Teaching Pronunciation for the TEOFL iBT

1. Teaching Pronunciation
for the TOEFL iBT
Tamara Jones
SHAPE Language Center, Belgium
jonestamara@hotmail.com

2. Speaking Tasks
• 2 independent tasks about familiar topics
– Responses based on personal experience
– 15 seconds to prepare
– 45 seconds to speak

3. Speaking Tasks
• 4 integrated tasks
– 2 Reading / Listening /
Speaking
– 2 Listening / Speaking
– Responses based on what
was read and heard
– Academic and campus-based
material

4. Speaking Scoring
Delivery
– Fluency
– Pronunciation
Topic Development
– Connections
– Details
– Accuracy
– Completeness
Language Use
– Grammar
– Vocabulary

5. Independent Response Rubric
4 •Generally well-paced flow
•Speech is clear
•Minor difficulties do not affect overall intelligibility
3 •Speech is generally clear
•May include minor difficulties
•May require listener effort, but overall intelligibility is not affected
2 •Speech is basically intelligible
•Listener effort is needed
•Meaning may be obscured in places
1 •Consistent pronunciation difficulties cause considerable listener effort
•Delivery is choppy, fragmented or telegraphic
•Frequent pauses and hesitations

6. Integrated Response Rubric
•Speech is generally clear, fluid and sustained
4 •Minor difficulties
•Pace may vary as the speaker attempted to recall information
•Overall intelligibility remains high
3 •Speech is generally clear with some fluidity of expression
•Exhibits minor difficulties
•May require listener effort, but overall intelligibility remains good
•Speech is clear at times
2 •Significant Listener effort may be needed
•Speech may not be sustained consistently throughout
•Meaning may be obscured in places, but not throughout
1 •Consistent pronunciation difficulties cause considerable listener effort
•Delivery is choppy, fragmented or telegraphic
•Frequent pauses and hesitations

7. Pronunciation Triage
• Word Stress
• Sentence Stress
• Intonation
• Thought Groups
• Linking
• Consonants
• Vowels

8. Sample Lesson Plan
• Brief PPT Lesson
– Explanation of importance
– Explicit instruction
– Choral repetition
• Practice
– Communicative activity
– Recording / Transcription

9. Word Stress

10. Explicit Instruction
• “The Sell” – increased intelligibility
• Tapping out syllables with pencil
• Rubber bands
• Choral repetition

11. Practice
• Recordings
• Scattergories

12. Sentence Stress

13. Explicit Instruction
• “The Sell” – the key to fluency
• A great visual
• Breathing Exercises
• Clapping

14. Clapping
I want to go on the boat.
want go boat
The boy can run and jump.
boy run jump

15. Explicit Instruction
• Choral repetition
– Rubber bands
– Moving the sounds
– Markers

16. Practice
• Mark the Stress
• Dominos
• Songs

17. Intonation

18. Explicit Instruction
• “The Sell” – listener friendly pronunciation
• Awareness raising
• Choral repetition
– Conducting
– Kazoos

19. Practice
• Mark the intonation
• Mirroring project

20. Thought Groups

21. Explicit Instruction
• “The Sell” – MUCH easier for listener to
understand
• This one time, at band camp …
• Student generated sentences
• Choral repetition
– Slashing

22. Practice
• Mark the thought groups
• Dictations
• Slashing texts

23. Let’s Practice!
Finally according to the speaker each
time you prepare the solution you
should take into account the
temperature of the liquids.
Don’t mix these two liquids together
unless they have the same
temperature room temperature.

24. Let’s Practice!
Finally / according to the speaker each
time you prepare the solution you
should take into account the
temperature of the liquids.
Don’t mix these two liquids together
unless they have the same
temperature room temperature.

25. Let’s Practice!
Finally / according to the speaker /
each time you prepare the solution
you should take into account the
temperature of the liquids.
Don’t mix these two liquids together
unless they have the same
temperature room temperature.

26. Let’s Practice!
Finally / according to the speaker /
each time you prepare the solution /
you should take into account the
temperature of the liquids.
Don’t mix these two liquids together
unless they have the same
temperature room temperature.

27. Linking & Blending

28. Explicit Instruction
• “The Sell” – fluency & flow
• Show the change
• Choral repetition & movements

29. Practice
• Knock knock jokes
– Knock knock.
– Who’s there?
– Cantaloupe.
– Can’t elope with you,
I’m already married.
• Songs ʤ w
– Would you know my name if I saw you in heaven?
• Dictations

30. Consonant & Vowel Sounds

31. Explicit Instruction
• “The Sell” – No need
• One BIG PPT
• Tricks for tricky sounds

32. Practice
• Board Games
• Scattergories
• Vowel Poetry

33. Some Great Supplements
• Avery, P. and Erlich, S. (1997) Teaching American English
Pronunciation, Oxford University Press
• Beisbier, B. (1994) Sounds Great, Thompson and Heinle
• Gilbert, J. (2001) Clear Speech, Cambridge University Press
• Grant, L. (2001) Well Said, Heinle and Heinle
• Hancock, A. (1995) Pronunciation Games, Cambridge University
Press
• Meyers, C. & Holt, S. (2001) Pronunciation for Success, Aspen
Productions
• Miller, S. (2005) Targeting Pronunciation, Houghton Mifflin Co
• Noll, M. (2007) American Accent Skills, Ameritalk Press

34. Our goal is to develop listener-
friendly pronunciation.
Judy Gilbert

35. Thanks for your attention!
Tamara Jones
jonestamara@hotmail.com