Tohid Asef Tohid Asef

Rising and falling intonation
Upper-intermediate level

Description

In this lesson, students learn what rising and falling intonation patterns communicate. The lesson starts with the teacher eliciting that falling intonation indicates you are done speaking and rising intonation indicates you have more to say. This is followed by two listening activities in which students should recognize falling and rising intonation and draw arrows over different sentences showing the two intonation patterns. Finally, students make dialogues and perform their dialogues for class using correct intonation.

Materials

Abc Hand-outs
Abc Markers
Abc White board
Abc overhead projector
Abc computer/laptop

Main Aims

  • To develop students' ability to recognize rising and falling intonation patterns and to use them with accuracy in their own speech.

Subsidiary Aims

  • To provide fluency and accuracy speaking practice in a dialogue.

Procedure

Warmer (5-8 minutes) • To set lesson context and engage students.

I mention one sentence containing two adjectives using rising intonation for the first adjective and falling intonation for the second one. I use hand gestures to show the falling and rising intonation patterns. Then, I ask students whether I am finished or not and whether my voice goes up or down at the end. If needed, I repeat the sentences. I repeat the same sentences using rising intonation for both adjectives this time. I use hand gestures to show rising intonation. Again, I ask students whether I am finished or I have more to say and whether my voice goes up or down. I ask them what falling intonation shows and what rising intonation shows trying to elicit that falling intonation is used when some is finished talking and rising intonation is used when there is more to say. Then, I display the two sentences on the board from the overhead projector. One sentence with a period at the end showing that the speaker is finished and one sentence ending in three dots indicating that the speaker is not finished. I draw arrow to show falling and rising intonation.

Listening activity1 (8-10 minutes) • To develop students' ability to recognize rising and falling intonation.

I give students hand-outs containing four dependent clauses. Then, students listen to a recording and decide which ones are the beginnings and which are the ends of sentences. If needed, I play the recording for the second time. I get students to peer check their answers. Then, I display the answers on the board to get W/C feedback.

Listening task 2 (14-16 minutes) • To provide an opportunity to practice target productive skills

I give students hand-outs containing the complete versions of the sentences in the previous exercise. Then I get student to draw arrows showing falling and rising intonation. I play the recording so students can check their answers. I get the students turn the hand-outs face down. I play the recording for the second time and pause after each sentence. Students repeat the sentences together with the correct intonation.

Feedback (8-10 minutes) • To provide feedback on students' accurate use of falling and rising intonation in conversations.

I give students hand-outs containing more dependent clauses. Then, I put students in pairs and get them to read out the clause to their partners with a rising intonation indicating that the sentence is not finished and then their partners complete the sentence with an appropriate ending using falling intonation. Finally the pairs will perform their dialogues for the class.

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