Teaching vowel sounds to ELs can be tricky, since nuances are subtle. In order to help students improve their accuracy, we need a variety of multi-sensory strategies beyond “listen and repeat.” Today’s tips are sure to get everyone smiling!
Last time we discussed three “tests” for multi-sensory approaches to teaching consonants (If you haven’t read that post yet, read it first, here!). In this case, using little mirrors will be very helpful again, adding visual reinforcement. If you don’t have mirrors (or even if you do), another tactile/kinesthetic option is what I like to call the “Oh my gosh!” test, putting your hands to your face as if in great surprise, fingers on cheeks and cupping your jaw in your palms. From that position (and/or using mirrors), look for the following three contrasts:
- The Motion Test: Moving or still? – Diphthongs (e.g. /oy/ as in “boy” and /ay/ as in “my”) and some long vowels (which are actually diphthongs of sorts, e.g. the long “A” /ey/ as in “baby” and long “O” /ou/ as in “go”) are combinations of sounds, so your jaw and lips have to slide from the starting position to the ending position. You can see the movement in a mirror, and feel it in your hands. All short vowels (e.g. /e/ as in “egg”) and some long vowels (e.g. /u/ as in “boot,” /i/ as in “feet”) are simple sounds with no movement.
- The Lip Test: Smile or kiss? – When forming vowels, consider the degree of “roundedness” of your lips. Vowels like in “soup,” “cook,” and the “O” in “only” are very round, as if you were going to give someone a kiss. In contrast, other vowels make your lips smile, pulled wide and thin, like in “green” and “end.” Other vowels are more relaxed and neutral, as in the /a/ in “father,” or /uh/ in “cup.” It’s a gray-scale, though, not black and white, so contrasts help. This is very visible in the mirror, and you can feel the relative tension in your cheeks in the “Oh my gosh!” test for “smiling” vowels, or looseness thereof for “kissing” vowels.
- The Squeeze Test: Open or closed? – When the vowel sound leaves your mouth, does it have a wide open path, or does it have to squeeze through? Your jaw drops down and your mouth opens wide for low vowels such as /a/ in “hot” and /ae/ in “cat,” doesn’t it? But for higher vowels like the /i/ in “kid” and /u/ in “foot,” your jaw closes, giving the sound a very tiny opening to exit. This contrast, too, is a gray-scale; hands and mirrors alike help students perceive the differences.
A great resource to check for which vowels fall where for these three tests is the “Color Vowel Chart” (you can find it here: www.colorvowelchart.org): (1) Any sound with a double symbol has motion, but single symbols are still. (2) Vowels to the left are smiling; to the right are kissing. (3) Top vowels are closed; bottom vowels are open. Try it and see for yourself… literally!
Did you have a chance to try one of these? Is there another activity you like to use with your students? Take a minute and let us know! Stay tuned for tips on word stress next time…
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great post, thanks for sharing