Sneakers, runners, trainers

In this C2 lesson plan, the student will get familiar with English dialects and some of their characteristics in terms of vocabulary and grammar.

Warm-up

The lesson starts with two sentences about the object in the picture, in two different dialects (sneakers – runners).

British vs. American dialect

The student’s knowledge of differences between British and American vocabulary is tested. They are given either British or American words and they need to come up with their BrE or AmE equivalents (e.g., football – soccer, shop – store, etc.). Next, they change the AmE spelling to BrE spelling of underlined words.

Video: Huddersfield or Hoodezfield?

The student watches a short excerpt from The Graham Norton Show in which the student listens to different dialects. Then, they complete the video comprehension practice.

The student is given several words and a few of their synonyms. They sort them out based on the meaning (e.g. waste collector – binman, bathroom – restroom, etc.). Next, they learn and practice giving directions in BrE and AmE.

Got vs. Gotten

The student learns which dialect uses got/gotten. 

Collective nouns

They learn which dialect uses singular verbs with collective nouns and which plural.

Australian dialect

The student tries to guess the meaning of some Australian words by matching them with the images (daks, servo, sanga, etc.). Then, they read a passage in the Australian dialect, learn more Aussie vocabulary, and practice using it.

Based on what they learned, the student sorts the words out based on the dialects in which they are used. Furthermore, they read sentences and expressions and match them to the dialect they come from.

Canadian dialect

The student learns a few words in the Canadian dialect and practices using them (Canuck, hoser, toque, etc.).

Shakespearean English

The student translates some Shakespearean words into modern-day English. Then, they match some Shakespearean phrases with their meanings (green-eyed monster, in a pickle, love is blind, etc.).