Key Concept: Language

Key question: What is Language?

Why do we need languages?
Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to contextualise the importance of languages by discussion, reflection and research

Communicate:
On your white boards, please complete the statement: To me languages means
Please hold up your answers

Apply
languages, note down in your books different ideas about what languages are
Why do you think there are differences? Why do you think we need language?

As we read some of the ideas of

Discuss in pairs for two minutes

What is this? Where is it from? How does this tie in with Languages?

Now write a definition for Language, like youd find in a dictionary

Language =
a system for the communication and expression of thoughts, feelings, etc., by the use of spoken sounds or conventional symbols the language of a particular nation or people

any other means of communicating, such as gesture or animal sounds

the specialized vocabulary used by a particular group (eg texting, Maths, Science, IT)

Enquiry
In school, when might you adapt the
language you use / the way you say things?

 What do you do every day that requires

language? What if there were no languages? What wouldnt exist in a world without language?
Discuss in pairs for two minutes

Contextualise

Languages of the World

How many languages can you list?
List them on your whiteboards

In what way are languages of the world

the same? In what way do they differ?

Enquire:
Why is it important to know another
language? Why do we have languages on the National Curriculum?

What do all languages have in common? Symbols (alphabet) Write down your ideas Sounds Speech Words Accents (different pronunciation) Dialects (different words) Grammar rules Patterns Communication

What makes languages different?

Where they are spoken Pronunciation

Words

Enquire:
What is a rule? Why do we need rules?

Why do we need rules in language? All we want to do is communicate!

Contextualise:
If Language was a human being,
the grammar would be the skeleton Why?