Literacy Now

Teachers and students alike may tend to think of words as static items in the dictionary, sturdy building blocks of our vocabulary that have been solemnly passed down from earlier generations.

In my day job as executive editor of Vocabulary.com, I look at ways that we can make the English lexicon come to life through fun, engaging gameplay and rich online features that clearly illustrate how words work in the world.

But earlier this month, I was wearing another hat, as chair of the American Dialect Society’s New Words Committee. In that capacity, I preside over Word of the Year proceedings at the society’s annual conference, held this year in Portland, OR, in conjunction with the Linguistic Society of America.

ADS members see language as ever-changing, with innovations coming from all quarters. In the Word of the Year vote (WOTY to its friends), which the ADS has held every year since 1990, we get to shine a spotlight on some of the more creative additions to English. It’s not for nothing that The New York Times calls it “The Super Bowl of Linguistics.”

Sometimes the WOTY choices are not new words per se, but they instead pour new wine in old linguistic bottles. Consider the top choice for 2013: because. In an innovative style frequently found online, because can be directly followed by a noun (“because science”), an adjective (“because tired”), or an interjection (“because hooray!”). Now, that’s not how because would be handled in a language arts classroom focusing on standard English, but in informal usage, the conventions of language are often much more flexible.

At our Portland meeting, the WOTY festivities got underway at a nominating session, at which we selected leading candidates in a number of categories, including Most Likely to Succeed, Most Useful, Most Outrageous, and so forth. Often, we come up with a new, ad-hoc category that covers a particular topic or trend. While there was some support this year to create a category for emoticons and emoji, ultimately the attendees decided on another category that reflects changes in online discourse: Most Notable Hashtag.

Hashtags, those words or run-together phrases preceded by a hash sign (#), first appeared on Twitter as a method of organizing conversation, but they have become an increasingly important vehicle for all manner of online talk. (The word hashtag itself was Word of the Year in 2012.) One significant use has been for mobilizing social and political action by means of pithy slogans. For instance, when more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls were abducted by militants, the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls was used to bring attention to the tragedy.

During the voting session to pick the cream of the crop in the different categories this year, the runaway winner in the Most Notable Hashtag category was #BlackLivesMatter, which saw a great deal of use in protests over the lack of indictments against police officers in the cases involving the deaths of two black men, Michael Brown and Eric Garner. In fact, the momentum was so strong for #BlackLivesMatter that it turned out to be the overall winner for Word of the Year as well.

When hashtags are based on multi-word phrases (even with the spaces removed), they might not seem like obvious candidates for a Word of the Year contest. But the ADS has always made room for phrases in its WOTY voting, as long as those phrases are used lexically; that is, as vocabulary items that one could imagine appearing in a dictionary. (In 2004, the winner was not one phrase but three: red state, blue state, and purple state, to describe whether a state’s voters prefer Republicans, Democrats, or a mix of the two.)

A hashtagged phrase like #BringBackOurGirls or #BlackLivesMatter pushes the boundaries of wordhood even further, since they are based on full clauses. But the process of “hashtagification” goes a long way in making such phrases more lexical. Since the vote, the linguistic debate over hashtags has raged on, including in a piece in The Economist.

Other WOTY nominees were more obviously word-y. Often they were drawn from youth slang, which is always a fertile breeding ground for neologisms. This year, those words included bae, a now-popular pet name derived from babe (though some have provided it with a folk etymology, claiming that it is an acronym for “Before Anyone Else”).

Some seemingly new slang items have actually been kicking around in English for decades. As I wrote in my weekly column for The Wall Street Journal, the word salty won as Most Likely to Succeed, based on its current usage to mean “exceptionally bitter, angry, or upset.” But that sense of the word is actually rooted in African-American slang of the 1930s, when “jumping salty” was a phrase that hepcats used to refer to someone becoming suddenly angry or annoyed.

The winner in the Most Useful category was another established term provided with a new wrinkle. The word is even, based on a phrase that paradoxically expresses one’s inability to express oneself: “I can’t even.” A verb, perhaps “handle” or “deal,” is missing from that sentence, suggesting the speaker is at a loss for words from being overwhelmed by circumstances. Creative types have extended that to treat the even of “I can’t even” to be a verb in its own right, fashioning variations on the theme like “I have lost the ability to even.”

Students are no doubt familiar with many of these novel and playful turns of phrase, but they might not realize that linguists and lexicographers are also taking note. And while much of the cutting-edge slang of today will soon fade away from common usage, some of these new terms may become entrenched in our lexicon and find their way into dictionaries. Every generation makes its own unique linguistic contributions, and even if these contributions might seem frivolous or evanescent at the time, they are all part of the dynamic tapestry of the English language.

Ben Zimmer is a linguist, lexicographer, and all-around word nut. He is the executive editor of Vocabulary.com and the language columnist for The Wall Street Journal. He is also the former language columnist for The Boston Globe and The New York Times Magazine. He was recently named the recipient of the first-ever Linguistics Journalism Award from the Linguistic Society of America.

For 60 business days, International Reading Association staff took on the International Literacy Day (ILD) 60-for-60 challenge. The challenge was implemented in classrooms across the globe to incorporate an additional 60 seconds of literacy into every day with fun, interactive activities. The goal? To establish a literacy “habit.” If we were going to ask educators to take on the challenge, we would, too.

We began with “Would you rather…” questions, asking staffers to select from just two options. Who would you rather take to prom, Ophelia or Juliet? Would you rather be a superhero or supervillain? Most answers during that two-week stint had us laughing at our desks.

“Can I go with neither? I mean they both died, and who needs that aggravation, am I right?”

“Supervillain! A Superhero has too many battles, enemies and, for some reason, also seems unhappy. So what if people don’t like a villain. I could take the day off and pick and choose my battles.”

Then, moving on to Word of the Day, we emailed out mostly unfamiliar words to staff members and asked that they respond with a sentence using that word or use it in conversation as much as possible during the day.

We were pretty impressed with our staff’s vocabulary.

Daralene Irwin, front end developer in Business Solutions at IRA, recognized “frabjous” as a Louis Carroll Stevens invention first used in Through the Looking Glass and shot back a line from “The Jabberwocky.”

Dan Mangan, director of Public Affairs, admitted to hearing “palaver” regularly during childhood to chastise against “idle talk.”

Director of Finance Linda Marston said that was her favorite activity (and one we revived in the penultimate week of the challenge). “Trying to use (the word) throughout my daily conversation was very interesting and thought-provoking,” she said.

Next, we imagined our trip to the International Space Station and what we would pack up if we were leaving Earth for an entire year.

From our favorite albums to our most cherished keepsake, we were asked to go as small as 3-inches-by-3-inches for meaningful items to put in our Astronaut Preference Kits.

By working through a number of writing prompts, like “Tweet it Loud, Tweet it Proud” and “Six Words in 60 Seconds,” these literacy minutes were a welcome break from the routine and a terrific way to get to know each other better.

“It’s surprisingly hard to create a new daily habit, even when you’re only committing to 60 seconds a day,” said Rachel Krall, IRA development manager. “I realize now why it’s so hard for some people to find 30 minutes to work out when it’s not part of their regular routine!  I thought the activities were a nice mental break from our workday, and I’m sad the 60 days have passed.”

At times it was difficult to maintain our dedication to the challenge, but we heard back from educators out there, some of whom said they would continue with their 60-second exercises all year long. We were all excited to hear how classrooms were faring across the country and around the world.

“I’m curious to find out how they made it work,” Krall said. “School days are already packed, and even though 60 seconds doesn’t seem like a lot, I’m sure it wasn’t easy to find the extra time.”

A number of teachers in Hyderabad, India, who showed us samples of their students’ writing and how they chose writing prompts and incorporated the activities into their everyday schedules.

“My class of grade 5 participated in the ILD 60-for-60 Mission and I am really amazed to see the results,” Anushree Arora shared. “The students not only showed their writing skills but also displayed high levels of thinking skills. I never thought a 60 second activity can benefit them so much. For 60 days, my students waited eagerly every morning when I would be asking them to do the 60 second of writing.”

What’s more, we didn’t just hear from reading teachers. Recognizing that literacy is important in every curriculum, educators from every subject shared their experiences.

Elementary music teacher Teri Nieveen of Adams, NE, merged music into the challenge by selecting a weekly musical term for her students to read, spell and define in the music room.

“We also discuss other meanings of the word, or ways the students see the word outside of the music classroom,” Nieveen said mid-challenge. “It's helping us develop a musical word wall!”

Thelma Kastl, a STEM teacher at West Wilkes Middle School in Wilkesboro, NC, participated with her 160 students by reading articles together for extended periods of time.

“As an educator, parent and grandparent I appreciate this program and hope that it continues,” she says. “Thank you for this opportunity to inspire students to read more.”

Thank you for taking this challenge with us. We look forward to hearing more about your experiences now that it’s over. Feel free to tell us more at social@/.

Morgan Ratner is a communications intern for International Reading Association.

As November quickly comes to a close, the International Reading Association reflects on the month dedicated to project-based learning tips and techniques. Focusing on key skills in communication, collaboration, and critical thinking, PBL is often cross-curricular, incorporating technology and driving questions to connect students to the world outside their classrooms, and, of course, relies on literacy in all subject areas.

Our Twitter #IRAchat with the Buck Institute for Education’s Suzie Boss and Myla Lee revolved around incorporating inquiry-based learning, engaging students in reading, writing, and listening skills, and taking part in analyzing text and finding evidence to support statements. The chat also highlighted how students learn with each other and, more importantly, from one another. Contributors to the chat stressed the importance of teamwork, finding texts that benefit all readers, and modeling dynamic learning with technology.

Nell Duke, PBL advocate and author of Inside Information: Developing Powerful Readings and Writers of Informational Text Through Project-Based Instruction, said PBL is critical to taking classroom teaching to the next level of efficacy. Her book is co-published by IRA and Scholastic.

“Providing a purpose for students' reading and writing beyond simply learning to read and write or practicing reading and writing supports students' development,” Duke said. “PBL offers one way to provide such a purpose. PBL provides an overall framework into we can place many valuable instructional moves, such as teaching comprehension strategies and teaching students to tailor their writing to their audience.”

The PBL teaching style is gaining more attention and momentum from educators, but there’s still a long way to go to implement the practice into schools. It is important that we continue to revisit PBL techniques and look to see how we can apply PBL strategies into education across all ages and all subjects.

“We have more to do as a field to sort out what constitutes PBL,” says Duke. “We need to sort out how best to involve literacy instructional techniques that we know to be effective, such as text structure instruction and teaching editing strategies, in project-based approaches. Finally, we need to find ways to make PBL more practical for more teachers.”

Reading Today Online posts included a check-in on an innovative school program starting in Missouri, the Maker Movement used in a school library, and tips from educators on how to effectively use PBL in the classroom.

Morgan Ratnor is a communications intern for International Reading Association.

Here is a comprehensive list of November’s PBL-centered posts:

Putting Books to Work: Primates: Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birutė Galdikas—Using a nonfiction text can open a world of project-based learning possibilities.

Super Practical Project-Based Learning Ideas—Some tips and leads on incorporating PBL in the classroom.

The ‘Maker Movement’ Has a Place in All Disciplines—This maker movement isn’t necessarily something new, I have allowed my students to play and tinker with reading and writing.

#IRAchat: Literacy’s Role in Project-Based Learning—The November #IRAchat will answer questions focused on literacy’s role in project-based learning with experts.

Using PBL Within “The Standards”—New educational standards make instructional demands. Using project-based learning is a great way to follow through.

Innovative School Program Highlights PBL—Quest@GHS is an innovative high school program utitlizing project-based learning to foster critical thinking.

PBL: Many Paths, One Destination—Julie Ramsay shares four strategies she uses for PBL in her classroom.

How Project-Based Approaches in Literacy Could Go Terribly Wrong (Or Powerfully Right)—Project-based education has a lot of potential for literacy development, but also potential pitfalls.

photo credit: Brett Jorgenson/Shutterstock

Hatred, ignorance, disrespect, and violence have many root causes. Finding solutions often seems impossible. But one path forward to a better and more understanding future is within our direct grasp, and that path is to spread literacy.

We open our students’ minds. We teach them how to listen attentively, communicate clearly, judge information carefully, and contribute positively to the world about them. These are the skills that may keep similar tragedies from happening in the future.

We owe it to our own ideals of citizenship, as well as to our professional calling, to undertake this commitment with renewed vigor.

To be truly literate is to face each day with a hunger for understanding and growth that can only be sated by new learning.

To be truly literate is to exist not in isolation but as part of the human community.

To be truly literate is to commit to engage in constructive actions founded in mutual respect.

To be truly literate is to appreciate what peace is—and to work tirelessly to bring about a more peaceful world.

Literacy transforms lives. We must never forget that.

As we pick up our work as literacy professionals in the coming days and weeks, let us do so with renewed cause and purpose. The students to whom we impart the values of learning and respect will be the better for it, as will our communities, our country, and world.

Marcie Craig Post (mpost@/) is the executive director of the International Reading Association.