Noah Webster

High school (ages 12+)
Art & Creativity

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/noah-webster

1. When was Noah Webster born?
2. Where was Noah Webster born?
3. What is the key orthographic reforms?
4. What did Noah Webster do to help people spell words the same way?
5. Why did Noah Webster want to change British spellings like "colour" to "color"?

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Noah Webster born?October 16, 1758
2. Where was Noah Webster born?West Hartford, Connecticut
3. What is the key orthographic reforms?Advocated for simplified spellings such as 'color', 'center', and 'defense'
4. What did Noah Webster do to help people spell words the same way?He wrote a dictionary and a spelling book that taught a consistent way to spell words.
5. Why did Noah Webster want to change British spellings like "colour" to "color"?He thought simpler spellings were easier to learn and showed that American English could be its own language.

Orthography: The conventional spelling system of a language.
Lexicography: The practice of compiling and writing dictionaries.
Etymology: The study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history.