1. HOW TO TEACH SOME
SOUNDS IN ENGLISH?
Strategies to
teach
pronunciation

2. Sound: /θ/
1. The teacher tells students a very short story.
Kathy is a young woman who
was going to move a new
apartment. She needed some
help so she asked her
friends: Theo and Thelma.
The move goes well. And,
what happened at the
end???

3. 2. The teacher shows students what happened at
the end of the story in a sentence.
Kathy thanked both Theo and Thelma
for everything.
3. Students realize the sentences is a little bit
difficult to pronounce because there is a
strange sound for them.

4. 4. The teacher explains the sound: /θ/ = TH
5. In order to practice this sound, the teacher
show students three words:
LENGTH WIDTH DEPTH
6. Then, the teacher shows a lunchbox and
indicate:

5. 7. The teacher shows a city map. Students can see
streets, avenues, places, and people who are
there.
Hathaway
theather
Arthur
North Avenue
7
5 Smith
kathy bakery 6 T
4 T T H
3 T H H Dr.
R Thayer
H ia y
D Cy nth n wa
o rto
Theo Th
Thackery
park
South Avenue

6. 8. The teacher gives some examples to make the
exercise.
 Where does Kathy live?
She lives on North Avenue.
Who lives close to Kathy?
Theo.
9. The students work with the partner for a short
time.

7. 10. Finally, the teacher shows the sentence (the
end of the story which the teacher read in the
beginning of the class)
Kathy thanked both Theo and Thelma
for everything.
11.The students can read this sentence easily
because they were practicing the sound TH in
several contexts.

8. Sounds: /s/ - /ʃ /
1. The teacher shows these two pictures.
2. The teacher asks students:
What sound does the snake?
What sound does the snake?
Ssssssssssssssssss
Ssssssssssssssssss
What are Laurel and Hardy doing?
What are Laurel and Hardy doing?
They are saying: shhhhhh
They are saying: shhhhhh

9. 3. The teacher explains the sounds with some
examples.
4. Then, the teacher shows a flipchart with many
words in a box using the sounds: /s/ - / ʃ /.
SHE CLASH SEE SHELL SUIT SHOOT
SHIP SEA CLASS SIP SELL BLUSH
SEAT CRASH SHEET SHOP SOME SHIFT
SAND FISH SERIOUS STONE PUBLISH STEP
FLASH SYSTEM BRUSH SAY STUFF FRESH

10. 5. Two students go to the board. Each student has a
flyswatter.
6. One student of the class says one word of the
box. The students who are in front of the board put
his flyswatter on the word quickly and say the word
aloud. The student who put the flyswatter first wins
the game.

11. Sounds: /s/ - /z/
1. The teacher shows the following pictures.
2. The teacher asks students:
What sound does the snake?
Ssssssssssssssssss
What sound does the bee?
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

12. 3. The teacher explains what the difference between
these two sounds is. The teacher gives some
examples.
4. Then, the students make a circle to start a game.
5. The teacher explains the game: “The Blighted
phone”.

13. 6. The teacher has a piece of paper with many
words. The teacher tells a student one word (any
of them) in his ear.
Words:
seek, zeal, sack, zoom, sun, buzz, surf,
zap, soup, peace, hers , gas, bus, nurse,
juice, lose
7. Each student passes the word, (the student has
to pronounce well in order not to blight the phone),
and the last student tells the word aloud. (The
student who starts the game changes in order that
all students participate).