Learning about Homophones and Homographs: To or Too?

Designers for Learning - Adult Learning Zone

Part 1: Lesson Description

Lesson Title

Words that look or sound the same: Homophones and Homographs 

Abstract

This lesson focuses on learning about words that look or sound the same. Adult learners at Low Intermediate Basic Education level (grade grouping C/grades 4-5) are introduced to homographs and homophones. Learners complete a resource to learn about what these words are and work with some of the most common words. This lesson will help prepare learners to be able to distinguish among similar looking or sounding words and spell them appropriately. 

Learner Audience / Primary Users

Adult learners, including ESOL adult learners, at the Low Intermediate Basic Education level.

Educational Use

• Curriculum / Instruction
• Self-paced learning
• Offline Learning (resources provided to learners)

Language

English

Material Type

• Instructional Material - PowerPoint Resource with Worksheets and Answer Sheets
• Learner-Paced

Keywords

• Designers for Learning
• Adult Education
• Homophones
• Homonyms
• Homographs
• Confusing words
• Words that sound the same but are spelled differently
• Words that sound different but are spelled the same
• Words that sound the same and are spelled the same
• Tricky words
• High frequency words

Time Required for Lesson

1 hour

Targeted  Skills

Reading/ Writing Skills
Grammatical Skills

Learning Objectives

The purpose of this lesson is for learners to be able to:

• Understand what homophones and homographs are.
• Learn to distinguish among common homophones and homographs when reading or writing .
• Realise why it is important to know common homophones and homographs. 

College & Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) Alignment

• Level: Adult Education
• Grade Level: C
• Subject: English Language Arts / Literacy
• Strand: Language
• Standard Description:

Anchor 1:     L 4.1 and 5.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. (l.) Correctly use frequently confused words (e.g., to, too, two; there, their).

Prior Knowledge

Adult Learner at Low Intermediate Basic Education level / 4th grade reading level

Required Resources

Pen or Pencil

Word Processor / Printer

Computer/ Smartphone / Tablet with Powerpoint installed

PowerPoint File

Worksheets

Answersheets

Access to Internet/ Dictionary

Lesson Author & License

• Lesson Author: Irina Mylona

• License: Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license

Part 2: Lesson

Instructional Strategies and Activities

All through a PowerPoint resource and supporting documents.  (see Part 3)

Warm-up: students are introduced to a picture of a girl struggling with some homophones. 

Introduction: They are introduced to the main concepts of homophones/ homographs and why they are important to know. 

Presentation: Homophones and Homographs are taught in an inductive and then explicit way, in a self-paced environment with examples and visuals. 

Guided Practice/ Evaluation/Application: Once it is self-paced and not necessarily teacher-led, the students are going to be completing worksheets with guidance from the resource and then they will be self-assessing. 

Key Terms and Concepts

• Confusing words
• Words that sound the same but are spelled differently
• Words that sound different but are spelled the same
• Words that sound the same and are spelled the same
• Tricky words
• High frequency words
  Homophones - Words that sound the same but may be spelled differently, and have different meanings
  Homographs - Words that do not sound alike but are spelled alike, and have different meanings

Key topics covered in this lesson include:

• Aims
  
• Requirements
• Why it is important to know homophones and homographs
• Checking your knowledge