Happy Year of the Monkey

February 16, 2016

BRAVO

·         Welcome to Amelia Stine, Spanish teacher at Sun Valley High School. Amelia is a native of Venezuela. You might consider Lyncing with her and / or her class. She teaches Spanish 2 and 3 this semester: 1^st Sp 2, 2^nd Sp 2 and 4^th block Sp 3.

·         Welcome also to Yadiraliz Hawks, Spanish teacher at Monroe High School. A native-speaker of Puerto Rican heritage, “Yadi” teaches 1^st Sp 3, 2^nd; Sp 2 and 3^rd block Sp 2 if you are hoping to connect your students with a native speaker or students of the same level.

·         Welcome back to Amanda Mancilla who returns to teach Spanish at Central Academy of Technology and the Arts.

·         Best wishes to Monica Roncagliolo who retired from CATA January 29. Monica has taught at Western Union, Kensington, Parkwood and CATA.

·         Congratulations to Brooke Souther, French teacher at Weddington High, on her December marriage She is now Brooke Monroe Souther.

·         Lingyu Liao had 18 Mandarin teachers show up at Cuthbertson Middle to observe her 8^th grade Mandarin students January 29. The teachers were in Charlotte as part of the Asia Society’s Teacher Institute to visit three UCPS schools. Visiting teachers watched both her Chinese 1 class (in their 20^th week of instruction) and her beginning Mandarin class of 8^th graders (in week two of instruction). Visiting teachers found are in the form of calligraphy, fans, opera masks, Chinese paintings and couplets to welcome them to Cuthbertson MS https://twitter.com/PollyGlotPress/status/693066744378822656

·         Xiaohong HuMueller, Mandarin teacher at Marvin Ridge High School, was visited by 35 Mandarin teachers January 29 who were in Charlotte as part of the Asia Society’s Teacher Institute. http://www.ucps.k12.nc.us/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=22&ModuleInstanceID=10211&ViewID=047E6BE3-6D87-4130-8424-D8E4E9ED6C2A&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=11576&PageID=37  and https://twitter.com/PollyGlotPress/status/693105878900191232

·         CHS students and their Mandarin teacher, Shannon Du, are featured in an article about Tang Dynasty poetry on the Cuthbertson HS website.  http://bit.ly/1O1LGzP

·         Ron Crider, French teacher at Porter Ridge High, received a PRHS trophy for ‘most influential teacher’ to one of the PRHS ‘Top 20 Seniors’.    #Greatteachers #changinglives pic.twitter.com/Pj0i4S313W

Events

·         March 7 – 13, 2016 National Foreign Language Week  http://www.lacitycollege.edu/academic/honor/amg/nflw.html  Theme 2016 "Languages Enrich Your Mind!" Use this nationwide event to be visible on campus. Consider daily trivia questions on the school announcements, poster contests, sports competitions (i.e. soccer games between France and Spain or pingpong championships between China and France), cafeteria food from China, France, Peru, etc. If interested there are NFLW posters: Poster size is 24"x36". It is available with or without dates. Price: $6 per poster plus $6 shipping & handling (1 to 6 posters). Shipping is free for orders over 25 posters. Pls. indicate whether poster ordered is to be with or without dates.  

·         March – Francophone Festival – Official date March 20 International Francophonie Day https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Francophonie_Day To be celebrated by Sun Valley Middle March 11. Ideas on how to celebrate at https://drive.google.com/a/ucps.k12.nc.us/file/d/0B4bm95u_yYfZNUhpakRmLVVscTg/view?usp=sharing  Thanks to Yseult Bouygues at SVMS and the Charlotte Alliance française for bringing this opportunity to our attention. Contact Yseult.Bouygues@ucps.k12.nc.us  for more details and ideas.

Professional Development

·         February 18 – 20, 2016 SCOLT Conference in Charlotte. This Southeast Conference on Language Learning is in Charlotte for the first time. SCOLT brings the best of the best and presenters from its 13 states and 1 region. http://scolt.org/ Checkout the online program at https://issuu.com/scoltdj/docs/scolt2016program_digitalff2 Early registration is closed but you can register in person on-site http://scolt.org/index.php/conferences/current-conference $200 for $200 for Friday – Saturday or $100 for Saturday only

·         March 23-24, 2016 World View 2016 Spring Seminar - Europe at a Crossroads at The William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education at NCSU in Raleigh. http://worldview.unc.edu/europe-at-a-crossroads/  

·         Blogs – Hopefully you have people you follow in their blogs and on Twitter for your own personal professional growth!

o    French teachers might follow some of these bloggers http://www.frenchteacher.net/links/blogs/  or this one http://www.fluentu.com/french/educator/blog/french-teaching-resources/

o    Spanish teachers might follow some of these bloggers http://www.fluentu.com/spanish/blog/spanish-teacher-blogs/

·         November 18 – 20, 2016 ACTFL Conference Boston http://www.actfl.org/convention-expo

Pedagogy

·         Tea with BVP (Bill Van Patten) Follow the weekly radio show that bills itself as “Car Talk Meets Second Language Acquisition” Listen live Thursdays fr4om 3:00 – 4:00 or follow the archived shows. Contemplate or debate such topics as: Are Some Languages Harder to Learn than Others? There's No Such Thing Anymore as "Methods." Are Vocabulary and Grammar Learned Differently?  http://www.teawithbvp.com/

·         ACTFL – The Language Educator Magazine October – November 2015 http://www.thelanguageeducator.org/octnov2015/index.php#/0

·         The International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching October 2015 http://www.ijflt.org/images/ijflt/IJFLT-Oct2015/IJFLT-Oct2015.pdf

Scholarships

·         ROTC Project Go - Student Scholarships for Study Abroad If you have ROTC students, please share with them the scholarships available through multiple universities for summer and semester study abroad. http://www.rotcprojectgo.org/programs

Grants

• IIE AIFS Foundation Generation Study Abroad Enrichment Grants - Part of the Generation Study Abroad, there is a professional development program to support U.S. secondary level (grades 6-12) teachers who have shown to be outstanding advocates for study abroad. The goal of the program is to help raise global awareness in the classroom and prepare students for global citizenship and study abroad. Teachers who receive an enrichment grant can conduct any learning activity in the US or abroad that enhances their international outlook and global experience, such as language learning, intercultural communications, or conferences/seminars related to global issues. Funds may also be used to support classroom study abroad experiences. Awards available: Fifty (50) grants of $1,000. http://www.iie.org/en/Programs/Generation-Study-Abroad

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Global Connections

·         In English: Mapping the Refugee Crisis http://www.choices.edu/resources/twtn/twtn-refugees.php Teachers would need to translate some resources into the target language.

·         #GlobalEdChat occurs Thursdays as a Twitter chat #globaledchat Topics change weekly. The discussion begins at 8pmEST . Just look for the hashtag #globaledchat and join the conversation.

·         Global Competence - The Global Competence Certificate http://globalcompetencecertificate.org/ The 15-month, online, graduate-level certificate program in global competence education was created by Teachers College, Columbia University, World Savvy, and Asia Society to increase the number of K-12 teachers who are highly effective in teaching global competencies. Interested teachers can learn more about the Online Academic Coursework, Global Fieldwork  and Capstone Project/Collaborative Practice Groups by visiting the GCC website or registering for an upcoming Information Session. Contact Jennifer Lofing Boyle,  Senior Associate, Academic Affairs, World Savvy Direct: 415.993.9159 www.worldsavvy.org with questions.

·         Global Scholars of Distinction Program at South Piedmont Community College Through SP Global provides SPCC students curricular, campus, and community activities aimed at creating effective global citizens. Students will complete 15 hours of courses with a global focus and experience a diverse set of international activities on campus and in the community. They can also participate in study abroad or complete experiences related to cultural, international, and global study. Students in the program will receive graduation honors and a notation on their transcripts. http://www.spcc.edu/programs/2115-sp-global-program.html

Digital Resources

·         Ñandu - Sign up to receive emails from K – 8+ world language teachers who generously share needs and resources while sometimes debating pedagogy http://www.cal.org/earlylang/  Hint – Use a personal email account rather than your UCPS email.

·         BrainPOP. BrainPop contains digital resources in French, Mandarin and Spanish. To set up teacher accounts and use all features, there are accounts available for UCPS high school teachers. You can access BrainPop resources straight from Google Drive in UCPS. This avoids sign-in and passwords. Media Center directors also have passwords. There are videos, games and interactive programs on topics in math, social studies, etc. Instructions on how to access BrainPop resources through the UCPS Google environment can be found at  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VRrRS0drMlV0XVfjclTacLwHKgdtcFAG-VAVh4ao0Eo/edit?ts=564c939d You can also simply have the students visit the main BrainPOP sites

·         BrainPop Chinese (open access portions) - http://www.brainpop.cn

·         BrainPop French (open access portions) -  https://fr.brainpop.com

·         BrainPop Spanish (open access portions) - https://esp.brainpop.com

·         Digital Dice – can be used for adding, for assigning partners, for subject pronoun and verb conjugations in French, German and Spanish https://www.random.org/dice/?num=2 Thanks to Laura Nicholson and John Tiller at PDHS for sharing.

Chinese Resources

·         East Meets West – An artist’s rendering of the differences between eastern and western cultures, or specifically her native China and her current residence, Germany.  http://bsix12.com/east-meets-west Top 10 differences featured by CNN http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/01/design/east-meets-west-pictographs/ The book http://www.amazon.com/Yang-Liu-East-meets-West/dp/383655402X Yang Liu’s work in Slide Share http://www.slideshare.net/cyrusinchina/east-meets-west-by-yang-liu

·         Kung Fu Panda 3 has been released. Po realizes that he has a lot to learn if he's going to fulfill the next challenge from his beloved instructor. After reuniting with his long-lost father, Po must transition from student to teacher and train a group of fun-loving, clumsy pandas to become martial-arts fighters. Together, the kung-fu brethren unite to take on the evil Kai a supernatural warrior who becomes stronger with each battle.

·         Mandarin 3+ - HSK study resources https://twitter.com/HSK_Academy

·         Sharing Chinese teaching / learning resources http://weileu.blogspot.com

French Resources

·         The Little Prince, the movie, directed by Kung Fu Panda director Mark Osborne, opens in the US March 18.

·         Podcast Français Facile - Excellent site for listening files on many topics for second language learners. http://www.podcastfrancaisfacile.com/englishmenu/french-communication-dialogue-daily-life-listen-to-mp3.html Thanks to Lisa Helms at Cuthbertson HS for sharing this wonderful site. Please explore. There are listening files. You can show the transcription or not when using the site. Likewise, you can download the MP3 audio files.

·         Listening file – Describing oneself  A young Parisienne describes herself using être and adjectives  Level 1; Chapitre 7; 2ème Etape; http://www.audio-lingua.eu/spip.php?article3157 Thanks to Ron Crider at PRHS for sharing this resource.

·         Listening file – Stores and foods Level  2, Chapter 3. This is a conversation that takes place in the boulangerie-patisserie between a vendeur and a client. Thanks to Lisa Helms from CHS for sharing. http://www.podcastfrancaisfacile.com/dialogue/2008/03/la-boulangerie-1.html

·         Listening file - A middle-schooler goes over her daily routine Level 2; Chapitre 4; 3ème Etape http://www.audio-lingua.eu/spip.php?article1415&lang=fr Thanks to Ron Crider at PRHS for sharing this resource.

·         Listening file – Clothing and accessories unit from French 3 Chapitre 4. There is a conversation between a salesperson and a client who is looking for a tie. http://www.podcastfrancaisfacile.com/podcast/2014/10/marchand-de-vetements-achat-dune-cravate.html Thanks to Lisa Helms from CHS for sharing.

·         Post Paris Attack Videoclip: Father and young son explain why flowers and candles are stronger than guns and pistols https://www.facebook.com/jrous92/videos/10156190732035487/

·         Post Paris Attack Videoclip: Comment répondre aux questions des enfants?  http://www.bayard-jeunesse.com/Actualites/Attentats-de-Paris-comment-repondre-aux-questions-des-enfants

·         Post Paris Attack Simple Phrases of Sympathy https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153916011626412&set=p.10153916011626412&type=3&theater

·         Songs for Teaching French http://chansonfle.blogg.org/

·         Kathie Routman Dior My bilingual books, Les portes tordues and Las puertas retorcidas are both geared to teenaged and adult self-learners. The vehicle is a mystery story and both teach beginning/upper beginning French and Spanish. You can see more details at http://www.thetwisteddoors.com

German

·         Aber, bitte, mit Sahne! (1975)  YouTube Song includes desserts and modal verbs. For German, Level 1, Chapter 6. The musician narrates a humorous story that takes place at a "Konditorei”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BpZesJK1Wc Use this PDF with song lyrics Cloze activy and comprehension questions. https://drive.google.com/a/ucps.k12.nc.us/file/d/0B0TXxEBwXnLmb3BYN25ra3JRaUU/view?usp=sharing  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B8ccCY42sv7Wb3FHUDVQc3k5R1U

·         Step Into German on FaceBook – cartoons, grammar, articles for those interested in German and the German speaking countries.  https://www.facebook.com/stepintogerman

Spanish

·         Spanish 1+ Me gusta videoclip - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxAZR2GX6EY This reinforces Chapter 1A Me gusta + infinitive and Chapter 3A: la comida. Thanks to Monica Roncagliolo for this resource.  

·         Spanish 1 or Medical Spanish 1 - Parts of the face () http://www.spanish-games.net/latin-american-spanishlessons?topic=Body%20-%20the%20head&level=primary

·         Spanish 2+ songs: Paquete de canciones para Español 2. 32 pages of songs, some CLOZE listening activities, some translations to English, etc. Thanks to Amanda Mancilla https://drive.google.com/a/ucps.k12.nc.us/file/d/0B5Z3Fc03HhqsWlJ0YWFIUW5GbVU/view?ts=56c35256

·         Spanish 2 - Hace and Hace que listening samples http://www.laits.utexas.edu/spe/int24.html

·         Medical Spanish 2 - Parts of the body  http://www.spanish-games.net/latin-american-spanishlessons?topic=Body%20-%20parts%20of%20the%20body&level=primary

·         Spanish 3 – new resources posted to UCPS WL Google site https://sites.google.com/a/ucps.k12.nc.us/ucpswl/spanish/spanish-3

·         Spanish 3+ - Ojalá Que Llueva Café – videoclip of the famous song sung by Juan Luis Guerra. Great for the Ojalá que + and other subjunctive phrases, for reviewing foods and for ‘para constructions’ in Spanish 3 and 4. Thanks to Danilo Loor from CATA for sharing.

·         Spanish 4+ - la lengua española   Hay varias artículos acerca del uso de anglicismos y  de la puntuación.  Thanks to Dianne Mays, MRMS   http://www.fundeu.es/dudas/

·         Spanish for Native Speakers http://heritagespanish.coerll.utexas.edu/

·         Reading:

o    Reading - Online PDF books in Spanish http://www.childrensbooksforever.com/childrenpages/Spanish.html

o    Online Children’s Book Library http://www.childrenslibrary.org/icdl/SimpleSearchCategory?ilang=Spanish

o    Project Gutenberg Free books in Spanish online https://www.gutenberg.org/browse/languages/es

·         Culture:

o    Peace Corps speakers - an excellent resource for the language classroom http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/search/ There are ways to connect with speakers, collaborate, teach lessons, use videos and so much more.  Shared by Natalie Korda at WHS.

o    Cuba:

§  Demystifying Cuba – This Livebinder  http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=1689054

§  World Quest 2015 – Cuba an educational competition organized by the World Affairs Council of Charlotte has Cuba as one of its eight topics. Resources they provide are:

§  CIA Factbook – Cuba  https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cu.html

§  BBC News – Cuba Timeline http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-19576144

§  Pope’s Visit to Cuba (Time) http://time.com/4030673/pope-francis-cuba-history/

§  Fidel Castro http://www.theguardian.com/world/fidel-castro

§  Obama chips away at Cuba embargo, discusses efforts with Raul Castro http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/18/us-cuba-usa-trade-idUSKCN0RI1EF20150918

§  U.S. to Restore Full Relations With Cuba, Erasing a Last Trace of Cold War Hostility http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/18/world/americas/us-cuba-relations.html?_r=1 

§  Christian Science Monitor Quiz: Cuba http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2015/0529/How-much-do-you-know-about-Cuba-Take-our-quiz/The-first-Europeans-to-set-foot-on-the-island-of-Cuba-were-led-by-what-explorer

o    Mexico:

§  Why should high school students learn about Mexico?  https://brown.mediacore.tv/media/why-should-high-school-students-learn-about-mexico videoclip in English  0.56 minutes

§  What are the most common misunderstandings about Mexico? https://brown.mediacore.tv/media/what-are-the-most-common-misunderstandings-about-mexico  videoclip in English 1.26 minutes

§  How has the US Mexico Border Changed since the 19^th Century? http://www.choices.edu/resources/scholarsonline/jacoby/kj12.php videoclip in English 2.22 minutes

§  Why do some people try to immigrate to the United States from Mexico? https://brown.mediacore.tv/media/why-do-some-people-try-to-immigrate-to-the-united-states-from-mexico  videoclip in English 2.27 minutes

·         Bowdoin University Spanish grammar and listening resources http://www.bowdoin.edu/~eyepes/gramex.htm#

·         Learn Spanish Feel Good - grammar practice http://www.learnspanishfeelgood.com/spanish-verbs-verb-tenses.html

·         My Languages Exchange Includes contacts around the world with whom to practice language learning. Possibly better for teacher language practice than classroom practice http://www.mylanguageexchange.com/Learn/Spanish.asp

·         AATSP National Spanish Exam resources https://www.nationalspanishexam.org/index.php/exam-preparation/online-practice-exercises/112