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In Search of the First Language

Classroom Activity

Objective
To consider the origin of the everyday words.

• copy of "Getting the Word Out" student handout (PDF or HTML)
• Access to reference materials

1. Organize students into teams. Copy and distribute the "Getting the Word Out" student handout to each team.

2. If students become stuck, suggest ways to use available reference materials to arrive at the correct answers.

1. vamoose
2. Teflon
3. gauche
4. Ouija
5. equivocate
6. magazine
7. vandal
8. sneeze
9. ramshackle
10. volcano
11. scuttlebutt
12. October
13. curfew
14. yoga
15. ruminate
16. mayday
17. Auld lang syne
18. utopia
19. semester
20. sinister