Cozy time of year!

December 11th meeting 3:30-4:30
Location: US French room E217
Agenda:
ALL
15 minutes announcements- Adam Tully, ACTFL share(Antonietta/Esther), UBD EU/EQ guide, Earth day PSA, Hygge raffle
15 minutes mission philosophy wrap up
15 minutes Case against Zero
only US Spanish team: 20 minutes Spanish electives finalize proposals


Get Hygge with it!

13 Ways to Bring Hygge to Your Classroom The US hygge craze started as a pin here and an Instagram post there then suddenly became a full-fledged IRL trend. But what is it? Keep drawing to learn! Thanks to Esther Yu for this resource from a French colleague of hers. https://sylviaduckworth.com/  Startalk ideas for vocabulary acquisition: Thanks to Emily for this list!  Some ideas we may know but others are new and fun for students! Activities

ACTFL Shares 
Thanks to Antonietta and Esther for the power points
*Planting Seeds of Ecological and Social Justice in the World Language Curriculum
Read more here
*Teaching for Social Justice in the Language Classroom
read more here
*Intercultural Education Resources for Erasmus Students and their Teachers
read more here

Social and Emotional Learning in a World Language Class

Monthly visits to a nursing home taught middle school students empathy and built their confidence as they practiced their Spanish. Read more

Assisting Students with Foreign Language Learning Difficulties in School

By: Leonore Ganschow and Elke Schneider

The question of why some students seem to learn a foreign language with ease while others struggle has plagued both foreign language and special educators, especially in recent years.

Read more

DIEGO OJEDA

World Language Instruction

So many teachers wanting to do CI.  So many debating if they should change their mostly grammar based instruction for something more communicative.  So many teachers not wanting to even consider a change in their instruction. 

What many see as a problem is only a great opportunity to grow as language teachers.  CI is not something that appeared from nothing. Whether is a method, a philosophy or a collection of activities, to me CI is just the normal progression in the second language acquisition field.  

Check out his blog for more information on CI Second Language Instruction

GOA Download | November 2019 What we're up to this month Upcoming Courses and Programs for Educators Rethinking the Roles of Students and Teachers (January 27-31, 2020) Rethinking Time and Place (February 24-March 1, 2020) Announcing a New Online Program! Competency-Based Learning: From Theory to Practice, a four week program beginning July 27, 2020, is now open for registration. You can learn way more about the program and download the syllabus here. Register early. Space is limited. What we're reading, listening to, and watching Grades versus comments: Research on student feedback (Phi Delta Kappan) Teachers, Experts Question Traditional Ways of Grading (San Diego Tribune) SYA Rennes classroom- photo credits go to Cindy Swope

Día de los muertos: 6th grade

Paw Prints News:

EL DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS Last week, students taking Spanish 1 and Honors Spanish 4 with Señor Thomas and Señor McLane observed El Día de Los Muertos (the Day of the Dead). Through video and song, they learned about the Mexican traditions of honoring and celebrating los difuntos (the departed). As a special treat, the students got to sample a delicious pan de muertos, prepared by science teacher and pastry chef extraordinaire Ms. Petro.

FLAMENCO FIELD TRIP On Wednesday, students taking Spanish 4, Honors Spanish 4, and “Art of the Hispanic World” experienced the beauty and vibrancy of flamenco dance at a performance at the GALA Hispanic Theater in DC. The students clapped and stomped along with the professional flamenco troupe that was celebrating its 15th flamenco festival at GALA. The event provided a vivid cultural context to the units studied in class. Perhaps it will inspire future dancing (hopefully in the Crossroads!) Olé!

FRENCH MINI-DOCUMENTARIES Students in the Honors French 4/5 course recently produced mini-documentaries, introducing iconic American sites to Francophone visitors, as part of a study on what buildings reveal about a culture's heritage. After doing research, the students wrote voiceover narrations. They each received coaching on pronunciation and intonation before putting their recorded tracks into iMovie. This language-learning project was assisted by Potomac’s tech support staff. Click here to listen to Charlotte Krilla ’22’s Ellis Island presentation and Obinna Chuke ’21’s Lincoln Memorial presentation.

SYA FAIR School Year Abroad (SYA) representatives Enrique Granados and Rachel Keegan Kelley visited campus on Tuesday to promote language learning through study abroad. SYA has campuses in four countries: China, Spain, France, and Italy. Each of their programs matches language-study opportunities available at Potomac, and SYA’s “core competencies” align well with Potomac’s core values. During their year abroad, students develop their language proficiency, independence, intercultural competence, and leadership skills. Applications for sophomores considering study abroad in their junior year are due by February 12. Please direct any questions to Sra. Page, and click here to learn more FOOD FOR THOUGHT Seniors in the Advanced French Literature course made their reading come to life this week. Working with Caribbean recipes written in French, each student prepared a dish for a class lunch. The class is currently reading a novel by the 2018 "alternative Nobel Prize" winner Maryse Condé, who is from the former French colony of Guadeloupe. Among the topics discussed in class were economic disparity, environmental factors of poverty, and tensions between France and Guadeloupe. Then it was time for a delicious lunch of vanilla-infused chicken, sweet potato pancakes, and mango mousse! Dr. Begoña Vila, lead systems engineer for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and deputy lead for all operations of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), came to campus on Wednesday, December 4, to speak at an Upper School Assembly. After being introduced by juniors Haley Smith (Fem n' STEM club) and Alejandra Monzon (Hispanic Student Alliance), Dr. Vila discussed the upcoming mission for the JWST – the world's most advanced telescope to date. Later, Dr. Vila joined interested students, Spanish and science faculty members, and SERC program students for lunch. The JWST is slated for launch in 2021.

Going to ACTFL?

November 6 meeting 3:30-4:30
Location: IS French/Chinese room 182
Agenda

15 minutes- only Upper School- TLC discussion (the norms/schedule and places)

TLC norms

possible tutors

20 minutes - All- share feedback from Mission/Philosophy statement (sent in email  mission/philosophy  and then in the meeting partner talk to whole group) 

What do we uphold? 

From curriculum committee share- discussion on 50%?

as a minimum for major projects, tests

(report grade on academic notice accurately but in gradebook

shows as a 50%?) 

5 minute transition 

Announcements: Antonietta-ACTFL, SYA: Nov. 19th Enrique Granados on

campus in the morning, Governor's School candidates, anything else?

20 minutes- All team time breakout

ideas: 

Spanish- US review electives proposals ideas, MS/IS Atlas review

Latin- Atlas work and vocabulary development, class visits

French- accommodations and French SYA visitor, Atlas

Chinese- Integrated Chinese text development, Atlas

November 22-24, 2019
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC
801 Mount Vernon Place NW
Washington, DC 20001
(Pre-convention Workshops – November 21, 2019)

ACTFL 2019

CI-FOCUSED SESSIONS

The In(put)s and Out(put)s of Comprehensible Input 

Input is the “in” thing in language education. Giving great, comprehensible input is the best we can give our language students. This input gives students the foundation they need to become part of the world’s community of bilinguals (or MULTIlinguals). The tricky part is knowing when and how to anticipate language production. In this session, participants will learn about ACTFL’s proficiency levels and will explore units that provide a steady stream of essential input while encouraging students to output when they’re ready. Participants will actively engage in activities, readings, and tricks for unit design that they can take back to their classrooms on Monday!

Read more here.

15 Easy Peer Teaching Strategies to Help Students

Peer tutoring activities — whether occasional or frequent — can deliver research-backed benefits to both the student-tutee and student-tutor, not to mention teachers.  Read more

ACTFL ASSESSMENTS

ACTFL RELEASES ASSESSMENT TOPICS FOR 2020

ACTFL has released the content topics for the 2020 ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages (AAPPL), which is available in 13 languages. The newly released topics allow instructors to create classroom and homework-based opportunities for students to perform across all modes of communication before participating in the AAPPL in the spring of 2020. AAPPL is an assessment of proficiency and performance designed to complement classroom-based language learning. As such, ACTFL provides the general 2020 topics so that learners may have the opportunity to practice “tasks within familiar contexts” (ACTFL Performance Descriptors for Language Learners, 2012, p. 5). Teachers are encouraged to use these topics to create classroom and homework-based opportunities to facilitate learners’ practice across all modes of communication.

FUTURE TEACHERS

Inaugural Class of Lead with Languages Teacher Scholars

The Lead with Languages Teacher Scholarship Program awards merit-based funding to graduating high school seniors committed to pursuing the language teaching profession in languages other than English. This autumn, the inaugural class of ten Scholars are headed to university campuses across the United States to begin their journeys to becoming language educators. When asked about their motivation to teach, the Scholars pointed to goals both personal and global: "Language is about more than communication. It connects you to the world around you. Learning and teaching both connect people to each other, deepening our understandings of each other, and bringing us just a little bit closer to a just and peaceful world." Scholarship recipients receive an award of $1,500 per academic year which may be renewed three times for a cumulative total of $6,000. Upon graduation and entry into the teaching field, the Scholars will also receive 1-year complimentary ACTFL membership, including access to the ACTFL Mentoring Program. Field Notes Building a Global Classroom Learn how the creation of a global math classroom supports students as they live and learn abroad.  Watch here Fall 2019 Photo Essay Take a visual tour around the world with the SYA Class of 2020 in this photo essay featuring highlights from the first weeks abroad.  Read more Launching the Practicum The SYA Practicum is a first-of-its-kind course allowing students to engage in competency-based education in an authentic environment. Read more

Sarah Erickson: SYA Blogger 

No Baby Steps to Studying Abroad

SYTA and independent market research provider BONARD launched the Student Travel Business Barometer, earlier this year. This survey collected data from 94 leading tour operators spanning 21 countries—representing more than 1 million students!

Among the key findings: More than half of those responding reported increases in the number of students traveling in Q1 2019, compared to Q1 2018. This, in turn, translated into larger average group size.

View Executive Summary

For Spanish teachers: link to show- dates in November

SPECIAL TONY AWARD® RECIPIENT
JOHN LEGUIZAMO

"WHEN YOU’RE CONTENDING WITH AN ENTIRE COUNTRY THAT BELIEVES THAT CINCO DE MAYO IS, LIKE, THE LATINO 4TH OF JULY, YOU KNOW YOU’VE GOT SOME EDUCATIN’ TO DO. JOHN LEGUIZAMO’S LATIN HISTORY FOR MORONS IS THE BROADWAY SHOW THAT WE NEED IN A TIME WHEN ASYLUM SEEKERS SIT IN CAGES AT THE BORDER AND MOST AMERICANS WOULD NAME PITBULL AS THE MOST IMPORTANT LATINO OF OUR TIME. LEGUIZAMO’S MEANINGFUL PAEAN TO THE STRUGGLE AND HISTORY OF THE LATINX PEOPLE IS FULL OF TONGUE-IN-CHEEK ASIDES AND FASCINATING HISTORICAL TIDBITS. LOOK UP HIS SYLLABUS FOR THE PROGRAM ONLINE (FULL OF INTERESTING READING MATERIAL) AND PREPARE YOURSELF FOR A NIGHT OF EYE-OPENING HISTORICAL NARRATIVE." (DALLAS OBSERVER)

"I GREW UP WITHOUT SEEING PEOPLE WHO LOOKED LIKE ME ON SCREEN, ON STAGE, OR IN TEXTBOOKS. LATINX PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KEPT OUTTA THE CONVERSATION FOR CENTURIES, AND IT’S BOUT TIME YA’LL HEAR WHAT WE GOTTA SAY! NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE, THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO COME OUT AND FINALLY GET YOUR DEGREE FROM A GHETTO SCHOLAR!" -JOHN LEGUIZAMO

More songs in the classroom:  Celebrate Languages French, Spanish and Chinese

LANGUAGE CLUB OBSERVES DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS Last Wednesday, a group of seventh and eighth graders participated in the IS Language Club, which featured Spanish this month. Students cycled through stations to learn about the Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos). They made sugar skulls out of marshmallows, crafted tissue-paper cempasuchil (marigold) flowers, and colored calacas (skulls). INTEREST MEETING: SPAIN AND MOROCCO Join us for an interest meeting about an exciting travel opportunity: a trip to Spain and Morocco for ninth and tenth graders, which will take place June 11-21, 2020. The meeting will be held in Room U327 on October 30, 6:00 to 7:00 pm.