Procedure:
- The instructor presents a tongue twister and practices reciting it with the students part by part.
- The students practice the tongue twister individually, in pairs or in groups.
Variants:
- The instructor recites the tongue twister 2–3 times and prompts the students to reproduce it themselves, based on their listening comprehension (a less systematic approach than the above).
- The students bring their own tongue twisters to class and teach it to the other children.
- A collection project would be an excellent framework, whereby the students collect and write down tongue twisters and other playful language manifestations from among the family and relatives for the purpose of producing a booklet and audio file (CD, MP3). Moreover, this project could be easily coordinated with mainstream education classes and other language groups. See chapter 4 in the introduction.
Comments:
- Tongue twisters are demanding. Even adults and students with good oral competences may at least initially have difficulties with tongue twisters and must concentrate. Nevertheless, they serve as a good and fun introduction to a lesson, as well as a loosening-up activity in between or at the end of a lesson.
- In order to raise the students‘ competence level commensurate with the stated goals of the activity, it is important to attempt a nearly perfect reciting of the tongue twisters, the playful character of the activity notwithstanding.