4. How to Teach Articulation: Sound Features and Similarities

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Morgan Walton: Often our students will add /ǔ/ to the end of sounds. When they do that, it actually turns that one sound into two sounds. For example, /c/ becomes /c/ which is /c/ and /ǔ/. If the word is cat, but students decode the word /cǔ/, /a/, /tǔ/ when they blend the sounds together, the word will be /cǔ/, /ă/, /tǔ/, which is not a recognizable word. So, I'm going to show you a simple, easy tip to help remind students to clip those sounds. Whenever you say sounds that students often add the /ǔ/ to, such as /tǔ/, /dǔ/, /lǔ/, and /pǔ/, teach students to use the imaginary scissors to clip the sound. (She makes a scissor clipping motion with two fingers.). /T/, /d/, /l/, /p/. If you practice this with students consistently, it'll become more natural to say those correct sounds without needing the scissor reminder.

Teacher Tip

Consider giving students handheld mirrors when you’re going over articulation so that they can see what their mouth looks like when they make the sound.