Readings

Each reading is accompanied by a link to a blog post with possible classroom uses and discussion questions.

Audience

Dialects and Discourses 

• "Sign Language that African Americans Use is Different from that of Whites"- This Washington Post article looks at racial differences in ASL. Possible uses discussed here.  
• "5 Insane Ways Words Can Control Your Mind" (Warning: This is from the humor website Cracked.com which contains some profanity.) This article looks at the way that language usage impacts perceptions of the world around us. Possible uses discussed here. 
• "Lost in Translation" This Wall Street Journal article looks at the way that language shapes cultural norms and perceptions. Possible uses discussed here.
• "Do You Speak American?" This PBS site is multi-faceted and explores dialects and questions language power dynamics. Possible uses discussed here.

Grammar

• "Grammar as a Matter of Fashion"- This New York Times post compares grammar to fashion and shows students that they make different grammatical choices depending on the setting and audience. Possible uses discussed here. 
• "I Won't Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here's Why." This Harvard Business Review article is written by a company CEO who explains why he makes all of his employees (regardless of position) pass a grammar test. Possible uses discussed here. 

Style/Voice

• "J.K. Rowling's Secret: A Forensic Linguist Explains How He Figured it Out"- This Time post explains how a linguist used language markers to identify Rowling's pseudonymous work. We can use it to teach our students about style and voice. Possible uses discussed here.