English Language · JC 2

Active learning ideas

Words for Rich and Poor

Active learning works well for this topic because it pushes students beyond passive vocabulary lists to feel how word choice shapes real-world judgments. By physically sorting, debating, and rewriting language, students move from abstract definitions to concrete evidence of bias in everyday speech and media.

• MOE Syllabus Outcomes
• MOE: Social Awareness - Secondary 3

• 20–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 30 min · Pairs

Pair Sort: Connotation Cards

Provide pairs with cards listing 20 words for rich and poor. They sort into positive, negative, and neutral piles, then justify choices with examples from media. Pairs share one surprising sort with the class.

What words do we use to describe wealthy people?

Facilitation Tip

During Pair Sort: Connotation Cards, circulate and listen for students’ reasoning, then pause the class to highlight one pair where the connotation shift is most subtle.

What to look for

Provide students with two short news headlines about economic disparity. Ask them to identify one word in each headline used to describe wealth or poverty and explain its connotation. Then, ask them to rewrite one headline using different vocabulary and explain how the meaning or tone changes.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 45 min · Small Groups

Small Group: Media Analysis

Groups receive excerpts from news or ads about wealth and poverty. They highlight loaded words, rewrite neutrally, and discuss attitude shifts. Present findings on posters.

What words do we use to describe people experiencing poverty?

Facilitation Tip

For Small Group: Media Analysis, remind groups that the goal is not to find ‘bad’ language but to track patterns in how wealth and poverty are framed.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are advising a government on how to discuss poverty reduction programs. What specific words would you recommend they use or avoid, and why? Consider how these choices might affect public perception and the dignity of those receiving aid.'

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 40 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Word Swap Debate

Divide class into two sides. One argues using rich-favoring words in a policy scenario; the other uses poverty terms. Swap midway and reflect on perception changes.

How can the words we use change how we think about rich and poor people?

Facilitation Tip

In Whole Class: Word Swap Debate, require each student to contribute at least one alternative word before the group votes on the most persuasive replacement.

What to look for

Display a list of words (e.g., 'thriving,' 'struggling,' 'well-off,' 'needy,' 'fortunate,' 'deprived'). Ask students to quickly sort them into two columns: 'Words often associated with wealth' and 'Words often associated with poverty.' Follow up by asking for the connotation of one word from each column.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 04

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 20 min · Individual

Individual: Attitude Journal

Students list personal words for rich/poor, rate connotations, then revise after class input. Share anonymously via shared doc for peer feedback.

What words do we use to describe wealthy people?

Facilitation Tip

During Individual: Attitude Journal, model a brief entry yourself to show how personal reflection can deepen analysis beyond surface-level observations.

What to look for

Provide students with two short news headlines about economic disparity. Ask them to identify one word in each headline used to describe wealth or poverty and explain its connotation. Then, ask them to rewrite one headline using different vocabulary and explain how the meaning or tone changes.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by treating connotation as a lived experience rather than a grammar rule. They avoid long lectures on bias by letting students confront it firsthand through sorting and rewriting. Research shows that emotional engagement with language—feeling discomfort or pride in word choice—creates lasting awareness, so teachers prioritize activities that make bias tangible, like swapping loaded words in real sentences.

Successful learning looks like students confidently distinguishing subtle connotations, articulating how language reinforces stereotypes, and taking ownership of their own word choices. They should move from noticing bias to actively countering it with more precise or dignified alternatives.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Pair Sort: Connotation Cards, watch for students who assume all words for the poor are negative because they have heard them in negative contexts.

  Use the activity’s card set to redirect students to the actual definitions and sample sentences. Ask them to underline any word that implies a personal failing, then challenge them to find a neutral or positive alternative.

• During Small Group: Media Analysis, watch for students who believe positive words for the rich are always accurate descriptions.

  Have groups highlight every instance where privilege or luck might explain the wealth. Then ask them to rewrite the sentence to include context, such as 'grew up in a family with generational wealth' instead of 'self-made'.

• During Whole Class: Word Swap Debate, watch for students who think the impact of language is minor or theoretical.

  After the debate, ask students to rate their own comfort level before and after hearing alternative words. Use this personal shift as evidence that language changes attitudes in measurable ways.

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Methods used in this brief

• Outdoor Investigation Session