National French Week 2011!

Polyglot Press

Messages for the World Language Teacher

November 7, 2011

The Polyglot Press aims to inform the UCPS World Language teachers and keep them abreast of valuable events, links, news, professional developments, accomplishment, etc.  This information is housed on www.polyglotpress.blogspot.com  You can also add comments. Sharing ideas and resources are very appreciated.

Events

November 8 – 14, 2011 National French Week. Organized by the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF), National French Week is an annual celebration of French language and francophone cultures.

·         French Quotes of the Day http://french.about.com/library/bl_quote.htm

·         National French Week resources http://www.frenchteachers.org/nfw/

·         Native Speakers of French - 68 million according to Wikipedia in 2005.

·         One of the six official languages of the United Nations along with Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, English, Russian and Spanish.  http://www.un.org/fr/

·         French radio stations streaming live on the internet http://www.listenlive.eu/france.html

·         Newspapers –

·         Front pages: Brussels, Belgium http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/pop_up.asp?fpVname=BEL_HN&ref_pge=map&tfp_map=Europe

·         French newspapers http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/france.htm

·         Moroccan newspapers http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/morocco.htm

·         Cameroon newspapers http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/cameroon.htm

·         “Best French Films Ever” http://www.bestfrenchfilms.com/

·         “The 20 Best French Films from the Last 20 Years” http://www.imdb.com/list/2spiMhGfFUQ/

·         Flashcards on Quizlet for studying French http://quizlet.com/subject/french

·         French-speaking countries web quest project http://cte.jhu.edu/techacademy/fellows/hintz/webquest2/sdhindex.html

·         French Pod 101 - http://www.frenchpod101.com

·         French Pod 101 You Tube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/frenchpod101

·         Online French stores http://gofrance.about.com/cs/toppicks/tp/frenchshops.htm

·         Pre-AP Strategies for Learning to Write French http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/courses/teachers_corner/51270.html

·         La grammaire creative http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/courses/teachers_corner/50433.html

·         Subscribe to AP French Online Discussion Groups http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/homepage/4631.html

·         Sarah’s Key – Film rated Pg-13 mostly in French with English subtitles (2010). “One of the darkest moments in French history occurred in 1942 Paris when French officials rounded up over 10,000 Jews and placed them in local camps. Eventually over 8,000 were sent off to German concentration camps.”  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1668200/

·         Rock the Statue Green - In celebration of the Statue of Liberty’s 125th birthday (October 28th, 2011), the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, in collaboration with the U.S. National Park Service, Statue of Liberty National Monument, the City of New York Parks and Recreations, and the American Association of Teachers of French are hosting a Franco-American Transatlantic contest for students in grades pre-K to 12.This year’s topic will be: The Statue of Liberty and the Environment. http://www.frenchculture.org/spip.php?article4396

·         Francophone countries of the world http://www.fll.vt.edu/French/francophonie.html

·         Alliance Francaise The Alliance was created in Paris on 21 July 1883 by a group of eminent men, including the scientist Louis Pasteur, the diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps, the writers Jules Verne and Ernest Renan, and the publisher Armand Colin. United States has 111 chapters in 45 states, including Alliance Française de Washington and Alliance Française de Chicago.

·         American Association of French Teachers on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/AATFrench

·         AP French Exam  

Focuses on communication: You will demonstrate your skills and abilities in the Interpersonal, Interpretive and Presentational modes of communication. Encourages cultural awareness: You will develop an understanding and appreciation of various aspects of the cultures of the French -speaking world including: Cultural Products such as television and film, books, newspapers, music, laws, and institutions; Cultural Practices such as customs, traditions, and patterns of interactions; Cultural Perspectives such as values, attitudes, and beliefs

Incorporates themes:.Global Challenges, Science and Technology, Contemporary Life, Personal and Public Identities, Families and Communities, Beauty and Aesthetics

Technology

·         Free App Targets Common Core State Standards - Common Core State Standards are now available in one convenient FREE app! This is a great reference tool for administrators, teachers, parents and students who would like to easily read and understand the Common Core standards. Users can quickly find standards by subject, grade and subject category. This app includes K-12 Math standards and K-12 Language Arts standards. Math standards include both traditional and integrated pathways (as outlined in Appendix A of the common core), Standards for Mathematical Practice and Mathematics Glossary. For more information, please visit http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/common-core-standards/id439424555?mt=8

·         Online Clock and Online Alarm Clock could be useful in your classroom http://bit.ly/unMfax

AP / IB Language Resources

·         AP / IB languages courses could use the World Digital Library http://www.wdl.org that has numerous visuals archived per country. The site can be used in English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Portuguese, Greek and Arabic. There are computer-generated audio files for many visuals that would make interesting listening experience about historic events. One caught my attention - Captured Africans from Sierra Leone en route to Cuba rebelled and killed the ship’s crew except the captain. They ended up on trial in the US for mutiny and murder but were finally freed after two years. The paintings of many of the Africans are on file at the University of Yale in CT> http://www.wdl.org/es/item/3070/?regions=latin-america-and-the-caribbean&end_year=2011&start_year=1762&view_type=gallery

Chinese Resources

·         One World Now   http://www.oneworldnow.org/ study abroad to learn Chinese or Arabic.

Spanish Resources

·         The painting ‘Guernica’ by Pablo Picasso, at the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid, Spain http://www.museoreinasofia.es/coleccion/coleccion-1/sala-206.html , is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. http://www.museoreinasofia.es/noticias/30-guernica_en.html and http://www.museoreinasofia.es/noticias/30-guernica.html The painting depicts the violence, war, oppression and attacks on the village of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. http://www.museoreinasofia.es

·         Prado Museum http://www.museodelprado.es