MINIMAL PAIRS

Minimal pairs are pairs of words that differ by just one phenome.
Examples:
                                         pen and pan
                                      /pɛn/ and /pæn/
                                                or
                                        hat and had

/hæt/

and /hæd/

Practicing minimal pairs can help students recognize small differences in pronunciation between words. This activity can be used with any grade level or ESL students needing practice with pronunciation.

Objective: Students will practice pronouncing minimal pairs in order to improve recognition and pronunciation of words in collaborative groups.

Preparation: The teacher will create about 25 sets of minimal pair cards. The sets will be divided up on 5 differents color sheets of paper. For example 5 sets will be on blue paper, 5 on green, 5 on yellow, 5 on red, and 5 on orange paper. (Laminate the cards so they last longer)The teacher will adhere a small magnetic strip to the back of the cards so they stick to the board.

Activity:

• The teacher will divide students into groups of three or four. Name each group. To make it simple we will call them groups A-E.
• The teacher will write examples of minimal pairs on the board. The teacher will demonstrate the proper pronunciation of the minimal pairs written on the board by reading them aloud to the class. The teacher will encourage students to try to share other sets of their own and the teacher will write them on the board too. (One minute)
• The teacher will give each group 10 cards, 2 of each color (but be sure there are no matches within one group.)
• The teacher will have each group take turns putting cards on the board one group at a time. For example: Group A goes first and puts a blue card on the board. Then groups B-E must look at their blue cards and the group with the matching card will place their card next to it. Then Group B gets a turn and puts an orange card up. Then groups A, C-E must look to see if their group has the matching orange card.
• Once all the groups have had a turn and the board is filled with the pairs, the teacher and the groups can talk about why each pair is a minimal pair, for example final consonant, initial consonant or vowel.

I think this activity is a great way to keep students' attention and get them working collaboratively in groups. The length of time for this activity can be adjusted by changing the size of the groups or number of cards.