Tongue Twister
Subject: Phonetics
This wonderful game can be used as phonetic exercises at the beginning of a lesson.
Skills: Speaking, Writing
Level: Beginner
Recommended Age: 10+
Number of Participants: 4-12 players
Time: 15-20 minutes
Place: Classroom
Equipment: A black- or whiteboard
Materials: A piece of chalk or a marker
Preliminary Preparation (7-10 minutes). Choose ten simple (preferably monosyllabic) words, beginning with the sound, which you wish to practise. If we consider the sound [t] for example, your list might look something like this:
0 - too
1 - tea
2 - tip
3 - top
4 - tall
5 - tell
6 - team
7 - time
8 - take
9 - tail
Immediate Preparation (5-7 minutes).
1. Write the 'code' on the board.
2. Invite each player to encrypt their phone number in their notebook, using this 'code'. It might look something like this:
Tail too take team top team tall top too tea.
3. Allow the students a reasonable amount of time for practising the pronunciation of their 'tongue twisters'.
How to Play. When everyone is ready, bring the class to order. Afterwards, invite the players to take it in turns reading aloud their 'tongue twisters'. The game continues as long as all the 'tongue twisters' have been read aloud. The player, who best reads aloud their 'tongue twister', becomes the winner of the game. If necessary, you can invite the players to vote.