SHEEP OR SHEEP

A DIAGNOSTIC PRONUNCIATION ACTIVITY

The goal of this activity is to help you diagnosis problems your learner
might have with the reception of pronunciation skills. That is, to
identify those sounds that a learner may not hear correctly, and
therefore be unable to reproduce in speech.

This activity was designed by Ray Parker and adapted by David F.

Dalton. It is available online at http://itesl.org/Techniques/Dalton-
Presentation.html. This version of the activity has been adapted by
SCALE for the one-on-one tutoring environment.

STAGE 1:
To begin the diagnostic activity, do some research on your learner’s
native language and its compatibility with English. (This can done by
researching ESL instruction for a specific population, i.e. Arabic
speakers or Spanish speakers.) Note which sounds are seen as
difficult for English language learners and use that list to generate a
list of simple commands.

The following sample command list using words and phrases that
provide reception difficulty in three languages – Spanish, Japanese and
Arabic.

Give your learner a piece of blank paper and tell him or her that you
will be asking them to draw a picture. You will give one command at a
time until the picture is complete.

Directions to the learner:

1. Draw a sheep on the piece of paper.
2. Write the letter “P” above the sheep.
3. Use the letter “P” as the start of the word pleasant and write
the word.
4. Write “light” next to pleasant. (Note: The word “light” can be
written to the left or the right of pleasant)
5. Draw a mouse next to the word “light.” (Note: The mouse
can be drawn to the left or the right of light)
6. Draw a pear next to the mouse. (Note: The pear can be drawn
to the left or the right of the mouse.)

Once the learner has completed his or her drawing, show the learner a
correct version of the sketch (see example below), and the written
commands. How are the two pictures similar? How are they different?
Use the mistakes to being addressing common problems with English
pronunciation.
Example drawing w/ correctly executed commands.

Example drawing w/ many common errors.

This example represents
commonly heard by Spanish,
Japanese, and Arabic native
speakers. Spanish speakers
will frequently mistake the
long /ē/ in sheep for the short
/ĭ/ in ship. Spanish and
Japanese speaker will also
confuse the /z/ of mouse for
the /th/ of mouth. Similarly,
Japanese students may hear
/rī/ instead of /lahy/. (Trouble
with the /r/ versus /l/ sound
may also lead some students
to write “present” instead of “pleasant.”) Arab students who have trouble
differentiating /b/ from /p/ will write a “B” when asked to write a “P” and will draw a
bear instead of a pear.

STAGE 2:
Based on the problems the learner encounter is Stage 1, prepare a list
of simple verbal commands. For example: “Point to the right.” “Act
like a bear.” “Draw a house.”

Read the commands with the student and then cut the commands into
strips. Put the commands into a hat or cup.

Tell the student to select on command at a time, and without showing

you, whisper the command in your ear. You will act out or do what you
hear.

After each command is read and performed, ask the student to show
you the slip. Were the command and the action the same? Make a
vocabulary list of the missed words. Use the missed words to form
new commands and switch places, or prepare commands for a new
session.