Mastering English Diphthongs Speech Work English Grammar JSS 3 First Term Lesson Notes Week 4

Subject: Speech Work – English Grammar

Class: JSS 3

Term: First Term

Week: 4

Age: 13 years

Topic: Contrast Consonants: /aƱ/, /ƏƱ/, /iƏ/, /eƏ/, and /ƱƏ/

Sub-topic: Pronunciation and Examples of Diphthongs

Duration: 40 minutes

Behavioural Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. Pronounce the diphthongs /aƱ/, /ƏƱ/, /iƏ/, /eƏ/, and /ƱƏ/ correctly.
2. Identify words that contain these diphthongs.
3. Differentiate between words with similar sounds but different diphthongs.
4. Use these diphthongs accurately in sentences.

Keywords

• Diphthongs
• /aƱ/
• /ƏƱ/
• /iƏ/
• /eƏ/
• /ƱƏ/

Set Induction

The teacher plays an audio recording of words with different diphthongs and asks students to listen and identify the differences in pronunciation. This will spark their curiosity about how these sounds are made.

Entry Behaviour

Students are familiar with basic vowel sounds in English but may not have studied diphthongs in detail.

Learning Resources and Materials

• Flashcards with words containing the diphthongs
• Audio recordings of proper pronunciation
• Board and marker

Building Background/Connection to Prior Knowledge

Students already know how to pronounce individual vowels. The teacher will build on this knowledge by introducing diphthongs, which are combinations of two vowel sounds.

Embedded Core Skills

• Phonetic awareness
• Pronunciation skills
• Listening skills

Instructional Materials

1. Flashcards with words containing the diphthongs
2. Audio recordings of correct pronunciations
3. Reference books (e.g., NOSEC, page 32)

Content

1. Pronouncing Diphthongs /aƱ/, /ƏƱ/, /iƏ/, /eƏ/, and /ƱƏ/

• /aƱ/: The sound is pronounced by starting with the vowel sound /a/ and moving towards the /Ʊ/ sound. It is common in words like:
  • Examples: how, cow, crowd, house, browse, blouse, stout, out, shout, mouth.
• /ƏƱ/: This diphthong is pronounced by starting with a schwa sound /Ə/ and moving towards the /Ʊ/ sound.
  • Examples: road, load, bold, rose, over, total, groan, old, clothe, close.
• /iƏ/: This diphthong combines the /i/ sound with the schwa sound /Ə/.
  • Examples: here, ear, beer, fear, dear, deer.
• /eƏ/: Pronounced by starting with the /e/ sound and moving towards the schwa sound /Ə/.
  • Examples: chair, air, fare, care, there, bare, pair.
• /ƱƏ/: This diphthong begins with the /Ʊ/ sound and moves towards the schwa sound /Ə/.
  • Examples: poor, pure, tour, sure, during, guava.

15 Fill-in-the-blank Questions

1. The diphthong /aƱ/ is found in the word ______.
   a) cow
   b) road
   c) pair
   d) sure
2. The word “road” contains the diphthong ______.
   a) /aƱ/
   b) /ƏƱ/
   c) /iƏ/
   d) /ƱƏ/
3. The word “ear” contains the diphthong ______.
   a) /aƱ/
   b) /ƏƱ/
   c) /iƏ/
   d) /ƱƏ/
4. The diphthong in “chair” is ______.
   a) /aƱ/
   b) /eƏ/
   c) /iƏ/
   d) /ƱƏ/
5. “Tour” contains the diphthong ______.
   a) /aƱ/
   b) /ƱƏ/
   c) /ƏƱ/
   d) /eƏ/
6. The sound /eƏ/ is found in the word ______.
   a) here
   b) cow
   c) air
   d) load
7. The diphthong /iƏ/ is used in ______.
   a) dear
   b) road
   c) poor
   d) blouse
8. “Over” contains the diphthong ______.
   a) /ƏƱ/
   b) /iƏ/
   c) /eƏ/
   d) /ƱƏ/
9. The diphthong /ƱƏ/ is heard in ______.
   a) pure
   b) road
   c) pair
   d) shout
10. “Blouse” contains the diphthong ______.
    a) /aƱ/
    b) /ƱƏ/
    c) /eƏ/
    d) /ƏƱ/
11. The sound /ƏƱ/ is in the word ______.
    a) load
    b) dear
    c) chair
    d) cow
12. The word “pair” contains the diphthong ______.
    a) /eƏ/
    b) /iƏ/
    c) /ƱƏ/
    d) /ƏƱ/
13. The sound /iƏ/ is used in the word ______.
    a) beer
    b) bold
    c) chair
    d) poor
14. “Shout” contains the diphthong ______.
    a) /aƱ/
    b) /ƱƏ/
    c) /eƏ/
    d) /iƏ/
15. The diphthong /eƏ/ is found in ______.
    a) there
    b) how
    c) old
    d) poor

15 FAQs with Answers

1. Q: What is a diphthong?
   A: A diphthong is a sound made by combining two vowel sounds in one syllable.
2. Q: How do you pronounce /aƱ/?
   A: Start with the sound /a/ and glide to the /Ʊ/ sound.
3. Q: Which diphthong is used in the word “how”?
   A: /aƱ/.
4. Q: What is the sound /ƏƱ/?
   A: It is a diphthong that starts with the schwa /Ə/ and glides to /Ʊ/.
5. Q: Which word contains the diphthong /iƏ/?
   A: The word “beer” contains the diphthong /iƏ/.
6. Q: How do you pronounce the diphthong in “air”?
   A: The diphthong in “air” is /eƏ/.
7. Q: What is an example of a word with /ƱƏ/?
   A: “Pure” contains the diphthong /ƱƏ/.
8. Q: How many diphthongs are covered in this lesson?
   A: Five diphthongs are covered: /aƱ/, /ƏƱ/, /iƏ/, /eƏ/, and /ƱƏ/.
9. Q: Which diphthong is used in the word “road”?
   A: The diphthong /ƏƱ/ is used in “road”.
10. Q: What is a diphthong in the word “care”?
    A: The diphthong /eƏ/ is in the word “care”.
11. Q: Which word has the diphthong /ƱƏ/?
    A: The word “tour” has the diphthong /ƱƏ/.
12. Q: How do you differentiate /aƱ/ from /ƏƱ/?
    A: /aƱ/ starts with the vowel sound /a/, while /ƏƱ/ starts with a schwa sound /Ə/.
13. Q: Which word contains the diphthong /eƏ/?
    A: “Chair” contains the diphthong /eƏ/.
14. Q: What diphthong is used in the word “dear”?
    A: The diphthong /iƏ/ is used in “dear”.
15. Q: Which diphthong is in “load”?
    A: The diphthong /ƏƱ/ is in “load”.

Presentation (Steps 1-3)

• Step 1: The teacher revises the previous lesson on basic vowels and consonants.
• Step 2: The teacher introduces the new topic, explaining the concept of diphthongs and how they differ from monophthongs.
• Step 3: The teacher writes the examples of the diphthongs on the board and helps the students practice their pronunciation.

Teacher’s Activities

• Explain the different diphthongs and their sounds.
• Provide examples of words with these diphthongs.
• Guide the students in pronouncing the words correctly.

Learners’ Activities

• Listen attentively to the explanation.
• Practice pronouncing the words with diphthongs.
• Participate in class discussions and ask questions where necessary.

Assessment

1. What is a diphthong?
2. Give two examples of words with the diphthong /aƱ/.
3. How do you pronounce the diphthong /ƱƏ/?
4. What is the diphthong in the word “fear”?
5. Write three words with the diphthong /ƏƱ/.
6. Which diphthong is used in the word “chair”?
7. How is /eƏ/ pronounced?
8. Give one word that contains the diphthong /iƏ/.
9. What is the difference between /aƱ/ and /ƏƱ/?
10. Which diphthong is used in the word “pure”?

Conclusion

The teacher goes around to check the students’ pronunciation and offers feedback to ensure they understand the lesson.