Special Awareness Days
Second Sunday of November
International Tongue Twister Day
Introduction
Most of us have heard the famous tongue twister that goes like this:
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. A peck of peppers Peter Piper picked. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, where’s the peck of pickles Peter Piper picked?
According to legend, Peter Piper did exist and was a one armed horticulturalist that was also a pirate!
Often used by speech therapists, actors and public speakers, tongue twisters help to improve diction, pronunciation and clarity of speech. Share this and other fascinating facts about International Tongue Twister Day!
Here is a link where you can find 50 tongue twisters!
Activity Bursts
K-2 - Language
Share your favourite tongue twister with the class. Explain that tongue twisters are fun but take some practicing! Teach a few simple ones to the class and have them practice with a partner. Ask them to share their tongue twister with their family and then ask their family if they know any others! Can anyone share a tongue twister in another language? Share!
3-5 - Language
Share a few simple tongue twisters and ask the students what they noticed about the words that formed the content. Review the term alliteration.
Ask students to work in pairs, helping each other to write down a list of words that start with the first letter of their names. Once the list has been created, ask them to create their own tongue twister. Remind them that it can be funny but has to make sense. Share with the class.
6-8 - Language
Invite your students to participate in a dictogloss, a classroom activity that incorporates listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Select a medium length tongue twister that may be new for the class (and you!) here.
Read the tongue twister once, asking students to just listen. Repeat a second time, asking them to copy down key words that will help them to remember the verse. Then ask them to try to recreate what they heard. Share the results, and then re-read the actual tongue twister. How close did they come to the original?
