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Strategic Material for Teaching Phonetics: Inductive Language Acquisition

Grammar Topic: Association between Vowels and Formantic Frequency

English Level: Beginners (A1/A2)

1. Topic and Objectives: Topic: Association between Vowels and Formantic Frequency

Goals:

• Facilitate the understanding of vowels in English.

• Associate vowel sounds with formant frequencies.

• Reinforce the correct pronunciation of vowels through playful practice.

2. English and Academic Level: English Level: Beginners (A1/A2)

Target Audience: Students who are in the first stages of learning English.

3. Material description:
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a) Interactive Game on Digital Platform: "VowelQuest"

• Virtual exploration of landscapes representing vowels.

• Interaction with characters to hear vowel sounds and see graphic representations.

• Practical activities related to each vowel.

b) Interactive Sheets: "Build your Vowels"

• Printable or digital worksheets to visually construct each vowel.

• Includes graphic representation, space to write words and visual examples.

c) Visual Resources: Formantic Frequencies Infographic

• Visual infographic of formant frequencies.

• Tongue position charts, word examples and pronunciation tips.

d) How it will be implemented in the classroom:

Introduction:
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 Explain the importance of phonetics in the pronunciation of English.

 Present the topic and objectives of the material.

Main activity:

 Allow students to explore the “VowelQuest” platform autonomously or in small groups.

 Distribute the interactive worksheets for written and visual practice.

 Use the infographic as a visual reference during the activity.

Follow-up:

 Facilitate discussions about experiences on the platform and review the files.

 Answer questions and provide individualized feedback.

Homework:

 Assign homework related to vowel practice using online resources.

 Provide links to additional interactive games to reinforce learning.

e) Benefits:

 Encourages active participation and autonomous learning.

 Provides written, visual and listening practice.

 Allows personalized monitoring and reinforces learning outside the classroom.

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5. You must apply this material in your language course and add a conclusion by

adding an explanation of the effectiveness, weaknesses and strengths you had with the

resource you created.

Application of the Material in the Language Course: Experience and Conclusion

In implementing this material in my beginner's English course, I observed active

participation and a high level of commitment from the students. The introduction of the

interactive game "VowelQuest" captured the attention of students, who enjoyed exploring virtual

landscapes and participating in vowel-related activities. The platform provided an autonomous

and playful learning experience, which contributed to maintaining a dynamic classroom

environment.

The interactive “Build Your Vowels” worksheets integrated seamlessly into classroom

practice, allowing students to work both individually and collaboratively. The combination of

hands-on activities and visual resources, such as the formant frequency infographic, facilitated

the understanding of more abstract phonetic concepts. The immediate feedback provided by the

platform and interactions in class contributed to reinforcing the association between sounds and

graphic representations.

However, some weaknesses emerged as we noted that some students, especially those

less familiar with using digital platforms, experienced some initial resistance. Additionally,

variability in technology access outside of the classroom may have affected the consistency of

the learning experience for some students.

In terms of strengths, the material proved to be highly effective in improving the

pronunciation and understanding of English vowels. The combination of visual, auditory and
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practical elements catered to different learning styles. Furthermore, the gamified approach

motivated students to actively participate, turning phonics learning into an engaging experience.

In conclusion, the strategic material designed proved to be a valuable tool for teaching

phonics through inductive language acquisition. Although some weaknesses related to resistance

to technology were identified, strengths in terms of active participation and improved

understanding suggest that this approach has great potential to enhance the phonics learning

experience in a beginning English classroom environment.