OWL+

Ownership and Leadership: Pathway for (Endangered) Languages’ Use in School


Area of Interest: New technologies and social media

Skills: Reading

Competences: Discourse competence

Age Bracket: 11 – 15

Time Commitment: Over 60 minutes

Affordability:

Materials:

Computer/tablet for searching articles and preparing presentations.

Expert recommendations:

1. Pair formation
Make pairs for this activity.

2. Search for articles
Students have to search in pairs for at least three (news) articles about the same topic. They have to find at least two articles in local or regional media and one in national media.

3. Language use analysis
The students examine the language use in each article. They look at which language(s) occur in the texts and consider language use factors such as tone, vocabulary, and style.
Students answer the following questions:
– What are the differences in language use between the local/regional and national media articles?
– Why do you think these differences in language use exist? Consider factors such as target audience, cultural context, and linguistic preferences.

4. Content analysis
The students analyse the content of each article. They have to look for variations in perspectives, information presented, and depth of coverage.
Students answer the following questions:
– What are the differences in content between the local/regional and national media articles?
– Why do you think these distinctions in content are made? Consider the potential biases, audience preferences, and regional interests.

5. Reflection
The students reflect in pairs on how the language and content differences contribute to shaping the perception of the topic in the local/regional and national contexts.
They discuss together whether [the minority language] is prominently featured or marginalised in each article and how this impacts language awareness.

6. Presentation
Every pair prepares a short presentation summarising their findings. They can include visual aids, excerpts from the articles, and any relevant statistics or quotes.
The pairs share their insights with the class during the designated presentation session.

7. Discussion
After each presentation, engage in a class discussion to explore commonalities and differences among the pairs’ findings.
Reflect on the impact of media representation on language attitudes and explore potential ways to promote a positive attitude towards [the minority language].