5 Resources you need for Teaching ESL Pronunciation

These resources helped me teach pronunciation in the classroom! Also see my post on the Color Vowel Chart. It is so useful that I wrote a whole post on it.

1. Sounds of Speech from the University of Iowa

This website has led to breakthroughs in my classroom! Students can’t see what is happening inside the mouth during morpheme production, but this website illustrates it with a level of unparalleled genius!

2. Tongue Twisters

Every teacher needs a few of these in their back pocket.

Here are a few song Tongue Twisters from Fluency MC that can be downright hilarious in the classroom.

3. Teaching Pronunciation by Marianne Celce-Murcia, Donna M. Brinton, Janet M. Goodwin, and Barry Griner

This is one of the most thorough texts on teaching pronunciation. It leads you through all the important aspects of pronunciation for English learners. It covers materials for various levels and skills. It's a long read, but definitely worth your time.

4. Minimal Pairs

Minimal pairs are a great exercise for the classroom especially with beginners. This website has an extensive list of minimal pairs that are ready to use. Time saver!

5. The Speech Accent Archive and North American English Dialects

When my students find out I'm originally from Texas, they always ask me to do a Texas accent. Yes, I can turn on a Texas accent, but I'd rather showcase accents from all over the USA. Both of these websites have archived people speaking from all across the USA. It is fascinating for teachers and students alike!

This could prove to be quite helpful for advanced learners of English. If anything, it is an interesting resource to awe your students into the variations of International English and regional American English. The Speech Accent Archive also catalogues other major languages, so students can explore their own language.

Check out my YouTube Channel for more resources on pronunciation.