Christmastime Is Here: The Etymology of Christmas and Xmas for English Spelling
Students will learn about the history of the words 'Christmas,' 'Xmas,' and 'Christmastime' from Old English through now including the reasons for the "silent" <t> and the <ch> that spells [k] and that 'Xmas' is an old abbreviation.
Heather
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(123)
What's included
1 live meeting
30 mins in-class hoursClass Experience
Christmastime is here. Or is Christmas time here? From where and when does the word Christmas come? And is Xmas a secular corruption of the word Christmas or an acceptable abbreviation?
Students will learn about the histories of the words 'Christmas,' 'Xmas,' and 'Christmastime' in order to understand the spellings. The Christmas season is a major holiday season for many English-speaking countries, so speakers and learners must know the spellings. Understanding the spellings requires investigating the history (etymology) of the words. Students can then take the skills learned in this one-time class to investigate the spelling of any word.
Students will learn that (1) the primary function of English spelling is to represent meaning, (2) spelling is not just sounds written down, and (3) the spelling of a word reflects its meaning, parts, history, relatives, and finally sounds.
Students will learn the reasons for the "silent" <t> and <ch> that spells [k] in 'Christmas.' Students will learn 'Xmas' is an old abbreviation for the holiday, which comes from a Greek word. Students will learn which form ('Christmastime' or 'Christmas time') is correct.
Students will learn the basics of SWI. Structured Word Inquiry (SWI) is a means by which to study spelling. One can use SWI to investigate spelling by asking four questions:
(1) What does a word mean?
(2) How is the word built?
(3) What are morphological and etymological relatives of the word?
(4) What are the sounds that matter? What are the letters doing?
The questions are to be investigated in order.
Students will learn to use word sums. A word sum shows you how a word is built.Other Details
Parental Guidance
Christmastime Is Here: The Etymology of Christmas and Xmas is a spelling class looks at the spellings of the words 'Christmas,' 'Xmas,' and 'Christmastime' through the Structured Word Inquiry framework. The Christmas season is a major holiday season for many English-speaking countries, so speakers and learners must know the spellings. Investigating the history of a word is essential for understanding the spelling.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Teacher expertise and credentials
I earned a BA in English studies with a minor in creative writing in May 2007, MS in library and information science in May 2009, and MS in English studies with an emphasis in linguistics in December 2011. I wrote my English studies thesis on multiple modals in American English. For the past year, I have been studying the English spelling system through Linguist-Educator Exchange (LEX) and Spellinars. I recently published the 'Teach a Student to Read' reading program and 'A Form-Function Description of the Grammar of the Modern English Language for Junior High' on Amazon. I continue to study English grammar and spelling on my own. I additionally write linguistics posts for my personal website.Reviews
Live One-Time Class
$7
per classMeets once
30 min
Completed by 4 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 8-13
2-10 learners per class
