Polyglot Press
Messages for the World Language Teacher
January 19, 2012
Happy Mid-Year! (school year, that is!) The new semester begins Tuesday, January 24, 2012. Half the school year will be over. New classes begin at the high schools and many middle schools.
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.
BEST WISHES
· Robin Hentz, French teacher at Cuthbertson Middle has taken a position teaching ESL in Germany. Auf wiedersehen
· This Spring will be busy as we wish our many expectant Spanish teachers safe and healthy pregnancies and deliveries:
o Charlotte Hancock – Sun Valley High - Spanish
o Amanda Mancilla-Kimbrough- – Central Academy of Technology and Arts - Spanish
o Michelle Ballard – Forest Hills – Spanish
o Julianne Lease – Piedmont High – Spanish
o Jessica Garner – ex-UCPS Spanish teacher now with DPI as Regional Lead for Race to the Top
· Sharon DePeña (Piedmont High – Spanish) had back surgery in late December. Best wishes for a healthy recovery.
Condolences
· Our great sympathy goes out to Sharon DePeña (Piedmont High – Spanish), whose grandmother, Dorothy Church, passed away unexpectedly. Services were January 15. Sharon is the daughter of Trudy Griffin, ex-Director of Elementary Education in UCPS. Ms. Church was Trudy’s mother.
BRAVO
· Welcome to UCPS and World Language Teaching!
o Dr. José Lobo – Monroe High School – Spanish teacher for levels 1 and 2. Dr. Lobo hails from Colombia and did his doctorate in Cincinnati Ohio. His interests include Communicative Competence.
o Dr. Michael Giglio – Piedmont High School. Dr. Giglio will be a long-term sub for Sharon DePeña who had back surgery in late December and Julianne Lease who will go out on maternity leave in March. Dr. Giglio has lived overseas extensively, particularly in Colombia and the Dominican Republic. He has traveled to Cuba more than 40 times.
o Amanda Mancilla-Kimbrough has joined the staff of Central Academy of Technology and the Arts teaching Spanish. amanda.mancillakimbr@ucps.k12.nc.us
· UCPS Spelling Bee 2012 took place January 18. Word derivations (language of origin) once again were key in figuring out how to approach unknown words. 6th grader Ashwin Subramaniam from Weddington Middle said that knowing the championship word ‘lycanthropy’ was of Greek origin helped him. 4th grader and second place finalist, Domenick DePaola from New Town Elementary, explained that asking for language of origin helped him discern French influence on the spelling of words like blague and roque, etc. Other words came from Sanskrit, Spanish, Latin, French, Hopi, Tupi, Arabic, Hindi, etc. http://www.ucps.k12.nc.us/news/jump.php?news_id=34233
· Online Arabic through NC Virtual Public Schools is featured in a UCPS story http://seced.ucps.k12.nc.us/news/jump.php?news_id=33698 in the Enquirer Journal http://enquirerjournal.com/view/full_story/16693164/article-UCPS-students-learn-Arabic-online by their new education writer.
Events
· January 21, 2012 - 6:30pm-9:30pm Chinese New Year celebration with the Chinese American Association of Charlotte. Enjoy stage performances, red envelopes for children, raffles and more. Halton Theater, CPCC, 1206 Elizabeth Ave; Charlotte NC 28204 Tickets can be purchased at the door and are $5 for members and $10 for non-members http://www.caacc.com/calendar/chinese-new-year-celebration/
· January 23, 2012 - Chinese Spring Festival begins and lasts for 15 days (called Chinese New Year in the US) For more information on Chinese Spring Festival visit http://mandarin.about.com/od/chineseculture/a/newyear.htm
· January 24, 2012 – 1:30 – 2:30 Shanxii University Musical Ensemble performs for UCPS at Weddington HS. 600+ UCPS middle schoolers attend.
· January 25, 2012 – 6:30-7:30 PM Confucius Institute Chinese New Year Celebration.
Waddell Language Academy (Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools) 7030 Nations Ford Road, Charlotte NC 28217; Admission: Free and open to the public. For more event information, visit www.cipfeiffer.org
Waddell Language Academy (Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools) 7030 Nations Ford Road, Charlotte NC 28217; Admission: Free and open to the public. For more event information, visit www.cipfeiffer.org
· March 5 – 11, 2012 National Foreign Language Week – Begin planning now: school parades, song fests, food fests, info fests, international festivals, trivia questions on the daily announcements; special food in the cafeteria; guest speakers; guest performers, field trips; poster competition; etc. 2012 Theme – “You’re Connected – Now Communicate”
o Every year a NFLW poster with a new theme is printed. It is distributed free to all AMG chapters and is available for sale to the public. Normally the posters’ size is 24”x19” and they are printed in two versions - one with the official date for the Week and one without. The cost, at present, per poster is $6 and shipping & handling is $6 (for 1-5 posters). Shipping is free for orders of 25 posters and above. They are mailed out in solid mailing tube by US Priority Mail. http://www.lacitycollege.edu/academic/honor/amg/nflw.html
o For sale: French guard, German guard, Spanish guard, ILoveForLangs license plate http://www.lacitycollege.edu/academic/honor/amg/accessories.html
· March 8, 2012 UCPS Chinese Language and Culture Festival Weddington HS, on-site calligraphy competition, oral competency judging; Chinese culture quiz bowl (Social studies teachers can contact Stacy.Moore@ucps.k12.nc.us for details)
Professional Development
· Book Study: China in the 21st Century: What Everyone Should Know by Jeffrey Wasserman - 4 week face-to-face book study lead by Marie Brickman, held at Central Academy of Technology and the Arts beginning… 4:00 – Option for CEUs. Book is free and included with the book study. Funding comes from the county’s Confucius Classroom membership funded by the Asia Society and Hanban. Email your interest to mariebrickman@gmail.com
· UCPS 2011-2012 Professional Development Resources – archived in Moodle Pro – Find the new state essential standards, Power Points from local professional development, handouts from this year, etc. http://moodlepro.ucps.k12.nc.us/course/view.php?id=468
· Online Courses with Learn NC – Numerous courses are available: Adolescent Literacy for the Middle Grades; Reading, Writing and Research: Promoting Literacy; Visual Learning Strategies; Moodle Training; etc. http://www.learnnc.org/courses/
· Spring 2012 Chinese Classes Open for Registration - The Confucius Institute at Pfeiffer University offers a variety of Chinese language and cultural courses. Chinese Basic 1, Advanced Chinese, and more are open for registration online now at www.cipfeiffer.org.
DPI
Webinar 01-12-2012 Recording and Power Point from this webinar will be posted to the NC WL ES wiki at http://wlnces.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/ under Webinar Archives. Quotes of interest from the webinar:
· Most AP exams are aimed at Intermediate Mid on the ACTFL Proficiency Levels
· Students are not expected to move at lock step pace in all essential standards (i.e. interpersonal vs written presentational communication).
· The assessment prototypes are to be released soon.
· It is expected that the Dual and Heritage curriculum maps will be posted by the end of the month.
Tech Tools for WL – Speaking and Listening
· Chirbit - Free online tool that enables you to record and share audio. Your recordings can create URL addresses to be found on the internet. Here is one to my recordings http://chirb.it/PanPOp . The chirbit recordings can be posted or embedded on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, your blog or website. With Chirbit, QRcodes can be created and used to make quick links to your audio files. You can upload audio in mp3, wav, aiff, etc. You can record on the go using any smart phone with a voice recorder and email. Recordings can last up to 5 minutes.Chirbit account holders must be 13 years old. http://www.chirbit.com/
o There is an official blog for Chirbit with lots of ideas and links to tutorials http://blog.chirbit.com/
o How to use Chirbit to How to Use Chirbit Audio Platform To Create and Embed Audios http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRZdMQY_KCo&feature=related
o How to post a Chirbit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfcg_29EABA and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfcg_29EABA&feature=related
o How to post a Chirbit online from your iphone - Record your clip using the iphone Voice Memo app or any other voice recording app that records in m4a format. Email your voice memo to [chirbit-post@chirbit.com
o How to turn Text into audio with Chirbit -note – it does not convert text to text from languages other than English :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prBarirUMKk&feature=related
o With chirbit, you can take audio from You Tube and convert them to audio files http://blog.chirbit.com/chirbit/youtube-to-chirbit-audio-tutorial-by-nicheprof/
Summer Professional Development
· Travel-Study Opportunity in the Amazon -Project Amazonas, in conjunction with The Heritage Institute and Antioch University, is offering an experiential travel-study course this summer: Hands-on Amazon. This on-site course, based in the Upper Amazon near Iquitos, Peru, is available for graduate credit, undergraduate credit, or continuing education credit for educators and students in all disciplines, and a limited number of positions may be available for non-credit volunteers. It is particularly well suited for participants with interests in the social sciences, science, environmental education or Spanish language. The first offering is in July 2012 and is limited to 15 participants. For more information and to see if this course is right for you, please visit http://ptonline.org/hol/amazon/ Amazon travel is more accessible than one might think – there really is no need to worry about being devoured by flesh-eating piranhas. In the course, participants will get first-hand experience with the people, culture, flora and fauna, and bring the experience home and to the classroom. Participants are also encouraged to volunteer in a service project in rainforest preservation or in helping local communities. Info? Ontact dondean@hotmail.com>
ACTFL
· ACTFL has released the 2012 Proficiency Guidelines for Speaking Writing, Listening and Reading. The ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines are descriptions of what individuals can do with language in terms of speaking, writing, listening, and reading in real-world situations in a spontaneous and non-rehearsed context. For each skill, these guidelines identify five major levels of proficiency: Distinguished, Superior, Advanced, Intermediate, and Novice. The major levels Advanced, Intermediate, and Novice are subdivided into High, Mid, and Low sublevels. The levels of the ACTFL Guidelines describe the continuum of proficiency from that of the highly articulate, well-educated language user to a level of little or no functional ability. http://www.actfl.org/files/public/ACTFLProficiencyGuidelines2012_FINAL.pdf
African Studies
World Languages Essential Standards & SAS
· Hopefully, if you are a Spanish teacher you have heard of SAS Curriculum Pathways. The amazing thing is that there are units and activities online for Spanish. More amazing is that their lessons have already been aligned to the new NC DPI World Languages Essential Standards. To get ideas that would apply to more than just Spanish go to http://www.sascurriculumpathways.com/portal/#/standards
Chinese Resources
中国春节（”Chinese Spring Festival” referred to as ‘Chinese New Year’ in the US) (thanks to Sharon Tian – Porter Ridge Middle – Chinese - for sharing these links)
· K-12 educators in all grades and subject areas are invited to participate in the FREE online real-time professional development presentations being offered this semester by Asia for Educators (http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/) and the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (www.nctasia.org) at Columbia University. Participants may view from the comfort of their own home or office computer these presentations by noted scholars who are used to addressing K-12 educators. They will be able to ask questions either directly after the presentation or later online, and even may download images from the presentations and also supportive curriculum materials. All presentations are in the evening, 7:00-9:00 pm EST, except the two Saturday sessions as noted below:
January
Tuesday, January 24 The Mongols in World History
7:00-9:00 pm EST (6-8 CST, 5-7 MST, 4-6 PST) Morris Rossabi, Columbia University
Saturday, January 28 The Tale of Genji in Art and Literature
10-12 am EST (9-11 CST/8-10 MST/7-9 PST) Frank and Linda Chance, University of Pennsylvania
FEBRUARY
Monday, February 6 Dramatic Form in East Asia: Kabuki, Noh, Chinese Opera
7:00-9:00 pm EST (6-8 CST, 5-7 MST, 4-6 PST) Farley Richmond, University of Georgia
MARCH
Thursday, March 1 Education in Japan and East Asia
7:00-9:00 pm EST (6-8 CST, 5-7 MST, 4-6 PST) Lucien Ellington, University of Tennessee at Chattooga
Monday, March 5 Family by Ba Jin: A Window into the Literature of Modern China
7:00-9:00 pm EDT (6-8 CDT, 5-7 MDT, 4-6 PDT) Kristin Stapleton, University of Buffalo, SUNY
Saturday, March 10 Rethinking the Image of China and Japan in Global History, 1600-1900
10-12 am EST (9-11 CST/8-10 MST/7-9 PST) Benjamin Elman, Princeton University
APRIL
Thursday, April 26 Comparative Confucianism in East Asia
7:00-9:00 pm EDT (6-8 CDT, 5-7 MDT, 4-6 PDT) Richard Smith, Rice University
Furthermore, participants in selected states may receive Professional Development Hours and become eligible for subsidized study tours. For details and to register for these FREE sessions, see http://asiaforeducators.org/at least one day prior to the scheduled presentation.Nancy F. Hope ; Assoc. Director, Kansas Consortium for Teaching about Asia; Assoc. Director for Special Projects, Confucius Institute ; University of Kansas; 785.864.3918 ; 785.864.5034 ; nfhope@ku.edu
French Resources (from AP French List-serv)
· Online shopping for books, DVDs, music CDs, photos, ebooks, etc. in French, complete with price and photos http://www.fnac.com/
· Recommended music videos
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJLW3H8cCc4&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL58806A6D560A01A9
o These are with both French in English in lyrics
Spanish Resources
· The Realidades Success Net online site shut down Dec 31 unless you have paid for access on Success Net plus. Use the interactive CD of the text to flip through the digital textbook and its supplemental materials.
· Ejercicios para extranjeros has listening practice, grammar practice, tv reports, cultural videos, movie trailers, songs, news, vocab practice, crossword practice, etc. http://www.ver-taal.com/
· Learn about Las frutas as well as me gusta and no me gusta - You Tube teacher made video clip for elementary students; ok for MS or HS beginners http://www.linkedin.com/groupAnswers?viewQuestionAndAnswers=&discussionID=89785079&gid=660437&trk=eml-anet_dig-b_nd-pst_ttle-cn&ut=1JSTbgKem9sR41
· Spanish Forum - Allí encontrarás videolecciones (algunas con estudiantes) y ejercicios de gramática. www.thespanishforum.com
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