Dialect Teacher Resources

What does your dialect sound like? Examine variation in English as it relates to geographic regions with your class. They recognize some of the major differences between regional dialects and determine that everyone speaks a dialect....

Learners view the film "Nell" and analyze it for presentation of language pathologies and dialects. They consider the definition of dialect, research phonetic representation of dialects and observe their own communities for speech patterns.

Both humorous and fascinating, dialects of the English language are a never-ending source of cultural studies in America. This presentation details characteristics and vocabulary of Eastern U.S. dialects, Southern dialects, and Western...

Practice listening skills while studying oral story tellers from different parts of Louisiana. Consider the regional dialects and insider language of folk groups with your class. Identify language as part of folk life and recognize that...

A reading of Mark Twain’s The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County not only offers pupils an opportunity to practice their listening skills but also provides them with examples of dialectic speech. This is the gol’derndest lesson...

Reading a dialect can be difficult; show readers that it can also reveal fascinating details! They read two extracts from Jane Gardam's The Hollow Land, which is written in a British dialect. Readers answer comprehension questions,...

The dialect words for types of food from across the British Isles get pupils thinking about native dialects and how they differ from Standard English. Class members create a dialect dictionary and discuss the difference between accent...

What's the difference between an accent and a dialect? Examine the difference between the two with your scholars. In groups, they compile a dialect dictionary. They interview adults to gather information about accents and ethnic words....

Cultivating an interest in native dialects and how they differ from Standard English is an excellent introduction to the study of language. This resource looks at the dialectic words of the British Isles that are used for methods of...

Discover the differences in dialect. Inquisitive minds read poems and discuss how words or phrases are different in standard English and other dialects. Using a dictionary, class members locate the definition of each word, find...

Explore different dialects with your English class. This handout contains four poems from Paul Laurence Dunbar. Use the poems to introduce your class to a new dialect. No exercises or activities are included. 

Building on the previous activity in this series of lesson seeds, this plan focuses on the use of dialect in Theodore Taylor's novel, The Cay. Class members examine specific lines of text, use their reading journals to respond to the...

Students explore the power of dialect in poetry.  In this poetry lesson, students listen to a reading of "In-a Brixtan Markit" while viewing the poem.  Students rewrite the poem in English or using another dialect; or write another poem...

Does your class annotate to deepen their understanding of a text? Before they jump into Night by Elie Wiesel, have them practice annotating with a short excerpt. Provided here is a guide to annotation and a two-page excerpt on the...

Explore the sounds, importance, and effectiveness of dialect in literature.  Active participants read, listen to poetry, and explore dialect by developing a formal definition, discuss the benefits of its use, complete a Venn diagram and...

The comprehensive study guide packet for Richard Connell’s "The Most Dangerous Game" challenges young readers to reflect on hunting as a sport and what it means to be civilized. Using various graphic organizers, including a Cornell Notes...

With a list of popular British slang words, this worksheet prompts pupils to define their colloquialisms as if they were in the dictionary. Because the words are so specifically regional, American students might not recognize them, but a...

From British accents to Texan drawls, a character's dialect can be an important part of the reading experience. A Six-Trait writing activity guides learners through the analysis of a character's dialect (Daniel Keyes's Flowers for...

While originally created to accompany The Cay, this poetry activity could be used on it's own, especially if you are working on dialect. Class members conduct a close reading of "When Malindy Sings" by Paul Laurence Dunbar and listen to...

Sociolect? Jargon? Morphosyntactic? Labov? Ebonics? The fifteen slides in this presentation serve to introduce terms and concepts used in the discussion of how ethnicity, age, social class, education, religion, and gender influence...

Students are exposed to the obstacles in communication created by the presence of dialects, and made aware of the usefulness of a common writing system available to speakers of all dialect forms.

Students explore poetry and dialect. They research Burn's Night and how people celebrate it. Students examine the Scottish dialect and its similarities to English grammar. Students write their own poetry.

In this language and dialects worksheet, students show that they agree or disagree with each statement by marking agree or disagree and commenting about the statement in the space provided.