Irish Confusion
Unit 1 - Celtic Languages
The unit encourages students to think about where the Celtic language came from and how it has evolved. Students should also consider how languages develop and become extinct over the course of time.
This lesson supports the delivery of the Learning for Life and Work: Local and Global Citizenship Curriculum at Key Stage 3.
- Discuss
- Share
- Reflect
- Resources
Discuss / Think
In small groups, use Info Sheet 1 as a stimulus to discuss and record answers on Worksheet 1 to the following questions:
- Did you find any of the information regarding the histroy of Celtic languages surprising? Please state a reason for your answer.
- It is very likely that you use Celtic words in everyday conversation. Can you identify any of these words?
Some possible examples...
Lake originally from ‘Loch’, Glen from ‘Gleann’, Bog from ‘Bogach’, meaning ‘Wetland’ and Brogue from ‘Bróg’, meaning ‘Shoe’. - Find some further examples from these online articles:
Oxford Dictionaries: Irish Words that Appear in English
The Irish Times: Ireland in our favourite words and phrases - Do you think that knowing the history of Celtic languages would encourage more people to learn how to speak them? Please state a reason for your answer.
Share
Each group feeds back their work so that the teacher can facilitate a short discussion about preconceived ideas of Celtic Languages and their origins.
Reflect
As a class, reflect on the learning below:
Learning points
- Identify the origins of Celtic languages
- Discuss whether a knowledge of the history of Celtic languages would encourage people to learn how to speak them
Next time
- Look at how old Celtic languages are and how people can keep culture and heritage alive
