Activity

Hawaii Pidgin vs English

For all of my Hawaii-born ALTs out there that have an extra lesson and want to teach their students about pidgin. Inspired by the British-English vs American English lesson plan on this site.

This lesson is about Hawaii languages, culture, and history. Inspired by @lanciALT's British English vs American English lesson. Materials were also taken from: Talking Story about Pidgin, Exploring the Creole Language of Hawaii (http://sls.hawaii.edu/pidgin/) and Language Varieties Hawaii Creole History (https://www.hawaii.edu/satocenter/langnet/definitions/hce.html)

Activity #1: Introduction and Dictation (Est. Time - 15 Minutes)

First, I plan to introduce what Hawaii pidgin is and how there are many creole languages used throughout the World.

Then, read the script from activity #1 which informs the students about the history of Hawaii pidgin. I plan to read this script twice while the students listen and fill in the blanks. Then, choose students or ask for volunteers to read out the answers for the class. When the script is complete, students will pair up and read the script to one another.

Activity #2: Vocabulary (Est Time - 10 minutes)

Talk about pidgin words used commonly used in Hawaii, their English meaning, and their country of origin. Then, introduce the three vocabulary words and give some time for the students to copy the chart in their worksheets. For maybe 5 minutes, have the students translate the sentences from Hawaii Pidgin into English. Then, give students some extra time to create their own Hawaii-pidgin sentence using the vocabulary and an English-translation.

Activity #3: Grammar (Est. Time - 10 minutes)

Talk about Hawaii Pidgin grammar and give three examples. Allow some time for the students to copy the chart into their worksheet. For five minutes or so, allow the students to write one Hawaii Pidgin sentence and an English translation using the grammar chart. (If fast on time, students can pair up and read these sentences to their classmates).

Activity #4: Pros and Cons (Est Time - 10 minutes)

Explain to the students some advantages and disadvantages of Hawaii Pidgin. Give an example of a pro and con. Then, give the students some time to use critical thinking to write down three pros and cons of pidgin.

If you have extra time, you can have students pair up and ask each other: Is Hawaii Pidgin a real language?

10
Submitted by Kuulei February 15, 2024 Estimated time: Full class
  1. JenPB February 19, 2024

    As someone who is from Hawaii and speaks Pidgin, I thank you for this. Sometimes, I have the opportunity to teach Hawaii Pidgin, but I lost my files. I didn't want to re-do it, so this came up in time!

Sign in or create an account to leave a comment.