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!
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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.
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
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| Día de los muertos: 6th grade |
Paw Prints News:
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.
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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!
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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.
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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
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.
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