#1859. "Has The Cat Got Your Tongue"

Language, level: Elementary
Posted Wed Jul 19 10:56:54 PDT 2000 by Jacqueline C. Miller (camjcm@pilot.infi.net).
Churchland Academy Elementary School, Portsmouth, VA.
Materials Required: Chalkboard, Chalk
Activity Time: 20 - 30 minutes
Concepts Taught: Teaching Proper Enunciation

1. The learner will seek to be an effective communicator by
using proper enunciation.
2. The learner will identify errors and correct errors when
repeating several tongue twisters.
3. The learner will have fun with language as he or she writes
a tongue twister.

The teacher will explain that tongue twisters get their
name because they are hard to pronounce. Tongue twisters are
difficult to say quickly because they require one's mouth
to move in different positions for each word.
Read several tongue twisters to the class. Have the
students repeat them. Display a list of tongue twisters on
the chalkboard. Divide students into two teams.

Activity 1. Have a student from each team face off. The
student repeats a given tongue twister three times rapidly.
If the student pronounces the tongue twister correctly all
three times his team scores two points. The student from
the other team pronounces the same tongue twister three times
in rapid succession also. He or she scores two points for
his or her team for correctly pronouncing the tongue twister.
Play continues for a designated amount of time. At the end
of the time period the team scoring the most points wins.

Tongue twisters which can be used in the game are:
1. Shriek, screak, squawk, and squeak
2. Twitching, walking witches talking
3. We'll twirl twilled wheels
4. With clowns'gowns go glowing crowns
5. Willies really weary
6. Luther's sleuthings useless truth
7. Big, bad bugs bit Bitsy's back
8. Sixty silly sisters simply singing
9. Great glass globes gleam green
10. Sillly sheep stilly sleep
11. Their cheery choir's theory
12. This queen's quest's themes
13. Their snapped shared trap
14. Sherry hates hairy states
15. Quick throats, thick quotes
16. Where's squire's spare wire?
17. Bill's feet feel beat
18. Mean Dean's meals means deals
19. Steve's tears tease seers
20. Their skis scare these.

Activity 2. Have students write a tongue twister of their
own. The new tongue twister can be added to the tongue
twister game in Activity 1.

The students should have fun with tongue twisters as their
mouths won't do what they want them to do and they replace
intended words with nonsense!