EEC Week 10: Pause & Stress

SWBAT pause and put stress according to thought groups when saying sentences.
SWBAT say sentences with special stress on emphasized words.
Activity

Materials

Warm up
We spend so much time listening to the things people are saying that
we rarely pay attention to the things they don't.
Listening and comprehension
Clint Smith: The danger of silence
vocabulary
Play and listen (no transcript)
length - 4:18
Gist
Discussion.
Do you think silence is a problem? Why?
ICQs:
What do you need to get? (-the gist.)
Do you need to understand every word? (-No.)

Time
5 min
5:05-5:10

Ted talk
20 min
https://www 5:10-5:30
.ted.com/ta
lks/clint_s
mith_the_d
anger_of_s
ilence/trans
cript?
language=
en#t-38162
vocabulary
word bank
Worksheet
answer key

Mark your own pauses

Why do we pause?
Give the listener time to understand your words.
Emphasize one main word in a group of words.

Sample sentence:
Why would you go to school // when you could work // and earn
money?

Transcript with no/little punctuation with a few pauses

Pair work: Mark the pauses on the script on their own (without the
video)
ICQ: Are you marking the speakers way of pausing or your own
way of pausing? (-My own way.)

Break

Transcript
Copy A

20 min
5:30-5:50

(one
paragraph
and less
sentences
for low
students)

5 min
5:50-5:55

Instruction
What is a thought group

Examples

15 min
5:55-6:10

Mark while Listening

Mark while listening to talk (repeat as necessary)
compare the differences (circle the differences)
discuss why they are different
differences aren't necessarily wrong, they can have different
meanings
Practice reading the paragraph according to the marks
ICQ: This time whos pause will you mark? (-The speakers)

transcript
Copy B

25 min
6:10-6:35

Speech: Do you agree that silence is a problem

1 minute speech (individual)
at least 5 sentences
mark the pauses
follow the rubric
ICQ: What will you mark? What else?(-pause; stress)
Gather the rubrics for analysis.

Rubric

Short segments of speech which feature one emphasized syllable.

Natural stress on last word of a thought group

Pause between thought groups
Student practice
He was full of confidence
he was full // of confidence
And this is Joey Chestnut
and this // is Joey Chestnut
Why would you go to school// when you could work// and earn
money?
Not rigid, but subjective.
If emphasising on a specific word, stress on that word
Its not my fault // its yours!

(one
paragraph
and less
sentences
for low
students)
6:35-end
preparatio
n 10 min
performan
ce 15min