Pronunciation teaching plan
A1 (Beginner)
Focus: Basic sound recognition, minimal pairs, simple vowel and consonant sounds.
Pronunciation Features:
o Short and Long Vowels: Start with basic distinctions (e.g., ship vs. sheep).
o Word Stress: Introduce stress in simple words, especially for understanding basic
vocabulary.
o Basic Intonation: Teach rising intonation for yes/no questions (e.g., Is this your book?)
and falling intonation for simple statements.
Goal: Help students recognize and reproduce simple sounds to make basic words and phrases
more intelligible.
A2 (Elementary)
Focus: Expanding phonetic awareness, focusing on clearer word pronunciation.
Pronunciation Features:
o Additional Vowels and Consonants: Expand vowel and consonant sounds beyond
basics.
o Word Stress in Familiar Words: Practice stress with multisyllabic words (e.g., teacher,
doctor).
o Simple Sentence Stress: Introduce the concept of emphasizing key words for meaning
(e.g., I like chocolate vs. I like chocolate).
o Basic Linking: Practice common phrases (e.g., It is sounds like It’s).
Goal: Build on basic sound clarity with more accurate word and sentence stress.
B1 (Intermediate)
Focus: Improving fluency with smoother and more natural-sounding speech.
Pronunciation Features:
o Sentence Stress and Rhythm: Introduce rhythm with the “stressed-timed” nature of
English.
o Intonation Patterns for Common Sentences: Differentiate questions, statements, and
exclamations.
o Consonant Clusters: Practice clusters more frequently appearing in intermediate
vocabulary (e.g., strong, explain).
Goal: Help students achieve clearer, more fluent speech with awareness of rhythm and natural
sentence patterns.
B2 (Upper Intermediate)
Focus: Refining clarity and expressiveness in speech, with a focus on fluidity and natural speech
features.
Pronunciation Features:
o Advanced Linking and Reduction: Practice linking and connected speech, such as gonna
for going to and wanna for want to.
o Nuanced Sentence Stress: Work on stressing the most important words in longer
sentences to aid in fluency.
o Complex Intonation Patterns: Show how intonation can change meaning or indicate
attitude.
Goal: Support students to sound more natural and improve fluency by adopting natural spoken
English patterns.
C1 (Advanced)
Focus: Mastery of pronunciation nuances and fine-tuning expressiveness.
Pronunciation Features:
o Intonation for Emphasis and Emotion: Practice using intonation to express subtle
emotions or rhetorical emphasis.
o Detailed Stress and Rhythm Work: Tackle sentence and paragraph-level rhythm to
refine smooth, coherent speech.
o Accent Reduction Techniques (if desired): Address accent features and specific sounds
to align more closely with a chosen variety of English.
Goal: Achieve a high level of pronunciation accuracy and fluency, allowing students to express
themselves more dynamically and flexibly.
C2 (Proficiency)
Focus: Achieving near-native or native-like pronunciation and expressiveness.
Pronunciation Features:
o Advanced Connected Speech: Master reduced forms and assimilations commonly used
in informal speech.
o Flexible Intonation and Prosody: Work on advanced intonation techniques, including
intonation shifts within more complex expressions.
o Fine-Tuning Rhythm and Flow: Achieve consistent, natural rhythm in complex speech,
such as storytelling or debating.
Goal: Enable students to speak naturally, fluently, and with a degree of finesse that allows them
to focus on meaning and interaction rather than mechanics.
