Introduction to Vowel Contrast /ᴂ/, /a:/ and /ᴅ/, /ᴐ:/ – JSS1 English Lesson Note (Second Term)

A vowel contrast is the difference between two vowel sounds that makes two words different in meaning. In this lesson, /æ/ (as in hat) is a short sound and /ɑː/ (as in heart) is a long sound. /ɒ/ (as in clock) is a short sound and /ɔː/ (as in cork) is a long sound. Changing the vowel changes the word.

Behavioural objectives

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

• pronounce the vowel sounds /æ/, /ɑː/, /ɒ/ and /ɔː/ correctly;
• tell the short sounds from the long sounds in pairs of words;
• give examples of words that contain each sound;
• pick the correct word when two similar words are spoken.

What is the difference between /ɑː/ and /æ/?

/ɑː/ is a long sound. Open your mouth wide and hold the sound, as in “ah”. /æ/ is a short sound. Open your mouth wide but say it quickly, as in “hat”. The mark /ː/ after a symbol shows that the vowel is long.

Other words with /ɑː/: car, farm, park, dark, start. Other words with /æ/: cat, man, bad, map, hand.

What is the difference between /ɒ/ and /ɔː/?

/ɒ/ is a short sound. Round your lips a little and say it quickly, as in “clock”. /ɔː/ is a long sound. Round your lips more and hold the sound, as in “cork”.

Other words with /ɒ/: hot, dog, box, pot, stop. Other words with /ɔː/: born, horse, short, storm, call.

How can students practise the sounds?

1. The teacher says each pair slowly. Students listen.
2. Students repeat each pair after the teacher, first together, then one by one.
3. The teacher says one word from a pair. Students say which sound they heard.
4. Students work in pairs. One says a word and the other says its partner.

Evaluation

Choose the one word in each line that has the sound shown.

1. /ɑː/: hat, ham, harm, back
2. /æ/: lark, lack, march, bark
3. /ɒ/: cord, cod, fork, shorn
4. /ɔː/: clock, fox, cork, cod
5. Write the vowel sound in the word “march”.

Answer key

1. harm. 2. lack. 3. cod. 4. cork. 5. /ɑː/.

Assignment

Write each word under the correct sound: /ɑː/, /æ/, /ɒ/ or /ɔː/.

card, cap, pot, horse, hand, farm, dog, born

Answer key

• /ɑː/: card, farm
• /æ/: cap, hand
• /ɒ/: pot, dog
• /ɔː/: horse, born