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.