I've been working on this project related to pronunciation and vocabulary learning for some time now. I work in Brazil, so all of my students are Portuguese speakers. Written Portuguese (at least in my view) is quite consistent in spelling. Since English is not, it is sometimes difficult for my students to imagine how to pronounce the English words correctly since a variety of spellings can produce the same sound.
The idea is pretty simple. It involves a chart with the IPA symbols for the Standard American vowels into which I and my students put all of the words we are learning for that particular unit. This chart is an example. I only recently learned how to make this type of recording but I've been using the chart idea for over a year. It seems to appeal especially to my students who need something "concrete" that they can hold on to. The chart is organized according to the vowel sound of the syllable which receives the primary stress. It makes the vowel sound of the stressed syllable for each word "visible." I underline the letters which produce the vowel sound which corresponds with the IPA symbol represented by that particular box. We repeat the words in each box focusing on making the target sound the same for each word in that box. I ask the students to work in pairs toward the goal of helping and correcting each other at least once a week.
I've noticed that my students who are not good at hearing the sounds necessary for English and then reproducing these sounds find this type of exercise extremely helpful. These students who often don't feel comfortable speaking are able to build confidence by drilling at home with the charts. The feedback I've received has been especially positive from these students.
I intend to share more about this idea. I have produced a chart for each unit of the Interchange series as well as some levels for the American English File series. Let me know what you think. All feedback is appreciated.
You can see an example of the chart and hear the recording at this link. http://screencast.com/t/5LfNUhCChMj
Chris, that's a great project. That's when repetition can be turned out into something meaningful. What's more, your students will always be able to use this space for future reference and to reactivate their memory about certain confusing sounds in English.
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