Word Play: Fun with English Unit Study

 

 

English is full of beautiful and interesting nuances.  When I sat down with my 7-year-old at the end of first grade to see what she was interested in learning for 2nd grade, she asked to learn more about alphabets, letters, and English.  I looked around at different resources and discovered The Word Snoop.  It is a fun trip through many interesting features of English.  I’ve put together a study based on the book and added in a bunch of videos and activities that my daughter will like.  It should be fun!

Chapter 1:  How it all began…

• Read pg 3-9
• Videos on various writing systems around the world.
  • I omitted Latin-based writing systems and didn’t include Mandarin, Greek, or Arabic since we are learning those languages and are already familiar with the writing.
  • Watch ancient writing:  Hittite cuneiform and Egyptian hieroglyphics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoqavHDlKZ0
  • Russian alphabet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMKwq-mQVgo
  • Hindi alphabet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eofyx2okzV4
  • Tibetan alphabet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5Nq6TQyCdA
  • Japanese alphabet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XtcuhM6pxw
  • Cherokee syllabary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weS50svvpqg
  • Sinhala alphabet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT66tc5MaQ8&
  • Thai alphabet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T02AkRj6Pcw
  • Inuktitut alphabet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78iJwtoA1_M
  • Georgian alphabet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3vILjL-QO4
  • Hebrew alphabet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfeb06nnA9k
• Play around with Google Translate to see English words translated into different languages https://translate.google.com
• Read pg 9-12
  • Listen to Beowulf before the 11th century pronunciation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYsD4DPg4ls
  • Listen to the Lord’s Prayer in 11th century pronunciation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Wl-OZ3breE
  • Hear changes in English 7th, 12th, and 15th century https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG27snbQGSg
  • Practice pronouncing some Old English words https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0baCs_84yQ and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FzjIK0Ro7A
• Read pg 12-18
  • Listen to Elvish https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMLeim0tu9Q 
  • Listen to Klingon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_EtdzKfeGA
  • Project- Create own alphabet
• Read pg 18-20
• Watch some shorthand in action https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inTf7SM0zaM and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zITId1y1BWM
• Play around with shorthand http://gregg.angelfishy.net/gsd.pdf

Chapter 2:  Why is English so strange?

• Silent letters pg 25-29
  • Nessy reading Silent Letters https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p4hRbPQC2w
  • Play silent invaders game http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/game/en01soun-game-silent-invaders
  • Play hangman with words that have silent consonants – word list http://www.academia.edu/5595383/MAKE_YOUR_ENGLISH_SOUNDS_ENGLISH_SILENT_CONSONANT
• The invention of printing pg 29-34
  • Watch Johannes Gutenberg and the Printing Press https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ojyCDRc8uc 
  • Tape down plastic magnet letters and paint them and make a print of them on paper.
• American spelling pg 35-38
  • Explore accent archive to hear English accents around the world  http://accent.gmu.edu/browse_atlas.php
  • Why Brits and Americans Spell Differently https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztGYZlI3QYk
  • Write word pairs in chocolate. One color for the American spelled word and another color for the Canadian spelled words.  Choose from this list:  http://www.mohawkcollege.ca/Assets/Communications+Centre/Helpful+Facts+Sheets/Canadian+vs+American+Spelling.pdf
• Plurals pg 39-42
  • Watch Nessy Spelling:  Plurals https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lD1OaD4FBqM 
  • Irregular noun plurals https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6yjcZkj5UY
  • Play Planetary Plurals http://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/PlanetaryPlurals.html
• Hooray for Anglo-Saxon! pg 43-45
  • Listen to Anglo-Saxon English https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaCjqf3_T6M
  • Play Hild and the Village Feast http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/anglo_saxons/growing_up/
  • Play Dig it Up Anglo Saxons http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/anglo_saxons/
• Shakespeare and the Bible pg 46-51
  • Watch Shakespeare Animated Tale http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x272h8f_shakespeare-the-animated-tales-01×02-the-tempest-eng-subs_shortfilms
  • Read some of the original 1611 KJV of the Bible http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/1611_John-Chapter-1/

Chapter 3:  Dots and dashes, interrobangs and cat’s claws

• Punctuation pg 55-62
  • Watch The Punctuation People: Theme Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5e8S4-A9zg
  • Watch The Punctuation People:  Don Period https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCrVynFYy_w
  • Watch The Punctuation People:  The Commas and the Stoppers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75R_EcxLVHg
  • Watch The Punctuation People:  Ms. Exclamation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHSKFbdYq1U
  • Watch The Punctuation People:  Question Markowitz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC3WqM-0TpI
  • Watch The Punctuation People: Ma and Pa Rentheses https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzieZqtK_0Y
  • Mold a comma, period, colon, semicolon, exclamation mark, question mark, apostrophe, quotation marks, and interrobang out of Starburst candy
• Punctuation in Other Languages and Punctuation:  Do we Need it? pg 62-71
  • Commas Song Grammar Rock https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3h42RWnCB0
  • Quotations Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuP4WXHtqMo
  • Look at ways meaning can change with incorrect punctuation:  https://cybertext.wordpress.com/2012/11/22/a-light-hearted-look-at-how-punctuation-can-change-meaning/
  • Play punctuation game http://www.funenglishgames.com/grammargames/punctuation.html

Chapter 4:  Letters, letters, letters

• Anagrams pg 77-80
  • Watch Eat Tea – Anagrams https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcH5tyThIvY
  • Make anagams with Scrabble tiles
  • Use Anagram generator to come up with anagrams for name:  http://wordsmith.org/anagram/index.html
  • Play anagram game http://www.booksandgames.com/freegames/my-weirder-school-anagrams 
• Panagrams pg 81-84
  • What is a panagram https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl2pLpWx90c
  • Arrange 26 alphabet pretzels or crackers in alphabetical order and make a panagram sentence  http://clagnut.com/blog/2380/#Perfect_pangrams_in_English_.2826_letters.29
• Lipograms pg 84-87
  • Make up a lipogram story avoiding letter s
  • Make up a lipogram story avoiding the letter e
• Acronyms pg 88-101
  • Acronyms you should know https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtVp9H8CG9U
  • Practitce using internet acronyms by instant messaging to each other:  http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/slang/texting-slang.html

Chapter 5:  Is that another Greek word?

• Palindromes pg  105-109
  • Look at palindrome list http://www.enchantedlearning.com/english/palindromes/
  • Find palindromes in a can of alphabet pasta in tomato sauce
• Mnemonics pg 110-113
  • Watch mnemonics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoYOb2sPnqA
  • Come up with a mnemonic to memorize a list
• Oxymorons pg 113-117
  • Watch Mr. Palindrome’s Funny Oxymorons https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFEJKe46IFw
  • Watch oxymorons song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G777DdrpYz4
  • Oxymoron Pin the Tail on the Donkey style.  Choose some oxymorons from this list  http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-oxymorons.html.  Write down each part of the oxymoron on a different card and put the last words of the oxymoron on the wall.  Give child a card showing the first part of an oxymoron.  She is to find the oxymoron and then get blindfolded and try to “pin” the oxymoron together.  After blindfolding, she will be spun around while I say “oxymoron, oxymoron, go and find the oxymoron”.

Chapter 6:  Who likes playing games

• Pig Latin pg 123-126
  • Watch girl speak pig latin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ed-ssutmlVQ
  • Practice reading some words in Pig Latin and then try speaking in Pig Latin to each other.
• The Rebus pg 127-130
• Watch Concentration episodes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNEffklYzDk and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oka8S-im3JU
  • Complete Rebus puzzles https://www.superteacherworksheets.com/brainteasers/rebus1_WQRWB.pdf
  • More puzzles http://okcpscurriculumteam.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/1/2/13121092/rebuswuzzlepuzzlework.pdf
  • Try some Rebus picture puzzles https://www.facebook.com/RebusConcentrationPuzzles
• Rhyming Slang pg 131-135
  • Watch some Cockney Rhyming Slang https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2Hblhr1GWg

Chapter 7:  Say that again!

• Puns pg 139-142
  • Watch Subtle Puns https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7kESrT2abw
  • Watch Best Knock Knock Jokes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl1-MXCrSLM
  • Find 5 favorite Knock Knock Jokes and share them in a Youtube video http://www.funology.com/knock-knock-jokes/
• Homophones pg 142-144
  • Watch Homophone Monkey song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJUqJyX5NSA
  • Watch Between the Lions Homophone song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3prL9EHifw0
  • Watch Homophones Grammar Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7911KEv-TI4
  • Play homophones memory game http://deceptivelyeducational.blogspot.ca/2012/02/homophones-memory-game.html
• Mondegreens pg 145-148
  • Misheard lyrics Cool Kids/Cookies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUZjC_9Fp0Q
  • Ruldolf the red nosed reindeer song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM6mDRhKAcA
  • Olive the other reindeer song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GCHsTnz7XE
  • Watch Winter Wonderland and see how she hears the phrase Parson Brown https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ale-P-LSkwM
• Onomatopoeia pg 149-153
  • Watch onomatopoeia rap https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6i3WQNqUWk
  • Watch Electric Company’s onomatopoeia’s sounds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrRW7RIr0xM
  • Read Mr. Brown Can Moo
  • Make sugar cookies and write different onomatopoetic words on top – choose from this list http://resourcesforchildrenswriters.blogspot.ca/p/onomatopoeia-word-list.html
• Tongue Twisters pg 154-158
  • Watch tongue twisters challenge https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40CIOeBaSeg
  • Read tongue twisters on Youtube video.  Choose from this list:  http://service.uark.edu/mentoring_programs/vacliteracy/pdf/english_tongue_twisters.pdf
• Portmanteau Words pg 158-162
  • Listen to the Jabberwocky https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9TTzTU6Lnc
  • Watch The Word on Language and Grammar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IP7DAqQbcB8
  • Give 2 words and have her combine them into one word.  Compare her result with the list here:  https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:List_of_portmanteaux

Chapter 8:  Hmm, I wonder what you’re really saying

• Euphemisms pg 169-171 and Don’t Mention It pg 172-175
  • Watch Followed the Light Kids and Euphemism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgHAsREJIi4
  • Watch She’s Left Us Kids and Euphemism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Wkbgo6eDX4
  • Watch In a Better Place https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xpkAqGTOdY
  • Take the euphemism quiz http://www.ecenglish.com/learnenglish/lessons/high-intermediate-level-what-are-euphemisms
• Doublespeak pg 176-179
  • Go over doublespeak terms http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-doublespeak.html  and look in classifieds to find several examples
  • Watch Buy Me That Too  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7VNFO4ksCE
  • Watch Buy Me That 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hh1tXWlGxo
• Cliches pg 180-183
  • Play around with cliche finder http://www.westegg.com/cliche/
  • Make fortune cookies and place cliches inside http://allrecipes.com/recipe/fortune-cookies-i/  Cliche list here:  http://clichesite.com/alpha_list.asp?which=lett+1
• Tautology pg 183-188
  • Write two words in chalk on the patio and have her spray away one of them.  See list of redundant phrases here http://www.fun-with-words.com/redundant_phrases.html and http://kcreative.typepad.com/files/what-is-a-tautology-examples-and-corrections.pdf

Chapter 9:  Is that a real person?

• Nicknames pg 195-197
  • Watch Nicknames and Pet Names for Kids https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn0lC9XFBIo
  • Come up with nicknames for everyone in the family
• Eponyms pg 198-199
  • Go over eponyms list http://www.alphadictionary.com/articles/eponyms/
  • Invent a dessert and name it after yourself.
• Spoonerisms pg 200-203
  • Listen to poem from Runny Babbit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_pb9lqoz2E
  • Take turn reading poems from Runny Babbit
  • Write a poem and then change some sounds around to make spoonerisms
• TomSwifties pg 204-206
  • Go over Tom Swifties http://www.ccp14.ac.uk/ccp/web-mirrors/xtalview-mcree/pub/dem-web/misrael/TomSwifties.html
  • Finish these Tom Swifties correctly http://www.schools.manatee.k12.fl.us/webdisk/581BDIETCH/homework/adverbs/tom_swifty.pdf
• Malapropisms pg 207-211
  • Go over malapropisms here http://www.fun-with-words.com/malapropisms.html
  • Try making malapropisms with sentences from this list:  http://www.englishinuse.net/
• Pen Names pg 212-217
  • Watch Literary Pseudonyms https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10hvGqzsXCQ
  • Come up with a pen name and try this pen name generator http://www.plot-generator.org.uk/pen-name/
  • Try writing new pen name in cursive

Chapter 10:  Back to the future

• Telegramese pg 221-224
  • Watch singing telegrams https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezjtppj7Gkw  and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtkMkFOl98Y
  • Watch telegraph history https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ziHpB-Dw7o
  • Look at morse code list http://morsecode.scphillips.com/morse2.html
  • Write words in morse code http://www.onlineconversion.com/morse_code.htm
  • Make morse code alphabet cookies
• Texting, LOL, Leet, and More pg 225-228 and Smileys pg 228-232
  • Watch Good Mythical Morning Text Competition https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur9b5Rf2afw
  • Text message each other with abbreviations and smilies  http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/slang/texting-slang.html and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emoticons