Lesson Plan of Intonation Patterns English Grade IV

Lesson Plan of Intonation Patterns

English Grade IV

Students’ Learning Outcomes

·         Recognize and use the convention to mark these intonation patterns.

Information for Teachers

·        Intonation Patterns:

o   The variation in the pitch of the speaker’s voice gives information or changes meaning.

·         There are three basic pitches in English normal, high, low.

o   The normal pitch is where the voice usually is.

o   High is where the voice rises to indicate information focus.

o   Low is where the voice falls, usually at the end of a sentence.

·        Stressed words:

o   Main verbs, nouns and adjectives are usually stressed in a sentence.

o   Unstressed words are ‘a’, ‘and’, ‘to’, ‘on’ etc.

·         Tone:

o   The certain pattern of voice movement is called ‘tone’.

·         While teaching the lesson, the teacher should also use textbook where and when applicable.

Material / Resources

Chalks/markers, board, duster, charts, papers, etc.

Worm up activity

·         Ask students to read the falling and rising tone in questions which they have completed at home as homework.

·         Rising tone: questions having yes/no answers.

·         Falling tone: questions without yes/no answers.

·         Talk about the differences between stressed words and non-stressed words.

Development

Activity 1

·         Write the sentence on board.

“Ali and Sadia play football happily”

·         Ask the students to read the sentence. Note the pronunciation and style of the reading of each student.

·         Underline the stressed words in the sentence. Ask student to try reading aloud again with the focus on stressed words this time, “Ali and Sadia play football happily”.

·         Repeat the other sentences

Activity 2

·         Write the following paragraph on the board:

My mother and father are true friends. They love us. My sister and I love our parents because they are the only ones who have tried hard to make us realize the importance of education.

·         Ask one child to read one sentence.

·         Ask another child to show some difference in the intonation.

·         Ask the class which one they thought sounded better.

·         Be surprised at how quickly your pronunciation improves! By focusing on stressed words, non-stressed words and syllables.

·         When listening to native speakers, focus on how those speakers stress certain words and try to copy their stress pattern.

Tips:

·         Remember that non-stressed words and syllables are often ‘swallowed’ in English.

·         Always focus on pronouncing stressed words well, non-stressed words can be glided over.

·         Don’t focus on pronouncing each word. Focus on the stressed in each sentence.

·         Students must practice carefully for a few minutes. You must listen carefully and provide support and correction where needed.

·         Arrange a class competition and ask children to read one sentence each, in pairs. The best pair will be awarded with a star on his/her hand.

Sum up / Conclusion

·         Ask students why intonation is important and how intonation makes a difference to meaning.

·         Discuss with students how they can continue to improve their intonation.

(How they can listen to more and more English spoken by the native speakers)

Assessment

·         Listen to students’ responses carefully to know their level of understanding. You must make them practice this concept in every lesson.

Follow up

·         Ask students to make two sentences of their own. Practice reading a few sentences with intonation patterns at home.

·         Use these sentences in role plays by giving students real-life situations.