The Endless Struggle To Pronounce -ED Endings in ESL
Students of Latin-based languages (Portuguese, French, Italian and Spanish) often have trouble pronouncing -ED endings correctly. For these learners, the word “stopped” is pronounced ‘stop-ed.’
Why I Wrote The Pizza Pets
My students were struggling to pronounce the /t/ and /d/ stopped sounds, so I wrote them a book. (I know, I know… teacher of the year. Ha!)
It worked! My students absolutely loved this story! They gained confidence in saying -ed words.
What’s more, they felt accomplished after finishing a whole text in English.
The Pizza Pets was written with -ED endings pronunciation in mind. The story is about a woman who loses her pets and her pizza. It’s a short, simple story, but it’s jam-packed with over 50 common -ed words to practice.
Here’s a preview, and you can grab the complete resource here.
Why It “Work-ed”
I saw immediate improvement in my students’ ability to recognize and pronounce those -ed words correctly after this lesson.
I think one of the reasons it was so successful is that I paired it with The Flick Method.
The Flick Method is a technique I developed to teach -ed pronunciation kinesthetically, with a flick of the finger.
You can read more about how it works in my blog post, How To Pronounce -ED Words in English.
Another great thing is that the story is easy enough for beginners to follow, yet not babyish for adult learners.
And of course, who doesn’t love a good tale about pets, pronunciation and pizza? It’s a win-win-win in this case.
So gather your students for a fun story-time lesson as they learn to pronounce over 50 -ED words in English!
What’s Next For Teaching -ED Endings?
I hope you find this story useful in your future ESL classes. Use the Flick Method to help your students make physical connections to the sound.
You can also check out my worksheet bundle below for a zero-prep lesson your learners will love.
Teach Students To Pronounce -ED Endings With Ease
- Warm up & Comprehension Questions
- -ED/T/D word sorting worksheets
- Pronunciation Hack: The Flick Method
- Printable & Digital Versions
If you love it, please let me know! And be sure to subscribe for future ESL teaching tips and techniques.
Arrivederci for now, my dear teachers and friends!
Thanks and happy teaching!
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