How Do I Say Hello

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How Do I Say Hello?

• Julie Anne Parisi
• Education 301
• Diversity Technology Lesson

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• Learning About Language Diversity
• Grade 5

How Do I Say Hello?
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Objectives

• To make students aware of the diversity of
  languages present in the United States.
• To encourage students to communicate with
  non-native speakers of English.
• To allow students to gain a better
  understanding of the difficulties non-English
  students experience in the U.S.
• To increase awareness of the overall diversity
  in the U.S. and foster an appreciation for the
  differences.

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Materials Needed

• Computer with Internet Access
• Activity 1
• Dictionary
• Activity 2
• Foreign Newspapers
• Activity 3
• Paper and Pencil
• Foreign Language Dictionary
• Activity 4
• Foreign Language Teacher

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Why Are There So Many Languages?

• Since 1820, more than 40 million people have
  immigrated to the United States.
• Immigrants come to the United States to
• - live freely
• - to have freedom of religion
• - to have economic freedom
• - to have a better life
• - and some, such as slaves, were brought to
  America by force.

http//www.worldalmanacforkids.com/explore/populat
ion5.html
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• When all of these immigrants came to the United
  States, they brought with them their cultures and
  traditions from their home country.
• This introduced a variety of religions, family
  structures, political and educational ideas, and
• Languages!!
• Today, there are over 150 languages spoken in the
  U.S.
• http//www.ethnologue.com/country_index.asp

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• About 10 of people living in the United States
  today were born in a foreign country.
• Many of these people do not understand English
  very well, but they can speak another language
  fluently.
• Some of these people who do not understand or
  speak English are children, who must attend
  school.

http//www.ethnicharvest.org/mission/immigratnfact
s.htm
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• There are 3.5 million non-English speaking
  students in U.S. schools. These students speak
  over 100 different languages.
• When these children are at school, they have many
  difficulties understanding teachers and peers.
• This interferes with these students ability to
  understand what is being taught, which affects
  their performance.
• It is very frustrating when one cannot understand
  what is being said by those around him or her.
• http//www.whatkidscando.org/intheirownwords/whoam
  iintro.html

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• By acknowledging and understanding some of the
  difficulties non-English speaking students
  experience, we can become more supportive and
  tolerant of them.
• We can offer help to those who do not speak or
  understand English and not be critical of them
  when they make mistakes.
• Like all things, learning a new language takes a
  lot of practice!!
• One way we can help non-English speaking students
  is to show an interest in their culture. We can
  learn about their religion, foods, and schools.
  We might also ask them to teach us how to speak
  their language!
• Learn about Mexican culture at
• http//www.arts-history.mx/indexn.html

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• Activity 1
• While languages appear to be very different from
  one another, many languages share similarities
  with each other.
• Go to the website http//www.exploratorium.edu/ex
  ploring/language/related_languages.html
• Try to find similarities in the languages.
• What makes these languages similar? What makes
  them different?
• How does the word hand show similarities in
  different languages?

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• Many languages come from the same origins, or
  beginnings. Write down a list of five words.
  Then look them up in a dictionary and discover
  where these words originated.
• How did the word window originate?
• Write down a hypothesis, or an educated guess,
  that could explain how these words developed into
  what they are today.
• Languages that share the same origins might have
  close similarities today. How might this help a
  person learning a new language?

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Activity 2

• Find some foreign newspapers that are in
  different languages, such as French, Spanish,
  German, Italian, Chinese, or Dutch.
• Look through these newspapers, trying to
  determine what the articles are talking about.
  Look for context clues, such as drawings, maps,
  or photos. You might also recognize words that
  resemble English words.
• With other students, discuss what you learned by
  looking through these newspapers.

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• Try to imagine how a non-English speaker might
  feel in the U.S. if they cannot read a newspaper.
• Were you able to make guesses as to what the
  newspapers were saying? What helped you?
• Try to imagine how a non-English speaker might
  feel in the U.S. if they cannot read a newspaper.
  How might you feel if you were in a foreign
  country and could not read the newspapers there.

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Activity 3

• When two people from different countries are
  together, language is oftentimes a barrier. This
  prevents them from being able to communicate
  through speech.
• Usually, when a person is in a foreign country,
  they find themselves lost because they are
  limited by communication. Immigrants to the U.S.
  are faced by this situation everyday, at work,
  school, the grocery store, churches, and even in
  their own homes when they are watching T.V.
• Now, imagine yourself having immigrated to a
  foreign country where the people do not speak
  English.

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• Begin a journal or diary entry, imagining the
  feelings you might have. Describe your
  frustrations as you struggle with communicating
  and understanding those around you.
• In a foreign country, you must attempt to begin
  learning the language. Learning such phrases as
  thank you, Where is the restroom, or I am
  hungry is extremely useful.
• Now, go to the web site
• http//www.epals.com/translation/translation.e
• (You can also use a foreign language dictionary).
• Here, you can search for words and phrases in a
  foreign language. Write these phrases in your
  journal. Now imagine having to learn an entire
  language!

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Activity 4

• Have you ever wanted to travel to a foreign
  country?
• Ask a foreign language teacher to come into your
  classroom. This teacher is fluent in another
  language, such as French, German, or Spanish.
• Have him or her teach you how to say common
  phrases that would be helpful when talking to a
  speaker of that language.
• You might learn how to say car (la voiture),
  dog (le chien), or I went to school (Je suis
  allé à lecole) in French.
• If you ever chose to study a foreign language,
  you will learn that this is a very useful skill.
  It will help you both in the U.S., when speaking
  to foreigners, and if you travel abroad.

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• After you have learned some new words, begin a
  personal dictionary.
• Write down the words you have learned.
• Each time you learn a new word in a different
  language, write it down.
• When you meet students that speak a foreign
  language, ask them to help you add new words.

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• While the majority of people communicate through
  speech, some people are deaf, which means they
  communicate through a language known as sign
  language.
• Sign language is just like any other language,
  except that people use their hands to indicate
  words and meanings.
• Go to the web page http//where.com/scott.net/asl/
  
• Here you can learn how to sign the alphabet.
• What word is spelled out below? Take the
  Fingerspelling Quiz to see how well you were able
  to learn the alphabet.

Activity 5
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• Now, with other students, try to communicate with
  each other by signing words to each other. How
  well could you understand each other?
• Sign language creates a unique way for those
  people with hearing disabilities to communicate
  with the world.
• What is the word spelled out below?
• Try communicating with your friends through sign
  language for awhile. Imagine not being able to
  hear. It is just as easy for deaf people to
  communicate through sign language as it is for
  you to speak English!

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Other Ideas
Listen to a radio or T.V. broadcast in a
foreign language at http//www.cortland.edu/fltea
ch/flteach-res.html Explore numerous languages,
including Russian and Japanese, at
http//www.sussex.ac.uk/languages/1-6-4.html View
newspaper and magazine articles in foreign
languages at http//libraries.mit.edu/guides/type
s/flnews/ Read about a multicultural American
English at http//www.tolerance.org/pt/index.htm
l
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Ciao!
The diversity of languages in the U.S.
contributes to the uniqueness of our country. By
helping others learn English and by showing an
interest in others languages and cultures, we
can truly appreciate our nations diversity.