Explain the concept of cognates to students. Tell students that the English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian languages have many words in common. Alternatively, these languages are not similar to others, such as Korean, Chinese and Japanese, which are similar to each other.
Display a list of common cognates. The list's organization will depend on country of origin. For example, when teaching in France, the list should include the French word first followed by Spanish, English, Italian and Portuguese words in no particular order.
Read the listed words aloud -- preferably by a person who speaks other languages -- with correct pronunciation. Ask students to repeat the words in different languages, saying them aloud.
Instruct students to write down cognates they recognize from the list of common cognates when reading economics textbooks in their primary language. This reinforces recognition.
Distribute economics journals written in other languages and ask students to look for cognates from the previous list of common cognates. Try to interpret the general meaning of the article based on cognates. Discuss results.
Introduce the concept of false cognates, which are words that look alike but have completely different meanings. Distribute a list of common false cognates, which is found on the Reading Rockets website. Read the listed words aloud.
Continue reinforcing cognate learning by distributing materials in other languages that are related to the study of economics. For example, examine the stock market from another country's point of view or provide students with activities, such as buying shares in a foreign market. Refer students to the previous list of common cognates for interpretation.