Do all languages have a common ancestor? Although no one yet knows the answer to that big question, the narrator of this short, animated video explains how linguists use migration patterns, geological features, and word clues to...

Providing a thorough presentation on the art of written language (and not just English), this slideshow will open your students' eyes to the sociological and linguistic issues surrounding writing systems, both modern and historical. The...

Scholars assess how word choice and linguistic patterns affect a presidential debate. They examine candidates' words for repetition and analyze what this repetition means. Then they locate countries that fit the expression free world. In...

Prepare yourself for a top-notch presentation on colonialism in Africa! Discussed are the reasons for African multilingualism. Maps and a country-by-country look at various colonists that made their mark on the African continent are...

Is there value in preserving indigenous languages that are almost extinct? That's the question posed to viewers of a short film about the attempt of one Native American woman who is creating a dictionary for Wakchumni, the language of...

Expand your class's vision of the French-speaking world by conducting this research project. Pupils focus on building 21st-century skills while they look up information about a French country and put together presentations.

Document the linguistic diversity and major language groups common to Europe in 1850. A map and a list of regions, countries, and water ways is provided.

Fifth graders explore the different types of Indian languages used today in the United States.

Designed to accompany An Introduction to Language by Victoria Fromkin, Robert Rodman, and Nina Hyams, this powerpoint addresses a number of language, technological, and sociological topics. The slides could be helpful in either a...

An overview of the development of English as a global language fills out these slides. Beginning with statistics regarding how much of the world speaks English and to what capacity, a brief history is then given mostly pertaining to WWII...

Providing both a history of English before England (Sino-Tibetan, Finno-Ugric, Hamido-Semitic, Indo-European) and a history of English in England, this presentation includes charts and many examples of the changes in the English language...

To examine the “New English” Chinua Achebe uses in Things Fall Apart, readers complete a series of worksheets that ask them to examine similes, proverbs, and African folktales contained in the novel. Individuals explain the meaning...

Investigate the importance of author's point of view. Young linguists study primary source documents related to the Treaty of Casco Bay. The first source is authored by the Native American Chiefs, the second by an English...

Case studies, an examination of images, and readings of passages from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child are used to spark conversations in ESL/ELD social studies classes about this highly-charged topic. Using a variety of...

Students explore the science of word associations. They take a memory quiz, read articles on how the brain processes language, explore the concept of false memories and create and illustrate their own original word associations.

Students explore how to make their language gender neutral.

A colorful resource introduces learners to the four major fields of anthropology: cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, biological anthropology, and archaeology. Explanations are provided for what each field studies, the kinds...

Using examples from Socrates to Johnny Carson, this slideshow presents your students with the history and definition of dramatic irony, satire, situational irony, and tragic irony. This presentation would be useful in a language arts...

Covering a unit of surnames, linguistics or the history of the English language? Then this might be a great pre-test or sponge activity for you. Test learners' knowledge of how and where certain surnames originated. As with all Fun...

Katherine Paterson’s young adult novel Lyddie is the foundation of a differentiated instruction unit that not only explores the rise of industrialization and labor but women’s rights issues as well. After learners read the novel, they...

Using the text Language Awareness by Eschholz, Rosa and Clark, as well as previous lectures from the class, this slideshow presents students with a midterm addressing key terms and concepts. While teachers might have a hard time...

After reading Pat Hutchins’ Rosie’s Walk, have your young cartographers create a map of Rosie’s walk. Then lead them on a walk around the school. When you return class members sequence the walk by making a list of how the class got from...

Students analyze lyrics and narration by reading poetry.  In this language arts lesson, students read and examine the poem Belfast Confetti.  Students discuss the topics and questions asked by the author Ciaran Carson.

Your class will enjoy this presentation, whether or not they are fans of hip hop. It focuses on the trends of hip hop names, discussing the role of cool names and the strong letter k. The slide show could successfully augment a class on...