How Language Works

How Language Works

Objective: To demystify for teachers the processes of language and illustrate ways to implement language arts in classroom curriculum.

Procedure: This seminar is in lecture format with activities. Handouts and lesson plans will be provided for short lessons that can take place throughout the school year.

1. Noises We Make and Why We Make Them
   1. Noises animals make and why they make them
   2. Noises humans and why we make them
2. Accessing Others’ Neurons
   1. Using our senses to take in and transmit information
   2. Standing on the shoulders of giants through reading and research
3. What is Standard American English and Why Do We Care if Our Students Use It?
   1. Introducing students to Standard American English
   2. The English as a second language problem/opportunity
   3. Crippling students by not requiring them to learn Standard American English
   4. The advantages of learning foreign languages in relation to Standard American English
   5. Write for Your Life online DVD—the added benefits of writing in all careers
4. Words as Material
   1. Words with consequences
   2. Connotation and denotation
   3. Manipulating words to mean what we want
5. The APCs of Rhetoric
   1. Audience
   2. Purpose
   3. Context
6. Style
   1. Choice and variation
   2. Choosing the variation that is appropriate or fitting to the audience, purpose, and context
7. Technology’s Effects on Communication
   1. Turning technology into opportunity
   2. Guiding students to use technology appropriately