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Choosing Your Words Language Arts Lesson Grade 6 to 9 Objectives To recognize and discover multiple meanings of words. To learn the importance of careful word choice. To have fun with words! Part I: Figure These Out Headlines frequently try to be clever. For example, a sports story might say New York Jets Run Out of Fuel, or Buffalo Bills Corraled. A headline is like a short poem; it must communicate a lot of information in a small space. Our words need to be chosen carefully. Some words or phrases can be read more than one way, and in a joke, this is often intentional. A hidden meaning is uncovered by the listener, and the play on words is funny. The headlines which follow contain meanings definitely not intended by the writer! These actually appeared in newspapers. Your job is to figure out two things: What did the writer mean to say, and how else could the headline be interpreted. Some of them are tricky! For example: Farmer Bill Dies in House Actual meaning: A proposed law has failed to survivethe legislative process in the house. Alternative interpretation: A farmer named Bill died Now it's your turn! Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says Sex Education Delayed, Teachers Request Training Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers Safety Experts Say School Bus Passengers Should Be Belted Is There a Ring of Debris around Uranus? Stud Tires Out Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over British Left Waffles on Falkland Islands Lung Cancer in Women Mushrooms Eye Drops off Shelf Teacher Strikes Idle Kids Reagan Wins on Budget, But More Lies Ahead Squad Helps Dog Bite Victim Shot Off Woman's Leg Helps Nicklaus to 66 Enraged Cow Injures Farmer with Ax Plane Too Close to Ground, Crash Probe Told Miners Refuse to Work after Death Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant Stolen Painting Found by Tree Two Soviet Ships Collide, One Dies Checkout Counter Killer Sentenced to Die for Second Time in 10 Years Never Withhold Herpes Infection from Loved One Drunken Drivers Paid $1000 `84 War Dims Hope for Peace If Strike isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last a While Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures Enfields Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide Red Tape Holds Up New Bridge Deer Kill 17,000 Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead Man Struck by Lightning Faces Battery Charge New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft Kids Make Nutritious Snacks Chef Throws His Heart into Helping Feed Needy Arson Suspect is Held in Massachusetts Fire British Union Finds Dwarfs in Short Supply Ban On Soliciting Dead in Trotwood Lansing Residents Can Drop Off Trees Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half New Vaccine May Contain Rabies Man Minus Ear Waives Hearing Deaf College Opens Doors to Hearing Air Head Fired Steals Clock, Faces Time Prosecutor Releases Probe into Undersheriff Old School Pillars are Replaced by Alumni Bank Drive-in Window Blocked by Board Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors Some Pieces of Rock Hudson Sold at Auction Include your Children when Baking Cookies II. Now write five ambiguous headlines of your own.