Old Enlglish: can you understand it?

Decoding skills in English

​So here's the plan...

​Goal: Today, I will be able to describe how my flashcards will help me to decode English.

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Why: So that I can make the flashcards to be as helpful as possible.

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​Success: I am successful when I use my flashcards to ​decode a reading and explain what the unknown words mean and what the overall paragraph is saying.

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Multiple Select

Which are the ancient language influencers of modern English?

• French

• Germanic languages (from Jutes, Saxons, Angles, Frisions)

• Old Norse

• German

• Spanish

Reorder

How did English pick up many of the words it has today? Reorder the following:

• Barbarian Saxon tribes take over Britain from the Celts

• Vikings invade Britain and Old English mixes with Old Norse

• Norman invasion brings French to the area for 300 years

• Saxons wish to sound sophisticated and use Latin and French to do so

1

2

3

4

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4

Poll

How well do you think you could understand Old English?

• Maybe like how I understand British English.

• Maybe like how I understand Modern English.

• Maybe if I spoke German I could understand!

• Maybe if I had a dictionary I could understand it all.

Poll

Which version of English was easier to understand?

• Old English (reading of Beowulf)

• Middle English (reading of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight)

Open Ended

What were some of the things that you notice between Old English, Middle English, and Modern English?

Open Ended

What could this sentence be saying?

"Ic haebbe syx ond twentig feoh butan min hus"?

Open Ended

"Ic haebbe syx ond twentig feoh butan min hus."

Now that you know what the sentence is saying, which Old English words look like Modern English words?

Match

Match the following French and English words.

• L’université

• Boeuf

• Porc

• Politique

• Carte

University

Beef

Pork

Politic

Card

• University

• Beef

• Pork

• Politic

• Card

Multiple Choice

How were new words coined (newly made) from Latin and Greek?

• Roots, prefixes and suffixes were used to describe scientific ideas

• Roots and prefixes were used because they described so much of the world

• Suffixes and prefixes were used to help Old English words describe health

• Prefixes and suffixes were used occasionally, but roots were used because they were better

Open Ended

In complete sentences, explain why learning Latin and Greek roots, suffixes, and prefixes will help you understand English better.

"Learning the roots, suffixes, and prefixes of Latin and Greek will help me to understand English better because..."

​Flashcard practice...

​Please organize your flashcards at this time. Make sure your name is on every one and that you have the correct definition down for each root, prefix, or suffix.

​Application

​Now that your flashcards are organized, please use them to help you make sense of the next reading. Grab:

1. A piece of paper

2. Your flashcards

3. Pencil​

​Rewrite the sentence in your own words

​The synthesis of the project was very satisfying even though they could never find a synonym for "synchronize".

Rewrite the sentences in your own words

​In the words of many sages through the centuries, the only thing we have to fear is phobophobia. Which, ironically, goes against the very idea of a phobia...

Some text here about the topic of discussion

Rewrite the paragraph in your own words

While Colorado has many tropophilous flora, in the tropics you will find plants that prefer thermotropism (thermos - heat). The tropical climate there has two main seasons, the rainy and dry season. Although, the dry season is still pretty wet!

Please turn your papers in at the back!