Plain Language Webquest

We encounter messages in a variety of mediums every moment of every day, from radio shows and commercials, to billboards and posters, to newspapers and blogs. We consume so much verbal information every day, but have you ever stopped to think about the way language is used in the media you encounter? Have you ever had to read the same news article more than once to really understand what the author was trying to communicate? Have you taken a double take of a poster that was not clear at first glance?

The purpose of this activity is to increase students’ awareness of the language use they encounter in their day-to-day lives. Students will be asked to track examples from a variety of media of sentences that break at least one principle of plain language as discussed in the module and to share their experiences and insights with the class during a large group discussion.