Man do I love showing this video in class. It’s so cool. You’ll have to watch it for yourself. Check it out below and then I’ll share with you some ideas I have for a class activity or two.

Activity Idea: 

1. Grab this Google Doc filled with 100 true homonyms 
2. Have students get in a group with at least one student who has a smart phone with a camera or use iPads or tablets.
3. Find a word that has at least four different meanings. One for each member of the group. Feel free to do more than the number in your group if possible. Go outside or in the room and take a picture that represents the different meanings of your word. Or you could use Vine or Instagram Videos to make short video clips.
4. Use YouTube editing tools, Google Presentations, Keynote or other tools to stitch your words together to create a short video. Feel free to add audio. Show your finished project to the class. You can also use Flipgrid.

If you have ideas how to use this video in other class activities or subjects, feel free to put them in the comments below.

PS- there is a version of this video that has a short segment that is not HS appropriate (probably okay for college) so make sure you use this slightly shorter version, if that’s a concern

Alternate Activity using writing instead of video 

1. Have students take out a piece of paper. Tell them that they are going to write a one minute story using a word. Tell them that you will not spell the word and that they are to write the story using whatever spelling of the word they imagine in their head when they hear you say the word. Then say the word “break/brake”

2. Then have them share their stories in a group and pick their favorite. Have someone in that group stand up and read the story out loud. Then watch the movie. (There is a middle finger drawn on a chalkboard in the movie so I’m just giving you a heads up)

3. Then have the students write a new story the word brake/break in three different ways. Share those stories in a similar fashion.