Three in a row: str, spl, thr

Objective & content

This Sound Check video (about 2 minutes 30) fixes clusters of three sounds at the start of a word: str- in street, spl- in splash and thr- in three. Freya (British) and Cody (American) show the key: push all the sounds together in one smooth breath, with no stop between the letters. They show why it matters: if the cluster breaks, the word changes. Strap becomes trap, splash becomes slash, thread becomes read. Students repeat words and one sentence, The strong dog splashed through three puddles, then play a three-round game.

Pedagogical guide

Many learners break a cluster by adding a small vowel, so street becomes "suh-treet". This is common when a language does not allow s plus another consonant at the start of a word. Speakers of French, Spanish and Portuguese often add the vowel. Speakers of German, Polish and Dutch accept these clusters in their own language, so their trap is different: they go too slowly and separate the letters. Both hosts say the clusters the same way. The game tests listening only: check the speaking yourself.

Suggested procedure

1. Before (2 min). Write street, splash and three on the board. Ask students to say them.
2. Watch (3 min). Play the video once. Students repeat aloud when the hosts say "Try it with us", "Say them with me" and "Now a sentence, with me".
3. Game (2 min). Play the game again. Pause after a host says "Listen..." and the word, before the other host gives the answer. The class votes: full cluster or broken cluster?
4. After (3 min). In pairs, one student says strap or trap, splash or slash, thread or read. The partner points to the right word on the board.

Materials & prerequisites

• The video, a screen and sound for the whole class.
• The example words are at about A2- level. No symbols needed.

Assessment & extensions

Say throw, string, split, throat and stripe. Students say each word in one smooth push. Listen for an extra vowel.