Exploring Dialect

Introduction:
This WebQuest focuses on the concept of language variation, particularly as it applies to dialect. Ultimately, it is intended to serve as a sort of text-to-life bridge following a scaffolded reading experience on dialect. However, it can be used as a mini lesson that stands alone. Either way, the goal for the WebQuest is to introduce students to the flexibility within a language and to demonstrate that even dialects have grammatical rules and linguistic purpose. The WebQuest should challenge students� preconceptions about language and what is �right� and wrong,� leading students to evaluate the linguistic connections to community, identity, situation, and culture.

Students:
Originally, this WebQuest was created for a 12th grade Advanced Compostion class. You can read more about the class and its content in the corresponding SRE for which this WebQuest serves as a post-reading activity. Although the WebQuest was created with a specific audience in mind, it can easily be adapted for other grade levels and content areas as long as the WebQuest resources and prior scaffolding are age and content appropriate. 

Further Information on Teaching Lessons About Dialect:
For further information on this topic, please view the collection of additional resources listed below. These include suggestions for other grade levels and content areas and address the topic of dialect from a more educator-centered viewpoint.