Using Tongue Twisters
How you introduce tongue twisters into the classroom is very important. The key is to start slowly. Do not zoom through a speedy version of 'She sells sea shells by the sea shore' and expect your students to pick it up with the snap of a finger. Introduce tongue twisters according to the letter, sound, pronunciation concept, pairing, etc. that is being taught. Increase speed and difficulty level according to the language and skill level of the students.
Tongue twisters offer a lot of opportunity to work on language development with ESL students. From vocabulary to pronunciation, there are many ways to bring learning into these very fun lessons. Speaking a language with sounds and pronunciations that are very unfamiliar is extremely frustrating; lessons with less pressure attached to them can make the experience more enjoyable.
- Provide a copy for each student; read it aloud to the students 2-3 times slowly
- Go over new words to promote vocabulary and language development.
- Explain pronunciation of new words; place emphasis on mouth shape, tongue position, teeth/lip position, etc.
- Place students in pairs to practice reading the tongue twisters
- Back in whole group, go over the tongue twister line by line
- Discuss new words, other ways to use new words
- Discuss sounds being used, other words with similar sounds
- Have students create a tongue twister using the new words and similar sounds
Tongue Twisters
Here is a list of tongue twisters you can use in the classroom with your ESL students. They are broken up according to a few different categories, that may make introduction into the classroom a little easier.
Tongue Position
- I thought I thought of thinking of thanking you
- Those toes aren't these toes. These teas aren't those teas.
- This tike ties threads together twice. That tike ties together three threads.
- Thirty tee-shirts are tan, and thirteen tee-shirts are tie-dyed teal green. The teal tee-shirts total thirteen, the tan tee-shirts total thirty.
- Thin sticks, thick bricks. Thin sticks, thick bricks. Thin sticks, thick bricks.
Mouth shape
- Excited executioner exercising his exercising powers excessively
- Eddie edited Earl's easily eerie music
- An orange owl spooks over the old odd operation observatory
- How much wood could Chuck Woods' woodchuck chuck, if Chuck Woods' woodchuck could and would chuck wood?
Teeth/Lip Positioning
- Fred fed Ted bread, and Ted fed Fred bread.
- Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear. Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair. Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't fuzzy, was he?
- Four fine fresh fish for you. Four fine fresh fish for you. Four fine fresh fish for you.
- Of all the videos I've ever viewed, I've never viewed a video as valued as Alex's video.
Aspiration
- Betty bought some butter, but the butter was bitter. So, Betty bought some better butter, and the better butter that Betty bought was better than the bitter butter that Betty bought before.
- Peter piper picked a patch of pickled peppers. But if Peter Piper picked a patch of pickled peppers; how many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?
- A big black bug snoozed on a big black rug.
- The poor boar, pours batter over his poor putter.
R/L Sounds
- Round the rugged rock the ragged rascal ran
- I scream you scream we all scream for ice cream
- He threw three free throws
- The rickety ladder rattled right and left before it crashed through the glass.
The tongue twisters do not have to be taught according to the category in which they are presented; this is just to give an idea of how they can come in handy in the ESL classroom. Remember, if you understand, say 'understand.' If you don't understand, say, 'don't understand.' If you understand, but say, 'don't understand,' how do I understand that you understand?
