We are off and running!

Off and running we are! Hopefully, you are up and rolling with classes, students and materials. Please browse the info below for helpful information. Polyglot Press issues are archived in the blog http://polyglotpress.blogspot.com/

Professional Development

·         September 18, 2012 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time Flipping the Classroom free webinar from Colorado.. http://www.eventbrite.com/event/4078709530 Spanish teacher, Heather Witten, will be focusing on classroom structure and lesson planning. She will try to incorporate some assessment, but might have to just post a video to the blog to cover this topic. If you have any specific concerns, please feel free to email ideas or questions to her in advance at hwitten@esdk12.org  and she will try to address them. There were 90 slots nationwide. Register soon if interested.

o   Sharing what they know: The following colleagues have KINDLY volunteered in their google docs stat entries to share on the following topics. You might contact them directly about how and when you could connect so that they can share what they know. I will be happy to organize something if needed: BRAVO BRAVO BRAVO

§  Alice Shrader – Edmodo (student-friendly organizer like Facebook and Moodle combined), Moodle, Twitter as a tool for teachers to stay up-to-date

§  Daisy Rodriguez – what I have and will learn at the FLANC conferences

§  Debbie Moats – Help with NCWise grading

§  Dianne Mays – Audacity, Moodle, Smart Notebook 10

§  Harry Braun – Student exchange tips

§  Kathryn Snearly – Comic Life (NS WL ES #3 - writing), Glogster (NS WL ES #3 – writing and speaking), Windows Photostory 3 (NS WL ES #3 – writing and speaking) wikis and assignments ((NS WL ES #3 – writing mostly)

§  Paul Cummings – Smart Response (“clickers” for formative assessment and feedback)

§  Sherry Edwards_Logan – Contacts with native speakers of French and Spanish

§  Stacie Thompson – SmartResponse (“clickers” for formative assessment and feedback)

§  Sue Mead – Summer Travel (leading and organizing student trips abroad)

§  Wanda Parks – can share some of her SmartBoard activities

§  If you haven’t replied to the Google Docs yet, please go to:

·         MS - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHBSRjAtN2ZlMFkyb29VRk1SVE5ZUGc6MQ#gid=0 .

·         HS – https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDNlZk5Jdm9ETDRkSHBMNF8yQ3Vvc2c6MQ#gid=0

Motivating Students

·         MS and HS students do not innately understand the value of learning any language other than English. Advocating for the importance of second language skills is a daily job for world languages teacher.

·         Why Study Spanish – a new PowToon video by Jennifer Edenfield at Parkwood High School. http://www.powtoon.com/p/fkuqxmJ8FT7/ Thanks for sharing. BRAVO

·         Why Study Spanish? Is also a video in the Realidades 1 video program.

Implementing the NC World Languages Standards

·         Target Language Use -  “Research indicates that effective language instruction must provide significant levels of meaningful communication and interactive feedback in the target language in order for students to develop language and cultural proficiency ... ACTFL therefore recommends that language educators and their students use the target language as exclusively as possible (90% plus) at all levels of instruction during instructional time and, when feasible, beyond the classroom. “ (Thanks to Kathryn Snearly) for the quote. BRAVO

·         Tech Ideas for Standard 2

o    Understanding through reading - http://www.collaborizeclassroom.com/ (check details and tech issues at your school)

o    – Understanding through listening - http://www.forvo.com/languages/ This site permits students to choose the language and words they need / want to know how to say or understand orally. Thanks to the person that shared this in the Curriculum Day feedback.

·         Tech Idea for Standard 3

o    Presentational Communication (Writing) http://storybird.com (check details and tech issues at your school)

o    Presentational Communication (Writing) www.zooburst.com digital book creation (check details and tech issues at your school) Thanks to the person that shared this in the Curriculum Day feedback.

·         Tech Idea for Student Portfolios

o    Standard 1 -  Interpersonal communication (recordings of student ‘conversations) http://www.threering.com/ Portfolios permit students and teachers to demonstrate student success for teacher evaluation artifacts, parent teacher conferences, student growth, etc.

o    Standard 3 – Presentational communication (student writing samples and speaking samples) http://www.threering.com/ Portfolios permit students and teachers to demonstrate student success for teacher evaluation artifacts, parent teacher conferences, student growth, etc.

o    Standards 1 and 3 – http://www.weebly.com/ If students can create their own weebly site, they can upload writing, audio and video samples of their proficiency achievement and growth.

Chinese Resources

·         Xiaoli Doty Wiki with lots of resources for teaching Chinese http://xiaolidoty.wikispaces.com/ She is also a coach for NC Virtual Public Schools. Some of you may know her.

French Resources

·         French – Allez, viens! Online resources – http://go.hrw.com/gopages/wl-fr.html

·         French - Tresors du temps (French 3-4) http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0078606551/

German Resources

·         German - Deutsch Aktuell Online Text and Teacher Resources - http://irc.emcp.com/ircfiles/DeutschAktuell6e/

Spanish Resources

-        www.conjuemos.com Verb conjugation practice

-        Spanish - Realidades – Textbook Online Companion for students and teachers http://www.phschool.com/atschool/realidades/program_page.html

-        Spanish - Conexiones – Textbook Online Companion for students and teachers http://cwx.prenhall.com/bookbind/pubbooks/conexiones2/

-        Spanish – Realidades - Success Net – ONLINE TEXTBOOK https://www.pearsonsuccessnet.com/snpapp/login/login.jsp

o   To register for the online textbook, you will need the following access codes:

o    Spanish 1 - PHMCLSEØ4NTENØ1T = PHMCLSE04NTEN01T

o    Spanish 2 - PHMCLSEØ4NTENØ2T = PHMCLSE04NTEN02T

o    Spanish 3 - PHMCLSEØ4NTENØ3T = PHMCLSE04NTEN03T

FYI
“Most Commonly Spoken Languages” http://www2.ignatius.edu/faculty/turner/languages.htm

The Summer Institute for Linguistics (SIL) Ethnologue Survey (1999) lists the following as the top languages by population:
(number of native speakers in parentheses)

1. Chinese* (937,132,000)
2. Spanish (332,000,000)
3. English (322,000,000)
4. Bengali (189,000,000)
5. Hindi/Urdu (182,000,000)
6. Arabic* (174,950,000)
7. Portuguese (170,000,000)
8. Russian (170,000,000)
9. Japanese (125,000,000)
10. German (98,000,000)
11. French* (79,572,000)

The following list is from Dr. Bernard Comrie’s article for the Encarta Encyclopedia (1998):
(number of native speakers in parentheses)

1. Mandarin Chinese (836 million)
2. Hindi (333 million)
3. Spanish (332 million)
4. English (322 million)
5. Bengali (189 million)
6. Arabic (186 million)
7. Russian (170 million)
8. Portuguese (170 million)
9. Japanese (125 million)
10. German (98 million)
11. French (72 million)

The following list is from George Weber’s article “Top Languages: The World’s 10 Most Influential Languages” in Language Today (Vol. 2, Dec 1997):
(number of native speakers in parentheses)

1. Mandarin Chinese (1.1 billion)
2. English (330 million)
3. Spanish (300 million)
4. Hindi/Urdu (250 million)
5. Arabic (200 million)
6. Bengali (185 million)
7. Portuguese (160 million)
8. Russian (160 million)
9. Japanese (125 million)
10. German (100 million)
11. Punjabi (90 million)
12. Javanese (80 million)
13. French (75 million)

However, in terms of secondary speakers, Weber submits the following list:
(number of speakers in parentheses)

1. French (190 million)
2. English (150 million)
3. Russian (125 million)
4. Portuguese (28 million)
5. Arabic (21 million)
6. Spanish (20 million)
7. Chinese (20 million)
8. German (9 million)
9. Japanese (8 million)

Thus, if you add the secondary speaker populations to the primary speaker populations, you get the following (and I believe more accurate) list:
(number of speakers in parentheses)

1. Mandarin Chinese (1.12 billion)
2. English (480 million)
3. Spanish (320 million)
4. Russian (285 million)
5. French (265 million)
6. Hindi/Urdu (250 million)
7. Arabic (221 million)
8. Portuguese (188 million)
9. Bengali (185 million)
10. Japanese (133 million)
11. German (109 million)

The following is a list of these languages in terms of the number of countries where each is spoken.  The number that follows is the total number of countries that use that language (from Weber, 1997):

1. English (115)
2. French (35)
3. Arabic (24)
4. Spanish (20)
5. Russian (16)
6. German (9)
7. Mandarin (5)
8. Portuguese (5)
9. Hindi/Urdu (2)
10. Bengali (1)
11. Japanese (1)

The number of countries includes core countries (where the language has full legal or official status), outer core countries (where the language has some legal or official status and is an influential minority language, such as English in India or French in Algeria), and fringe countries (where the language has no legal status, but is an influential minority language in trade, tourism, and the preferred foreign language of the young, such as English in Japan or French in Romania).   

On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!

Polyglot Press

Staying Connected to World Language Teaching Resources

August 20, 2012 

Greetings! Welcome back to teaching world languages in UCPS and to some, welcome to UCPS.

Hopefully, the information below will be helpful. There are so many useful resources to be found that it is very appreciated when teachers share their discoveries, also. The information below is archived in the blog http://polyglotpress.blogspot.com/

UCPS Events

·      8:00 – 3:30 August 23, 2012 World Languages Curriculum Day Sun Valley High School Media Center. Thanks in advance to the presenters of the afternoon breakout sessions: Paul Cummings, Dianne Mays, Jose Sevilla, Kathryn Snearly and Yubely Zolke.

BRAVO

·         Congratulations to Sarah Wade, Spanish teacher at Marvin Ridge High, and her husband. Maggie Rivers Wade was born August 17, 2012 at 1:41am...weighing 6lbs 15oz.and measuring 19 3/4 inches long.

·         Welcome to new UCPS world language teachers:

o   Amanda Mancilla-Kimbrough - Central Academy of Technology & the Arts – Spanish

o   Cara Wyatt – Spanish – Monroe High School

o   Danilo Loor – Central Academy of Technology & the Arts – Spanish and German

o   Heather Buskard – Cuthbertson High – French

o   Laura Nicholson – Piedmont High - Spanish

o   Mei Hui Wang – Marvin Ridge Middle - Mandarin

o   Paul Cummings – Union County Early College – Spanish

o   Ron Crider – Porter Ridge High – French Absent

o   Soledad Townsend – Parkwood Middle – Spanish

·         Best wishes to the following UCPS world language teachers at new  schools this year:

o   Alice DiPom – Monroe High School – French

o   Lingyu Liao – Cuthbertson Middle  - Chinese

o   Rachele Shelton– Weddington High School – Spanish

o   Sharon Tian – Weddington Middle – Chinese

·         Looking to be “StreetSmart”? Talk to some of the UCPS WL teachers who attended the training on SmartBoard technology for Notebook 10 and 11 that was held August 15. There are so many things a SmartBoard can do but for World Language teachers, the audio and video recording features are very powerful. Looking for tips? Contact those who attended. Some of those who attended are:

o    Cathy Eisner – MRHS

o    Dianne Mays – MRMS

o    Elvia Lopez – PRHS

o    Jean Patterson – PWHS

o    Jose Sevilla – MRHS

o    Juliet Kasler - PRHS

o    Lisa Helms – CHS

o    Paula McGuire – MRMS

o    Rachele Shelton – WHS

o    Yanli Zhou  - CHS and WHS

Professional Development

·         August 1 – 30 Connected Educators – launches Connected Educators’ Month with daily free online workshops through August 30. Topics include: Learning Blogs, Blended Learning, Common Core, Why Social Media Matters, The First Six Weeks of School, etc. You can sign up for updates, the calendar of webinars, book clubs, discussion groups, etc at http://connectededucators.org/cem/

·         October 11 -13, 2012 Fall FLANC Conference in Winston-Salem, (Foreign Language Association of North Carolina. Hotel/Embassy Suites, Winston-Salem.  Visit www.flanc.org for details. An Early Bird discount is available for the Friday – Saturday conference to all members who register before Sept 1st!  Conference fees for non-members and those who pay after September 1 are $140.  FLANC offers reduced rates for full-time Students ($60), Retired teachers ($60) and First Year Teachers ($60). The Friday and Saturday Conference offers hourly “sessions” on many topics for one conference fee.  Thursday, Friday evening and Saturday afternoon, there are three and six hour pre-conference and post-conference workshops for an additional fee. “Workshop” details are at http://www.flanc.org/?sec=conference Register today! Can’t get a sub? To attend just Saturday, the fee is only $75.00. There are special room rates for FLANC 2012 to support our traveling members.  Rooms can be booked directly with the Marriott Winston-Salem by calling 1-800-320-0934 or for Embassy Suites by calling 1-800-696-6107. Please mention “FLANC” to obtain the special event room rate of $133.00/night (single or double occupancy at the Marriott) or $153/night (single or double occupancy at the Embassy Suites). ROOM BLOCK HELD until September 16, 2012 – Book EARLY! 

·         October 22-23  TPRS workshop in Raleigh/ Durham October 22-23, 2013 Raleigh/Durham, NC
Cost: $269.00 Hotel option - Sleep Inn, 5208 New Page Road (I-40 & Page Road), Durham, NC  27709, (919) 993-3393, Sleeping room is $74.99 + tax per night; Speaker: Von Ray has taught with TPRS and presented for many years. He has presented in over 30 states and other foreign countries.  Learn how to teach with TPRS! The workshop has an introduction to TPRS, a demonstration and extensive practice. You will practice lesson planning, circling, TPRS extended readings, reading and discussing the novels. There is also extensive group practice in teaching a story as well as grading and classroom management in a TPRS classroom. Time: 08:00 am EST to 03:00 pm ES You can register online at http://www.rsvpbook.com/event.php?432106#Sessions

·         November 16-18 ACTFL Conference Philadelphia http://www.actfl.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1

Professional Organizations

·         ACTFL – American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages - Membership Only - $75; New-Membership - $50; Includes membership and subscription to both The Language Educator (Practical teaching tips, links, projects, etc. )and Foreign Language Annals (Research papers). The August edition of The Language Educator includes these tips:

o    Follow and post tweets in Twitter with the topic #langchat

§  Performance rubric by Thomas Sauer for proficiency levels https://www.dropbox.com/s/t9kwft076gxs8z0/PerformanceAssessment_Rubric_color.pdf

§  #LangChat summaries of weekly discussions on Thursdays at http://blog.calicospanish.com/2012/08/13/maintaining-and-developing-l2-skills-as-an-l2-teacher.html Most recent summary includes ideas of “Maintaining and Developing L2 Skills as an L2 Teacher”.

§  Past ACTFL Teacher of the Year Toni Theisen shares resources for French teachers  http://tonitheisen.visibli.com/share/EQNBb0

§  The Iceberg Concept of Culture http://fulbright.state.gov/uploads/bb/e9/bbe96c0938059af82d42b427c7fe3353/icebergofculture.pdf

§  How to update the look of your syllabus http://ideasforfrenchclass.blogspot.com/2012/08/rethink-syllabus.html

o    www.Actfl21stcenturyskillsmap.wikispaces.com

o    Langchat.pbworks.com – live streaming every Thursday at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time

o    Languagelinks2006.wikispaces.com

o    Languageteacherscollaborate.pbworks.com

o    Mfl-storybirds.wikispaces.com

Events

·         Saturdays – Sundays Sweat Union Flea Market 8:00 – 3:00 Great place to practice bargaining and your Spanish skills.  4420 U.S. 74  West Monroe, NC 28110 (704) 283-7985 http://www.sweetunionflea.com/

·         Monthly and Bimonthly Language Conversation Hours – International House of Charlotte http://www.ihclt.org/what-we-do.php?cat=36

o    Chinese – Tuesdays – 2^nd and 4^th – 7 p.m.

o    French – Tuesdays – 1^st and 3^rd 7:00 p.m.

o    German - Tuesdays – 1^st and 3^rd at 7:00 p.m.

o    Russian – 1^st Wednesday – 6:00 p.m.

o    Spanish – Thursdays 7 p.m.

·         September 8, 2012 EF Foreign Exchange Party Welcome Party at Aw Shuck Farms in Monroe on Sept 8, 6:30 - 8:30 for ALL Charlotte area Foreign Exchange students and their host families, if they are with EF organization or not.  Anyone who might be interested in hosting a student, these families are welcomed as well.  This WILL become a yearly event! Aw Shucks® Farms; 3718 Plyler Mill Rd.; Monroe, NC 28112. Cost is $5:00 PER family Questions and registration: Contact Teri Kirkpatrick at teri.kirkpatrick@effoundation.org or 704-886-8737

·         September 15 – October 15 – Hispanic Heritage Month (Mes de la Hispanidad) resources and background:

o    http://hispanicheritagemonth.gov

o    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Hispanic_Heritage_Month

o    http://www.factmonster.com/spot/hhm1.html

o    http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/hispanic/index.htm

o    http://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/hispanic/

o    http://www.gale.cengage.com/free_resources/chh/

o    Mariachi band used at New Town ES, Cuthbertson MS, etc. Spanish-speakers can contact Esteban Rojas 704 299-3759. $400 for one hour.

·         September 22 – October 7, 2012 Germany celebrates Oktoberfest http://www.oktoberfest.de/en

o    Waldhorn Restaurant of Charlotte will celebrate Oktoberfest Sept. 21-21, 28-29; October 5-6 and 12-13 http://www.waldhorn.us/oktoberfest.htm

·         Saturday, September 29 UNC Charlotte International Festival 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. The festival is centered around booths arranged in colorful marketplace style representing thecultures of about 50 nations. The booths are staffed by UNC Charlotte international students and members of Charlotte's international community and feature art, crafts and costumes from each participating country. Many booths offer international food for sale. Free.  http://ifest.uncc.edu/ 

·         Saturday, September 29, 2012 Hola Charlotte Celebration - the first annual ‘Hola Charlotte 2012’ festival coming to Uptown. Hosted by the Mint Museum, the event will take place inside the museum as well as outside on the Levine Ave. of the Arts, adjacent to Tryon Street. http://www.lawanc.org/site/index.php/2012/08/08/sept-29-hola-charlotte-celebration/

·         Saturday, September 29, 2012, from 11 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The North Carolina Museum of History in downtown Raleigh will be sponsoring a family festival called Celebracion in conjunction with the museum’s first bilingual exhibit, Al Norte al Norte. The festival will celebrate the Latino experience in our state with artisans, performers, and lots of hands-on activities.

·         October 1 – 8, 2012 National German Week http://www.aatg.org/node/144

o    October 1: First Germans at Jamestown http://www.serve.com/shea/germusa/jtown1a.htm

o    October 3: Day of German Unity/Tag der deutschen Einheit http://www.serve.com/shea/germusa/dayunity.htm

o    You can follow American Association of Teachers of German on Facebook.

·         October 12 Día de la raza =  Día de las Américas = Columbus Day 

o    http://zedillo.presidencia.gob.mx/welcome/PAGES/culture/note_12oct.html

o    http://gosouthamerica.about.com/cs/southamerica/a/CulDiaRaza.htm

o    http://www.elbalero.gob.mx/kids/about/html/holidays/race_kids.html

o    http://www.lasculturas.com/aa/aa100800a.php

·         Sunday, October 14, 2012 noon – 8:00 p.m. Latin American Festival –Symphony Park, South Park Mall, 4400 Sharon Road, Charlotte, NC 28211. Musicians: Rumba Stage this year is the iconic, multi-platinum band from Spain, JarabeDePalo; Latin Grammy award-winning Venezuelan funk band, Los Amigos Invisibles! http://www.latinamericancoalition.org/festivallatinoamericano/about

·         November 1 – 8, 2012 National French Week http://www.frenchteachers.org/nfw/

·         November 12 – 16 International Education Week http://iew.state.gov/ is an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. This joint initiative of the U.S Dept. of State and US Dept of Educaiton.

·         Runs through April 28, 2013 Al Norte al Norte: Latino Life in North Carolina Images of North Carolina’s diverse and growing Latino community by Pulitzer Prize–winning photographer José Galvez showing work, worship, protest, and celebration. http://ncmuseumofhistory.org/latino/index.html

Global Connections - NC World Languages Essential Standard # 4: Culture

·         November 12-17, 2012 - Global Education Conference  - Virtual and free. Visit The Global Education Conference Network at: http://www.globaleducationconference.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

·         International Global Citizen's Award, which aims to promote and recognize the development of young people as global citizens. It provides a very flexible framework for development, focusing on the everyday lives of young people and how they impact upon and are affected by matters global. Although as part of the program students find out more about global issues and other cultures and outlooks, the emphasis is on how developing understanding is reflected in the choices people make and the actions they take in their everyday lives. More information on www.globalcitizensaward.org

·         The all-new ePals is here!, the Web’s place to connect with classrooms around the world just got better – “especially for your language class.”

o    ePals now automatically recommends classroom partners for you based on your interests, and for the first time ever, you can host or join collaboration tables with multiple classrooms right on the site!

o    Your own private blogs, galleries and more: Each collaboration table comes with a private workspace that includes your very own blog, forum and media gallery!

o    Track Student Participation: Effortlessly keep track of your students’ participation across ePals from your homepage's new student activity feed.

o     All-in-one Project Library: Easily search and discover new collaborative projects for your language students.

o    Resource-rich Learning Centers:  Six new Learning Centers, including our brand new cultural center, We Are ePals Learning Center to find great cultural activities and forums where you can discuss weather around the world.

·        The International Education Week (IEW) 2012 website http://iew.state.gov has officially been launched, and includes promotional materials, ideas of how to be involved in activities, and opportunities to post and view planned events around the world.  In addition, the IEW Facebook fan page has been updated and may be accessed through the IEW website or at http://www.facebook.com/InternationalEdWeek.Iindividuals and institutions interested in international education and exchange activities, including schools, colleges and universities, embassies, international organizations, businesses, associations, and community organizations are encouraged to participate. Questions or comments can be sent to feedback@state.gov.  If you tweet about IEW, use the Twitter hashtag #IEW2012.  As updates to the IEW website are made, they will be shared through their listserv and through their Facebook pages.

·        Online Museum Resources - There are a number of museums that cater to global learners. Here are links to some of them and the educational resources they offer.

o    Asian Art Museum A San Francisco institution, this museum is also one of the biggest collections of Asian art in the Western world. Their recently redesigned website offers educators many ways to find content that's relevant to what you're teaching. www.asianart.org  

o    Asia Society Museum Asia Society houses a preeminent collection of art from throughout Asia, and is known for its cutting-edge exhibitions of contemporary Asian art. For teachers, there is an online Asian art teaching guide that features masterpieces and includes downloadable teaching units, high-resolution images, historical maps, and more. http://asiasociety.org/museum  

o    Cleveland Museum of Art
The Cleveland Museum of Art's impressive collection includes art and artifacts from Asia, the Middle East, Latin and South America. See their online collection at http://clevelandart.org   for digital access to primary resources and other classroom tools.

o    Metropolitan Museum of Art With one of the world's greatest collections of arts and artifacts from around the world, the Met offers many programs, activities, workshops, and printed and electronic information create for teachers and students. Much of the collection is portrayed online. http://metmuseum.org  

o    Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies
The Smithsonian Institution's online education center offers programs, services, and resources for teachers and students. An easy-to-use website allows users to search by topic (see the Art & Design section), academic discipline, grade band, and world region. http://smithsonianeducation.org/educators  

DPI Resources

·         The World Languages Consultant at the NC Department of Public Instruction maintains email list-servs for various groups in the state. If you would like to receive information for Foreign Language Teachers, Dual Language / Immersion Educators, LinguaFolio Information and Updates or Spanish for Native Speakers, you can email Ann Marie Gunter at  agunter@dpi.state.nc.us with the appropriate topic in the subject line of the email:

o    join-flteachers@lists.dpi.state.nc.us

o    join-dli@lists.dpi.state.nc.us

o    join-linguafolio@lists.dpi.state.nc.us

o    join-sns@lists.dpi.state.nc.us

·      The state's READY initiative is launched in every classroom this year.

·      NC receives grant to cover AP/IB test fees - Thanks to a grant and supplemental funds from the U.S. Department of Education, every eligible North Carolina high school student taking an Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) exam this year will have his or her test fees covered. As a part of the federal Advanced Placement Test Fee Program, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) will receive more than $800,000 to cover AP and IB test fees for all low-income students who qualify during the 2012-13 school year. http://www.ncpublicschools.org/newsroom/news/2012-13/20120808-01

·      Beginning in the fall of 2013, each public school and public charter school in North Carolina will receive a letter grade - A, B, C, D or F - to reflect their performance. The letter grades are required by legislation passed by the NC General Assembly in 2012.

·      Other NC DPI updates for 2012-2013 - http://www.ncpublicschools.org/newsroom/news/2012-13/20120807-01

Tech Scoop

·         Fakebook – Students and / or teachers can create ‘fakebook’ pages for themselves or for famous people. You can add a photo, include ‘updated’ status posts, add ‘friends’, add video, etc.  http://www.classtools.net/fb/home/page/

·         Follow what Heather Whitten does when “flipping her world languages classroom” on her blog at http://spanishflippedclass.blogspot.com/  She has some student samples of the final project the students did posted.

·         Watch this video about how another world language teacher who ‘flips’ her Spanish classes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfIfEvWzQcw

·         How about this blog? Using Web 2.0 in the World Languages Classroom http://blog.calicospanish.com/2011/08/19/using-web-2-0-tools-in-the-language-classroom.html

·         You can follow the posts to 2.0 in the FL Classroom at http://www.scoop.it/t/2-0-in-fl-classroom

·         Follow the blog Creative Language Class and in particular an explanation to students on how to distinguish proficiency levels for the task of describing something. http://creativelanguageclass.wordpress.com/2012/08/08/explaining-proficiency-levels-to-students/

·         SmartNotebook 11 – has a widget for inserting the talking avatars from Voki www.voki.com right into your Notebook 11 pages http://exchange.smarttech.com/search.html?q=widgets&subject=All+subjects&grade=All+grades&region=en_US

·         Virginia is just one more state that passed legislation that to graduate from high school, students must complete at least one online course. Michigan, Alabama, Florida, and Idaho currently require a virtual learning credit for high school graduation.   

AP Language Courses

·         AP Spanish has a new course that goes into effect 2012 http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap08_spanish_coursedesc.pdf

·         AP Spanish Resources online with College Board http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/teachers_corner/3499.html  

·         The AP College Board has closed their list servs for world language teachers. To join an AP Community, go to https://apcommunity.collegeboard.org/

Chinese Resources

·         How to sing Happy Birthday in Chinese http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFzedDO4rd4

·         Short videoclips of Survival Chinese: weather, ordering in a restaurant, calling a taxi, shopping for clothing, etc. http://personal.kenyon.edu/bai/vcsc.htm

·         Epals – where in the World Photo Contest

o    Name the location of this view of mountains and rivers, also found on the 20 yuan note. http://en.community.epals.com/student_media_galleries/m/whereintheworld/321714.aspx

o    Name the section of the Great Wall http://en.community.epals.com/student_media_galleries/m/whereintheworld/325113.aspx

o    Name this rocky view of Hong Kong http://en.community.epals.com/student_media_galleries/m/whereintheworld/324022.aspx

French Resources

·         Rea View Elementary principal, Donna Cook, traveled to the ex-French colony, Senegal, this past summer with World View. There is a short Animoto clip of her trip at http://animoto.com/play/SuGgU8SLcneodQW85yrIiA Donna Cook shared: A few facts about Senegal:

Capital:  Dakar

Location:  the westernmost country in Africa, and Dakar is on the westernmost peninsula of the continent, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean

History:  was a French colony until gaining independence in 1960

Weather: tropical climate with two seasons, dry and rainy (the rainy season is just beginning- while I was there we experienced one rain shower, which was said to be one of the first or only rains in all of 2012; temperatures there range from the high 60s to high 80's year round- was in the mid to upper 80s while I was there)

Official Language:  French

Religion:  Predominantly Islam (94%); Christian (5%, mostly Catholic)

Population:  About 13 million

Area:  About the size of South Dakota

Education:  Illiteracy is high- approximately 40% of the population is illiterate

Unemployment:  About 50%

Main Cash Crop: Peanuts

Major Industry:  Fishing

German Resources

·         Epals – where in the World Photo Contest

o    Name this famous gate http://en.community.epals.com/student_media_galleries/m/whereintheworld/324073.aspx

Spanish Resources

·         Real Estate website for authentic resources on housing in Mexico http://www.zuba.com.mx

·         Cuban posters – pro-Fidel http://www.iisg.nl/exhibitions/chairman/cubintro.php

·         Epals Where in the World Photo Contest –

o    can your students name this location? http://en.community.epals.com/student_media_galleries/m/whereintheworld/325129.aspx

o    Can your students name this city, one of the oldest in Colombia http://en.community.epals.com/student_media_galleries/m/whereintheworld/321076.aspx

·         El coche de Mickey http://www.powtoon.com/account/signup