English · Year 7

Active learning ideas

The Evolution of English Language

Active learning turns the abstract story of language change into a hands-on experience students can see, touch, and argue about. When Year 7 students trace a word’s journey from Old English to a modern text or debate whether ‘LOL’ belongs in a formal essay, the curriculum becomes vivid and memorable.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9E7LA02
• AC9E7LA03

• 40–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Carousel Brainstorm
• 45 min · Small Groups

Etymology Scavenger Hunt

Small groups are given a list of common English words (e.g., 'shampoo', 'robot', 'bungalow'). They must use online dictionaries to find which language each word was 'borrowed' from and present their findings on a world map.

Explain how new words enter the dictionary and why others disappear from common usage.

Facilitation Tip

During the Etymology Scavenger Hunt, have pairs physically move between word cards and century timelines to build spatial memory of language layers.

What to look for

Provide students with a list of five words: one neologism, one archaic word, and three loanwords from different languages. Ask them to write one sentence for each, explaining its origin or why it might be falling out of use.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Carousel Brainstorm
• 40 min · Pairs

The 'Word Cemetery' and 'Nursery'

Pairs research one 'obsolete' word (from the cemetery) and one 'new' word (from the nursery). They must explain to the class why the old word died out and what social or technological change created the new one.

Analyze in what ways digital communication has changed the grammar and conventions of English.

Facilitation Tip

In the Word Cemetery activity, provide blank gravestones and encourage students to write epitaphs that capture both the meaning and the ‘death’ of archaic words.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'How has texting or social media changed the way you write compared to writing an essay?' Facilitate a class discussion, guiding students to identify specific changes in grammar, spelling, or punctuation and their potential long-term impact.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Carousel Brainstorm
• 50 min · Whole Class

Digital Grammar Debate

The class is divided into 'Traditionalists' and 'Modernists.' They debate whether emojis and text-speak are 'ruining' English or simply evolving it into a more efficient form for the 21st century.

Justify how the borrowing of words from other languages enriches the English vocabulary.

Facilitation Tip

For the Digital Grammar Debate, assign roles as ‘prescriptivists’ or ‘descriptivists’ and give each group five minutes to gather real-world examples from social media before presenting.

What to look for

Present students with a short paragraph containing several loanwords. Ask them to identify at least two loanwords and, using their prior knowledge or a provided etymology resource, suggest the original language and meaning of each.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Approach this topic with curiosity rather than judgment. Research shows that when students investigate language change through their own word choices and digital habits, they develop metalinguistic awareness that textbooks alone cannot provide. Avoid presenting the history as a simple timeline; instead, let the activities reveal cause and effect. Emphasize that all language is always changing, and that includes the English they speak today.

Successful learning looks like students confidently explaining why English contains words from Latin, Old Norse, and Hindi, and justifying their own opinions about acceptable language change. They should move fluently between historical evidence and contemporary usage.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Etymology Scavenger Hunt, watch for students who assume English words have always existed in their current form.

  During the Etymology Scavenger Hunt, ask students to note the original language and century printed on each word card. When they place cards on the timeline, prompt them to explain how a word’s journey contradicts the idea of a fixed language.

• During the Word Cemetery activity, watch for students who label borrowing as incorrect usage.

  During the Word Cemetery activity, have students place loanword gravestones next to the ‘Nursery’ section. Ask them to write epitaphs that celebrate borrowing, such as ‘Here lies ‘kindergarten’ from German, a gift that taught us play is learning.’

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Methods used in this brief

• Carousel Brainstorm