Both English teachers and English language enthusiasts will truly enjoy this site. This BBC site looks at the development of English from 449 A.D. from many angles. The audio clips contain language puns, insults, and riddles from old English. Students will be able to hear the language the way it was spoken over 1500 years ago.
How does this tool enrich English class? Click on Beowulf from the 8th century to hear it read in English's earliest forms. Supports such as these not only broaden the students' knowledge of English, but also transfer over to world history in the study of Vikings, Anglos, and Saxons:) Remember in the new common core, teachers of all content areas will be demonstrating to students that content knowledge in one course can and does transfer to other subject areas.
For vocabulary development, this site provides samples of words that each time period added to the language. Again, such information easily bridges over into world history, English, science, and mathematics. Everything now known about English took hundreds of years to evolve. This site provides just enough to grab student interest without overwhelming them. Think of it as a "hook" to build interest AND it is fun.
What about studying puns, jokes, and insults in the various forms of Old English? What could be more fun for students studying Shakespeare than insulting each other in the language of Queen Elizabeth's reign? What better motivator to fully engage all students in studying English literature:)
Explore the other great options this site offers and see how it can tap and hold student interest:)
A HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE FROM BBC
Denise
ELL TEACHER PROS
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