Activity

Connecting with Digital Audiences

Grades 9-12

Subjects: Communication & Collaboration, English Language Arts, Technology

Overview

This activity will help students apply the idea of code-switching to how they use phones and other devices in and outside of school. As well, will help them consider different ways that code-switching online can make communication more meaningful and effective. Finally, will allow students the opportunity to put code-switching into practice, with the goal of communicating with an online audience.

NB Curricular Connections

English Language Arts (Grade 9)

Strand: Interactions – Big Idea: Expression
Strand: Representations – Big Idea: Composition

What you’ll need

Lesson Slides
Code-Switching Online Handout (Student Version and Teacher Version)
Optional: Lesson Quiz

Instructions

Before the lesson: This lesson involves students choosing from a list of online resources, which they will use to explore and analyze the lesson topic. Use the resource notes on the Teacher Version of the student handout to review the resources beforehand. You may want to suggest particular resources over others for particular students or watch a resource together as a class. You will also need to confirm that all resources are accessible and not blocked by your school or district’s filter.

Ask: Are you familiar with the term “code-switching”? What does it mean? Invite students to respond. Define code-switching as changing your language, behaviour, or appearance based on whom you’re with or where you are. (Slide 4) Highlight that it is sometimes used just to refer to how someone speaks (language, accent, dialect, etc.), but that for today’s purpose, we’ll also be including behaviour in our definition.
Ask: Do you ever code-switch at school? Do you adjust your language, behaviour, or appearance to meet school norms. Invite students to respond and share out examples. Students may say they use academic language in class, dress differently, or act differently when they’re at school.
Ask: How about when you’re using a computer or your phone at school? Do you use them differently from how you use them when you’re at home or somewhere else? Capture student examples of code-switching with devices at school. (Slide 5) Examples may include:

They don’t use their phone as much, or they don’t use their phone or device as much for social media, messaging, or entertainment.
They don’t use informal language, slang, or emojis as much.
They explain their thinking and their ideas in their posts and comments.
They are more focused in how they use it. They don’t necessarily respond immediately to notifications or messages, or they bounce around to different sites on whatever interests them.

Explain that school is not the only place where you might want to practice code-switching with your device. There are many situations online or on devices where we might want to adjust what we say and how we say it, so that we can communicate more effectively to our audience. In the next activity, students will explore some online resources that show examples of code-switching online.

Netspeak

Say: You’re now going to explore some resources on your own and track what they say about code-switching online. Distribute the Code-Switching Online Student Handout and read the directions aloud. (Slide 6)
Allow students 15 minutes to work in groups to explore and take notes on the resources.
Invite students to share out some of the key points of the resources and clarify any questions about the resources they viewed. (Slide 7) Use the Teacher Version to help guide discussion. Highlight three specific benefits of code-switching online and allow students a couple of minutes to add to their notes. (Slide 8)

Code-switching can help you…