12th Grade Language Acquisition Theories Lesson Plan (Learning through Play)

Topic: theories on language acquisition

Objectives & Outcomes

• By the end of this lesson, you should be able to identify and provide a brief description of the main theories of language acquisition, including the behavioral, cognitive, and social theories.

Materials

• Handout with information on the three main theories of language acquisition
• Examples or metaphors to help explain the theories (optional)

Warm-up

• Ask students if they have ever studied a foreign language in school.
• Ask them to share their experiences with learning a new language and how effective they think their method was.
• Ask them if they have any friends or family members who speak a foreign language and how they think they learned to speak it.
• Write their answers on the board and see if there are any common themes or ideas.

Direct Instruction

• Begin by explaining that there are a number of different theories about how humans acquire language and that these theories are based on different assumptions about the nature of language and the human brain.
• Introduce the linguistic and cognitive approaches to language acquisition and explain their underlying assumptions.
• Use examples and handouts to illustrate the different theories and their main points.
• Ask students to consider the different theories and how they might explain their own language learning experience.

Guided Practice

• Divide the class into small groups and give each group a theory to research and present to the class.
• Ask each group to consider the underlying assumptions of the theory they are presenting and how they might apply these assumptions to explain their own language learning experience.
• Have each group present their theory to the class and lead a discussion about how the theory might explain their own language learning experience.

Independent Practice

• Have students choose one theory to focus on and conduct additional research on that theory.
• Have students write a short essay analyzing the underlying assumptions of the chosen theory and how they might apply these assumptions to their own language learning experience.

Closure

• Review the main ideas and implications of the different theories of language acquisition.
• Ask students to share any insights or reflections they have gained from their independent research.

Assessment

• Evaluate students' presentations or written reports on their chosen theory or approach to language acquisition.
• Use their participation in class discussions and their ability to apply the theory or approach in their own language-learning experiences as a form of assessment.