Practice Stress and Intonation for English Students

It is often surprising at how focusing on the stress - timed quality of English helps students improve their pronunciation skills. Students often focus on pronouncing each word correctly and therefore tend to pronounce in an unnatural manner. By focusing on the stress - timed factor in English - the fact that only content words such as proper nouns, principle verbs, adjectives, and adverbs receive the stress - students soon begin sounding much more authentic as the cadence of the language begins to ring true. The following lesson focuses on raising awareness of this issue and includes practice exercises. Aim: Improving pronunciation by focusing on the stress - time nature of spoken English Activity: Awareness raising followed by practical application exercises Level: Pre - intermediate to upper intermediate depending on student needs and awareness Lesson Outline Begin awareness raising activities by reading an example sentence aloud to the students (for example: The boys didnt have time to finish their homework before the lesson began). Read the sentence the first time pronouncing each word carefully. Read the sentence a second time in natural speech.Ask students which reading seemed more natural and why it seemed more natural.Using the ideas students come up with, explain the idea of English being a stress - timed language. If the students speak a syllabic language (such as Italian or Spanish), point out the difference between their own native language and English (theirs being syllabic, English stress - timed). Just this awareness raising can make a dramatic difference in such students abilities.Talk about the differences between stressed words and non-stressed words (i.e. principle verbs are stressed, auxiliary verbs are not).Write the following two sentences on the board:The beautiful Mountain appeared transfixed in the distance.He can c ome on Sundays as long as he doesnt have to do any homework in the evening.Underline the stressed words in both sentences. Ask students to try reading aloud. Point out how each sentence seems to be approximately the same length in stress - time.Ask students to look through the example sentences and underline the words that should be stressed in the worksheet.Circulate about the room asking students to read the sentences aloud once they have decided which words should receive stresses.Review activity as a class - ask students to first read any given sentence with each word pronounced followed by the stress - timed version. Expect a surprise at the quick improvement students make in pronunciation (I am every time I do this exercise)!! Another approach can help students improve their stress and intonation skills is sound scripting. Sound scripting has students highlight content words using a word processor. You can take it one step further with this lesson  helping students learn how to choose the focus word to improve pronunciation. This quiz  on Content or Function Words can be used to help students test their knowledge of which words are function or content words. Pronunciation Help - Sentence Stress Take a look at the following list of stressed and non-stressed word types. Basically, stress words are considered CONTENT WORDS such as Nouns e.g. kitchen, Peter(most) principle verbs e.g. visit, constructAdjectives e.g. beautiful, interestingAdverbs e.g. often, carefully Non-stressed words are considered FUNCTION WORDS such as Determiners e.g. the, a, some, a fewAuxiliary verbs e.g. dont, am, can, werePrepositions e.g. before, next to, oppositeConjunctions e.g. but, while, asPronouns e.g. they, she, us Mark the stressed words in the following sentences. After you have found the stressed words, practice reading the sentences aloud. John is coming over tonight. We are going to work on our homework together.Ecstasy is an extremely dangerous drug.We should have visited some more castles while we were traveling through the back roads of France.Jack bought a new car last Friday.They are looking forward to your visiting them next January.Exciting discoveries lie in Toms future.Would you like to come over and play a game of chess?They have been having to work hard these last few months on their challenging experiment.Shakespeare wrote passionate, moving poetry.As you might have expected, he has just thought of a new approach to the problem.

Group Essays Develop 21st Century Skills

Teachers in any discipline should consider assigning a collaborative writing assignment, such as a group essay or paper. Here are three practical reasons to plan to use a collaborative writing assignment with students in grades 7-12.   Reason #1:  In preparing students to be college and career ready, it is important to provide exposure to a collaborative process.  The skill of collaboration and communication is one of the 21st Century Skills embedded in academic content standards.  Real world writing is often completed in the form of group writing—an undergraduate college group project, a report for a business, or a newsletter for a non-profit institution. Collaborative writing can result in more ideas or solutions for completing a task. Reason # 2: Collaborative writing results in fewer products for a teacher to assess. If there are 30 students in a class, and the teacher organizes collaborative writing groups of three students each, the end product will be 10 papers or projects to grade as opposed to 30 papers or projects to grade.   Reason #3: Research supports collaborative writing.  According to Vygostsky’s theory of ZPD (zone of proximal development),  when students work with others, there is an opportunity for all learners to work at a level slightly above their usual capacity, as co-operating with others who know a little more can boost achievement. The Collaborative Writing Process The most obvious difference between an individual writing assignment and a collaborative or group writing assignment is in the assigning of responsibilities:  who will write what? According to  P21s  Framework for 21st Century Learning, students engaging in collaborative writing are also  practicing  the  21st Century skills of  communicating clearly  if they are given the opportunity to: Articulate thoughts and ideas effectively using oral, written and nonverbal communication skills in a variety of forms and contextsListen effectively to decipher meaning, including knowledge, values, attitudes and intentionsUse communication for a range of purposes (e.g. to inform, instruct, motivate and persuade)Utilize multiple  media and technologies, and know how to judge their effectiveness a priori as well as assess their impactCommunicate effectively in diverse environments (including multi-lingual) The following outline will help teachers and then students address the logistics of running a collaborative assignment in which all members of the group have defined  responsibilities.  This outline can be adapted to be used in groups of various sizes (two to five writers) or to any content area. The Writing Process Any collaborative writing process must be taught to students and practiced several times a year with the goal for students to manage the group writing process themselves.   As in any writing assignment, individual or group, a teacher must clearly articulate the  purpose of the assignment  (to inform, to explain, to persuade...)  The purpose of writing will also mean identifying the target audience. Providing students a rubric for collaborative writing in advance will better help them understand the expectations for the task. Once purpose and audience have been established, then designing and implementing a collaborative writing paper or essay is not very different than following the five steps of the  writing process: PrewritingDraftingRevisionEditingPublishing Pre-writing process Students in the group review the  assignment and the requirements for the final product or paper;Students in the group  brainstorm and share ideas;Students in the group  formulate a draft or working thesis:This is a first attempt at developing a position or assertion;Because the  early stages of the writing process are where the groups writers are guided by questions they have (inquiry based learning), the working thesis is not the final thesis statement. Planning and Logistics Students in the group  decide together who will write which parts of the paper.  This will require that students collaborate, rather than merely cooperate. Here is the difference:When collaborating, students work together on a single shared goal;When cooperating, students perform together while working on selfish yet common goals.Students in the group  document the collaboration plan based on  the assignment requirements  (Ex: book review, pro/con persuasive paper) and agree upon the plan;Students in the group  determine a timeline that outlines deadlines for both individual and group responsibilities;Students in the group  determine when work can be done synchronously (in class/in person) or asynchronously (online). With the use of online writing platforms such as Google Docs, these group  determinations will help the group share updates and information more effectively. Management of Research Students in the group  draft how the assignment will be managed  (Ex: sections, chapters, paragraphs, appendices);Students in the group  determine how and where they will find trustworthy and timely source materials (books, articles, newspaper articles, videos, podcasts, websites, interviews or self-created surveys for research on topic);Students in the group  determine who will read and process the information;Pro/con evidence should be balanced;Evidence must be cited;Citations must be cataloged;Students in the group  analyze the evidence as to how well it supports position;Students in the group  determine the best way to include additional evidence (EX: pictures, graphs, tables, and charts.) Drafting and Writing Individual students keep in mind how the material and individual writing will fit into the paper or product.Students writing together synchronously  (in class/in person) or  asynchronously  (online):Writing as a group is  time-consuming; these opportunities should be left to making sure the document is organized to give the reader the impression of one cohesive voice.Student in the group should make sure that the paper or products content is clear and the writing communicates a single (or in the case of pro/con, a whole) message to the target audience before discussing stylistic changes. Revising, Editing, and Proofreading Students in the group review drafted parts of the document before merging into a single document;Students in the group  look for a logical flow of ideas. (Note:  Teaching students to use  transitions is critical to smoothing over individual drafts);Students in the group  revise content and structure of the paper;Students in the group  proofread paper and check for typos, spelling errors, punctuation problems, formatting issues, and grammatical mistakes. (Note: Reading the paper aloud  is an excellent strategy for editing). Additional Research on Collaborative Writing Regardless as to the size of the group or the content area classroom, students will manage their writing by following an organizational pattern. This finding is based on the  results of a  study  (1990) conducted by Lisa Ede and Andrea Lunsford that resulted in a book  Singular Texts /Plural Authors: Perspectives on Collaborative Writing,  According to their work, there are  seven noted organizational patterns for collaborative writing.  These seven patterns are: the team plans and outlines the task, then each writer prepares his/her part and the group compiles the individual parts, and revises the whole document as needed;the team plans and outlines the writing task, then one member prepares a draft, the team edits and revises the draft;one member of the team plans and writes a draft, the group revises the draft;one person plans and writes the draft, then one or more members revises the draft without consulting the original authors;the group plans and writes the draft, one or more members revise the draft without consulting the original authors;one person assigns the tasks, each member completes the individual task, one person compiles and revises the document;one dictates, another transcribes and edits. Tackling the Downsides to Collaborative Writing In order to  maximize the effectiveness of a collaborative writing assignment, all students in each group must be active participants. Therefore: Instructors need to monitor the progress of each group, provide feedback and assist when necessary.  Initially, this form of monitoring may be more time-consuming than traditional teaching formats, but a teacher can meet with groups more effectively over time than individual students. While the front-loading the collaborative writing assignment takes time, the number of final products is substantially reduced so the grading time is also reduced.A collaborative writing project must be designed in a way so that the final assessment is considered valid, fair and accurate. The final assessment must consider the knowledge and performance of all group members.  Grading complexities can make group assignments difficult for instructors. (See group grading article)Students may sometimes struggle with making decisions in a group setting.There can be  additional stress on students  because of multiple opinions and writing styles. These must be incorporated into one final product that pl eases everyone.   Conclusion Preparing students for real-world collaborative experiences is an important goal, and the collaborative writing process can better help teachers meet that goal. The research supports a collaborative approach. Even though the collaborative writing approach may require more time in the set-up and monitoring, the fewer number of papers for teachers to grade is an extra bonus.

Essay on The Victorian Society in The Picture Of Dorian Gray

The Victorian Society in The Picture Of Dorian Gray Works Cited Missing The Victorian age was the time when the British Empire was at its strongest and greatest. People of Britain felt better and more special then other people from different countries. The nature of England had begun to change, the farming industry began to deteriorate and England started to become a manufacturing industry. It was the time of contrast especially where the rich were extremely rich and the poor were extremely poor. Aristocracy was everything and it was what everyone wanted to be even though the†¦show more content†¦In the upper class world the weather is always pleasant but when Wilde is describing the life in the lower class it is always dark and cold and foggy. The slimy pavement looked like a wet mackintosh The opium den is described with unpleasant seedy adjectives and it makes you feel like it is a horrible place to live. Greasy reflectors à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦stained with dark rings of spilt liquor. This makes you feel like it is a ghastly place to live in but is the squalor that the majority of England lived in. In contrast to this horrible and hideous mage that Wilde portrays to us about the lower classes of Victorian society, we also see what it is like in the upper class where Dorian Gray lives. The aristocrats in Victorian society lead very indolent lives where they frown upon any means of work. As they therefore spend a lot of time doing nothing, they amuse themselves with scandal and gossip amongst their friends. This is why scandal is very important and not frowned upon in the upper class, as they love to know anyone involved in crime and they regard it mainly as exciting. I should like to know someone who had committed a real murder. (Lord Henry.) The aristocrats of the Victorian age have a very relaxed and sedentary life style. They do not do much except for going out to dinner and socialising. 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Since externalRead MoreTheme Of Sexual Dissonance In The Picture Of Dorian Gray1641 Words   |  7 PagesA Picture of Sexual Fluidity Oscar Wilde was a figurehead for a larger cause in the late nineteenth century. His reality crumbled under the cognitive dissonance of the high-class aristocrats and their struggle to find any reason to overthrow those who are cognizant enough to see and react to said dissonance. What are best known as the Wilde trials, consisted of using completely fictional literature as evidence to real events. Wilde’s novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray was a tool used to undermineRead MoreOscar Wide s The Picture Of Dorian Gray914 Words   |  4 PagesOscar Wide’s The Picture of Dorian Gray illustrates Basil Hallward’s portrait as a primary catalyst for the fluctuating personality of Dorian Gray. As Dorian gazes at the portrait of himself, he is upset that even though he will continue to age and wrinkle, the portrait will always remain young, beautiful and unaltered. 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Ganhi, King, and Mandela What Made Non-Violence Work free essay sample

Magellan was a Portuguese explorer who started his voyage in Spain and was the first explorer to circumnavigate, meaning to travel all the around the world. He was killed on April 27, 1521 by the natives on the island of Cebu in the Philippines while many of his own men stayed on the boat despite knowing their captain was in trouble. The question being asked was whether or not this captain was worth defending. This question could be answered either way but in this essay we are going to argue that Magellan was not worth defending. Ferdinand Magellan was not worth defending because he was unorganized, he forced and threatened natives in the Philippines to convert to his religion of Catholicism and lastly, he was bossy and could care less about the crewmembers needs. Magellan wasn’t organized as a leader because during their voyage after they had crossed the Atlantic Ocean and had sailed down the coast of what we now call the countries of Brazil and Argentina, he noticed that the supplies might not last them the rest of their trip. We will write a custom essay sample on Ganhi, King, and Mandela: What Made Non-Violence Work? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Because of this Magellan put each crewmember on a limited about of food that they could have each day. Many of the men grew ill, were very unhappy with this decision and wanted to return home, but Magellan refused to listen to any of their needs. This shows that Magellan was not a very organized leader because he didn’t bring enough food and supplies that could last for each and every crewmember during their many long years on sea. A mutiny was also organized against Magellan, and in self-defense he killed everyone who was against him including leaders and captains on the other ships. This shows he was not organized because if he was, his own men would not have gone against him and tried to kill him. The decision that Magellan made that changed his life was also a very important reason that could support the argument that he was not worth defending. Magellan was killed in the Philippines after he forced all the natives to convert to Catholicism. Those who didn’t were threatened just like the village on Mactan that he burned down after they did not convert. If Magellan did not make that horrible decision he could have been with his remaining men as they completed the voyage. This decision he made shows he was probably not a very good leader, it also supports the reason he was norganized. Magellan should have made a better decision, which was to leave the natives alone in their home and try to accomplish his goal, which was to reach the Spice Islands. The fact that when the natives went up against Magellan and his men stayed in the ship knowing he was in danger shows his men disliked him and that he may of done other horrible things to them that we are not aware of. The last explanation that can support the argument on whether or not Magellan was worth defending was that he was very bossy, and careless of his men’s need. The men on board played a very important role and greatly helped him become the first leader to circumnavigate. Without the men, this might have not been possible. In the documents there is no evidence that shows he was ever thankful for them. We are also not given much information on the men who liked him and thought of him as a great leader. The documents just explain to us how he was bossy and didn’t care about them. In Document D we are told how many of the men got very sick and their gums swelled up causing them to be unable to eat. In these documents we are not told Magellan was ever starving or sick, that gives evidence that makes us predict he was selfish and kept the good food for himself and tried to keep only himself as healthy as possible. In conclusion, Ferdinand Magellan was once again, not worth defending. He was unorganized, made horrible decisions and was a very inconsiderate and selfish leader. The reasons explained above give evidence that can answer the question of whether or not Magellan worth defending.