Location: US library
3:30-4:30
(IS teachers will be at a Division meeting)
Agenda
February 27- Jenni (Google Classroom use, flipgrid)
team time in language teams
Spanish- 5H description, LS work?
French- work with LS? TNT?
Latin- mixed level groupings
Chinese- books, testing pilot
all- placements (red flags), books, national exams
Announcements:
- SYA Update: We have three students who have applied to SYA Zaragoza- Spain. Lucy Goldberg, Sophie Tolson, Sarah Erickson are our candidates. We will hear back this spring with news.
- February 22- IS World Language Festival at Office Hours
- February 28- Faculty Mid Year Celebration
We have outdone ourselves on Paw Prints!! Great job on letting our community know what the World Language department is doing!!
US Curriculum Committee News
in other departments...AP applications up from last year
Book orders due April 15th (stay tuned to Antonietta)
Books for the libraries- latino authors, French? Chinese? Roman culture?
Big picture conversations for spring- what is important? Grade inflation?
Book orders due April 15th (stay tuned to Antonietta)
Books for the libraries- latino authors, French? Chinese? Roman culture?
Big picture conversations for spring- what is important? Grade inflation?
Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA)
CARLA project staff and invited guests have offered a wide variety of conferences, workshops, institutes, and presentations. To find out more about what has been offered through the center, please see the database.
past presentations Recordings
You Tube Channel Playlists
NAFSA E-Learning:
Developing Proficiency in Intercultural Communication
Multi-Course Series
Each Course Length: 45 minutes
Each Course Price: $59 NAFSA Member; $79 Nonmember
Intercultural communication has been identified as a cross-cutting competency within the field of international education and is essential to being successful in the work you do. This new four-part NAFSA e-Learning Express series covers four critical intercultural communication topics that international educators face in their day-to-day work.
Now Available:
Each course provides case studies, examples, handouts, and self-directed professional learning opportunities to apply your new knowledge within your own institution. Use each to not only enhance your own intercultural communication proficiencies, but also for others at your institution who provide instruction or support to international and study abroad students and faculty.
NAFSA’s new e-Learning Express courses provide targeted answers to specific topics – in less than an hour. Each on-demand course offers a self-driven, interactive experience that gets you up to speed on the topics that are most relevant to your current role and international education career.
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Tech Tools for 2019
Conversation Box
Teaching Speaking
Podcasts:
Spanish Centro Virtual Cervantes
French Daily French
Chinese Play
Latin (that's right!) Latinitium
We Teach Languages Episode 75: Comprehensifying and Extending Authentic Resources with Kara Jacobs
In episode 75, Maris Hawkins interviews Kara Jacobs, a Spanish teacher who is well-known for sharing lessons, units, stories, and activities around authentic resources on her blog. If you don’t already know Kara, this interview is a great introduction to her, her approach, and the kinds of resources she shares.Read more here
Conferences:
OESIS Long Beach
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CARLA
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!
Society, Identity, and Transformation in Language Teacher Education
11th International Language Teacher Education Conference
Society, Identity, and Transformation in Language Teacher Education
11th International Language Teacher Education Conference
May 30–June 1, 2019
The Graduate Hotel
Minneapolis, MN
- Cori Crane, Duke University
Shifting Perspectives in Language Teacher Education: Contributions of Transformative Learning Theory for L2 Learning and Teaching - Richard Donato, University of Pittsburgh
History-in-Person and Teacher Development: Bringing the Past into the Present - Maggie Kubanyiova, University of Leeds
The Promise of ‘Disturbing Encounter’ as Meaningful Language Teacher Education - Suhanthie Motha, University of Washington
Race and Empire in Language Teacher Education
The mission of this unique biennial conference is to address the education of teachers of all languages, at all instructional and institutional levels, and in all the many national and international contexts in which this takes place, including: English as a Second or Foreign Language (ESL/EFL) instruction; foreign/modern/world language teaching; bilingual education; immersion education; indigenous and minority language education; heritage language education; and the teaching of less commonly taught languages. The conference aims to bring together teacher educators from these many contexts to discuss and share research, theory, and best practices and to initiate and sustain meaningful professional dialogue across languages, levels, and settings.
The conference will focus on the following four broad themes:
The conference will focus on the following four broad themes:
- The Knowledge Base of Language Teacher Education
- Social, Cultural, and Political Contexts of Language Teacher Education
- Collaborations in Language Teacher Education
- Practices of Language Teacher Education
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To thrive in today’s complex world, skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity are essential. To build such skills, more and more schools are focusing on STEAM approaches that offer integrative learning opportunities in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. For decades, researchers at Project Zero have explored how the arts offer unique and powerful opportunities to cultivate these and other powerful skills and dispositions.
- What does it mean to think critically in the arts?
- How do creativity and collaboration thrive?
- How does learning in the arts cultivate a student’s sense of voice, ethics and agency?
This two-day conference will offer plenaries and workshops that explore these questions and offer pedagogical tools, strategies, and frameworks developed by researchers at the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Project Zero.
Event information HERE.
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Event information HERE.
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January/February 2019
News & Views
Opportunities for Alumni & Friends
I write to share exciting opportunities as well as inspiring news from our schools. For our alumni, we have built ConnectSYA — a networking app designed to empower and connect our growing alumni body of over 8,000 global thinkers and leaders. For the SYA community, including alumni, parents and friends, we invite you to Cádiz, Spain or Rennes, France for five-day seminars this summer led by our talented and passionate faculty. In this issue of News & Views you will also step inside Pascal Montéville's political science classroom to get the inside scoop on current events in France; discover articles and photography by students in our four campuses; and meet the trustees who have recently joined our board.
As you enjoy this issue of News & Views, our February 8 application deadline for the Class of 2020 is rapidly approaching, and it's not too late to apply! If you know students who might be interested in SYA, please send them a link to our website and encourage them to apply.
As always, I am grateful for your support. From volunteers to donors, the SYA community strengthens our work and the opportunities available to our students.
Best wishes,
'Yellow Vests' Explained: Current Events with Pascal Montéville
SYA France's Pascal Montéville describes current events in France amid waves of protests and social movements.
Cheese Making Failure a Success
Students at SYA Italy made cheese — at least, that was their intention. With a goopy, inedible mess on their hands, students were challenged to dig into the science behind cheese making and figure out what went wrong.
Student Photography
From summer sunsets to festive winter lights, the following are moments captured by the Class of 2019 in our four campuses around the world.
In the News:
CELEBRATING THE YEAR OF THE PIG
Last Friday, the Upper School celebrated Lunar New Year with Chinese food and dance performances. Many students attended the celebration and grew in their intercultural competence. Chinese 4 students spoke about Lunar New Year traditions, taught their audience how to say "Happy New Year" in Chinese, and passed out red envelopes. Happy Year of the Pig, everyone!
FRENCH STUDENTS EXPERIENCE ROCOCO ART
This week, seventh grade French students joined sixth grade history students to collaborate on a rococo art project, which was part of the Middle School's "History Alive" curriculum. Our seventh graders got to hear from the younger experts about the time period in which rococo decor was popular. Then, they incorporated vocabulary characteristic of the rococo period into their developing French language skills.
CHINESE CLASSES VISIT FREER GALLERY
The Chinese 2 and 3 classes had a very enjoyable and educational tour of the Chinese exhibitions at the Freer Gallery yesterday. The students also ate lunch at a Peking duck restaurant, which was a great way to celebrate the Lunar New Year!
¡Frío y divertido!
LEARNING ABOUT GUADELOUPEAN CULTURE
Seniors taking the Masterpieces of French Literature course are currently reading La Belle et la Bête by the Nobel-Prize-winning Guadeloupean author Maryse Condé. The tale, which is a metaphorical retelling of the classic French story Beauty and the Beast, has taught students about the Afro-Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. The students have learned about the island's history and culture, through which the long tentacles of French colonial history persist.
To honor both Guadeloupe and the novel's main character, a chef, the students recently prepared a Guadeloupean meal, using recipes that were entirely in French – and required metric measurements! Thankfully, everyone was up to the challenge, and the class ended up with a delicious Guadeloupean feast. Miam miam!
GOOGLE HANGOUT WITH SYA STUDENT SEBASTIAN HARVEY
This year, Potomac's School Year Abroad (SYA) student in Spain is Sebastian Harvey '20. Sebastian has been in contact with us throughout the school year, and he chatted with Doug McLane's Advanced Spanish Studies class last week. The students asked questions about his daily life, his favorite things about Spain, and what he misses most from Potomac. Other Spanish classes will be reaching out to Sebastian soon. It's always exciting to speak to Panthers abroad!
A VIRTUAL TRIP TO PARAGUAY
Last week, Upper School student Sarah Groh '19 visited Ms. Morgan's sixth grade Spanish class along with Señora Page to talk about her three-week summer experience in Paraguay. Sarah participated in a service learning opportunity with LearnServe International.
The sixth graders were excited to learn how Sarah used the Spanish skills she gained at Potomac and how she was able to immerse herself in Paraguayan culture. In addition, those students who studied Paraguay for their recent country projects had a special connection to Sarah's experience!
A CONVERSATION WITH SEÑORA FUENTES
After learning a bit about Synthia Fuentes, Potomac's payroll and finance associate, during an Upper School assembly, Mrs. Jaeger's Spanish 3A classes were eager to spend more time with her. As part of a recent unit on Puerto Rico's history, culture, literature, and music, the students engaged in a discussion with Sra. Fuentes about her experiences living here and on the island. The class considered the U.S.'s unique relationship with Puerto Rico and discussed some of the complicated issues regarding options for its future. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts, Sra. Fuentes!
7th Advanced Spanish
Competes in
Tanque de Tiburones
Competes in
Tanque de Tiburones
The 7th Grade Advanced Spanish class did a Shark Tank project in class and presented
their products and services. The panel consisted of real live Sharks: Ms. Elana Milstein,
Ms. Christine Varoutsos, Mr. John Mathews, and Mr. Doug McLane. The aspiring
businesses were very persuasive as they wanted the judges to invest in each of their
companies. Here are the photos from the presentations.
their products and services. The panel consisted of real live Sharks: Ms. Elana Milstein,
Ms. Christine Varoutsos, Mr. John Mathews, and Mr. Doug McLane. The aspiring
businesses were very persuasive as they wanted the judges to invest in each of their
companies. Here are the photos from the presentations.
Mathews’ Student Spotlight 
I love visiting classes--it’s why I got into teaching, and why I continue to work in schools.
It is unfortunate how rarely I get to visit classes as an administrator, but when I do it’s
always satisfying. This past week, I got to visit not one, but two Spanish classes, and it
is they whom I’d like to spotlight.
It is unfortunate how rarely I get to visit classes as an administrator, but when I do it’s
always satisfying. This past week, I got to visit not one, but two Spanish classes, and it
is they whom I’d like to spotlight.
First, I observed an eighth grade class who was learning about vocabulary used in
a restaurant. As you might have guessed, they created menus for their “restaurante ideal,”
and, on the day I visited, they took turns visiting one another’s restaurants. It was a blast
to see how much public speaking went into the task, especially for the camarero/as
(waiters), who did a wonderful job being solicitous to their customers, and ebullient
about the “food” they were serving. Also notable was what the customers did while the
camareros were off grabbing the meals. In many cases, rather than simply sit there in
silence (which would have been easy to do), they invented their own, off-the-cuff dialogues,
which sometimes got pretty heated and exciting! It was a true mini-telenovela in action in
certain cases. In all cases, students did their best to stay in the target language all the time,
and that was pretty impressive.
a restaurant. As you might have guessed, they created menus for their “restaurante ideal,”
and, on the day I visited, they took turns visiting one another’s restaurants. It was a blast
to see how much public speaking went into the task, especially for the camarero/as
(waiters), who did a wonderful job being solicitous to their customers, and ebullient
about the “food” they were serving. Also notable was what the customers did while the
camareros were off grabbing the meals. In many cases, rather than simply sit there in
silence (which would have been easy to do), they invented their own, off-the-cuff dialogues,
which sometimes got pretty heated and exciting! It was a true mini-telenovela in action in
certain cases. In all cases, students did their best to stay in the target language all the time,
and that was pretty impressive.
Next, I was lucky enough to be a “tiburón” in the seventh grade advanced Spanish class,
deciding whether I wanted to invest in the products designed by the students. This was
another truly impressive display of public speaking ability, persuasive writing, and language
learning. Each of the groups developed a product or service, described it in detail,
and answered questions they were not expecting from adults who were fluent in Spanish
(and me)--all solely in the target language. It was jaw-dropping, to be brief, and a blast to
experience. Also, the ideas were uniformly superb; one in particular, Karl’s personalized
belts for school, might really be something that would take off in the IS world!
deciding whether I wanted to invest in the products designed by the students. This was
another truly impressive display of public speaking ability, persuasive writing, and language
learning. Each of the groups developed a product or service, described it in detail,
and answered questions they were not expecting from adults who were fluent in Spanish
(and me)--all solely in the target language. It was jaw-dropping, to be brief, and a blast to
experience. Also, the ideas were uniformly superb; one in particular, Karl’s personalized
belts for school, might really be something that would take off in the IS world!
I want to thank these two Spanish classes for transforming my week into a terrific
immersion into what is going on in IS classes. They may have been just “another day”
for you, the students, but for me, it was a reminder of the terrific work people are doing
every day all over the IS, and well worth spotlighting.
immersion into what is going on in IS classes. They may have been just “another day”
for you, the students, but for me, it was a reminder of the terrific work people are doing
every day all over the IS, and well worth spotlighting.
Mr. Mathews (IS Head)
ANNUAL ROLLING "R" CONTEST
Many languages have phonemes, or sounds, that are not found in English; in Spanish, one such sound is the rolling "r." Last Friday, Middle Schoolers competed in Potomac's annual rolling "r" contest. Before the competition, all Middle Schoolers learned how to make this sound correctly and had opportunities to practice. Then, during the MS Sharing Assembly, finalists from grades 4, 5, and 6 vied for the top spot: rolling "r" champion! Ultimately, Elise Kang '25 managed to hold the rolling "r" without taking a breath for almost 30 seconds. Felicitaciones, Elise!
