Semantic Ambiguities: Thinking with Language

by Speech Club Publications

Price: 400 points or $4 USD

Subjects: speech

Grades: 4,5,6,7

Description: Thinking with Language: Semantic Ambiguity is a fun way to increase metacognitive language skills. The activity design focuses on the use of word play and inference to encourage students to consciously and flexibly reflect on linguistic ambiguities. Each card presents a newspaper headline or everyday sentence that has two possible interpretations depending on the stress that is put on specific words within the statement. One interpretation may be absurd but humorous or may be missing a key element that would affect accuracy. One interpretation will be the more accurate interpretation dependent on the intended inference. Students are asked to read the statements twice placing stress on different words each time they read the statement in order to figure out the two possible meanings. Students write their answers or give them verbally then flip to the next page to see which interpretation is the most accurate.