The lesson begins with a short quiz about the English language, which makes sure that the students understand what a hybrid language English is, and the concept of loan words. They then look at some common loan words and try to decide which language they originally came from, before reading a short text to check their ideas.
The point is made in the text that English spelling (and pronunciation) seems very irregular because so many words come from different languages. The students then look at some commonly misspelt words and learn to spell them correctly.
- Develop reading skills through reading a text about the origins of the English language.
- Raise awareness of the origins of the English language and understand that it is in many ways a shared history with other languages.?
- Help students understand a little more why spelling and pronunciation rules in English can feel very arbitrary.
- Help students learn to spell some commonly misspelled words accurately.
Age group and level:
Older teenagers or adults with CEFR level B2 and above
Approximately 60 minutes
All materials can be downloaded below in PDF format
Important: Please read
To support teachers having to work online during the COVID-19 pandemic, this lesson has been adapted for teachers providing online classes. The lesson notes are specifically for online lessons and the class materials?have been made available as a PowerPoint.
Included in the teachers' notes, there is guidance and advice for what teachers need to know and do before?and at the beginning of an online class. Please read the lesson instructions carefully before using them. They are for guidance only, and designed to be used with the most common online platforms. You may need to adapt the lesson to the format and online platform you are working with.