Introduce Yourself to the Class
1. Presentations (Offline)
Introduce yourself to the class. Tell us where you are from, what you like to do for fun, your educational background or work experience, and why you are studying English. I always like to wait until the second week to make our formal introductions to ensure that everyone has joined our class and so that you feel comfortable in making your presentation with your new classmates.
A. Listen to your classmates in class and ask appropriate questions.
B. Reminder: Listen to all the students' responses on Voxopop and reply to at least one of their comments. This means that you will reply by recording another session on the Introduction discussion on Voxopop.
TEST on Week 1
2. Audio Test on the Sounds of Speech Reduction
Version 1
Version 2
Version 3
Listen to the audio test and mark your answers on the written test your teacher will provide in class. There are three versions of the test. Select the audio version that matches the number on your test. Please do not talk during class. When you are finished, bring your test to the teacher. You will have 20 minutes to complete the test. You will also have some extra credit questions on the test; these are not mandatory.
Independent Practice Activities
3. Improve Your Listening Skills
Explore the various listening sites on the Listening Tools page. These Web site have been pre-selected by professional teachers of ESL in one of my certification courses as the best. Select your favorite one. Be prepared to tell me which one you liked and why. Take notes and provide a few examples.
Reminder: Did you become a member of this wiki? If not, do so immediately. Make sure you log in each time you visit this site.
Learn the Three Pronunciations for -s and -es
4. Discrete Listening Activities: The letter -s and -es can sound three different ways: /s/, /z/ or /iz/
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In American English, the sound of "s" depends on which sound comes before it.
1. If the noun ends in an unvoiced consonant sound: /f/, /k/, /p/, /t/, /th/-(thin), pronounce "s" as /s/.
2. When it ends in a voiced consonant sound, /b/, /d/, /g/, /l/, /m/, /n/, /ng/, /r/ /th/ (as in the) or with a vowel sound, /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/, pronounce "s" as /z/.
3. If it ends with /s/, /z/, /sh/, /ch/-chair, /zh/-the second "g" in garage, /dz/-(j), pronounce "s" or "-es" as /iz/.
In other words, if the noun ends with a sound other than the 5 unvoiced consonants, pronounce "s" with a /z/ (or with an /iz/ as the case may be).
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A. Learn the difference between voiced and unvoiced sounds. Visit Wikipedia for a definition.
B. Learn the three different sounds -s. Practice placing the words in a three-columned chart.
/s/
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/z/
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/iz/
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After unvoiced letters
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After voiced letters
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/s/, /z/, /sh/, /ch/, /zh/
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| talks |
cars |
wishes |
students
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candies
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teaches
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books
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planes
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dishes
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desks
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teachers
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faces
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pockets
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computers
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watches
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rings
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guesses
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Listen to the teacher pronounce the words in the list above.
Homework: Place the words in the list in the appropriate category. Bring it to class to check your answer. You may work in teams.
Listen
5. Guest Speaker: Ana Burgamy, Coordinator, Office of International Education
Listen to a non-native English speaker who has worked at the University of South Alabama for many years. Ask her relevant questions to the topics she proposes. You may also ask her questions from the list that I provided you last week.
Homework: 1) Listen to the Week 2 vocabulary on the Glossary page. Listen several times. Practice saying the words.
2) Review for the test: sounds of the plural -s and vocabulary from week 2.
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