Summary
In this video segment from Between the Lions, children and adults alike struggle to articulate the tongue twister "Seven selfish shellfish." This tongue twister illustrates how wordplay draws attention to the different sounds within words.
Viewer safety
All ages
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
"Seven Selfish Shellfish" is all about listening for the sounds inside words — rhyming, blending, or breaking words into parts.
- What sounds, rhymes, or word parts did you hear?
- How were the sounds put together or pulled apart?
- Can you make another word that plays with those same sounds?
Quick work-a-long
Practice: sound, rhyme, word part.
Try it: Pick a short word, say each sound slowly, then blend it back together — and think of one word that rhymes with it.