8:15 - 11:30am Spanish and French with Vista Higher Learning representative Cheryl Kincaid
Location: Upper School Tracy Jaeger's classroom (Upper School, room E223)
please bring computers
any Descubre, DÁccord materials you have
Please make sure you can login ahead of the training, use the email with access to the super site has been sent to you
If you have trouble with your login, you can call Instructor Only Tech Support: 800.922.6003Mention that you were granted access and have trouble accessing you account
11:30-12:30- Year end department lunch at Evo Bistro in McLean (please carpool)
Thursday- Department meeting 1:00-2:30 (IS room 184) - wrapping up and listing topics for next year
Next Year's Teaching Assignments
CLICK on the link (We still have two pending hires- both part time, one for Latin and one for Chinese)
SUMMA CUM LAUDE! STUDENTS EXCEL ON NATIONAL LATIN EXAM
Upper School Latin students earned top honors for their performance on the 2016 National Latin Exam, which was taken by more than 140,000 students from all over the world. Of the 44 Potomac students who sat for the test, 21 earned awards of distinction, including freshmen Ellen Oskoui and Carolyn Beaumont (pictured, left to right), both of whom received gold medals and Summa Cum Laude certificates. Carolyn earned a perfect score, a feat achieved by less than 1% of participants.
Meanwhile, junior Ben Lasota earned a silver medal and Maxima Cum Laude certificate for his exam score. Ben was also selected to attend the Governor's School this summer for his success in Latin this year.
As part of a cross-divisional language exercise, 8th graders in Ms. Page’s Spanish class read Spanish books and taught short lessons to 3rd graders in Ms. Edelmann’s class. Also this week, 7th graders in Ms. Jessup’s Chinese class enjoyed a traditional Chinese breakfast of baozi, dumplings, and mantou.
FRENCH FUN WITH FIRST GRADERS
Recently, 8th grade French students enjoyed teaching 1st graders some foreign language basics. Paired with their Lower School buddies, the 8th graders demonstrated how to introduce themselves and count to ten in French, before saying “au revoir” for the day.
This week, juniors in Tricia Crowley's AP Spanish Language and Culture class wrapped up the year with a Fiesta Literaria, where they shared knowledge of the literature they read. Students came dressed as their favorite characters and enjoyed a lunch while discussing major literary themes from the stories they had read, which included works by such authors as Isabel Allende and Gabriel Garcia Márquez.
FRENCH STUDENTS EXCEL ON NATIONAL EXAM
This week, Upper School French students received the medals they earned for their performance on the Le Grand Concours National French Exam, which was taken this winter by more than 85,000 students nationwide. Of the 51 Potomac students who sat for the test, 38 earned either a gold or a silver medal (scoring in the top 15% or higher nationally), while the other students' scores merited a bronze medal or honorable mention.
We are in the process of identifying an Upper School family who might be interested in hosting rising junior Fangyuan (Abby) Lui, our ASSIST international exchange student for the 2016-17 school year. ASSIST is a nonprofit organization that identifies highly qualified international students to place in independent schools in the United States. We are seeking a generous Potomac family to host this young woman (preferably a family with a rising junior, though this is not a requirement).
Thanks for a great school year and see you in August! Look for a get together to kick off the new school year!
This year the department award goes to Aylar Banafshe!
Congrats to all! AP exams are over!
Governor's School
Congrats to Ben Lasota who will be attending the Latin school this summer.
Upcoming June Training on the Supersite (Vista Higher Learning)
Monday, June 13th
Location TBA
All Spanish and French teachers (Latin and Chinese can come for fun but are able to use the time to update your Atlas Rubicon and review your units to update, change and look to order any resources or materials.)
This is the first of three trainings. The next trainings will be in August and October.
One question to ask is how useful something like the practice partner app may be. Take a look below:
8th grade Genius Project to help Spanish teachers with tech
Malachy Dwyer, Dillon Weinburg submitted a website in Spanish about games that teachers can use in their classes. Click to take a look.
Summer Language Work Options for Students
No one wants to do homework over the summer but our students do need to keep up with their language skills so they are not so rusty in the fall. Some ways that other teachers have worked through this issue is by offering activities that are independent and motivating.
Once "old-school" non-tech idea is just having our students keep a journal of their summer experiences. We can collect the journal in the fall and capitalize on the error analysis as a place to begin.
Other teachers have used some tech type options. Here are some:
Duolingo: is a free language-learning platform that includes a language-learning website and app, as well as a digital language proficiency assessment exam. Duolingo is ad-free and offers all its language courses free of charge. As of April 2016, the language-learning website and app offer 59 different language courses across 23 languages; with 23 additional courses in development. The app is available on iOS, Android and Windows 8 and 10 platforms with over 120 million registered users across the world.
Blogs we curate: HEREis a sample blog from last summer with some video clips and questions. Some of the video clips we can use can be films. CLICK onthe link to see Summer Learning through film by Edutopia. Online Courses:Students can continue watching Destinos in Spanish or they can use BBC Languages for an interactive course. Native Speaker Conversation Apps: Here are a few. I've not used any but it would be interesting to see which ones we could even carry into our classes in the fall. Hellotalk Talkabroad Wespeke
Research
Teachers Report: OER In; Textbooks Out
By Dian Schaffhauser
03/09/16
More teachers said that technology has changed how they approach time management (93 percent) than how they approach instructional delivery (88 percent). It has also transformed how they handle parent communication. A solid 7 in 10 reported that they now use tech to do that. On the instructional front, most teachers apply tech to classroom lecture time (84 percent) and differentiated instruction (74 percent).
Those results came out of a survey of nearly 1,000 American teachers who were contacted in January and February 2016 by TES Global, a company with a teacher community and marketplace. The findings were shared during a panel at SXSWedu taking place this week in Austin, TX.
The survey found that most teachers have enough computers and tablets in the classroom. Just under 3 in 10 respondents (27 percent) said they lacked a sufficient number of those devices. At the same time 4 in 10 (37 percent) noted that they'd still like more of those in their rooms. The next most popular wish list item would be the addition of game-based technology, cited by 25 percent of teachers.
This year far fewer teachers lack the Internet connectivity they want for getting their students online (16 percent) compared to last year (35 percent).
A profusion of tech has also shifted the kinds of educational materials used in the classroom. Nearly three-quarters of respondents (73 percent) said they now use open educational resources more than textbooks.
"We are thrilled to see improvements around access to technology and high-quality open resources," said Rob Grimshaw, chief executive officer of TES Global, who shared the survey findings at the conference. "Arming teachers with the tools they need to succeed is the right way to ensure that innovative technologies can impact student performance."
About the Author
Dian Schaffhauser is a writer who covers technology and business for a number of publications. Contact her at dian@dischaffhauser.com.
A couple teachers tend to leave a student in the language office alone with a quiz or test (they drop the student off and then leave the office). The office is a space for us to use for more private work (printing tests, grading, storing materials and documents, make phone calls), but I also realize we don't always have the tutorial to use for testing. How should we handle students left alone? Are sensitive materials left out? Put your ideas in the comments!
Over Spring Break, 23 eighth grade Latin students stepped back in time during a trip to Italy to explore the wonderful attractions of Pompeii, Rome, Sorrento, and Tivoli. Students enjoyed seeing the country's many sites and immersing themselves in Italian culture!
During their Spring Break trip, IS students didn't just explore the geography, history, and culture of France; they lived it. Over the first half of the eight-day trip, students visited the cities of Nice, Monaco, Nîmes, and Avignon, where they danced on the famous medieval bridge Pont d'Avignon.
A TASTE OF LANGUAGE
On the last two Fridays, the Intermediate School has hosted 6th graders in its foreign language classes. By experiencing lessons in Chinese, French, Latin, and Spanish, the younger students have been able to get a sense of what language classes are like in the IS.
STUDENTS EXCEL ON NATIONAL FRENCH EXAM
Upper School French students earned top honors for their performance on the Le Grand Concours National French Exam, which was taken this winter by more than 85,000 students nationwide. Of the 51 Potomac students who sat for the test, 38 earned either a gold or a silver medal (scoring in the top 15% or higher nationally), while the other students' scores merited a bronze medal or honorable mention.
IIE Awards $50,000 to Teachers to Globalize K-12 Classrooms
1,000 Teachers Join Generation Study Abroad, Pledging to Motivate their Students to Study Abroad
IIE is pleased to announce, in partnership with The New York Times in Education, the 2016Generation Study Abroad Voices Video Challenge. By hearing and seeing study abroad alumni articulate the value of their study abroad experience, we hope to inspire Generation Z and others to seek out an international experience as part of their college education. Study abroad returnees are encouraged to submit digital story submissions between 0:30seconds and 2 minutes long that demonstrate how study abroad gave them an edge, the impact it had on their personal or professional life and the world, and how The New York Times content helped them navigate, enhance or make sense of their experience. Winners will receive a $1,000 cash prize, an iPad, a trip to the IIE Summit on Generation Study Abroad in Washington D.C., and a video spotlight on The New York Times in Education website. Winners will also be recognized as a Generation Study Abroad Voice.
Check out last year’s winners Alejandro Alba and Christine O’Dea on IIE’s Generation Study Abroad YouTube channel.
(We will not have a meeting on April 13th because Diana is away at the Global Education Benchmark Group Conference)
- Our agenda will be on our Abroad Program offerings
New ways of Integrating:
The Genius Hour Design Cycle: A Process For Planning
Genius hour is trending in education, and for good reason. It is an attempt to restore the personalization, creativity, and authenticity that has been designed out of many schools and classrooms in the modern testing era of ed reform.
This Year, Aileen Hawkins and Elana Milstein helped me start a Genius Hour project in eighth grade. The students have enjoyed the process and there are parts that I will change and tweak now that I have done it once with a class. If your interested in knowing more, feel free to ask any of us.
Use this technique to show you what students are thinking and what they have learned at the end of a lesson. Before students leave (for recess, lunch, the end of the day, their next class, or are transitioning to another subject area), they have to hand you a “ticket” filled out with an answer to a question, a solution to a problem, or a response to what they’ve learned. Exit Tickets help you assess if students have “caught what you taught” and plan for the next lesson or unit of instruction.
How to use
1. Create
Decide what you’d like to find out about students’ learning at the end of the lesson. Write a question or pose a problem on the Exit Ticket, or post the question or problem for students to see. 2. Collect
Set a specific amount of time for students to complete the Exit Ticket. Stand at the door to collect the tickets as students leave the classroom. Students could also post their exit tickets in a designated place in the room before leaving and/or transitioning. 3. Clarify
Examine the tickets carefully. Depending on your purpose, it might be helpful to sort the tickets into piles – for example, tickets that demonstrate students have grasped the content, tickets that show that students don’t understand, and tickets that you aren’t sure about. Consider starting the next lesson with interesting ticket responses or with a graph or chart that highlights common responses.
When to use
Use Exit Tickets at the end of class to:
Check students' understanding by having them summarize key points from the lesson
Verify that students can solve a problem or answer a significant question based on the lesson
Emphasize the essential question for the day's lesson
Have students ask questions they still have about the lesson
See if students can apply the content in a new way
Formulate guided groups for students who did not demonstrate understanding after the lesson
Create extensions for students who demonstrate mastery after the lesson
Variations
Verbal Exit Ticket
Have students line up at the end of class while you stand at the door. As they reach the door, students must share an idea or concept they learned with you. Each student must give a different answer. As students stand in line, they can discuss different possible answers before they reach you.
Exit Tickets
Education Is Life
How we view our classes into the greater picture of our student's day, year or life
Thoughts to ponder in this interesting Article
Tech and Education- Married
Thanks to Aileen Hawkins who came to one of our last US meetings and shared information with us about tech resources. HERE is her link. She will be getting back to us on blogging norms and and privacy settings in YouTube.
Building Bridges Buddy work
Summa Cum Laude
As part of an ongoing cross-divisional IS World Language partnership with Lower and Middle School students called Building Bridges, 7th grade Latin students played the role of teachers and presented a lesson to 5th graders. Through card games, skits, and fun activities like the game-based learning platform Kahoot!, the 7th graders showed their younger buddies some Latin concepts and gained experience teaching a class.
Antonietta's French 4/5 visit 2nd grade
Ingrid's students came to a Middle School fourth grade class to share their Chinese knowledge!
Integrating Language and Global Studies
Thanks to Tracy, Daniel and Carolina for their work with the sophomores during their annual sophomore trip. Here is a summary of their work. Add to the blog if you have any ideas for them for next year.
Viva El Arte!
On Tuesday, students in AP Spanish Language and Art of Spain classes enjoyed a professional Spanish-language tour, led by Colombian and Uruguayan guides, at the National Gallery of Art. The students were able to practice their Spanish skills and apply their knowledge of art history, while gaining greater perspective on how artwork reflects the history and politics of various time periods. US Spanish teacher Carolina Covarrubias reports that the guides were impressed by the students' Spanish proficiency.
During Spring Break, 19 eighth graders traveled to Spain to immerse themselves in the language, culture, and history of the country. Accompanied by art teacher Kristin Enck and Spanish teachers Mark Modak and Christine Varoutsos '01, the students had a wonderful time putting their Spanish speaking skills to use while visiting historic Segovia, Toledo, Andalucía, and Madrid.
Chinese 4 at Mala Tang
Interdiciplinary work at the Writing Center
Sarah Kate O'Neill has sent along this message
As we get rolling on spring semester, I'm reaching out with an invitation for anyone who wants to do some interdisciplinary helping-out. Would you let the members of your department know that the Writing Center (U220) needs them?
Staffing the Writing Center consists of reading student work and asking questions in order to help the student achieve greater clarity and better organization in his or her writing. (For those who are interested, I'm happy to provide more extensive literature about conducting a fruitful consultation).
I've reviewed each senior writing consultant's updated schedule for this semester. Even with each consultant staffing the Writing Center for 80 minutes each week, some blocks are not yet covered!
We need a person for each of the following slots:
Tuesday D block, every other week
Thursday long D block, every other week
Friday D block, every other week
Friday F block, every other week
Monday G block, every other week
Tuesday H block, every other week
PD Opportunities
Thanks to Ingrid- Check out this WEBSITE she just discovered which is really helpful for foreign language teachers. She is impressed with the module on teaching vocabulary. Very helpful. Check it out.
3rd Annual GWATFL Spring Immersion Day Conference for Language Teachers April 9, 2016. National Cathedral School
How can Project-Based Language Learning (PBLL) help learners develop interculturality -- the ability to inhabit and interpret different cultures and to see one’s own culture through the eyes of another? How do I design rigorous PBLL projects to incorporate intercultural telecollaborations? The NFLRC 2016 Intensive Summer Institute (ISI) will help you answer these questions with guidance from experts in the field through a dynamic, technology-rich professional development experience. You will work on a Project Blueprint for your own language classroom assisted by colleagues and guided by a group of language professionals with background in PBL, language pedagogy, instructional technology, and assessment. In-service K-16 world language educators are invited to apply for this on-site, in-person institute. The NFLRC 2016 Intensive Summer Institute is not a beginner's workshop. In order to join, applicants will need to first earn a digital badge from the 2016 Fundamentals of Project-Based Language Learning Online Institute as a prerequisite. Participants who have obtained a 2015 Fundamentals of PBLL badge need to take an additional module to earn the qualifying badge for the 2016 Intensive Summer Institute. (Applicants who have obtained a 2015 Fundamentals of PBLL badge need to submit an additional interculturality-focused Project Blueprint to earn the qualifying badge for application to the 2016 Intensive Summer Institute.) Seats are limited and applications will be competitive. Important Dates Project Blueprint Submission Deadline: March 31, 2016 (Digital Badge should be received no later than April 5, 2016) Application deadline: April 15, 2016 (NOTE: The application form will become available in January 2016) Selection Results Notification: by April 27, 2016 Intensive Summer Institute dates: June 27-July 1, 2016
Mix It Up! Authentic Activities for the World Language Classroom
This time of year can make you feel like your in a rut in planning-- get into the Mode
Make Teaching VISIBLE
Click on Visible to get the link
Top 10 Spanish-language movies with civil rights themes (Please add to the list, especially in other languages!) 1.Voces Inocentes 2. Romero 3.Cautiva 4. La MIsma Luna 5.Una Mejor Vida 6.Che 7. Walkout 8. Los Olvidados 9. Pidele Cuentas al Rey 10. Bwana Spanish in the presidential elections- cause to think (Thanks to Cindy) Cruz- Rubio .. Who speaks Spanish? ACTFL Update To see opportunities for OPI testing and other profesional development Click here Flava news and notes, including National Foreign Language Week (March 7-13)
NECTFL 2016 Report: (Thanks to Michele..see her if you want to know more)
NECTFL: Highlights/Nuggets!
Here are some apps for classroom use/projects:
Faces iMake: create faces
Tellagami: creates avatar you can make talk
Popplet: graphic organizer
Puppet Pals
Book creator:record student speaking with text and pics on the page; ex: science connection with two penguins (comparisons: es más grande que, es más pequeño que, describing body parts using tener)
Faces iMake
Pic collage: you can put yourself in a picture; insert different types of pictures into a collage (photo editing app)
Sock Puppets
Educreations
Dikie and Dukie Caras: create a face by appscapital (spelling?)
Explain Everything
Quizzizz (similar to Kahoot, but you can integrate into Google Classroom and this allows students to go at their own pace); some teachers use this for homework assignments
Tiny Tap: semi-interactive quiz game; you can record your voice and create a quiz; students can also create quizzes; multiple choice style
Poll Everywhere
Busuu
My Story app: students can record and take pictures to create stories; hitting play will read their story back to them; teacher and user friendly; can be divided into classes
Student Portfolios:
In the MS, we now use Google Sites for student portfolios. Last year, we used Weebly in the MS for portfolios. One presenter recommended a digital portfolio program called Seesaw for student portfolios. These portfolios are used year after year, with students able to reflect back upon what they had done in previous years.
Appsmashing: You can create a pic collage, face from Faces iMake, or another picture and then use these images in other apps, such as Book Creator, Explain Everything, or another voice recording program. Tellagami is great for creating a student avatar.
Motivation & Collaboration Activities/Ideas for Students:
ESPN deportes
Duolinguo
Create a movie trailer in Spanish
Field trips!! Field trips are great extensions to what we do in the classroom. It can be difficult to organize a whole group but they are worthwhile experiences that have an impact on our students. Each division schedules them a bit differently. HERE is the form to fill out in the Upper School. Happy trails! Shout outs!
THE YEAR OF THE MONKEY
On Tuesday morning, 5th graders welcomed the Chinese New Year with a festive parade through the school's hallways, complete with a Chinese dragon, lanterns, and cymbals. Later, the students engaged in a variety of activities and enjoyed a delicious Chinese food lunch with Upper School Chinese language students.
Let the good times roll! On Tuesday, IS French students celebrated Mardi Gras as if they were in New Orleans. In the morning, 7th graders put on masks and paraded through the hallways passing out candy and beads to the tune of Cajun music. Later, they joined 8th graders for a feast consisting of traditional French Quarter dishes and desserts. Special thanks to all the parent volunteers who helped make this celebration possible. Click More for additional photos.
MARTIAL ARTS INSTRUCTOR VISITS CHINESE STUDIES CLASS
Last week, martial arts instructor Ching-Yin Lee demonstrated several fighting styles and discussed the history and philosophy of martial arts in China with students in Ms. Larsen's Chinese Studies class.
Congrats Carolina Covarrubias for getting each of her US Spanish III students out to join Michele Maxson and MS Buddies for Spanish math games.
Language Accent Buttons
Gone are the days of memorizing accent shortcuts (and getting them wrong), opening up international keyboards and clicking keys manually, and copy/pasting from other documents. If you ever find yourself writing in a language other than English, the "Easy Accents" add-oncould save you a lot of time. It lets you insert accents for 20 different languages directly from a sidebar in your document.
To find the add-on, click here or open your document and click Add-ons from the menu at the top of the page. Choose Get add-ons... and search for "Easy Accents."
Financial, Economic, Business and Entrepreneurial Literacy.
Students in language classes learn about financial and economic issues in the target
language culture(s) and are able to compare and contrast with those of the United States.
According to the Committee for Economic Development (CED), “…cultural competence
and foreign language skills can prove invaluable when working on global business teams or negotiating
with overseas clients.” In addition, the changing demographics in the U.S. make language capability a
requisite for interacting with non-English speaking communities domestically as well as internationally.
Those who are able to communicate with others in their native language will naturally feel more
empowered to negotiate with those around the world as they engage in entrepreneurial activities.
Advanced:
EXAMPLE: As part of a unit on community
development, students communicate with a
Peace Corps volunteer, community activist, or
local leader who is fluent in the target language
and has field work experience. Students exchange
information as it relates to the work/projects
being undertaken in that country or locally.
Areas of focus may include: agriculture, business,
education, health, and the environment.
EXAMPLE: In a simulated training
exercise, students will roleplay
scenarios between airline
passengers and flight attendants
on a flight to a target language
country. Possible scenarios include:
passengers who (a) are concerned
about missing their connecting flight (b) have
food allergies or (c) are becoming ill.
EXAMPLE: In small groups, students design
a product and develop a marketing campaign
for this product to sell it to consumers in a
target country. Students present their marketing
campaigns to students in the target language
country via target language media outlets.
EXAMPLE: Students access
information in the target language
online related to children’s rights
and labor laws, and engage in a
debate related to this issue using
an on-line platform to connect with
speakers in a target language country.
EXAMPLE: Students plan and
execute an immersion weekend
(with sleepover, possibly at school,
and meal shopping, planning, etc).
The goal is to be immersed in the
target language throughout the weekend.
Students plan activities (topics to present, or
games to play) in the target language throughout
the time period.
Intermediate:
EXAMPLE: During career week
at school, students research job
ads in the target language on
Internet databases (or in print
media) to locate jobs in which
they are interested. They choose one each and
prepare themselves for an interview by writing
a résumé and cover letter and submitting it
to classmates. Students are placed into small
groups (interview teams) and must review the
documents of prospective applicants. Candidates
participate in an oral interview in a panel format.
Panelists prepare questions for their colleagues
and the interviewees must explain their skills
and why they should get the job. Students "rate"
candidates on a rubric that they have designed as
a team.
EXAMPLE: Students work in teams of
classmates or team with another class in a target
language country to research and analyze costs
for a summer study abroad program in a variety
of possible destinations in one or more target
language countries. Students share responsibility
for looking up certain information, exchange
information, and complete a cost-benefit analysis
to decide the best place to study based on the
available budget.
EXAMPLE: Students as market
researchers design and conduct an
online survey for a new restaurant
regarding changing the menu by
adding some new international foods
items. They then analyze the survey
data and create an online graph that
summarizes the survey results. Finally in a visual
and narrative report to the restaurant manager,
using tools such as presentation or animation
software, students make recommendations for
menu changes and additions.
Novice:
EXAMPLE: With the job title
omitted, students read various
job/career ads and then match
the appropriate job title to the ad.
Students are divided into groups. Each
group is asked to investigate 3-5 different career/
job sites and identify the jobs and careers that
are in high demand in a particular city, region, or
country. Students present their findings to the
class.
From ACTFL
Governor's Language Academies Updates
All has been sent in for our three candidates
French: Isabel Agolini
Spanish: Caroline Kehoe
Latin: Ben Lasota
Thanks to all involved in the process- nominations, recommendations and testing!
Paw Prints Shout outs! CROSS-CULTURAL PEN PALS
Mrs. Jaeger's and Mrs. Covarrubias' Spanish 3A and Spanish 3 classes have developed an ongoing relationship with students from Pachuca, Mexico. This month, the Potomac students received posters and Mexican sweets from their pen pals at the American School of Pachuca. Having a regular exchange of letters and gifts has enriched the students' understanding of each other's schools, communities, and cultures. The classes are organizing future plans to video chat and blog with their new friends from Mexico.
LS/MS Buddies
Early Language Learning's impactful moments, read morehere
CROSS-DIVISIONAL LEARNING
In a cross-divisional exercise, 4th graders shared their Spanish animal and color books with 1st graders. Then, 1st graders shared one of their recent projects with their older buddies. This fun exchange, along with others by French and Chinese classes, was part of a year-long endeavor by the World Language Department to build bridges with the Lower School.
Any WL submissions in Phoebus?
Let's try for one in each language! Inspire future writers in the target language!
Tech and WL
Thanks to Jenni Ashley for sharing tech resources with us. Look to an F block sometime soon with Aileen Hawkins.
Vista Higher Learning- Debrief
Representative Cheryl Kincaid came to meet with us and show us all that Vista's book series can do for us. General comments were positive and most were impressed with all that the new series can offer us. We will continue to meet this semester about the book adoption. Please make sure to let me know your opinion about the series.
Thoughts on National Honor Societies and National Language exams?
We currently give the National French and Latin Exams at Potomac. In the past if they were discontinued it was because of the curricular alignment. Now, especially because of the changes in the AP exams, the language teachers feel that the exams align with what is being taught in their classrooms. This is usually why no extra or added instruction is needed or given to teach to the test. The examinations are seen as a motivational contest to recognize student achievement in the study of their languages and to stimulate the interest in learning these languages. These exams are also outside testing tools that are used nationally to indicate language levels. The purpose of the examinations are to recognize achievement ,to promote proficiency, assess the national standards and stimulate further interest in the language. We can use this data from the National Language Examinations to create reports and see how we have improved or need to grow from one academic year to another. What do we think about adding the Spanish exam?
Global Language and Culture Conference in NY! (April)
The Global Language and Culture Conference is open all teachers of World and Classical Languages grades K-12. The conference will feature a keynote speaker (Paul Sandrock, Director of Education at ACTFL), job-alike sessions, exhibits, and a series of workshops on a variety of topics of interest to teachers of all languages and levels. Come to learn new techniques and methods, explore best practices in language teaching, establish connections with colleagues and strengthen your Personal Learning Network.
The Teachers for Global Classrooms Program (TGC) is a year-long professional development opportunity for U.S. teachers (K-12)
aiming to globalize teaching and learning in their classrooms and schools. Approximately 80 teachers will be selected for
participation in the 2016-2017 program, through a competitive national process.
