View Content #26841

By Leila Tamini Lichaei, CASLS Fellow and Juan Carlos González Zacarias, CASLS Intern  

Lesson Objectives: Learners will be able to:

• Identify the most common SMS abbreviations in texting and online communication
• Critically analyze abbreviations, how they are used, and what they mean
• Expand their understanding of abbreviations, articulate their understanding of them, and argue about them being useful or not
• Determine when and when not to use abbreviations

Modes: Interpretive, Interpersonal

Materials: Abbreviation Worksheet

1. Start the lesson with asking students to work in pairs or groups and discuss what sort of  SMS abbreviations they use (such as BTW for ‘by the way’) and make a list of those abbreviations as well as when they use them.

2. Ask the students to share with the class what abbreviations they use and when they use them. Document them on the board.

3. Then ask learners to discuss the following questions:

• In what situations do you use those abbreviations? And with whom?
• Do you think they are polite or impolite? Formal or informal?
• Do you often use those abbreviations?
• Do you have similar abbreviations in any other languages you speak?
• Why do you use the abbreviations instead of the complete words? What are your reasons? 

4. Provide the Abbreviation Worksheet. Students work in groups or pairs and complete the table of abbreviations. 

5. Review the list of abbreviations and they discuss their meaning and usage. 

6. Students write a reflection on using SMS abbreviations. Their reflection should be guided by the following thinking questions:

• Do you use SMS abbreviations only when typing? If no, when else do you use them?
• How common are these abbreviations in speech for people in your life?
• Why do you think you use the abbreviations? Is it for saying time or something else?
• When you are texting and autocomplete suggests typing out the words, do you take advantage of that option? If so, do you leave the suggested text as is or do you change it? Why?