Diphthongs are vowel sounds that begin with one vowel sound and glide into another within the same syllable. Here’s the plan for assessing diphthongs:
Diphthongs in English:
- /aɪ/ (as in "ride")
- /eɪ/ (as in "day")
- /ɔɪ/ (as in "boy")
- /aʊ/ (as in "how")
- /əʊ/ (as in "go")
- /ɪə/ (as in "here")
- /eə/ (as in "air")
- /ʊə/ (as in "sure")
Assessment Plan:
Level 1: Isolated Sound Pronunciation
- Task: Students will pronounce each diphthong sound individually, focusing on producing a clear and accurate sound. They should repeat each sound several times:/aɪ/: "aɪ... aɪ... aɪ..."/eɪ/: "eɪ... eɪ... eɪ..."/ɔɪ/: "ɔɪ... ɔɪ... ɔɪ..."/aʊ/: "aʊ... aʊ... aʊ..."/əʊ/: "əʊ... əʊ... əʊ..."/ɪə/: "ɪə... ɪə... ɪə..."/eə/: "eə... eə... eə..."/ʊə/: "ʊə... ʊə... ʊə..."
Level 2: Word-Level Pronunciation
/aɪ/ (as in "ride") — "eye" sound
- Start: Ice, Idea, Island, I, Iron
- Middle: Find, Time, Mind, Bicycle, Tiger
- End: Fly, High, Cry, Buy, Try
/eɪ/ (as in "day") — "ay" sound
- Start: Day, Date, Daisy, Dance, Danger
- Middle: Waiting, Amazing, Table, Famous, Paper
- End: Play, Say, Way, Name, Great
/ɔɪ/ (as in "boy") — "oy" sound
- Start: Boy, Boil, Boys, Royal, Point
- Middle: Join, Voice, Coin, Avoid, Choice
- End: Toy, Boy, Enjoy, Employ, Soy
/aʊ/ (as in "how") — "ow" sound
- Start: How, House, Hour, Hound, Hawaii
- Middle: Mountain, Shout, Loud, Flower, Brown
- End: Down, Town, Out, Cloud, Mouse
/əʊ/ (as in "go") — "o" sound
- Start: Go, Goad, Gold, Grow, Ghost
- Middle: Home, Closed, Road, Post, Most
- End: Show, No, Toe, Low, Solo
/ɪə/ (as in "here") — "ear" sound
- Start: Ear, Ease, Eerie, Ears, Earth
- Middle: Fears, Serious, Weird, Tier, Appear
- End: Near, Clear, Beer, Sheer, Career
/eə/ (as in "air") — "air" sound
- Start: Air, Bear, Care, Dare, Hair
- Middle: Fairly, Repair, Wear, Share, Aware
- End: Care, Bear, Hair, Pair, Stare
/ʊə/ (as in "sure") — "oor" sound
- Start: Sure, Tour, Source, Poor, Moor
- Middle: Cure, Secure, Bureau, Endure, Lure
- End: Sure, Pure, Tour, Floor, Spur
Level 3: Phrase-Level Pronunciation
Students will pronounce short phrases using the target diphthongs in different positions.
- /aɪ/: "I like ice cream."
- /eɪ/: "They came late today."
- /ɔɪ/: "The boy enjoyed the toy."
- /aʊ/: "How loud is the sound?"
- /əʊ/: "Go home before dark."
- /ɪə/: "The beer is near here."
- /eə/: "I care about the chair."
- /ʊə/: "The sure cure is pure."
Level 4: Sentence-Level Pronunciation
Students will pronounce full sentences with the target diphthongs for more accurate assessment.
- /aɪ/: "I found an amazing idea for my new bicycle ride."
- /eɪ/: "They say the famous day will come soon."
- /ɔɪ/: "The boy joined the party and enjoyed every toy."
- /aʊ/: "How loud is the sound of the mouse in the house?"
- /əʊ/: "The ghost in the old house grows more terrifying."
- /ɪə/: "Her career is near its peak in this area."
- /eə/: "The bear stares at the chair in the air."
- /ʊə/: "The cure for the poor floor is to secure the new tour."