English Language Arts · 9th Grade

Active learning ideas

Slang, Jargon, and Technology's Impact

Active learning works because language change happens in real communities, not in textbooks. When students trace how words move from slang to standard usage or analyze jargon in context, they see vocabulary not as rules to memorize but as living evidence of human interaction.

• Common Core State Standards
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.6
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.4

• 45–90 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Formal Debate
• 90 min · Small Groups

Format Name: Slang Lexicon Project

Students research slang terms used by different generations or subcultures, documenting their origins, meanings, and contexts. They then present their findings in a digital lexicon, explaining how these terms reflect social trends.

Is the internet making our language more or less complex?

Facilitation Tip

During Word Origin Trackers, have each group start with a word whose slang origins are traceable within living memory, such as 'cool' or 'lit,' to show how recent innovations become standard.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Formal Debate
• 60 min · Small Groups

Format Name: Jargon Analysis Workshop

In small groups, students select a specific field (e.g., medicine, gaming, law) and identify common jargon. They create a short presentation explaining the purpose of this jargon and its potential to exclude outsiders.

Compare the role of slang in different social groups and its impact on formal language.

Facilitation Tip

In the Socratic Seminar, enforce a no-device rule so students rely on their own examples rather than searching for trendy slang online.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Formal Debate
• 45 min · Whole Class

Format Name: Digital Communication Debate

Students engage in a structured debate on whether technology is making language more or less complex. They must use evidence from their research on slang and jargon to support their arguments.

Explain how technological advancements introduce new vocabulary and communication styles.

Facilitation Tip

For Switching Registers, require students to use the same concept in three distinct registers: text to a friend, email to a teacher, and script for a video tutorial.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic by making students the experts first. Have them bring in examples of slang or jargon they use daily, then collectively categorize and analyze these words. Research shows that when students connect new vocabulary to their own experiences, retention and transfer improve significantly. Avoid presenting these forms as 'bad' or 'good'; instead, frame them as functional choices with social consequences.

Successful learning looks like students confidently identifying slang, jargon, and formal language in authentic contexts. They should explain why these forms exist, compare their purposes, and reflect on how technology accelerates these changes in their own lives.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Collaborative Investigation: Word Origin Trackers, watch for students labeling slang as 'wrong' or 'uneducated.'

  Use the group’s word list to trace the history of a word like 'rad' or 'ghosting' back to its original slang meaning, showing how it later entered mainstream vocabulary. Have students note how the word’s connotation and usage shifted over time.

• During Socratic Seminar: Is the Internet Making Language Better or Worse?, watch for students arguing that internet slang is ruining English.

  Redirect the discussion by asking students to identify one slang term they use that has no concise equivalent in standard English, then explain why precision matters in their community. Post these examples on the board and revisit them after the seminar to assess shifts in perspective.

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Methods used in this brief

• Formal Debate