Classroom
materials needed to play Tlingit Soundgame:
15
Soundgame Cards printed out from www.Alaskool.org
space markers (beans or paper discs work well)
Computer for page for sounds (www.alaskool.org)
bowl of sound symbols (all forty-one cut individually)
Addendum 1, 2
& 3 (optional)
Objectives:
To help students of all ages learn to identify and distinguish between
the forty-one Tlingit sounds. This activity will help them with
pronunciation and auditory processing for the basic sounds, regardless
of previous knowledge (practice never hurts!). It is a good lead-in
to any Tlingit language lesson.
Directions:
First,
you must give an overview of Tlingit language and culture. Who are
Tlingits? How do they live? This online Southeast
Regional Profile has a comprehensive Tlingit bibliography
listed for reference. Estimated Time: Half a class period minimum.
Second, the forty-one Tlingit sounds must be introduced.
Tlingit is a complex language and often it is difficult to distinguish among many of the sounds. Using
the Bingo Template with Tlingit Sounds,
Characters & Words page can be helpful for an introductory lesson. It is suggested
that for your initial foray into the sounds that you use the web
page with a projector, load the web page and introduce each sound
by clicking on its letter (i.e. "d") and then utilizing
the clue function (each sound has a Tlingit word to help articulate
the sounds itself (i.e. "doosh")). Students should take
notes on each sound, making sure they have the letter for each sound
as well as the clue word. Addendum 2 on sound terms might enhance
this lesson as well. Estimated Time: A full class period of directed
learning.
The soundgame itself requires that the kids work in
pairs (there are only fifteen versions of the cards, allowing for
up to thirty kids to play at once). Each pair should receive a soundgame
card and a set of space markers. The teacher should set out the bowl of sounds and load the
sound web page (only teacher should see this today). If there is
an odd number of students the teacher could designate a helper to
pull numbers or to keep track of the sounds as they are pulled.
The soundgame has multiple combinations of play. Once materials
are organized and pairs are set the teacher must announce which
column or row they will be playing for (i.e. "This round we
are filling row #5", or "'this round we are filling column
G"). Make sure the class is clear on the objective as this
could cause much confusion. For each round of play, the teacher
draws a sound out of the bowl, and clicks on the corresponding sound
on the computer, letting student pairs try to deduce the sound they
just heard. Each pair should mark the space that corresponds t the
sound they thing they heard. If necessary the clue function could
be utilized, although this simplifies the task greatly. As students
call "Soundgame" or the word of choice the sounds should
be checked with the master list and rewards should be given (candy
or points seem to retain attention). Estimated Time: A full class
period of play.
Soundgame Cards:
Print the fifteen boards (below) out for use by your students then
go to the master board for your own use with links.
