Name of teaching material
A pronunciation learning material (straws) marketed product
Japanese Page URL
*The description appears by hovering the cursor over the image.
| Target |
Children and students who have difficulty getting the hang of pronunciation by hearing alone. Children and students who have difficulty pronouncing sounds beginning with the letter “s” in the Japanese syllabary. Preschool, elementary, and junior high school divisions |
|---|---|
| Disability category | deaf and hard of hearing |
| Teaching units / Applicable scenes | activities for independent living |
| Specific purposes | ･ To enable children to learn to pronounce the consonant sound (a voiceless alveolar fricative /s/) in the sounds “sa,” “su,” “se,” and “so.” |
| Considerations for disability characteristics | The voiceless alveolar fricative /s/ is a sound pronounced by bringing the tip of the tongue close to the top inside gum line and forcing breath through this narrow space. The sound component of /s/ is in the high-frequency area and is difficult to hear. The material is used to teach children where to create the narrow space and how to force breath through this space. |
| Expected effects and results | ･Children and students will be able to get the hang of pronouncing the voiceless alveolar fricative /s/. |
| How to use |
･ Soft straws about 10 cm long are appropriate for this purpose. The diameter of the straw needs to be chosen to suit the intended user; the straw is easier to use when the diameter is not too large. ･ Hold the straw, at a point no more than about 1 cm from the end, between the top inside gum line and the tip of the tongue. Make sure that the straw is not held between the lips or bitten with the teeth. Demonstrate how it should be done, or check in the mirror, to make certain that the straw is held properly. Put a hand close to the other end of the straw to feel the breath coming out of the straw. ･ Have the children use the straw to blow into a glass of water or blow a piece of colored paper or other items around; this way, the children can see their breath coming out of the straw while repeatedly practicing breathing out through it. ･ Gradually shorten the straw. Tell the children not to move the tongue and to keep practicing blowing things. Eventually they will be able to get the knack of breathing out through the narrow space between the tip of the tongue and the back of the gum line even when they are no longer using the straw. |
| Related teaching materials and information |
･ The straws can also be used to help children pronounce the consonant sound (a voiceless alveolo-palatal sibilant fricative /ɕ/) in the sound “shi.” In this case, hold the straw deeper in the mouth compared with the case of the voiceless alveolar fricative /s/—namely, in the area between the blade of the tongue and the hard palate. ･ A device called the S-indicator that responds to /s/ and /ɕ/ sounds can also be used in conjunction with the teaching material. |
| Useful for other students |
- Informant Junior High School Division, Special Needs Education School for the Deaf, University of Tsukuba
- Keywords Deaf and hard of hearing, pronunciation
- Created 2016-11-02 13:09:44
- Updated 2020-06-08 12:25:32