Natural Speech - Working on Suprasegmental Features

Well, I finally got around to doing this lesson with my grade 8 advanced class (been very busy with school drama performances).

Just to summarize, the objective for this class was to get the learners to focus on:

• linking
• word stress
• rhythm
• intonation

I decided to use the Annoying Orange series of videos to highlight such aspects of the language. See the video below. I also extend my sincerest thanks to Gagfilms and daneboe.



In preparation for watching the video, as a class we discussed the focal points of the lesson and I got the learners to tell me why they thought such features were important. They commented:

• "My English doesn't sound natural... If I link words I can sound better."
• "Can help me sound more like foreigner"
• "Can help other people understand me better"

I'd like to note here that it was NOT a goal of this lesson to get the learners to sound more native-like (although a few learners do have that goal) - only to get the learners to focus on certain language features that can help them become more intelligible. In addition, furthering their knowledge of such features will better enable them to access authentic content.

The next step in the lesson was to watch the actual video for the first time. After watching I asked them some general comprehension questions to ensure they understood the content.

Next I provided groups with the the dialogue from the video. This dialogue had been cut up into chunks. Learners were put into groups of 3.

Order the Dialogue

We then listened for a 2nd time and the students were required to put the conversation into the correct order as well as complete some simple cloze based on contractions. Most groups managed this quite easily. Having them focus on contractions with the cloze was a useful way of highlighting how linking works in speech.

Next, I had the learners select 5 sentences or sections of speech that they believed they would have difficulty saying. I had them think about how such utterances would be naturally pronounced.

We then listened for a third time and learners checked the pronunciation and focul features of the highlighted text. They also made an attempt at writing how the speech sounded (e.g. How'v ya ben? = How have you been?)

Finally, in their groups, 2 learners assumed a role and performed the conversation to the best of their ability. It was the 3rd learner's job to act as a checker of the highlighted features.

To sum up, I had the learners complete a simple feedback sheet on the task.

Feedback Sheet

A vast majority of learners stated they enjoyed the activity, despite the fact that many learners indicated that listening for such features was difficult for them. Nearly all learners indicated that it was important for them to improve their pronunciation.

Some comments on the activity included:

• "It was fun! I love it!"
• "It is fun, but really hard for me."
• "When I'm hearing the real talking from foreigners, it wasn't easy for me. They sometimes talk really fast."
• "This activity not only improves my English but makes me happy."

To finish, I think this activity successfully combined two important factors for successful language learning - Interest and Motivation.

The idea of using Annoying Orange came directly from the students - I'd heard them talking a lot about it recently.

In addition, I was aware that several of them had pronunciation improvement as a major goal.

Youtube is a great resource for finding interesting subject 'authentic' subject matter and if used judiciously can really provide a fun and meaningful activity. In addition, it is imperative that we, as language teachers, are aware of our learners' inherent motivations for language learning so we are able to meet their needs.

Cheers!