Unclear Sounds and Words

Some of the voice recordings in CAPIT sound unclear, and students struggle to identify the sound or word they hear. Why?

This is a challenge because phonemes are subtle and sound similar to other phonemes (e.g., /m/ /n/ /ng/). Additionally, some words are hard to identify when heard in isolation (e.g., /thin/ sounds like /fin/).

We keep notes of every trouble-making word and regularly re-record them or replace them with a word that is easier to identify.

Another solution we found was to add an image to the word whenever possible. Unfortunately, we can't depict some words with an image (e.g., but, it). Our long-term goal is to add an image whenever possible.

Here are two simple suggestions that can help in the meantime:

1. Please remember to check which lesson and skill the confusion is occurring. The 'unknown' word will likely follow the spelling pattern taught in that lesson. For example, if that lesson introduces the /th/ sound, the word is most likely /thin/ and not /fin/.

2. Please make sure your students have access to over-the-ear headphones when using CAPIT. Good headphones can help block out noise and help students identify sounds and words.

3. Lastly: we ask teachers to contact us when they stumble upon an unclear sound, word or phrase, so we can continue to improve our program.

We appreciate your help!