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In English, there are 44 speech sounds. Creating speech sounds is a more complex process than you might think! It requires the coordination of different muscles and structures. The lips, tongue, teeth and other parts of our mouth all play an important role. Where learners have difficulties creating certain sounds, their fluency, ability to be understood and confidence in speaking aloud can all be affected.
Tip or Idea: Rather than asking them to repeat a word ‘properly’ you can present the correct pronunciation back to them in a natural way e.g. ‘look a tat’... ‘oh yes, a cat’. You can also support self-esteem by repeating back the parts of speech that you have understood and encouraging them to continue the conversation.
Free resource to help you with this activity: Use this fun vocabulary game to practise basic vocabulary and pronunciation with your learners.
What is a cloze procedure?
Cloze procedures are tasks where learners fill in the blanks in a text from which entire words have been omitted. Learners decide on the most appropriate words to fill the gaps from a bank of provided words. The word 'cloze' (close) is derived from the word 'closure', whereby participants complete a not quite finished pattern or text by inserting or choosing words to give the text closure (Walter, 1974).
11 fantastic resources to promote elements of international mindedness...
Linguists including Derewianka (2001), Droga and Humphrey (2003), Knapp and Watkins (2005), and Gibbons (2009) suggest that scaffolding writing is critical in helping English as an additional language (EAL) learners become effective writers.