Build Awareness of Language and Social Context

As adults, we know that the language we use and the manner in which we speak change depending on the social context we find ourselves in. Understanding the nuances of social communication is a vital real-life skill, but the rules are not always obvious. That’s why we need to explicitly teach our students how language changes according to social contexts!

This matching card game has been designed by our team to help your students explore how language changes according to social situations. To play, students will match spoken sentences to the social situations in which they might hear them. Whether it’s chatting with a friend, asking a teacher a question, or ordering a latte at a coffee shop, students will learn to identify how language shifts depending on the audience and setting. 

Here is an example of a set of matching cards from the resource:

Social Context – A job interview
Spoken Sentence – Ms. Greenwich, please tell us why you feel you are suited to this job.

This resource contains:

• Instruction page
• 36 matching cards
• Answer key

Read on to learn more about using this hands-on resource in your classroom.

Multiple Ways to Explore Language and Context in Your Classroom

This resource is designed with flexibility in mind, providing multiple ways to introduce and explore language and context with your students. Here are some ways to tailor the activity to different learning styles:

1. Speed Matching Game – Set up a timer and challenge students to match the sentence and scenario cards as quickly as possible. This adds an element of competition and excitement to the activity.
2. Write One More – Once the students have matched the cards, have them write another spoken sentence for each social situation using appropriate language to match the context.
3. Build a Scene – Once students have matched the cards, have them choose one social situation around which to build a role play. Students can incorporate the spoken sentence from the game that matched their chosen scenario into their scene.

Download to Teach Language and Social Context

Getting your hands on this matching activity is simple! Use the Download button above to access the easy-print PDF or editable Google Slides file. (Note: You will be prompted to make a copy of the Google Slides template on your personal drive before accessing it.)

We recommend that you print the matching cards on cardstock for added durability, then place them in a zip-lock bag or large envelope for safekeeping. This time-saving resource for teaching language and social context is then ready whenever you are!

This resource was created by Brittany Collins, a teacher in Indiana and a Teach Starter collaborator.

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