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This
month's theme is Content based Instruction with Mathematics. We have examples of how teachers integrate math concepts with their language teaching in our feature story: One O’Clock, Two O'Clock, Three O’Clock, Matemáticas! Root Words discusses higher math courses to benefit heritage learners. We put the spotlight on a couple of musically enhanced summer institutes where you can learn to play guitar. Our teacher diarist tracks down missing assignments over his Spring Break, while YANA helps a teacher trying to select a textbook. Tech for Teachers explores TV around the world with SCOLA. Look for our Culture Club Scavenger Hunt to win a free day at one of our summer institutes, and read book and movie reviews, and now, a blog where you can share your experiences with Culture Shocks. Enjoy!
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 Announcements:
- The NCLRC 2008 Summer Institutes in Washington, D.C. are starting to fill up. Leaders in foreign language education share ideas and methods with small groups of teachers from around the country.
- The NCLRC is offering three special 2008 STARTALK summer institutes for teachers of Arabic with generous scholarships and stipends. Read More...
- STARTALK summer institutes for teachers and students of Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Urdu, and Persian will be held across the U.S. this summer. Many programs have generous stipends and scholarships. See full list.
- The 15 Language Resource Centers across the U.S. offer a wide range of low-cost government subsidized summer institutes for teachers of foreign languages. See full list.
- The U.S. Department of Education Foreign Language Assistance Program Request for Proposals deadline for applications is April 30, 2008. For all materials for application, and advice and background click here.
- The National Museum of Language, which we co-sponsor, is opening on May 3rd in College Park, MD. More info.
- The National Council on the Teaching of Less Commonly Taught Languages Annual Meeting will be April 23-27 in Madison, Wisconsin. It is not too late to register, click here.
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The China Bridge program will sponsor trip to China June 23 – July 1 for district leaders (decision makers), school principals, and state, district, and school representatives who oversee foreign language learning. Application deadline is April 30. Read More...
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| Feature article |
One O’Clock, Two O'Clock, Three O’Clock, Matemáticas!
by Jill Robbins
 This month’s theme is connecting math content to language learning. As usual, our best resource is you – so we asked our readers how you integrate math content into your language classes. Here are some of your ideas:
Survey Says…
A teacher of beginning Spanish write that students “compose surveys based upon the content (how many students like baseball, basketball, swimming, etc.). When we are learning the numbers I give them math problems in Spanish and they have to write them down and give the correct answer to get the points.” Other teachers teach Mayan math and manipulative bears... Read more... |
| Teacher's Diary |
Bill teaches a foreign language practicum course in South Carolina. Each month he shares his journal of reflections on teaching.
Dear Diary,
It’s Spring Break next week and it’s the time of the semester when I take more time than normal perusing students’ grades to verify progress in my courses. Usually, I look at each class's grades and write emails frequently to students to keep them apprised of their progress by mentioning things such as missing assignments, absences, and strategies to approach upcoming assignments/readings.
Read More... |
| Readers' Corner |
Here's where you, our dear
readers, can TALK BACK! This month we ask about science content in language teaching. .
What elements of science do you discuss in the Target Language? Answer
our Poll
How do you integrate science topics in your foreign language teaching?
Click
here to answer the Question
Last month we asked: How do you integrate math content into your language class?
See
the results here... |
For your Classroom |
Lesson Ideas for Math and Foreign Language Learning
 ACTFL Standards lesson; Annenberg Media videos
The National Standards for foreign language learning guide us toward the integration of language and content. This month, we are looking at ways to integrate math. We reprint a lesson for Chinese on how to use math while making a Jiànzi (Chinese shuttlecock). We also explore math and science lessons via Annenberg Media. Read more..
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Summer Institutes
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by Jill Robbins, editor We are excited about a new innovation in our summer institutes this year: guitar lessons for language teachers! Through a collaboration with Guitars in the Classroom,we are providing guitars for participants to learn how to play. Teachers can play target language songs and lead their class in singing and songwriting. Participants can borrow a guitar to be used in the classroom. The guitar workshops which will be part of our "Strum, Throw, and Perform" Arts Integration Institute and the "Spain: Language and Culture" Immersion Institute are generously sponsored by Godin Guitars, Dunlop Manufacturing, and The John and Joan D'Addario Foundation. NCLRC thanks them for their outstanding contribution to promoting the arts as an integral part of foreign language study.
Read about all the institutes here... |
| Language Policy Update |
Our Language Policy Section offers a downloadable file containing a comparison of the three foreign language partnership programs proposed as additions to the Foreign Language Partnership Program. One is from the House draft of the No Child Left Behind reauthorization, another from the Senate's draft. The third is the partnership piece of the America COMPETES legislation that was signed by President Bush in 2007.
More information. |
| NCLRC Staff |
 NCLRC presented at the North East Conference (NECTFL). To see information on our exciting presentations click here.
 We also want to give a very warm welcome to a lovely little linguist who has just come into the world today- Salima's baby, Aisha.
Jill Robbins, editor |
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| Culture Club |
Edited
by Christine Meloni
 Visit the Culture Club! The Hangout boasts a new interview podcast in Spanish with Bayoan Santiago, of Puerto Rico. Sara Mykietyn has written a wonderful essay on outdoor markets in France with stunning photos for the Banquet Hall. You will find not just one but two speakers in the April Speaker ’s Corner. Gilda Rorro Baldassari, honorary vice consul for Italy, informs us about a successful campaign to include an Italian culture curriculum in the public schools of New Jersey. Professor Dawn Marie Hayes describes a study-abroad program in sunny Taormina, Sicily. Be sure to check out our scavenger hunt and win one free day's tuition to a summer institute!!!
Read more...
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| Teaching Heritage Learners: Root Words |
 Edited by Jamie Lepore Wright.
This column features an article on a topic related to heritage language learning and news for teachers of heritage learners.
Mathematics is the universal language! By Belinda Sauret In an article on the gap in achievement for Hispanic youth, especially among those with few years of schooling in the U.S., María Carreira posits what students familiar with the American school system already know, that taking classes in higher math is positively associated with “increased postsecondary opportunity.” Here are some of the activities I have used to help my students become familiar with figures. Read more ...
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| Dear
YANA |
Edited
by Sheila Cockey. YANA stands for 'You are Not Alone." Your questions
on challenges in your classrooms are answered by an expert on
languages and culture teaching. This
month's question:
Read YANA's answers... |
| Tech for
Teachers |
SCOLA Review
by Ben Redmond 
Language teachers and learners alike may be familiar with SCOLA’s cable and satellite TV channels, which re-transmit native language news broadcasts from around the globe 24 hours a day. With online access, you can watch streaming newscasts from each of their six region-specific channels and you have the freedom to select from any programs broadcast over the course of the past week. ...
Read more....
Our teen Hangout interview podcast has been updated with new interview podcast in Spanish with Bayoan Santiago, of Puerto Rico. See how to use this podcast in the Culture Club. |
| Professional
Development, Conferences and Funding Opportunities |
We've compiled the conference
announcements in one easy-to-access place, the Teachers'
Calendar. Find
out what conferences are coming your way in 2008 here...
Benjamin Gilman International Scholarship Program, This Scholarship Program provides awards of up to $5000 to U.S. undergraduate students to study abroad for up to one year. The program aims to diversify the kinds of student who study abroad and the countries and regions where they go. There is also an interesting program for Teachers of Russian, Professional Development Seminar for Teachers of Russian.
See the revised grants section here.
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| Ask Dora |
Dora
Johnson is a Program Associate at Center for Applied Linguistics,
and answers reader's questions related to languages. This month's
question:
- Do you know of any one else who might be
collecting info about Chinese language immersion programs, especially at
the K-5 level?
- Do you know of any reliable Arabic proficiency tests for teacher candidates?
Read Dora's answers... |
| Testing Tips |
By Margaret E. (Meg) Malone, Ph.D. - Center for Applied Linguistics
I promised to write about audiences for testing this month. Audience includes the students you're testing, in addition to all those who are impacted by the results: parents, students, you, other teachers, administrators, the community, and more. This month, I will focus on the student audience, and next month, we'll talk about everyone else. Read more... |
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