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62 Language

Page
559
from
Write Ahead

Language Section Opener

Start-Up Activity

Ask if anyone in your class knows sign language. If someone does, have the person demonstrate while you speak. (Use basic words and speak slowly so that the person can keep up.) Then have the person explain how she or he learned sign language, and what it feels like to speak using it.

Afterward, tell students they can all learn the basics of sign language. Show them the hand symbols on this page and practice with you as you lead them through the different signs.

Point out that the manual alphabet is just another way that people have figured out to encode meaning. From cuneiform to hieroglyphics to alphabetical language to the printing press to sign language to emojis—humans are forever inventing ways to communicate.

Think About It

“Language most shows a man; speak that I may see thee.”

—Ben Johnson

State Standards Covered in This Chapter

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.10

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.10

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.4

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.4.A

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.4.B

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.4.C

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.4.D

LAFS Covered in This Chapter

LAFS.910.RL.4.10

LAFS.910.RI.4.10

LAFS.910.RH.4.10

LAFS.910.L.3.4

TEKS Covered in This Chapter

110.36.c.3

110.36.c.4

110.36.c.6

110.36.c.7.A

110.36.c.7.B

110.36.c.7.C

110.37.c.3

110.37.c.4

110.37.c.6

110.37.c.7.A

110.37.c.7.B

110.37.c.7.C

110.36.c.7.D

110.36.c.7.E

110.37.c.7.D

110.37.c.7.E

110.36.c.2

110.37.c.2

110.36.c.2.B

110.37.c.2.B

110.36.c.2.A

110.37.c.2.A

TEKS Covered in This Chapter

Page 560 from Write Ahead

The History of the English Language

Turn to each part of this history when you read material from the period, or have your students read the whole sweep of change on this page and the next. In each part, emphasize the new words that entered English and dragged some of their own grammatical rules along with them. (Students will see more specific word additions on page 562.)

Also, help students recognize how languages are constantly changing and evolving. Rules always follow usage. That's why the rules have so many exceptions.

If students rightly feel frustrated with this melting-pot language, point out that the diversity of English makes it one of the most expressive languages. English has about half a million words to choose from, while French has less than half that potential vocabulary.

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.910.RL.4.10
TEKS Standard:
110.36.c.3, 110.36.c.4, 110.36.c.6, 110.36.c.7.A, 110.36.c.7.B, 110.36.c.7.C, 110.37.c.3, 110.37.c.4, 110.37.c.6, 110.37.c.7.A, 110.37.c.7.B, 110.37.c.7.C
NE ELA Standard:
LA 10.1.6

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 9Grade 10
Mode:
Writing Basics

Page 561 from Write Ahead

The History of the English Language (Cont.)

Continue to have students review the history of the language. Also point them to the chart at the bottom of the page, which shows language families. English is closely related to Dutch, German, and Scandinavian. English also gained much from the Celtic languages of the indigenous Britons and from the Romance language (French) of the Norman invaders.

Ask student if any of them speaks a language other than English. Have them find the language on the chart. (Note that East Asian, African, and Native American languages don't even appear.) Ask how similar or different the language is from English. Have students share examples of similarities and differences.

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.910.RL.4.10
TEKS Standard:
110.36.c.3, 110.36.c.4, 110.36.c.6, 110.36.c.7.A, 110.36.c.7.B, 110.36.c.7.C, 110.37.c.3, 110.37.c.4, 110.37.c.6, 110.37.c.7.A, 110.37.c.7.B, 110.37.c.7.C
NE ELA Standard:
LA 10.1.6

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 9Grade 10
Mode:
Writing Basics

Page 562 from Write Ahead

English from Around the World

Have students read through the list of words on this page, discovering the many origins of English vocabulary. Then turn the page into an activity by asking questions:

  • What do you notice about the Old English words? (The are very basic and everyday, relating to domestic life on a farm. The Anglo-Saxons were the peasants.)
  • What do you notice about the French words? (They deal with government, art, science, fashion, and food. The French were the nobles.)
  • What do you notice about the Native American words? (They deal with nature and life in the wild. They are the original inhabitants of the Americas.)
  • What do you notice about the Yiddish words? (They sound funny. Jewish comedians established the foundations of American comedy.)
State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.910.L.3.4
TEKS Standard:
110.36.c.2, 110.37.c.2
NE ELA Standard:
LA 10.1.3, LA 10.1.5

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 9Grade 10
Mode:
Writing Basics