Great Vowel Shift Podcast for ESL Teens

Most of my colleagues and friends know how passionate I am about the Great Vowel Shift, or GVS, as it is known in many circles. As a high school teacher I would say most of my students dont have a clue to the progression American English has made and continues to make. It is my civil servant duty to demonstrate (and possibly overload them) with this information. If one has been living under a rock for the last 400 years, GVS can be explained best as "a major change in the pronunciation of the English language that took place in the south of England between 1200 and 1600"(WIKIPEDI). That time span includes Olde English, Middle English, and Modern English. Oh what glazed joy I can envision on my students faces as I explain this to them....


Linguists who are equally passionate about GVS have created some exciting podcasts that contrast these linguistic styles. My favorite site out of these is the Furman site. Here ESL students can contrast phonemes/long vowels from English to Modern English. This is the trapezoid of long vowels they will complete.

Trapezoid of Phonemes..All day Fun!

But the most fun podcast of this site is the Dialogue portions. This part is broken up into a literature portion as well. Here is where, an ESL student can get a taste of what Chaucer or Shakesphere really sounded like. In addition, the Furman site chooses to use a dialogue of conservative and advanced to speakers to outline the differences in speech. You can click on any word within these dialogues to get more information and clarity.

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Musical Podcasts for ESL students

ESL students, like most students enjoy technology and being able to manipulate it themselves. A great way to have students be independant workers while working on their accents is to use music and mocking. The website , Manythings, contains and endless resource of songs for students to try out. They click on a podcast of a song, and they listen to a native sing it first, then they are to try to imitate it. Whats great is Manythings includes additional notes and more links to YouTube podcasts for students who want to explore and demonstrate their 'casaul reasoning'.

I thought this was a funny title for the selection of songs. I guess all Americans sit around campfires and sing ! I actually love this image of Americans. Though some of us city dwellers have less experience with this sort of thing, so we can learn along with our students.

MP3 Files to Help You Learn Songs in EnglishLearn to sing folk songs, campfire songs and group-singing songs that native English speakers sing.

The Current MP3: Daisy Bell (Bicycle Built for Two)
Listen in pop-up window: Pop-up Window
Download (Right-click or option-click the link):Download MP3 File

Students can re-write lyrics on chart paper and create a 'song lyric' wall. Now would be an awesome time to have them contrast and compare this song to one of their favorite Reggaton jams!

The Lyrics
Daisy, Daisy,Give me you answer true.I'm half-crazy

All for the love of you.It won't be a stylish marriage.

I can't afford a carriage.

But you'll look sweet upon the seatOf a bicycle built for two.

Here are some extra notes with a Google link!

Notes
"Daisy" is a woman's name.

This song was written by Harry Dacre in 1892.
Some people sing "do" as the last word of the second line instead of "true."
Most people only know the chorus of this tune. However, if you want to learn the complete song, search bicycle built for two daisy on Google.com.

Though I am not muscially trained in the formal sense, I do know most beginner intermediate ELLs get confused with this type of 'extra' language. I have seen many iambic tetrameter lessons go wrong because its 'info overload'...But if one would like to give a mini lesson on chords ,here it is

Key of G Chords (3 beats on each chord):

G G G G7

C C G G

D7 D7 G Em

A7 A7 D7 D7

D7 D7 G G

G C G G G

D7 G D7

G

G G

Click here----> Manythings to find more and more song related podcasts for ESL

or here----->http://www.manythings.org/songs/

There are No Mistakes in Ms.G's Class

Students who have had Ms. Giunta as an art teacher, know I don't believe in mistakes. Anything you put on paper can be altered, expanded, enhanced and 'tricked out' to become something else. Mistakes do not exist in my class. All ideas, thoughts, writing, songs, paintings, dances that we bring to the world are meant to be there. If they are not perfection the first time that is normal and only a way for Ms. G to see what her student's need to get there.

Ms. G's ESL and Art students know that she will sit there with you tirelessly and make you work from that mistake. She has had many students curse at her, yell at her, and sigh very loudly in her face when she asks them to 'build' on their work. Those same students often end her course very satisfied because they know that to create something really special, whether its an essay or a piece of art takes time, thought and lots of revision and editing.

Therefore the name of her teaching blog, "There are no mistakes in Ms. G's class" is also her mantra which her students know very well.