Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:

1. Recognize and pronounce the sounds /ɪ/ and /e/
2. Give examples of the words containing the sounds
3. Contrast the pairs with ten words each

Learning Activities

1. Pupils as class, identify the sounds on the display chart; listen to the production of the sounds on MP3 player or audio-diary
2. Pupils mimic the mouth positioning model to pronounce both sounds
3. Pupils in small groups, cite examples of words containing the sounds
4. Pupils in small groups, provide words consisting of the sounds; contrast the sounds with each other
5. Each group leader takes a turn to present their groupwork to the whole class for a critique

Embedded Core Skills

1. Communication and Collaboration
2. Critical thinking and problem solving
3. Leadership skills and Personal Development
4. Creativity and Imagination

Learning Materials

• Comprehension passage on common sicknesses and cures for human ailments in Nigeria
• Multi-choice and fill-in-blank questions to accompany passage
• Visual aids (e.g. charts, diagrams)

Content

In English phonetics, a diphthong is a vowel sound that starts with one vowel sound and glides to another vowel sound within the same syllable. /ɪ/ and /e/ are two different diphthongs. /ɪ/ is typically pronounced like the “i” in “bit” while /e/ is pronounced as the “e” in “bed”. These are characterized by /ɪ/ as in the word “beat”.

The difference between the vowel sounds represented by the letters “i” and “e” can be subtle and can depend on the specific sound or dialect of English being spoken. In General American English, the vowel sound represented by “i” is typically considered to be a mid-front unrounded vowel, while the vowel sound represented by “e” is considered to be a high front unrounded vowel.

One way to differentiate between the two sounds is to pay attention to the position of the tongue and the width between the lips. The “i” sound is typically pronounced with the tongue slightly further back in the mouth and the lips slightly more rounded than they are for the “e” sound. The “e” sound is typically pronounced with the tongue positioned higher and closer to the front of the mouth and the lips are less rounded.

Another way to differentiate between the two sounds is by listening to the quality of the sound. The “i” sound is more open and less tense than the “e” sound. “i” sound is more tense and closed than the “e” sound, resulting in a higher-pitched sound.

It’s also worth noting that the letter “e” in English can represent different vowel sounds, like the mid-central unrounded vowel as in the word “better”.

The best way to teach the /short i sound is by focusing on words that begin with a short i, such as itch, igloo or inside. Using this approach is advantageous because it is easier for children learning phonics to isolate the first sound in a word than to break a word apart into its individual phonemes.

Note that both the short i sound, in contrast to the letter combination “igh” as in the words “light” or “night” and words ending in “y” may sound like long “i” but that is not the case – just your tongue, which more slightly less back than when making the long e sound). This is the sound in short like “bin,chin, sin, bit”.

The /e/ sound is represented by the letter combination “ed” as in the words “bed”, “red”, “when”, “spend”. Other examples of words that contain the /e/ sound include “best”, “nest”, “western”, “clever”, “swept” and “spent”.

The /ɪ/ sound is typically represented by the letter combination “ea” as in the words “beat”, “meat”, “neat” and “seat”. Other examples of words that contain the /ɪ/ sound include “bit”, “kit”, “sit”, “fit”, “hit”, “pit”, “wit”, “with”, “fish”, “wish”, “dish”, “rich”, “which”, “this”, “is”, “his”, “six”, “mix”, “fix”, “stick”, “pick”, “quick”, “thick”, “sick”, “trick”, “brick”, “click”, “slip”, “ship”, “trip”, “grip”, “flip”, “clip”, “skip”, “dip”, “tip”, “lip”, “hip”, “zip”, “rip”, “sip” and “nip”. Please note that examples can vary depending on the accent or dialect of English being spoken, and also these sounds can be represented by other letter combinations in some contexts.

Evaluation

1. Which word contains the /ɪ/ sound: a) beat b) feet c) meat
2. Which word contains the /e/ sound: a) nest b) head c) loud
3. Which word contains the /ɪ/ sound: a) seat b) beat c) bit
4. Which word contains the /e/ sound: a) west b) east c) best
5. Which word contains the /ɪ/ sound: a) meat b) beat c) feet
6. Which word contains the /e/ sound: a) nest b) best c) test
7. Which word contains the /ɪ/ sound: a) steep b) beat c) feet
8. Which word contains the /e/ sound: a) nest b) test c) best
9. Which word contains the /ɪ/ sound: a) wheat b) beat c) feet
10. Which word contains the /e/ sound: a) nest b) best c) test

Lesson Presentation: Diphthongs /ɪ/ and /e/

Introduction

• Diphthongs are vowel sounds that start with one vowel sound and glide to another vowel sound within the same syllable
• In English phonetics, /ɪ/ and /e/ are two different diphthongs

/ɪ/ sound:

• Represented by the letter combination “ea” as in the words “beat”, “meat”, “neat” and “seat”
• Other examples of words that contain the /ɪ/ sound include “beat”, “seat”, “western”, “clever”, “swept” and “spent”

/e/ sound:

• Represented by the letter combination “ed” as in the words “beat”, “meat”, “neat” and “seat”
• Other examples of words that contain the /e/ sound include “beat”, “beat”, “beat”, “repeat”, “beat” and “beat”

How to differentiate between /ɪ/ and /e/:

• Pay attention to the position of the tongue and lips while pronouncing them
• The /ɪ/ sound is typically pronounced with the tongue slightly further back in the mouth and the lips slightly more rounded than they are for the “/e/” sound
• The “/e/” sound is typically pronounced with the tongue positioned higher and closer to the front of the mouth and the lips are less rounded

Practice:

• Focusing on words that begin with a short /ɪ/ sound by listening to native speakers and processing the sounds
• Practice differentiating between the /ɪ/ and /e/ sounds by listening to native speakers and processing the sounds

Conclusion:

• Understanding and differentiating between the /ɪ/ and /e/ sound is important for accurate English pronunciation
• Practice and distinction between these sounds will become clearer and more automatic over time