An American? Someone from New England? Anyone who lives north of the Mason-Dixon line? A New York baseball player? A dandy? A short video doodles around with the etymology of all an American word and how its meaning has evolved from 1601 to the present, from the Dutch work Janke to a pejorative term for all Americans in 1758, from to a label of national honor during and after the Revolutionary War in 1783, to a mocking reference to Union soldiers during the Civil War. Create your own list of words and set young etymologists off on their own voyage of discovery.

Additional Tags

english language arts

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Pros

• A great way to introduce the concept of the fluid nature of language
• The humorous tone and clever animation will engage viewers
• Opportunity to flip the video: create your own multiple choice and/or open answer questions to check for understanding, add additional resources, or create a discussion question for an online open forum (requires free online registration)

Cons

• None

Common Core

L.9-10.4.c