About this activity
Three minimal pairs contrasting /s/ and /z/: sip and zip, seal and zeal, bus and buzz. The two sounds are made in exactly the same place with the same tongue shape — the only difference is whether the voice is on — which makes this one of the cleanest voicing contrasts available and a good way to teach what voicing is.
How to use it in a session
Put a hand on the throat. Voicing is felt rather than heard by most children, and the buzz of /z/ against the silence of /s/ is immediately obvious with a hand in the right place. Say the pairs back to back — sip, zip — with the hand there, then have the student produce both. Ten minutes is plenty for three pairs done thoroughly with the tactile cue.
What to listen for
Listen for the voicing carrying into the vowel rather than starting with the consonant. A student who says zip with the buzz beginning only at the vowel has produced sip with an early vowel, which sounds close and is not the target. Watch bus and buzz, where the contrast is at the end of the word and the voicing is quieter and harder to hear.
Carrying it home
The throat cue works anywhere and children find it interesting. Asking which words buzz, over a meal, turns a voicing contrast into a game that takes no preparation.
Questions
- What grades is this for?
- First through fourth, for students working on voicing contrasts.
- Do I need an account?
- No, all three pairs play free.
- What is voicing?
- Whether the vocal folds are vibrating during a sound. /s/ and /z/ are made identically except for that, which is why a hand on the throat makes the difference obvious in a way listening alone does not.