| Real-world purpose | To hear accurately in order to avoid misunderstanding |
| Listen for | Different sounds at the beginning, middle, and ends of words |
Help learners distinguish between similar sounds at the beginning of words (pat, bat), in the middle of words (lift, list), and/or at the end of words (have, has). Make lists of minimal pair sets (search for “minimal pairs” on the Internet).
Same or Different? Have each learner make two 3” x 3” cards, one labeled SAME, one labeled DIFFERENT. Read a list of word pairs aloud, where some pairs are two different words (minimal pairs) and some are the same word read twice. As you read, each learner holds up their SAME or DIFFERENT card. Read aloud again until all learners correctly identify whether the words are different (minimal pairs) or the same word read twice.
Same or Different Numbers? Follow the same procedure above, using number pairs (14/40; 90/19, 15/15)
Odd Word Out Have each learner make three 3” x 3” cards, labeled 1, 2, and 3. Read a list of word trios aloud, where two words are the same and one is different (pat, bat, pat; lift, lift, list; has, have, have). As you read, each learner holds up the number card representing which word in the trio was different from the other two. Repeat each trio until all learners correctly identify which of the three words is different.