Literacy in the Facebook Era - Waray Dictionary and Language ...

Fullmer 14
Lesson Plan 1 (Reading Comprehension)
Objective: Students will understand how “reading is a psycholinguistic guessing game,” and apply
this concept to deciphering unfamiliar vocabulary/typography. Students will learn to transfer this
skill to future reading situations.
Materials:
• 5 text messages or Facebook posts written in “internet English” (see below)
• 2 excerpts of Shakespearean English with nonstandard spelling (see below)
Motivation/Warm-up: In groups, students review their cell phone inbox and choose 2-3 text
messages that include abbreviations, emoticons, Taglish, and other “jejemon” features. Each group
then chooses one and tries to “translate” this text message into standard English. The teacher writes
an example on the board (“Gud eve Bodz? muZtah nA? Diri kita magi2mUlaY bsktbll?” Good
evening, Bodoy! How are you doing? Will we not play basketball tonight?) After students complete
this exercise, teacher asks students how they were able to translate this, seeking to answers about
phonemic awareness, phonics, and predictive guessing.
Presentation/Practice: Teacher introduces idea of reading as a “psycholinguistic guessing game.”
Research resource here: http://www.readingonline.org/articles/handbook/pressley/index.html
Exercise 1:
1) Teacher writes: “I went to the _____ but forgot my _____ so I ___________.
2) Students volunteer to fill in the blanks, then explain how they made their choices.
3) Teacher then supplies a “title” to this sentence, such as “Beach Day Disaster”
4) Student volunteers then refine the choices, adjusting their comprehension to the new
information
Exercise 2: Teacher provides sample Facebook post written in internet English and asks students to
translate into standard English.
1) hahAha,.saba teL,.xmpre kanai pat msupo,.xmpre ha mga ate na melodies,. :D tangdo
nla!
2) @mary:pag.xur ui,.d man q gwapa,.aqng new yr's resolution bya kai mgpa.gwapa
ko,.hahAha,.
Exercise 3: Teacher provides sample excerpt from Shakespearean English and asks students to
“decode” the meaning.
And now princely Sonne Hamlet, Exit.What meanes these sad and melancholy moodes?
For your intent going to Wittenberg, Wee hold it most vnmeet and vnconuenient,
Being the Ioy and halfe heart of your mother. Therefore let mee intreat you stay in Court.
Discussion: Teacher elicits students to discuss what they have learned. Teacher should ultimately
help students see that these different dialects of English, even if they carry the same meaning, have
different connotations.