as the brain matures certain

functions, such as language use, become lateralized (fixed) into a particular hemisphere of the

brain (Gray, 2007). Brain lateralization supposedly occurs sometimes during adolescence; after

which the learning of a 2nd language and achieving native-like pronunciation in it becomes a

biologically difficult if not impossible task in the case of pronunciation (Birdsong, 1999).

There are, however, critics of the CPH, who feel that biology is not destiny. Nagai (n.d.)

says that “a tendency by mature speakers to interpret sounds occurring in a foreign language in

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terms of sounds found in their native language may be a more important cause of foreign accent

than any limitation on phonetic learning imposed by neurophysiological maturation”. Perhaps

then it’s not so much a physiological issue as a psychological one, and one that can be resolved

through careful phonetic training. As a 2nd language learner myself of French and for the sake of

my future ESL students, I hope that this is the case. One more thing I’d like to mention is the

tendency of adults to be more self-conscious than children and less likely to practice the new

language as much because of the fear making mistakes in public.

Sociocultural Stigma of Sounding ‘Foreign’

ESL students face many challenges in addition to learning a new language. In education,

marginalization is said to occur when a “cultural gap or difference exists between a learners’

native culture and their current school culture” (Alfred, 2002, p. 30). ESL students fit the

definition of marginalized and in addition, they may come from backgrounds marred by poverty

or war, and/or possibly, illness and abuse. A strong accent foreign accent coupled with limited

English compounds the above-mentioned issues. As ESL teachers, I feel it is our role to help or

students fit into American society. My definition of ‘fitting in’ means learning the language and

customs well enough so that you can fulfill your personal and occupational goals, while still

maintaining your unique identity in the process. American society values individualism up to a

certain point. If your accent is so heavy that it affects your ability to get a job or make friends

who are not native speakers of your language, then you are handicapped by being here. This is

why I feel that accent reduction training, in addition to ESL classes for new immigrants, is so

important. You cannot change your racial make-up, you may not wish to change your style of

dress, and you certainly do not have to change your cultural or religious beliefs or stop speaking

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your native language to live in America; but, you must be able to communicate in English if you

want to fully integrate into society and work in an occupation that requires it.

Accent Reduction and Accent Reduction Trainers

Accent reduction is also known as accent neutralization or accent modification. Accent

reduction trainer Jennifer Pawlitschek thinks the term ‘accent reduction’ itself is misleading. She

says “Accent reduction is learning an accent. It is learning an American accent” (Luongo, 2007).

Accent reduction trainers have varied backgrounds including speech pathology, ESL teaching,

communications, and even theater as Pawlitschek has an MFA in drama. The instructor whose

accent reduction class I observed at Brookhaven College has a Master’s Degree in ESL teaching

and professional certification from the Institute of Language and Phonology (ILP). Trainers

educated at ILP use the Compton P-ESL program, the details of which can be found at

http://800-language.com/accent-modification-certification/the-p-esl-workshop/. In addition to

teaching her accent reduction class at Brookhaven, she also has regional, national and

international clients.

During accent reduction training students learn to correctly pronounce the sounds

(consonants and vowels) and features (stress, intonation, linking, pausing) of standard American

English (Accent Reduction Center, n.d.). The activities in an accent reduction class or

individualized training range from basic pronunciation of consonants and vowels, facial

exercises, to complex activities like singing and giving creative presentations. Changing the way

you speak requires practice, a lot of practice, just like any other skill. The absolute goal in accent

reduction is not to eliminate an individual’s accent, because an accent is a unique part of a

person’s individuality, but to reduce it to the point where communication is not impeded.

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Section Two: 5 Instructional Activities for Accent Reduction in the Adult ESL Classroom

Discussion about the Instructional Activities

This section contains 5 instructional activities designed to help adult ESL students reduce

their accents in English. Since I am not teaching yet and do not have training in accent reduction,

they are strictly theoretical and untested; although I did glean inspiration from several sources

which have been noted in ‘Resources’ located at the bottom of each instructional activity. I used

the Texas Adult Education Standard, Speak so others can understand for ESL (Pronunciation) as

a guideline to creating these instructional activities. The first 2 instructional activities are basic

pronunciation of vowels and consonants (segmentals). This is covered in beginning ESL classes,

but I feel it needs to be revisited in accent reduction classes because it’s a core issue. The link to

the Chaika’s book Language the Social Mirror 4th edition for all the instructional activities

comes from chapter 3 (style of speech) and chapter 7 (everybody speaks a dialect) and chapter 8

(bilingualism: individual and social).

Instructional activity 1 - outlined in Appendix A, correct pronunciation of vowels.

Complete instructions for the teacher and student are included. For brevity, practice examples are

shown for only one vowel, rather than all 21 vowel sounds that are listed.

Instructional activity 2 - outlined in Appendix B, correct pronunciation of consonants.

Complete instructions for the teacher and student are included. For brevity, practice examples are

shown for only one consonant, rather than all 25 consonants that are listed.

Instructional activity 3 - outlined in Appendix C, has students practice their pronunciation

and expand their vocabulary at the same time by practicing groups of rhyming word from the

Penguin Rhyming Dictionary by Rosalind Fergusson.

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Instructional activity 4 - outlined in Appendix D, has the students divide into pairs and

conduct a 2-minute telephone conversation in front of the classroom.

Instructional activity 5 - outlined in Appendix E, has the students create and perform a 1-

minute TV Commercial in front of the classroom.

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References

Accent Reduction Center. (n.d.). Frequently asked questions. Retrieved May 9, 2010, from

http://www.accentreductioncenter.com/info/faq.php#top

Alfred, M.V. (Ed.). (2002). Learning and sociocultural contexts. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-

Bass.

Birdsong, D. (Ed.). (1999). Critical period hypothesis [Review of the book Second language

acquisition and the critical period hypothesis]. TESL-EJ, 4(2), 14.

Brown, H.D. (2007). Principles of language learning and teaching. White Plains, NY: Pearson

Education.

Chaika, E. (2008). Language: The social mirror (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Heinle Cengage

Learning.

Fromkin, V., Rodman, R. & Hyams, N. (2007). An introduction to language (8th ed.).

Boston: Thomson Wadsworth.

Gray, P. (2007). Psychology (5th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

National Science Foundation. (n.d.). Dialects. Retrieved May 8, 2010, from

http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/linguistics/dialects.jsp

New York Times. (2007). Accents on the Wrong Syl-LA-ble. Retrieved May 9, 2010, from

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/05/business/05accent.html?

ex=1181880000&en=92f3fbcb0e49a564&ei=5070

Tsuyma National College of Technology. (n.d.). A concept of critical period for language

acquisition. Retrieved May 9, 2010, from http://www.tsuyama-

ct.ac.jp/kats/papers/kn7/kn7.htm

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Appendix A

Instructional Application 1 – Pronouncing Vowels

Proficiency Level: This activity is designed for adult (ages 18 and older) learners of English as a

second language seeking to improve their English pronunciation.

Texas Adult Education Standard – Speak So Others Can Understand for ESL: Pronunciation,

Beginning, Low Beginning & High Beginning, 4.1, 4.2 & 4.3, Produce basic sounds, words, and

phrases as modeled in an instructional setting with very limited control over rhythm, stress, and

intonation AND Produce rehearsed comprehensible oral language independently with limited

control of pronunciation, rhythm, stress, and intonation http://www-

tcall.tamu.edu/taesp/guide08/3speakesl.html

Instructional Goal: The goal of this activity is to learn how to correctly pronounce vowels.

Teacher Instructions: Teacher will demonstrate the correct pronunciation of vowels. Students

will mimic the teacher’s pronunciation for the 1st round. Students will break into in pairs or into

small groups for the 2nd round of pronunciation. The teacher will assess the students and offer

suggestions as needed. For brevity, practice examples are shown for only one vowel, rather than

all 21 vowel sounds that are listed.

Student Instructions: Full student instructions are found on Appendix A - Instructional

Application 1 – Student Worksheet on Pronouncing Vowels

Teacher Instructions for Assessment: 1) Can the student correctly pronounce each consonant(s)?

2) Can the student correctly pronounce each consonant within a word – first, middle and final

position? 3) Can the student correctly pronounce each consonant in a sentence?

Resources: Novey, D.W. (Director). (1991). Perfect English pronunciation: How to pronounce

vowels & consonants [DVD]. Glenview, IL: Ecco Communications.

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Appendix A

Instructional Application 1 – Student Worksheet on Pronouncing Vowels

Instructions – Part A: Observe and copy the instructor’s pronunciation. *Note to Dr. Miles:

practice examples are shown for only one vowel, rather than all 21 vowel sounds that are listed

Practice Pronouncing Vowels:

[ee as in eat] [i as in if] [ay as in late] [eh as in egg] [a as in cat]
[ah as in on] [aw as in all] [oh as in go] [oh as in row] [oo as in look]
[oo as in ooze] [uh as in pup] [er as in learn] [i as in eye] [ow as in cow]
[ear as in dear] [ar as in car] [oi as in toy] [yoo as in pew]
[or as in for] [oor as in sure] [air as in hair]

Practice Pronouncing Vowels in Individual words:

Pronunciation of e as in eat
a. First position – Eat, Each, East, Easy
b. Middle position – Feet, Sleep, Peep, Reap
c. Final position – He, She, Tea, Me
d. Sentence – “He and She loved to eat sweets and drink green tea.”

Instructions – Part B: Break into pairs or small groups and practice pronouncing the vowels and

the vowels within individual words independently.

Suggested Follow-up Activity: Record or have the students record themselves pronouncing the

vowels they have the most trouble with at the beginning of the class and have them revisit this

recording at the end of the class to see how they’ve improved.

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Appendix B

Instructional Application 2 – Pronouncing Consonants

Proficiency Level: This activity is designed for adult (ages 18 and older) learners of English as a

second language seeking to improve their English pronunciation.

Texas Adult Education Standard – Speak So Others Can Understand for ESL: Pronunciation,

Beginning, Low Beginning & High Beginning, 4.1, 4.2 & 4.3, Produce basic sounds, words, and

phrases as modeled in an instructional setting with very limited control over rhythm, stress, and

intonation AND Produce rehearsed comprehensible oral language independently with limited

control of pronunciation, rhythm, stress, and intonation http://www-

tcall.tamu.edu/taesp/guide08/3speakesl.html

Instructional Goal: The goal of this activity is to learn how to correctly pronounce consonants.

Teacher Instructions: Teacher will demonstrate the correct pronunciation of consonants. Students

will mimic the teacher’s pronunciation for the 1st round. Students will break into in pairs or into

small groups for the 2nd round of pronunciation. The teacher will observe the students and offer

suggestions as needed. For brevity, practice examples are shown for only one consonant, rather

than all 25 consonants that are listed.

Student Instructions: Full student instructions are found on Appendix B - Instructional

Application 2 – Student Worksheet on Pronouncing Consonants.

Teacher Instructions for Assessment: 1) Can the student correctly pronounce each consonant(s)?

2) Can the student correctly pronounce each consonant within a word – first, middle and final

position? 3) Can the student correctly pronounce each consonant in a sentence?

Resources: Novey, D.W. & Cowin, E.C. (Producers). (1991). Perfect English pronunciation:

How to pronounce consonants [DVD]. Glenview, IL: Ecco Communications.

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Appendix B

Instructional Application 2 – Student Worksheet on Pronouncing Consonants

Instructions – Part A: Observe and copy the instructor’s pronunciation. *Note to Dr. Miles:

practice examples are shown for only one consonant, rather than all 25 consonants that are listed.

Practice Pronouncing Consonants:

[p as in pass] [b as in boy] [t as in time] [d as in dog] [k as in ]
[g as in goat] [f as in feet] [v as in vat] [th as in think] [th as in these]
[s as in sat] [z as in zoo] [sh as in shell] [zh as in sage] [h as in house]
[wh as in where] [w as in we] [r as in run] [y as in young] [l as in lie]
[m as in meat] [n as in not] [ng as in sang] [ch as in chess] [j as in jet]

Practice Pronouncing Consonants in Individual words:

Pronunciation of p as in pass
a. First position - Pass, Past, Pull, Pay, Poster
b. Middle position – Paper, Depart, Copy, Report, Repair
c. Final position – Chop, Chirp, Prop, Drop, Soap
d. Sentence – “Please drop off the payment for the paper at the post office.”

Instructions – Part B: Break into pairs or small groups and practice pronouncing the consonants

and the consonants within individual words independently.

Suggested Follow-up Activity: Record or have the students record themselves pronouncing the

consonants they have the most trouble with at the beginning of the class and have them revisit

this recording at the end of the class to see how they’ve improved.

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Appendix C

Instructional Application 3 – Pronunciation and Vocabulary Expansion with Rhymes

Proficiency Level: This activity is designed for adult (ages 18 and older) learners of English as a

second language seeking to improve their English pronunciation.

Texas Adult Education Standard – Speak So Others Can Understand for ESL: Pronunciation,

Low Intermediate, 4.4, Produce spontaneous comprehensible oral language independently with

some control of pronunciation, rhythm, stress, and intonation, stress, and intonation http://www-

tcall.tamu.edu/taesp/guide08/3speakesl.html

Instructional Goal: The goal of this activity is to have students practice their pronunciation and

expand their vocabulary at the same time with rhyming words.

Teacher Instructions: Teacher will demonstrate the correct pronunciation of rhyming words.

Students will mimic the teacher’s pronunciation for the 1st round. Students will break into in

pairs or into small groups for the 2nd round of pronunciation. The teacher will assess the students

and offer suggestions as needed.

Student Instructions: Full student instructions are found on Appendix C - Instructional

Application 3 – Student Worksheet on Pronunciation and Vocabulary Expansion with Rhymes

Teacher Instructions for Assessment: 1) Can the student correctly pronounce the rhyming groups

of words given? 2) Can they correctly pronounce the word(s) in a sentence? 3) Can they define

the homophones (expanding vocabulary)?

Resources: Fergusson, R. (1985). The penguin rhyming dictionary. New York, NY: Penguin

Books. *Note to teacher: Have several copies of this book available for student group work.

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Appendix C

Instructional Application 3 – Student Worksheet on Pronunciation and Vocabulary

Expansion with Rhymes

Instructions – Part A: Observe and copy the instructor’s pronunciation.

-air (p. 6 in the Penguin Rhyming Dictionary)

Basic: air, heir, bare, bear, care, scare, chair, dare, fare, fair

More Complex: armchair, midair, unfair, horsehair, nightmare, software, solitaire, tableware

-ufe (p. 178 in the Penguin Rhyming Dictionary)

Basic: goof, hoof, spoof, roof, proof, woof

More Complex: aloof, fireproof, shockproof, waterproof, mothproof

-oom (p. 240 in the Penguin Rhyming Dictionary)

Basic: boom, doom, whom, loom, bloom, gloom, room, broom, groom, tomb

More Complex: heirloom, tearoom, assume, presume, resume, costume, elbowroom

Instructions – Part B: Break into pairs or small groups and practice pronouncing the rhyming

words provided in Part A. Look up groups of rhyming words in the Penguin Rhyming Dictionary

and practice them. Ask for help from the instructor as needed. Create a couple of sentences using

the words and practice aloud.

Suggested Follow-up Activity: Have the students select three of the rhyming word groups for at

home practice. Suggest they create a sentence from each group to speak aloud to the rest of the

class at the next meeting.

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Appendix D

Instructional Application 4 – Participate in a Pretend Telephone Conversation

Proficiency Level: This activity is designed for adult (ages 18 and older) learners of English as a

second language seeking to improve their English pronunciation.

Texas Adult Education Standard – Speak So Others Can Understand for ESL: Pronunciation,

High Intermediate, 4.5, Produce spontaneous comprehensible oral language independently with

increasing control of pronunciation, rhythm, stress, and intonation.http://www-

tcall.tamu.edu/taesp/guide08/3speakesl.html

Instructional Goal: The goal of this activity is to have students practice their pronunciation,

rhythm, stress and intonation by participating in a pretend telephone conversation with another

student.

Teacher Instructions: Divide students into pairs (or give them the opportunity to divide

themselves) and give them a list of topics or have them suggest topics they are interested in.

Have the pair pick a topic and conduct a 2-minute pretend telephone conversation in front of the

classroom.

Student Instructions: Full student instructions are found on Appendix D - Instructional

Application 4 – Student Worksheet on Participating in a Pretend Telephone Conversation

Teacher Instructions for Assessment: 1) How are the students’ pronunciation, rhythm, stress and

intonation? 2) Does the conversation sound natural? 3) What (if anything) do they seem to have

trouble with? 4) Did they talk for a full 2 minutes?

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Appendix D

Instructional Application 4 – Student Worksheet on Participating in a

Pretend Telephone Conversation

Instructions – Part A: Pick a partner or have the instructor pick one for you. Choose a topic from

the list below or ask the instructor if you can use one of your own. Create an (approximately) 2

minute long present telephone conversation to have in front of the class. Pick something you’d

like to talk about. You will not be allowed to read from your notes.

Vacation Weather Work Family

Food Love Life Home/Apartment Pets

Current Event American Culture

Instructions – Part B: Perform your 2-minute pretend telephone conversation in front of the class.

Suggested Follow-up Activity: Have the students critique each other’s conversation.

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Appendix E

Instructional Application 5 – Student Worksheet on Creating

and Performing a TV Commercial

Proficiency Level: This activity is designed for adult (ages 18 and older) learners of English as a

second language seeking to improve their English pronunciation.

Texas Adult Education Standard – Speak So Others Can Understand for ESL: Pronunciation,

Advanced, 4.6, Produce spontaneous comprehensible oral language independently with

appropriate control of pronunciation, rhythm, stress, and intonation.http://www-

tcall.tamu.edu/taesp/guide08/3speakesl.html

Instructional Goal: The goal of this activity is to have students demonstrate appropriate control

of their pronunciation, rhythm, stress, and intonation by performing a TV Commercial in front of

the class.

Teacher Instructions: Have the student select an American product (soap, food item, clothing

brand, etc.) to create and perform a 1-minute TV Commercial of in front of the class. This could

be a culminating project at the end of the course. The student should bring the product or at least

a picture of it, the focus however, will be on the audio presentation.

Student Instructions: Full student instructions are found on Appendix E - Instructional

Application 5 – Student Worksheet on Creating and Performing a TV Commercial

Teacher Instructions for Assessment: Rate the student as 3 – Excellent, 2 – Good or 1 – needs

improvement on pronunciation, melody, clarity, loudness and completeness of description.

Resources: Adapted from a presentation I witnessed in the classroom of Professor Leslie Neal of

Brookhaven College in the Dallas County Community College District.

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 Standard 7 – Instructional Planning Skills Artifact 2 Joely
Rogers
Appendix E

Instructional Application 5 – Student Worksheet on Creating

and Performing a TV Commercial

Instructions – Part A: Pick an American product such as soap, food items, clothing brands to

create an (approximately) 1 minute long TV commercial of and present in front of the class. You

should bring the product itself or a picture of it. Be sure to describe the benefits of the product,

how much it costs, and where to buy. If you need help getting starting ask the teacher. You will

be assessed on your pronunciation, melody (appropriate ups and downs of your voice), clarity

(how clear your words are), loudness and completeness of description.

Instructions – Part B: Perform your 1-minute TV Commercial in front of the class.

Suggested Follow-up Activity: Have the students critique each other’s TV Commercials.

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