7 Poems That Build Proficiency
Every so often I work poetry into my instruction. Since poems are meant to be read aloud, they lend themselves to listening and pronunciation practice. They can help students grow accustomed to reduced...
View ArticleEnglish Activities with an Autumn Theme
1. Autumn in New York as performed by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong will expose students to a good number of -ing sounds, including gleaming, shimmering, and inviting. (See lyrics.) The use of...
View ArticlePronouncing C and G: Tips and Tricks
One of my private students reminded me that the challenges of English pronunciation go beyond knowing how to say sounds. It’s also important to know when a particular sound is used. In other words, how...
View ArticleGoing the Distance: Intonation in long sentences
When I began to create my video series on intonation patterns, I knew it would take more than two lessons. I wanted to go well beyond basic rising and falling intonation. I find that students pick up...
View ArticleCelebrate Women’s History Month
We’re only at the halfway point in March, so with two weeks left to go it’s not too late to observe Women’s History Month if you haven’t already. Discuss an article, assign mini reports, or include any...
View ArticleTESOL 2018 Highlights: Online Tools for ELLs
Visiting the Electronic Village at the annual TESOL convention is a must for me. Even a single visit can result in the discovery of a few different resources. The title of one presentation this year...
View ArticleUsing LEA to Build a Bridge to Self-Expression
The Language Experience Approach intrigued me the first time I read about it. I’ve always liked the idea of using student-generated content as the basis of language practice. The LEA was developed to...
View ArticleComparing Apples to Oranges: Pronunciation Variations That Can Make You Go...
“Do you say day-tuh or dah-tuh?” “What’s the right way to say ‘orange’?” “Why did you skip the ‘i’ in ‘foliage’? Isn’t is foh-lee-ij? That’s what my dictionary says.” Have you heard any questions or...
View ArticleMoving with the Times: A Cool Movie Clip-Based App
I’ve been recommending YouGlish as a listening and pronunciation tool for quite some time. It’s wonderful to hear different speech models and consider the various contexts a word or phrase is used in....
View ArticleTESOL 2019 Highlights: The Playful Side of Poetry
Did you know it’s National Poetry Month? I feel fortunate that I was among the attendees at one of the last sessions of the TESOL 2019 convention because the topic was…yes, poetry! Quite a number of us...
View ArticleA Realistic Path Toward Accent Reduction
I’m not a big believer in accent elimination. A successful pronunciation lesson of mine doesn’t guarantee a 100% “native-like accent.” I support progress towards accent reduction. The end goal is...
View ArticleTop Tips for Accent Reduction
How can you help over two hundred learners with pronunciation in real time? This was the fun challenge I faced at my latest live stream. These public events are very large, and I can only invite a...
View Article4 Listening Tasks for Accurate Pronunciation
Recognizing sounds is an important step toward achieving more accurate pronunciation. My pronunciation lessons often have a good balance between listening and speaking. If students can’t hear sounds...
View Article7 Tips for Targeting Consonant Sounds
It took me long enough, but I finally decided to create an overview of the 24 consonant sounds in English. The YouTube lesson is just over 15 minutes, and I include some insights and additional...
View ArticlePronunciation and Parallel Structure
In my latest YouTube lesson, I present parallel structure as an advanced grammar topic, and I mention the value of parallel structure in both academic and professional writing. However, it would be...
View ArticleTransitioning from Pronunciation Drills to Meaningful Production
Both private students and students at live streams are eager to improve their pronunciation. Working one-on-one, I can tailor all the materials and exercises to that student. Group instruction can be...
View ArticlePronunciation Practice: Spinning the Web
A spider can spin a beautiful web without getting caught in it. This is not unlike how we can approach and carry out pronunciation practice. There’s a lot going on when we ask students to read aloud....
View ArticleLast-Minute Ideas for the Holidays
We’re all counting down the days until the New Year. If you’re like me, you have a least a week of lessons left to teach before 2022. Are you open to a few timely suggestions?Short StoriesIn the...
View ArticleAll Ears: Learning to Hear Differences between Front Vowels
A good number of private students want to work on pronunciation, but we only meet once a week. Obviously, leaps and bounds don’t occur in the space of 30 or 60 minutes. Instead, small steps toward...
View ArticleTuning In to Differences between Back Vowels
If you found the previous handout on front vowels helpful, I hope you’ll also be able to make use of this follow-up collection of drills for back vowels. These PDFs are meant for upper intermediate...
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