Phonetics focuses on the way sound is produced and how air is modified as it passes through the vocal track, according to University of Iowa's Phonetics website. Teaching phonetics is the preliminary strategy for teaching pronunciation as it begins with how sounds are produced. Early readers and second language learners may not yet understand the various sounds that each letter can make. Teaching phonetics provides the basics of how to use the lips, tongue, throat and airstream to create the sounds of each letter in the alphabet.
Students can learn how to pronounce new words by looking for clues in those words. You can teach students to look for parts in words that are familiar and pronounce them the same as they do in similar words they already know. To help students practice this, set up a like words activity. In this activity, provide words students already know how to pronounce and have them practice saying the word as they read it. Introduce a new word you want them to pronounce. Have them underline the portion of the new word that is like the portion of the word they can already pronounce and have them practice saying that portion of the word. Then, have them pronounce the full new word using the clues they gained from equating it to a like word.
Often, words that are spelled the same sound the same. Students can practice pronunciation skills by reading rhyming words. To practice using the rhyming words strategy, have students read the lyrics to songs, poetry or rhyming books. Focus on content that is interesting and familiar to the students. This will help them relate to the words, anticipate the rhyme patterns and better understand how words that rhyme are pronounced the same.
Teaching syllables is an important pronunciation strategy as it helps students divide words into distinct sounds. Have students dissect words into syllables by clapping as they say each section of the word. The University of Colorado's Teaching Pronunciation website also recommends having students "illustrate syllable stress by clapping softly and loudly corresponding to the syllables of a word. For example, the word 'beautiful' would be loud-soft-soft." This will allow students to hear the distinct sections of words and practice pronouncing each section correctly.
Intonation refers to the pattern by which parts of words and sentences are pronounced. As we speak, certain sounds are stressed and others are soft. For example, in the word hello, the first syllable hell- is soft while the second syllable -o is stressed. You can teach pronunciation through intonation by having students focus on sounds that are soft and stressed. Allow the students to get really dramatic with this activity as they say each sound so they can hear the distinction between the sounds in the words.