Day One Lesson

Kristen Lewis

Topic: Introduction to linking: Allophones of /t/ + continued small talk

Specific objectives:
I.

Students will be able to explain what the allophones of /t/ are.

II.

Students will be able to predict where different allophones of /t/ will occur in a
conversational script.

Required Materials: Computer with projector, Prezi, audio file (on Prezi), handout (conversation)
Lesson Sequence:
Business (+ MEME) (~5 mins)
Greet students as they walk in, take attendance, small talk with students, show meme of
the day: Deer god, water you doing? (Also will tie in with lesson)
Anticipatory set (Lead-In): How will you introduce your topic? (~5 mins)
I will show a group of word on the Prezi and ask students to talk to each other and try to
pronounce them. Once theyve had enough time to consider them, Ill ask for volunteers to
read aloud. Then, Ill read them myself and ask students, What difference did you hear
there in my speech? If no response, let them know that its okay because that is what well
be talking about today! There are some different ways that /t/ can be pronounced in native
English speakers speech.
Step-by-Step Procedures:
1. Concept introduction w/ Prezi (~5 mins)
Ask students to reflect on the warm-up activity. Did it make sense what happened to the
sounds? Introduce this to them as the different sounds of /t/. Let them know that there are a
couple ways that /t/ can change in everyday speech and that well be covering them today.
2. Prezi lecture (~15 mins)
I will present three types of /t/ variation to the students in a presentation/lecture with plenty
of opportunities to practice the new concepts out loud as a class.
3. Handout & Activity (~20 mins)

Students will be given a handout with a conversation between Dr. Golombek and myself.
They are to look at the words I have underlined in the transcript and then write out either
D, UN, or S depending on what sound the /t/ turns into. Then, they are to compare
answers with a partner and practice reading. After the students have had plenty of time to
work on this amongst themselves, I will ask for volunteers to read each sentence out loud
and ask the students to discuss what they picked as a variant of /t/ and express reasoning
for that decision. Ill then show them the audio and allow them to make judgements based
on whether or not they were correct. This portion of the activity will probably take the
longest (the listening). Take your time so that they can understand.
Closure: Comprehension Check (~5 mins)
For the last part of class, I want to ask students questions to make sure that no student is left
confused going into the next hour of class. Ill ask to make sure that students remember the
different variants of /t/ and why those differences occur. Ill ask that they pay attention
throughout the new few days to native speakers when they communicate outside of the
classroom to see if they can observe these /t/ sounds actually being used.
Assessment Based on Objectives: How will you know if the student has learned anything?
Ill be able to tell if the students were able to complete the first objective during the
comprehension check. For the second, Ill be able to see the students working as I walk
around the classroom offering help during their activity.