Language Association Journal - New York State Association of

Transcription

Language Association Journal
New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers
VOL. 58
2007
No. 3
Intelijen
Nachrichtendienst
CENTRAL
INTELLIGENCE
AGENCY
Do You
Speak Our Language?
Foreign Language Instructors. One of the most important contributions
you can make to meeting the mission of the CIA is enabling others to understand world cultures.
Your native-level fluency and expert knowledge of a foreign region’s history, customs, politics and
economy will strengthen your students’ ability to communicate with others and work in locations
around the world. In return, you’ll earn a competitive salary and receive a hiring bonus — while
supporting the efforts of American foreign policy.
Applicants must successfully complete a thorough medical and psychological exam, a polygraph
interview and an extensive background investigation. As part of the screening process, selected
applicants must take proficiency tests in their native language. US citizenship is required.
An equal opportunity employer and a drug-free work force.
To learn more and apply, visit: www.cia.gov
THE WORK OF A NATION. THE CENTER OF INTELLIGENCE.
A Publication of the
New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers, Inc.
www.nysaflt.org
Founded 1917
VOL. 58
2007
No. 3
OFFICERS
EDITORIAL BOARD
President: Joanne E. OʼToole
President Elect: Paul Sabatino,
retired
First Vice President: Susan Barnes,
Sodus High School
Second Vice-President: Susanne M. Hochmuth,
Sackets Harbor Central School
Secretary: Mary B. McBride, Ph.D.,
Casey Middle School
Treasurer: Frank Ricciardiello,
LeMoyne College
Immediate Past President: Louis G. Baskinger,
New Hartford High School
Harriet Barnett, retired
Dr. Jacqueline Davis, Queens College, Secondary Education and Youth Services
Dr. Greg Duncan, Interprep, Inc.
Dr. Gregory Fulkerson, State Supervisor of Foreign Languages,
Delaware Department of Education
Bill Heller, Perry Central Schools
Dr. Dorothy Rissel, SUNY at Buffalo
Jan Strauss, SUNY Cortland
DIRECTORS
WEBMASTER
Lillian Carey, Long Island Region, Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK HS
Deborah Carlson, Buffalo Region, Sweet Home MS
Marie Chianese, Southern Tier Region, Tioga MS
Karen Cooper, NYC Region, Beacon School
Jill Dugan, Capital Region, Farnsworth MS
Virginia Errico-Bourji, Rochester Region, Hilton HS
David B. Graham, Northern-East Region, Clinton CC
Bonnie Hodur, Buffalo Region, West Seneca West MS
Nancy H. Ketz, Syracuse Region, retired
Nancy Kress, Westchester Region, Briarcliff Manor UFSD
Leslie Lowery, Westchester Region, Eastchester HS
Alice N. Manning, Syracuse Region, retired
Karen Moretti, Rochester Region, Waterloo MS
Natalye Moss, Mid-Hudson Region, Kingston HS
Françoise A. Piron, Northern-West Region, South Jefferson CS
Geraldine Popko, Mid-Hudson Region, Saugerties HS
Rosa Riccio Pietanza, NYC Region, NYU - Steinhardt School of Ed.
Colleen Sheehan, Capital Region, Cobleskill-Richmondville HS
Joseph G. Tursi, Long Island Region, East Islip HS
Anita Vogely, Ph.D., Southern Tier Region, Binghamton HS
Kenneth Hughes
Greenwich Jr/Sr HS
LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION JOURNAL EDITOR
Jennifer Eddy, Ph.D.
Queens College - CUNY
nysafltjournal@nysaflt.org
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
John Carlino, Kenmore West High School
NEWSLETTER EDITOR
Mary Leptak
Eastchester MS
ADVERTISING BUSINESS MANAGER
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Articles submitted for publication must be typewritten, double-spaced and in
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MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
For complete membership information visit www.nysaflt.org
From the Editor
This issue showcases special pieces which the Journal was so happy to receive. Included is an article on a university high
school program and relevant project by Dr. Juan Thomas. The article on differentiated assessment tools by Dr. Diane Gomez
guides us in incorporating these strategies for all learners. New to this issue is a featured session from our 2007 annual
meeting on using music videos in communicative mode formative assessment by Anahí Walton-Schafer. Finally, the keynote
address by Nancy Russo-Rumore at the NYCAFLT-UFT conference was inspiring, motivating us by reminding us why we are
in this profession, the tremendous impact we have on all students, and the responsibility we have in educating them for our
small world.
The next year of the Journal focuses on beginnings of three different sorts. All three examine new experiences,
challenges, issues and innovations for a profession coming of age. The Winter issue theme is Language Learning in the
Elementary School. Summer is Language Teacher Education, and Fall is Language Learning and Technology. I extend a
personal invitation to you, to submit an article to your Journal on any of these key themes. In the meantime, submit a Burning
Question to CASLS (Center for Applied Second Language Studies), and keep warm and safe as 2007 winds down to a close.
Be well,
Dr. Jennifer Eddy
Editor, NYSAFLT Language Association Journal
Table of Contents
Prof. Nancy Russo-Rumore.
4
Queens College, CUNY
Dr. Juan A. Thomas
“Teaching locally, reaching globally”
6
University at Albany
Diane W. Gomez, Ph.D.
Teaching Intermediate College Level Spanish in
New York State High Schools: A year of Observations
10
Manhattanville College
Anahí Walton-Schafer
NYCAFLT-UFT Annual Conference
Assessment through Differentiation:
RAFTs and Think-Tac-Toes
12
Northport HS, Long Island
NYSAFLT Annual Meeting Featured Session
Methods and Materials
Energize your classroom with Music Videos
Carl Falsgraf, Director
15
Ten Burning Questions
16
Language Legislation
Center for Applied Second Language Studies
from JNCL-NCLIS
2008
MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL
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2
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CALL FOR PAPERS:
Volume 1
Journal Theme:
Deadline for Submission: Feb 15th, 2008
Language Learning in the Elementary School
Volume 2
Journal Theme:
Deadline for Submission: May 15th, 2008
Language Teacher Education
Volume 3
Journal Theme:
Deadline for Submission: October 15th, 2008
Language Learning and Technology
Three special issues of the Journal are planned for 2008: Languages in the Elementary School,
Language Teacher Education, and Language Learning and Technology. We welcome any
contributions which further the discussion on world language education and seek material on
the above topics related to instruction, learning, curriculum design, materials, assessment, and
research.
Guidelines for submission
• All contributions must be submitted as an email attachment in
MS WORD and in APA format.
• APA Style Resources: http://www.psychwww.com/resource/apacrib.htm
• Please use a font size of 11-12 points, Times Roman or Arial.
Use italics and boldface type when necessary, but do not use underlining.
Do not include the author(s) name in the article or on pages of article text.
• In the email, please include a 3-4 line short bio (this will appear at the end of the article)
and also include:
• Your name, title and affiliation
• What level(s) you have taught in your teaching career: K-12, elementary school,
middle school, high school, community college, college/university, other.
• List any other professional affiliations or involvement in
world language education.
Please send all submissions to: nysafltjournal@nysaflt.org
Dr. Jennifer Eddy, Editor
NYSAFLT Language Association Journal
3
NYCAFLT-UFT Annual Conference
“Teaching locally, reaching globally”
October 27, 2007
Keynote Address
Prof. Nancy Russo-Rumore
Queens College, CUNY
After the initial shock of being asked to be your keynoter today,
my first thought was that you all might think that since I live and
spent my career in Nassau County I canʼt relate to the many woes
of the NYC LOTE teacher. So for the record I need to clear the air
and tell you that I am a Queens girl, born and raised and presently an adjunct at my alma mater Queens College. So even though
I live on LI, you can never take the Queens out of me! Secondly
do not be mistaken by thinking that things are rosier out on LI.
This may be true in some areas but not all. During my many visits to schools from Valley Stream to Riverhead I have found parallel problems in varying degrees in schools I have visited. There
are also other different problems than some of those in the NYC
schools. The truth is that no matter where one teaches today it is
more challenging than ever and it is getting more difficult each
year.
All over I have found teachers burdened by large class sizes,
pressured by administration for good ʻschool report cardʼ statistics, exhausted from the workload, the daily pressures of the
classroom and the school day, working without technology, proper materials or supplies. I found teachers who have become
embittered or burned out, those who need mentoring, those who
are floundering because there is no one to ask for information or
advice and those who still courageously try to survive against the
odds in an antiquated “top down” school system. We are World
Language teachers and we sometimes feel like the step children
of the ʻcoreʼ subjects. Although LOTE is indeed a NYS core
subject, often times it is not considered so by some school
administrators who dole out LOTE to an elite school population
rather than to all. We know this should not be, but in reality it is
occurring.
In spite of it all you are out there trying to make a difference in
the lives of students some of whom are defiant, some dangerous
or intimidating, many from cultures or troubled homes that we
as teachers cannot relate to. Our students need us to be so
many things to them: role models, cheerleaders, psychiatrists,
confidants, substitute parents. The conference theme: “Teaching
locally, reaching globally” reminds us that in addition we also must
prepare our students to be active, culturally aware, ethical and
productive persons who can successfully collaborate with others
and be globally competent citizens who are familiar with the
culture of the target language. The LOTE National and NYS
Standards seek to accomplish just that as well as teaching how to
communicate in the target language. If we somehow manage to
accomplish all of these in our classes locally we will help to
produce an international society and a more peaceful world.
Yes, itʼs an impossibly tough job, but somebody has to do it,
and why not you? How can you achieve all this? I truly believe that
strength and hope lay within each and every one of you.
I truly believe that teaching is not just a job, but rather a vocation.
I have an enormous trust that you as teachers want to do a great
job and want to be unforgettable to your students. So whether you
are a new teacher or one who has been at it for many years,
I invite you to come along on a little journey with me now that
I hope will bring you courage and a renewed sense of purpose.
4
First letʼs pack. Fill your suitcase with all of the negative
burdens you may be carrying around with you about teaching and
lock it up. Close your eyes for a moment and think back to the
days when you first decided to become a teacher. A pretty rosy
picture, isnʼt it? Recall the one teacher who is the reason you are
a teacher today- that teacher you wanted to emulate or the one
whose practices you wished to never duplicate. Rediscover those
reasons and I hope you will find that at the core of it all there are
the students.
Thatʼs the first stop — the “kids.” After all, they are what itʼs all
about anyway. The expression “I want to make a difference”
should not be considered a mere cliché because it is a fact that
effective teachers are successful in influencing the lives of their
students. We forget this very often because unlike the factory
worker who sees the final product at the end of the production
line, we teachers never get such instant gratification. We rarely
get the chance to see the fruits of our labors, how students have
grown, matured and successfully contributed to society.
Erroneously we may think at one point or another in our career
that our actions and words are not important, noticed, felt or
remembered by our students. I am here to tell you that after a 33
year career as a secondary school teacher that is not true. During
these 6 years of retirement, my former students still come and go
in my life and I can assure you that it is even sweeter to have that
contact with them now than when I was in the classroom. From
what they tell me, I can assure you of some things: you are
indelible in their teenage memories, for better or for worse. For
many students school is a safe haven from the streets or their
own home. Please realize you may be the only stability in their
lives. Sadly you may be the only person who has high expectations for them, the only person who shows them respect and true
caring, the only person who is predictable via your classroom procedures or routines, the only person who believes in them. All of
these things are reassuring to a child and helps them want
to learn. You can make your students feel needed. You can
make them feel someone cares and so they will not want to
disappoint you.
I challenge you to go into your classroom next week and
promise yourself that you will make a concerted effort to find the
key to each one of your students by finding one thing to like about
each one of them, even for those you might feel are the most
unlovable. Look into their eyes – the gang member, the recently
arrived to this country, the child whose culture or family customs
or situations you cannot relate to, those that must work and have
no time for your homework, the shy, quiet ones, and those
students who glare at you as if to say: “Teach me, I dare you.”
I guarantee you that when you have found that one thing to like
about each and every one of them, the whole picture will change
for you, your attitude will change, and your heart will not allow you
to give them less than your best. You will comprehend that they
deserve your best each and every day. You will not want to
disappoint them.
How can you grow as a professional so as to give them your
best? This is the next stop on our journey. I have been told that
more often than not, in the NYC schools there are no department
instructional leaders, and few if any opportunities to work collaboratively with other department members. We can not simply throw
up our hands and blame our lack of success or enthusiasm on the
situations in which we may work. Our students deserve better
than that from us.
The father of the multiple intelligences Dr. Howard Gardner, in
a recent TV interview urges us to be excellently competent in our
profession, fully engaged in our work and ethically competent.
Our tasks as teachers are simply too important to do anything
less. To achieve these he outlined four needed elements: early
family values of a religious nature, ʻvertical supportʼ which he
defines as having mentors and even tormentors, that is, those
who would critique our work for the purpose of improving it, and
third ʻhorizontal supportʼ, which he explained by asking: who are
your friends and peers at your school and how do they affect you.
Dr. Gardner suggested avoiding negative people as not productive to your professional life. Lastly he stated that all of us need
ʻbooster shots” from time to time. He cited these as things that
happen in your professional community that give you positive or
negative wake up calls in regard to ethics.
To be fully engaged as a teacher I think these are very important. But I also think we need to be resilient when enduring the
daily challenges of teaching by getting other kinds of booster
shots from time to time, so here are mine:
Booster Shot #1:
Professional organizations help you keep abreast of LOTE
news and provide opportunities for professional growth. You
have already taken an important step today by being here.
Thatʼs one of the ways you can keep your psyche positive
and interested and avoid burnout. Your students will see
you are excited about what you are doing and it will be contagious. Continue to attend LOTE conferences and join as
many LOTE organizations as you can.
Booster Shot #2:
Learn from being here today that todayʼs workshop presenters who are sharing their expertise with you are giving back
to the profession. Learn that by sharing you are being
professionally generous with each other and in so doing you
are strengthened too. Learn to share freely your ideas and
your successful lessons. Donʼt be afraid to ask others how
they taught a particular topic. This too can be contagious.
After a while you will hear others contributing their ideas on
their free periods together. The LOTE teachers in your
building may grow, share and unite as a team. That kind of
power can lead to a strong and more visible LOTE program
that can not be ignored by administration.
Booster Shot #3:
Motivate your students to love the language you teach.
Incorporate culture into lessons. Show you love the language and you will make it come alive. Travel and talk about
your experiences in target language countries; expose
students to the arts of the target language. Be a true LOTE
advocate. Work to make LOTE a force and a true core
subject in your schoolʼs curriculum by raising interest and
curiosity in the total school population in a variety of ways.
Start a Foreign Language Club and a Language Honor
Society and in so doing cultivate and challenge your best
and brightest. Organize these students to celebrate Foreign
Language Week school wide and you will attract more
students to your classes.
We have now come to the end of our journey. I would like to
leave you with this message: In the NYSUT newspaper dated
Sept. 22nd Northport teacher Frank Kondrich, a 35 year veteran
said: “competence, confidence, consistency, clarity and compassion never go out of style. Honesty, integrity, scholarship, a
willingness to grow, to never stop learning, not only makes or
breaks a professional, but also a person.” Your teaching at the
local level will generate far reaching effects as your students take
their varied paths in life in an ever shrinking global community.
I wish you success and patience with yourself and your students.
Be a leader in your classroom. You are our best hope to create a
better society and a better world via your teaching. Be passionate
and committed to what you do and you will be unforgettable to
your students. Thank you for having me with you today.
NYSAFLT
Student Study Abroad Endowment Fund
Do you remember when you were a student, studying abroad? Looking back on that experience, do
you recognize the awesome influence that your travel experience had on your life and on your career?
It’s probably safe to say that your study abroad experience made you the teacher you are today!
If you truly value your experience abroad as a student and want to help students of today and tomorrow to have a similar, life-changing experience, please consider donating generously to the NYSAFLT
Student Study Abroad Endowment Fund.
Checks payable to the NYSAFLT Student Study Abroad Endowment Fund
may be sent to:
NYSAFLT
2400 Main Street • Buffalo, NY 14214
Contributions from individuals are fully tax-deductible.
5
Teaching Intermediate College Level Spanish in New York State High Schools:
A year of Observations
Dr. Juan A. Thomas
University at Albany
Introduction
The University in the High School Program (UHS) Program
was established by the University at Albany (UAlbany) in 1983
(UHS 2007). The initial goal of the program was to introduce the
following intermediate college-level courses of languages other
than English (LOTE): Spanish, Italian, French, Russian and Latin,
into New York State High Schools. During the past twenty-five
years, the program has grown substantially to include subjects in
the sciences, mathematics, art, music, theater, political science,
and humanities, among others. However, the majority of the
courses that high schools chose to offer are the original LOTE
courses, specifically the two authorized intermediate level
Spanish courses, ASPN103 and ASPN104, Intermediate Spanish
I and II, respectively, in which enrollments continue to grow.
Students in participating high schools earn University at Albany
credit upon successful completion of the subjects, and thereby
establish a transcript at the University. Before permission is granted to teach the courses, the high schools and teachers must
submit an application. The teachers and students must then be
observed and evaluated. Approved teachers are appointed as
voluntary adjunct faculty and the students are then eligible to
enroll for credit through the University at Albany, even though the
courses are taught at their respective high schools and curriculum
decisions are made by the approved teachers. The objective of
this essay is to summarize, in a collective format, the visits that
the author made as one of the two UHS liaisons to forty-three
UHS Spanish classes during the academic year 2006 – 2007, and
to compare those classes to those taught on-campus.
Sample Characteristics
The two Spanish Liaisons are UAlbany faculty members who
must observe the UHS Spanish classes in the individual high
schools, approve new teachers, periodically visit established
teachers and offer advice regarding content, materials, standards
and assessment. The liaisons serve as ʻlinksʼ among the three
groups that must maintain constant communication for successful
functioning of the program: the UHS office, the high schools, and
the Spanish program at the University at Albany. The author visited a total of forty-three classes during the 2006- 2007 academic
year: 31 ASPN103 classes and 12 APSN104 classes. The definition of ʻclassʼ here refers to a group of students who meet at the
same time and are enrolled in either ASPN103 or ASPN104.
Some schools offer more than one class of each subject, and different classes of the same subject, even though taught in the
same school, are included in the sample. One class was visited
twice during the school year because the initial visit did not satisfy the approval criteria. Two of the classes represented in the
sample were taught at the same hour and in the same classroom,
that is, an ASPN103 and an ASPN104 class were taught simultaneously. Such a situation was allowed in the high schools until the
end of the 2006- 2007 academic year, but it was never practiced
nor allowed at the University at Albany. The sample size roughly
represents 22 % of the total ASPN103 and ASPN104 courses
taught in New York State off the UAlbany campus in 2006 –2007.
The sample of High Schools was not chosen randomly: thirteen
new classes were new to the program and required immediate
evaluation. The other thirty classes had not been observed in at
least three years. The second Spanish Liaison visited a similar
number of classes, but the classes described herein reflect the
6
observations of the author in order to provide for uniform comparisons.
Table 1. Number of classes visited per County
_____________________________________
Albany
4
Broome
3
Greene
4
Oneida
3
Rensselaer
3
Rockland
1
Saint Lawrence
2
Saratoga
5
Schenectady
4
Schoharie
1
Ulster
3
Warren
2
Washington
3
Westchester
3
_____________________________________
Approximately thirty-nine counties participate in the UHS program. Table one lists the number of classes visited per county.
The data indicate that the greatest number of visits was made to
Saratoga county. The majority of schools represented in this article correspond to the Capital Region: Albany, Schenectady, and
Rensselaer counties, reflecting the demographics of the majority
of participating UHS high schools. However, the sample also
contains classes in the North Country, Central New York, the
Binghamton area, and the lower and mid-Hudson Valley Regions.
Intermediate Spanish Classes at the University at Albany
Before describing the observations made during the visits, a
few words about the Intermediate Spanish classes at UAlbany are
in order, since those are the classes that the high schools strive
to model. The information herein corresponds to the experience
the author has gained in his five-year association with the Spanish
program at UAlbany, his teaching of both ASPN103 and 104 at the
University, as well as coordinating ASPN104. Each class offers
four college credits and meets four times per week in 55-minute
sessions or twice per week in one hour and fifty minute sessions.
Each corresponds to fifty-five contact hours per semester, plus a
two-hour final examination session. All UAlbany classes are governed by syllabi. The syllabus is identical for all sections of each
of the two intermediate Spanish courses taught on campus. Daily
lessons and all evaluation instruments are clearly defined at the
beginning of the semester. Evaluation for both subjects consists
of three written and two oral exams during the semester, a written
final exam, and an oral presentation. The teaching assistants in
charge of the course write and administer the same examinations,
although a certain percentage of the final grade is assigned to the
individual instructorʼs discretion and is typically used for participation, homework, attendance and/or quizzes. An eclectic
methodology is encouraged, with particular emphasis on the
communicative method (Omaggio-Hadley117). Grammar instruction is accomplished via a functionalist approach. Translation
is discouraged and Spanish should be the vehicular language
for both subjects.
Typically, teaching assistants (TAs) who have already earned the
MA in Spanish are assigned ASPN103 and ASPN104, although
exceptions are made depending on the level and experience of each
individual. Lecturers are also contracted to teach these classes, and
although they have more independence than the TAs, they use the
same textbook and materials and must cover the same material as
the other sections. All teaching assistants report to a supervisor who
observes each TA at least once per semester. One TA per subject is
named ʻcoordinatorʼ and meets more frequently with the supervisor
and calls meetings for exam writing, in which all TAs participate. The
coordinator must deliver all exams to the supervisor for final approval
before printing. The TAs of all the Spanish courses meet frequently
as a group to discuss issues as well as to participate in workshops
and presentations. Additionally, all TAs must complete a teaching
methodology class offered by the Languages, Literatures and
Cultures Department.
There is no placement examination for ASPN103 or ASPN104.
A score of 85 or higher on the New York State Checkpoint B examination ʻThe Regentsʼ Examʼ satisfies the University at Albanyʼs
general education foreign language requirement. Otherwise, the
student must pass ASPN100 and ASPN101, Elementary Spanish
I and II, respectively. Placement into ASPN103 is contingent upon
successful completion of ASPN101 or three or four years of high
school level Spanish. Placement into ASPN104 is contingent upon
successful completion of ASPN103, or five years of junior and high
school level Spanish. Exceptions to these rules can be made upon
considering the particular studentʼs familiarity with Spanish, for
example, if the student has community college Spanish or college
Spanish courses abroad, etc. Native Spanish speakers are not
allowed in the four initial courses ASPN100, 101, 103 and 104.
Intermediate Spanish I is the last in a three-subject sequence of
beginning Spanish. The textbook currently used is Puntos de
Partida seventh edition. The last six units are covered and involve
more complicated aspects of grammar and functionality: subjunctive, future, conditional, and compound tenses. The video Sol y
viento is used as review of material students should have mastered in Elementary Spanish I and II, as well as practice in listening comprehension.
Intermediate Spanish II is a bridging course to the higher-level
conversation course required of all Spanish majors and minors.
The textbook used is Punto y aparte, third edition. A supplemental
reader, El ladrón de la mente, is also used. The language of
instruction for both ASPN 103 and 104 is Spanish, but this requirement is more crucial for the students in 104 since subsequent
courses are all conducted in Spanish and it is essential that the
students leave 104 with solid speaking and comprehension capabilities.
Summary of the Observations in the High Schools
Since the sample consists of only one visit per class, with the
exception of two visits to the same class in Saratoga County, the
class activities witnessed by the author cannot be representative
of the entire academic year at any one school. Nor can the quality
observed be representative. The ʻobserverʼs paradoxʼ (Milroy and
Gordon 2003: 49) might potentially create nervousness on the part
of the professors and students resulting in a ʻless than parʼ lesson.
On the other hand, some teachers might prepare a special ʻshowʼ
for the observation. Every attempt at concealing the identities of
the individual participating schools and teachers has been taken in
the following observations. The presentation of the results does
not intend to criticize any individual school or professor. The
comments must be considered collectively. The set of all the fortythree observations can offer insights into how well an intermediate
level college Spanish class taught in a high school environment
simulates those taught on campus.
Table two summarizes the one main activity carried out during
each of the visits. The objective of this section is to comment on
each of the activities listed in Table two.
Table 2. Main activity observed per class visit
Activity
ASPN103
ASPN104
5
10
6
1
3
2
4
1
2
2
1
3
1
2
Grammar
Literature
Group work/research
Presentations
Conversation
Listening activity
Reading activity
In the majority of classes, several activities were accomplished.
For example, a literature activity in Greene and, coincidentally, in
Saint Lawrence counties consisted of a role-play scene from
El Cid, acted out in groups, followed by a reading of a new scene.
The activity was counted as literature even though group work,
conversation, presentations and reading were involved because
the lesson was inspired by the piece of literature.
Table 2 indicates that teaching through literature dominated the
SPN103 courses. Literature is distinguished from reading since
the later involved some known works from the Spanish speaking
world, even though they might have been adapted to the intermediate level. It is interesting to note that two classics of Spanish
literature, El Cid and El Quijote were used in four classes in four
different high schools. Table 3 lists the works used. The pieces
consisted of short stories, one poem: ¡Al partir!, and three novels:
El ladrón de la mente and the abridged versions of El Cid and
El Quijote. All of the below-mentioned pieces were used in
ASPN103 classes. El décimo, El otro, and Borges y yo were used
in ASPN104. El Cid was read in two ASPN103 classes and one
ASPN104 class. The anthology Galería de arte y vida was used in
several schools and contains the pieces: El gato de Sèvres, ¡Al
partir!, and Un fantasma persistente. The use of carefully selected
pieces of literature and the APSN103 and APSN104 levels facilitates a review of grammatical constructions and grammar learned
at the lower levels, as well as an introduction of new, more
advanced syntax. The works provide for connections to the
studentsʼ own community, to Hispanic cultures, and, naturally, to
communication skills.
Table 3. Literature and readings used in the UHS Spanish
courses
Title
Los dos reyes y los laberintos
El décimo.
Borges y yo
¡Al partir!
El otro
La conciencia
El gato de Sèvres
El disco
El Cid.
El Quijote
Una sortija para mi novia
Un fantasma persistente
¿Eres tú, María?
El ladrón de la mente
Author
Jorge Luis Borges
Emilia Pardo Bazán
Jorge Luis Borges
G. Gómez de Avellaneda
Jorge Luis Borges
Ana María Matute
Marco Almazán
Jorge Luis Borges
adapted version
adapted version
Humberto Padró
anonymous
Miguel López Lourdes
Elías Miguel Muñoz
7
An excellent example of such a lesson using literature as well
as including the five Cʼs (Omaggio Hadley 37) was observed in
Washington County. The discussion began with a poll about studentsʼ beliefs in ghosts. A tally was made and the teacher proceeded with a discussion of ghosts and personal experiences:
stories about her own ʻhaunted houseʼ as well as haunted houses
in the immediate community and in the United States. Then, a
recording psicofonías ʻghost soundsʼ from a Spanish television
program El otro lado (Sierra 2007) was played as a lead in for the
story the class was reading: Un fantasma persistente. The recording presented scenes from Palacio de Linares in Madrid, the setting for the short story. The class read the story together and a
jeopardy-type game was simultaneously played to reinforce comprehension. The students worked in groups of two. A student read
a paragraph and then picked a category and a value. The professor read a corresponding question. Each group then selected a
response and held up the letter of the response. If correct, the corresponding points were awarded, if a ʻcheckmarkʼ showed up the
group lost points and if a ghost showed up, double points were
awarded with a correct response. Comparisons of ghost stories
between the studentsʼ town and the Palacio de Linares were
made. The conversation was conducted in Spanish and students
communicated their opinions and stories in the L2. Connections
were made to literature and technology. Cultural aspects were
covered via the representations of ghost stories in literature and
in the television program. The students were actively engaged in
the learning process in an entertaining way.
One recurrent observation noted in most of the classes that
focused on literature was thoroughness. The pieces were not
read in one class period and then forgotten. Activities centered on
the pieces spanned weeks in some cases, with tasks dedicated to
vocabulary building, to telling personal stories similar to the reading and to writing short plays based on the work and acting them
out. In spite of the diversity represented in this sample of classes,
the author can generalize that the vast majority of students
seemed to enjoy the readings and the activities based on them.
Time concerns did not present an issue. The schools were not
under the time constraints that the on-campus classes experience
because of limited contact hours.
Speaking skills were observed in classes devoted to presentations, group work and conversation. Although all the teachers
included in this sample used the Spanish language as the
vehicular language during at least 85% of the class period, some
students in all classes showed a strong unwillingness to speak
Spanish. This reluctance can be attributed to personal comfort
factors as well as insufficient mastery of elementary Spanish.
However, in those classes in which the vast majority of students
refused to use Spanish, such reluctance suggests that the
teacher does not typically foster the use of Spanish as a communicative tool but rather as a subject to master as an insolated body
of knowledge. Situations were witnessed in which the students
addressed the teacher exclusively in English, even for such
simple requests as “Can I go to the bathroom?”. In one case, a
student looked dumbfoundedly at a teacher who asked him,
“¿Cómo estás?”. The unwillingness to use Spanish in these classes is problematic, but it is also a serious concern for the classes
taught at UAlbany. On campus, ASPN103 and ASPN104 are
essentially the last L2 classes of Spanish. The subsequent conversation class also is limited to non-native Spanish speakers, but
all following Spanish classes are open to both L1 and L2 speakers. Students who do not develop language skills and confidence
at the lower levels experience frustration in more advanced
Spanish classes, where significant numbers of students are
native speakers of Spanish or Spanish dominant bilinguals.
Oral presentations, in general, were very good. In fact, some
UHS ASPN104 presentations were carried out at a much higher
8
level of proficiency than that expected of ASPN104 students at the
UAlbany campus. The presentations showed creativity, originality
and depth of research. In several classes, the teachers asked that
the author converse with the students, and all such interchanges
were very positive, showing that the students had good listening
comprehension and speaking skills. However, there was no class
in which the author saw all students present, and only one teacher
in Broome County required that all the ASPN104 students speak
during the group conversation. Therefore, many students were
excused from speaking and the author could not effectively evaluate the class as a whole. Group activities can be very effective
at engaging all students, especially the ʻshyʼ ones, or at fostering
ʻpeer learningʼ. In the various group activities observed, which
ranged from inventing a ʻhorror storyʼ, or making up a dialog with
the travel agent, or answering questions based on a reading, the
author noted that most students try to speak Spanish only ʻwhen
the teacher is listeningʼ, because in a good number of cases,
English was used exclusively.
Pronunciation skills go hand-in-hand with speaking skills. The
communicative method deemphasizes the importance of pronunciation, and, indeed, accuracy, provided that the studentʼs message is understood (Omaggio Hadley 117). At the beginning
stages, insisting on accuracy in meaning, form and pronunciation
may raise the studentʼs affective filter and discourage risk taking
and even the use and study of Spanish. In the sample dealt with
here, pronunciation skills were generally ignored. Only two teachers corrected studentsʼ pronunciation, and only one was able to
explain the articulatory gestures required to make the sound in
phonetic terms that the students could understand. It was not
clear that the students knew the Spanish alphabet. At this stage
of development, however, most of the high school ASPN103
students are in their fourth year of studying the language and the
ASPN104 students are in their fifth year; students should have
some mastery of the basics of Spanish pronunciation. This
concern also applies to some sections of ASPN103 and 104
taught at the UAlbany campus, in which some teaching assistants
do not devote even one class lesson to pronunciation.
Listening activities can help to improve pronunciation, as well
as to illustrate differences among regional varieties of Spanish.
However, very few listening activities were observed as the main
focus of the lesson. Only one class listened to a tape of recorded
conversations of native speakers. Two other teachers considered
in this sample regularly use music in their lessons. An Argentine
singer, Justo Lamas (Justo Lamas Group 2007), has prepared a
series of songs for L2 learners of Spanish, and has even given
concerts in the Albany area. Students in those classes have
memorized the lyrics to these songs and in some cases, the
music has encouraged and increased enrollment. As can be
expected, the students who attend classes in which music plays
such a major role, have developed good pronunciation skills, in
a painless way. The music also enhances vocabulary and
grammar skills.
The classes represented in this sample devoted very little time
to explicit grammar teaching, which is consistent with the communicative method. Short explanations were given and were
followed by functional tasks or games. These methods seemed
very effective. However, systematic problems were observed with
verbal morphology, especially the irregular forms of the preterit.
Even some fifth year high school students, enrolled in ASPN104,
struggled with narration in the past. Most students in ASPN103
are learning present and imperfect subjunctive tenses for the first
time. This is the correct sequence of presentation at UAlbany,
although the forms and some uses of the present subjunctive are
given in the prerequisite course to ASPN103. However, since the
Spanish UHS program has defined admissions criteria to
ASPN103 as junior level status and a passing grade on the New
York State Regentʼs examination, the deficiencies observed in this
sample of 43 classes suggest that either the students forgot what
they learned in earlier Spanish courses or that a student can pass
the New York State Regents exam without producing correct
subjunctive or irregular preterit forms.
__________
CONCLUSIONS
In general, the high school classes described in this sample do
indeed teach grammar, vocabulary and functional communication
equivalent to that of ASPN103 and 104 at the University of Albany.
Cultural and literature themes are presented with greater thoroughness than at the University. All of the classes observed in this
investigation had significantly more contact hours than do the
UAlbany classes, therefore allowing for more complete coverage
of materials at a slower pace than at the University. The high
schools tend to emphasize reading and writing although some of
the presentations and conversations observed in the high school
ASPN104 classes surpass the level expected of students on
campus.
The high school professors observed are masters of pedagogy
and know the kinds of games and activities that will engage all of
their students, even the timid ones. The methodological skills of
the high school professors surpass those of many teaching assistants at UAlbany. On the other hand, the majority of the former
have stronger skills in the Spanish language, owing to the fact that
most have either completed an MA in Hispanic linguistics or literature, and/ or are advanced students soon to complete the MA and
begin the PhD in Spanish. Some high school teachers do have an
MA in Spanish, but the majority in this sample has a Masterʼs
degree in secondary education with a concentration in Spanish.
On the other hand, included in this sample are four native or heritage speakers of Spanish whose language and pedagogical skills
were impeccable. Therefore, education credentials for appointment as an adjunct professor need to be evaluated on an individual basis, although a Masterʼs degree with at least a BA in Spanish
is desired.
The main divergence between the university and the high
schools is that of ʻcultureʼ, which corresponds to one of the fundamental differences between ʻhigh schoolʼ and ʻcollegeʼ. As stated
above, the intermediate level Spanish classes on campus are
strictly run according to syllabi that must be handed out on the first
or second meeting of the semester. With that document, the students know what content and skills must be mastered to pass the
course as well as the number and nature of evaluation instruments. The texts and materials are clearly indicated. Students are
required to attend classes- all attendance policies and penalties for
absences are stated in the syllabus- but a high degree of independence is expected. Students are required to organize their time
and studies to ensure mastery of content and skills. Homework is
assigned, but in many cases, students need to gauge their own
progress and perhaps perform supplemental, reinforcement drills
available on compact disks or the internet.
Among the 43 classes observed, the author saw only two
syllabi, and he required one of two so that the teacher would pass
the approval process. The University at Albany requires that all
students receive a syllabus, and beginning with the school year
2007 – 2008, the UHS office will require formal syllabi of all the
participating classes; however, it is not clear if all high school
classes will use the syllabus in the same way it is used on campus.
The high school curricula are organized into logically sequenced
units, but no situations were observed in which the students were
required to take initiative or show independence in monitoring their
own learning. While several ASPN104 classes required advanced
level use of Spanish in the presentation of independent research,
as well as in community-wide service projects demanding student
initiative, the teachers were intimately involved in the elaboration
of those activities in terms of check-points and intermediate
progress evaluations.
Textbooks in the university are used to provide reinforcement of
the material required in class and to serve as a guide for independent study. However, many high schools in this sample did not have
one fixed text, but rather a hodgepodge of different texts, and most
relied on the distribution of handouts centered on the specific unit
at hand. In several cases, the texts had to remain in the high
school Spanish classroom.
In summary, intermediate college level Spanish is being effectively taught in this sample of New York State High Schools.
Culture and literature themes are probably dealt with more rigorously in the High Schools than on campus. The development of
speaking and pronunciation skills is a concern common to both the
University and to the High Schools. The greatest difference
between the two institutions is one of ʻindependenceʼ. The High
School students are carefully guided though the school year, while
the University students need to set their own study goals in order
to ensure adequate mastery of the material.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Karen Chico Hurst, Dr. Gregory Stevens
and Dr. Maurice Westmoreland for reviewing this manuscript and
for the changes they offered.
__________
REFERENCES
Adey, Margaret and L. Albini (2003 ) Galería de Arte y Vida(6th ed)
New York: McGraw-Hill.
Foester, Lambright (2007) Punto y aparte (3a ed) New York:
McGraw Hill.
Justo Lamas Group (2007) “Justo Lamas música, aliento
y
vida”
Retrieved
August
8,
2007,
H
http://www.justolamas.com/index2.html
Hadley, Alice Omaggio (2001) Teaching Language in Context (3rd
ed) Boston: Heinle & Heinle.
Knorre, Dorwick, Pérez-Gironés, Glass, Villarreal (2005) Puntos
de partida (7th ed) New York: McGraw-Hill.
Milroy, Lesley and M. Gordon (2003) Sociolinguistics Method and
Interpretation Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
Muñoz, Elías Miguel (2000) Ladrón de la mente New York:
McGraw Hill.
Sierra, Javier (2007) “El otro lado” Retrieved August 9, 2007,
"http://www.javiersierra.com/pgm2.php" http://www.javiersierra.com/pgm2.php.
University in the High School Program at the University at Albany
(UHS). (2007, July 25) “University in the High School.”
Retrieved August 2, 2007, "http://www.albany.edu/uhsp/"
http://www.albany.edu/uhsp/.
VanPatten, B., Leeser, M, Keating G and E. Roman-Mendoza
(2005) Sol y viento: Beginning Spanish New York: McGraw-Hill
__________
Dr. Juan A. Thomas is a visiting assistant professor in Hispanic
Linguistics at the University at Albany and is a UHS Spanish
liaison. He has been on the faculty of the Spanish department at
Albany since 2002.
9
Assessment through Differentiation: RAFTs and Think-Tac-Toes
Diane W. Gomez, Ph.D.
Manhattanville College
Iʼm an old timer. Iʼve been teaching Spanish, at all levels, for
over 30 years. With time come changes. Iʼve evolved from being
taught ALM Spanish 1 (for those of you who donʼt recognize the
anachronistic acronym, it was an audio-lingual method of direct
instruction), to being a strict grammarian, target-language-only
teacher, to embracing the communicative approach to language
teaching. As I have evolved, so have my methods of assessing
students.
As I read Joanne Hume-Nigroʼs (2007) article on differentiated
instruction and LOTE in the Language Association Journal, I felt
I had found a kindred spirit. We all have diverse learners with diverse
abilities in our classrooms. Following the reflective practitioner model
I constantly ask myself: “How can I reach my students?”, “How can
I motivate them?” and “How can I design assessment that provides
information for both of us, for my students and for me, to see how
they have progressed?” The answers are forever changing, but my
belief in and implementation of differentiated instruction guides me
to the discovery of answers.
At this point in my career, I have become a champion of differentiated instruction. I have embraced the idea that content,
process or product of the lessons should be tailor-made for
groups of students according to their interest, learning style, or
readiness. Differentiated instruction also creates a shift in the
functions and purpose of assessment. These changes are
detailed in the table below (Tomlinson & Strickland, 2005,
Tomlinson, 2001):
Former characteristics/
purposes of Assessment
Gate keeping
Judging
Right Answers
Control
Comparison to others
Use with single activities
➯
Differentiated characteristics/
purposes of Assessment
Nurturing
Guiding
Self Reflection
Information
Comparison to task
Use over multiple activities
Assessment, through the differentiated instruction model, provides the teacher with a wealth of knowledge, not just a number.
From the products, both teacher and students can discover what
went right and what went astray. The areas and skills that need
review and those in which they are proficient become immediately visible. Through a careful review of the studentsʼ product, the
reflective practitioner can plan and strategize the next lessons for
the student. I have found two types of differentiated products,
Think-Tac-Toe and RAFTs, to be useful and valuable forms of
assessments in my intermediate and advanced Spanish classes.
The Think-Tac-Toe was designed for an AP© Spanish Language
class and RAFT was used as an assessment for a Spanish 4
class. Using them as examples, world language teachers can
adapt them to fit their students, their classroom, and their needs.
Further, neither requires extensive teacher preparation
(Tomlinson & Strickland, 2005, Tomlinson, 2001).
Think-Tac-Toe: This assessment product is set up like a tic-tactoe board. Each box contains an assessment task or activity. The
rows or columns contain three tasks related to a specific theme,
topic or skill that is to be assessed. The rows or columns can also
be organized to contain tasks related to the studentsʼ learning
style, interest, or readiness. The Think-Tac-Toe can be designed
to serve as a contract with the students as well as allowing the
student to be assessed by his or her preferred learning style
(linguistic, spatial, interpersonal) and by language skill (speaking
or writing).
10
I have used this product as a summative assessment in my
AP© Spanish Language class. The students read two short
stories, “El décimo” and “Jacinto Contreras recibe su paga extraordinaria” that had similar conflicts - money was lost. All the activities in the first horizontal row contain written expression tasks.
The second horizontal row allows for creativity and the content is
concerned with plot and/or vocabulary. The last row contains all
speaking tasks. These skills coincide with skills required on the
AP Language examination and require some level of beginning
synthesis. The table below provides a typical illustration of the
Think-Tac-Toe assessment.
Think-Tac-Toe
“El décimo” y
“Jacinto Contreras recibe su paga extraordinaria”
Directions:
• Select and complete 3 of the activities in a row, up and
down, across or diagonally – like the game tic-tac-toe
• Use the new vocabulary from these stories
• Use advanced structures
Write a newspaper
article announcing
the marriage of the
chica madrilena with
the narrator of
“El décimo”.
Write a newspaper
article about the
robbery of Jacinto’s
Christmas bonus
Play the role of the
young wmen in
“El décimo” and write
a letter to your friend
about how you met
your husband.
Create a story map
comparing the two
stories
Create a Venn diagram
in which you compare
and contrast the
protagonists Jacinto
and the narrator of
“El décimo”
Create a study guide
or aid for the
vocabulary in the two
stories. Be creative.
Play the role of
Benjamina and orally
explain and justify
why you can’t pay
for the items you
put on credit.
Play the role of the
butler in “El décimo”
and orally defend your
position of innocence
regarding the lost
lottery ticket.
Play the role of
Jacinto and orally,
explain why you need
an advance on your
paycheck in order
to celebrate Christmas.
The products were as varied as the students. Most students
opted to do one activity from each category. As a teacher, you set
the rules of the contract and an activity from each row could be
required. The creative products ranged from vocabulary board
games to crossword puzzles. The story maps were presented on
poster board and power point. The product also revealed the
studentsʼ comprehension of the stories and their ability to use
vocabulary.
RAFT: The second form of differentiated assessment I have
used is the RAFT. In this case, it was used as a form of ongoing
formative assessment. The RAFT is traditionally a writing activity;
however, there are no hard and fast rules. Teachers can create
activities that involve the speaking tasks, dramatics, or role-playing. The possibilities are endless. The letters in RAFT stand for:
R – role, A-audience, F-form, and T- topic. The following is a
RAFT I created for a Spanish 4 literature-based class as a review
after reading the story “Lo que aconteció a mancebo que se casó
con una mujer muy fuerte y muy brava”. This story is similar in
theme to “The Taming of the Shrew”. The RAFT was differentiated by readiness through the written form required. It was leveled
in ability by the type of written language the task required. The
range was from writing a list to writing a letter.
Directions: Select one row to complete either across, up and
down or diagonally.
R
(role)
The fatherin-law
A
(audience)
Son’s father
F
(form)
A pro and con
list
T
(topic)
I don’t want
to be a false
friend
The young man
His father
Top 10 list of
reasons
Reasons I
should marry
the shrew
The shrew
Her friend
A letter
My honeymoon
my brute of a
husband
The Animal
Rights Director
The Public
Wanter Poster
Wanted
criminal for
cruelty to
animals
The young man
Himself
Diary entry
My plan to
tame the shrew
The neighbor
who set the
wedding table
His friend
A conversation
I’m afraid for
the young man
Rubric for assessment: The generalized rubric below can be
used for both activities.
Criteria
4
3
2
Purpose: You have completed the
task required using correct register
and included all elements
Reading Comprehension: Your
work shows a clear understanding
of the plot, theme and
characterization of the story
Vocabulary: You used appropriate
and precise, rich vocabulary
related to the story
Structure: You work is virtually
free of grammatical and
orthographic errors. It is well
organized and easily understood.
Total points
16=100
15= 95
14= 90
13= 85
12= 80
11= 75
10= 70
9= 65
1
Beyond providing a grade, these products provide information
that short-answer test items do not. The first time I used the RAFT
as an assessment; most students selected the row that required
the Form of a wanted poster. Although the written language produced was not extensive, there was enough for me to see which
grammatical structures we needed to review. More importantly,
what they wrote allowed me to see just what they understood or
misunderstood from reading the passage. Their comprehension
of the passage was clearly seen through their words and pictures.
The examples provided only begin to explore the possibilities.
The adaptations are endless. Each can be as unique as are the
teachers and students that use them. For example, in a beginning
level language class a RAFT could be made on the topic of foods
and shopping. This RAFT could be differentiated by readiness by
changing the type of writing activity required for Form. One row
could read: R: el plátano (masculine fruit) A: La (feminine definite
article), F: List, T: Sorry, we canʼt hang out together, but here are
some possible buddies in the produce section of the supermercado. From this row two or three other rows could be created on the
same topic, but with writing tasks that are both more and less
challenging. A more challenging row, for example, could be R:
Restaurant Critic, A: Public, F: Newspaper Column, T: Want a delicious balanced meal? Likewise, the Think-Tac-Toe could be created according to communicative functions and language skills or
conjugations and tenses. In either case, students are allowed a
choice in what product they want to create and how they want to
express their knowledge and understanding. Teachers are provided with more information to reflect upon for self assessment and
to use for the planning of subsequent lessons.
The activities are engaging for the students. They enjoy doing
them. They are both easy to structure and allow teachers to tap
into the specific needs and skills of their students. As assessments, they provide rich feedback and insight regarding progress
and the proficiency of the studentsʼ language skills. From my point
of view, differentiated assessment is a win-win form of individual
student assessment for our diverse populations and our diverse
situations.
__________
REFERENCES
Blaz, D. Differentiated instruction: A guide for foreign language
teachers. Larchmont, NY: Eye On Education.
Diaz, J. M., Nadel, M. & Collins, S. J. (2007). Abriendo paso:
Lectura. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Hume-Nigro (2007). Designing differentiated lessons in LOTE.
Language Association Journal New York State Association of
Foreign Language Teachers. 58 2.
Kellough, R.D. & Kellough N. G. (2007). Secondary school teaching: A guide to methods and resources. 3rd edition. Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Tomlinson, C. A. (2001). How to differentiate instruction in mixed
–ability classrooms. 2nd ed. Alexandria, VA: Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Tomlimson, C. A. & Strickland, C. A. (2005). Differentiation in
practice: A resource guide for differentiated curriculum.
Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development.
__________
Diane Gomez, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of TESOL and
Special Education for the School of Education at Manhattanville
College. Her Spanish teaching career spans over 25 years from
elementary to undergraduate levels. She has delivered numerous
presentations and workshops on differentiation, literacy and
student-centered language classrooms.
8 = 60
7 = 55
11
NYSAFLT Annual Meeting Featured Session
Methods and Materials
Energize your Classroom with Music Videos
Anahí Walton-Schafer
Northport HS, Long Island
Do you want to zest up your lessons? Experience how the
power of music and images can keep your students on task, alert
and fully engaged in your classroom. Learn how to infuse lessons
with culturally relevant music videos, explore interdisciplinary
themes in the music, and develop authentic assessment materials. This presentation includes demonstrations and audience
participation games and activities. Energize your language classroom and integrate culture and language through technology.
A.
How do you justify using music videos in your classroom? Reasons to incorporate a music video in your
instruction:
1. It is an authentic cultural product (standard 2)
2. It lends itself to develop learning activities to meet
Standards 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
3. It is relevant to students
B.
Where to find music
• According to the language you teach you may go to:
— es.yaho.com - Spanish
— fr.yahoo.com - French
— it.yahoo.com - Italian
— de.yahoo.com - German
• On the left hand column, click Música, Musique, Musica,
Musik
• Scroll down the videos menu: click 100 top videos.
• Now you can start your search!
Other sites you may want to explore for music and videos are:
— iTunes
— Yahoo Music Jukebox
— batanga.com
— Univision.com
— Youtube.com
C.
Where to find lyrics:
Go to www.lyricsbox.com, www.lyricsmania.com, or Google
the song title or artist's name.
D.
How to get videos from the Internet:
• You need to download a program in order to capture videos
from the internet
• Go to: http://www.wmrecorder.com/index.php
• Once you install this program, you will be able to save
streaming audio and video in your computer. You'll be able
to store videos on your computer, memory stick or CD.
Note: Try the demo version for free. Click and install the program;
your computer will add a folder windows media recorder with two
files (data and extras). It looks like this:
Remember: The program tends to record everything unless you
stop it. Everything is saved on your computer!
12
Advice: clean up your windows media recorder file every time
you use it. Discard everything you do not intend to keep and store
your video files in a memory stick.
E.
How to download a YOUTUBE video
1. Highlight the video's URL and copy it.
"Eres para mí" looks like this:
http://video.music.yahoo.com/up/music/music/?rn=1307
660&vid=39605681&stationId=&curl=http%3A%2F%2F
es.music.yahoo.com%2Fmusicvideos%2Flists%2Ftop.
asp
2. Go to http://www.downloadyoutubevideos.com
3. Type the URL into the box DOWNLOAD THE VIDEO
and save it as flv
4. Rename the video and save it as .flv
5. Now you need to download a program to play flv on
your computer. I use Wimpy which is free:
http://www.wimpyplayer.com/
6. Finally, drag the saved video onto the Wimpy screen
and play it!
7. Save it in a memory stick and play it in your class
with LCD
F.
Now that you have it, what are you going to do with it?
Sound and images are just too powerful forces to confine
them to fill-in the blanks activities. You can set free your
students' imagination, dreams, aspirations and more! You
can combine skill-level grammar & vocabulary tasks (idioms,
verb tenses, word patterns, agreement, etc.) with performance tasks that challenge your students to bring into play
critical thinking skills and communicative competence in
meaningful tasks.
1. Pre-listening activities
• KWL
• Question/s
• Quotes
• Sayings/proverbs
• Pictures
• Sound
• Vocabulary.
2. Viewing/listening activities (grammar and vocabulary)
• Word recognition
• Cloze activities
• True/False
• Multiple choice
• Song strips
• Change of verb tense
• Reading comprehension (artist's bio)
• Q&A
• Word search
• Puzzles
• Sudoku.
3. Communicative mode activities
Interpretive:
• One-way communication between the content and the
student
• Discovery of meaning by reading
• Listening and making connections between existing
knowledge and new information.
• Analysis of particular lines/verses
• Meaning/implications of the lyrics
• Connections to history, artist's intent, artist's
personal experience.
Authentic assessment
• Solve a problem or create a product
• Conduct an interview
• Write a letter
• Write a short story
• Draw a cartoon
• Devise polls
• Give advice
• Create a metaphor
• Create a video or stage plot
• Create a list of main ideas and match them
to the song
• Select a visual to match the meaning of a phrase
or the entire song.
Interpersonal:
• Two way communication that engages students in
active negotiation of meaning by listening
• Speaking and writing in face-to-face spontaneous
exchanges
• Charts and graphic organizers
(categorizing information)
• Semantic maps
• Analogies
• Integration of interpretive skills.
*****************************
Presentational:
• One-way communication by creating and presenting a
piece orally or in writing that has been researched,
refined, rehearsed or planned with some anticipation
• Journal entry
• Write poetry
• Create visuals
• Create a video
• Role play
• PowerPoint presentation
• Write a spoof/parody/skit
• Write a critical review
• Create a storyboard
Banco de canciones para la clase de español
Canción
Marta, Sebas, Guille
Salta
Revolución
El hombre del piano
Sólo le pido a Dios
La puerta de Alcalá
Una nación
Eres
Penélope
La tierra
Por tí
Quizás
Louis
Báilame
Hotel California
Montana
Dame fútbol
La extraña pareja
Vine del norte
Zona Cero
No me ames
Bonito
Corazón
Romeo y Julieta
De colores
Guantanamera
Te recuerdo Amanda
Fiesta
Mi Niñez
Cantante
Amaral
Amaral
Amaral
Ana Belén/Victor M.
León Greco
Belén/Victor M.
Barrio Boyzz
Café Tacuba
Diego Torres
Ekhymosis
El Canto del Loco
Enrique Iglesias
Franco De Vita
Gipsy Kings
Gipsy Kings
Gipsy Kings
Ignacio Copani
Ismael Serrano
Ismael Serrano
Ismael Serrano
J. Lopez/M. Anthony
Jarabe de palo
Jarabe de palo
Jarabe de palo
Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Manuel Serrat
Joan Manuel Serrat
Tópico
la amistad
mandatos familiares
Cambio, juventud
comparación con inglés
presente subjuntivo
geografía de Madrid
el patriotismo
ser vs.estar; amor juvenil
mito actualizado
pronombres familiares
presente perfecto
el subjuntivo
profesiones
el caló
comparación c/ inglés
el presente
los deportes
impefecto vs. pretérito
Chile
ecos de 9/11/01
los mandatos
concordancia sust./adjetivo
los complementos directos
imperfecto vs. pretérito
canción popular
poesía de José Martí
Chile, desaparecidos
las fiestas españolas
imperfecto vs. Pretérito
Canción
Cantante
Por las paredes
Vencidos
Otro día más sin verte
Al otro lado del río
Maria Isabel
No soy feliz
Qué será
Amigos
El costo de la vida
La bilirrubina
Ojalá que llueva café
A Dios le pido
Fíjate
La camisa negra
La historia de Juan
Sueños
Volverte a ver
Fotografía
Geografía
La playa
La llorona
El rey
Hasta que me olvides
La media vuelta
Cuando los ángeles lloran
Justicia, Tierra, Libertad
La selva negra
En el muelle de San Blas
Mojado
Joan Manuel Serrat
Joan Manuel Serrat
Jon Secada
Jorge Drexler
José Feliciano
José Feliciano
José Feliciano
Juan Luis Guerra
Juan Luis Guerra
Juan Luis Guerra
Juan Luis Guerra
Juanes
Juanes
Juanes
Juanes
Juanes
Juanes
Juanes & Nelly F.
La oreja de Van Gogh
La oreja de Van Gogh
Joan Baez
Luis Miguel
Luis Miguel
Luis Miguel
Maná
Maná
Maná
Maná
Ricardo Arjona
Tópico
historia de España
Don Quijote/Guerra Civil Esp.
mandatos familiares
el verbo remar
la playa
impefecto del subjuntivo
el futuro
la amistad
términos económicos; inflación
la salud; la atracción,el amor
el subjuntivo; vida del campo
el subjuntivo
protesta vs. minas
amor malévolo
los niños de la calle
la paz vs. la violencia
los tiempo de ser
el amor y la distancia
términos geográficos
el superlativo
las leyendas
corrido mexicano, machismo
el subjuntivo/amor
el subjuntivo/machismo
destrucción de la selva
la justicia social
destrucc. selva tropical
Inmigrantes/inmigración
Inmigración
CD's:
Pablo Milanés canta a Nicolás Guillén
Serrat a Antonio Machado, poeta.
Ana Belén, Lorquiana 1 & 2
Paco Ibáñez en el Olimpia de París
Varios: homenaje a Pablo Neruda
13
Lesson Plan : Eres para mí, por Julieta Venegas
(Editorʼs note: Due to lyric permission laws, we cannot reprint lyrics here. Find all lyrics online at lyricsbox
or lyricsmania to create the cloze activities below)
Actividades:
Julieta Venegas - Eres para mí (fill-in act ivity; easy)
Julieta Venegas - Eres para mí (gerundio, commands)
Julieta Venegas - Eres para mí (algunos sinónimos) Ver el video una vez y después ver la letra
5. Discusión
1. ¿Qué palabras escuchaste? Chequéalas
Viento
Sombra
Brazo
Tiempo
Cuerpo
Miel
Corazón
Pintura
Peso
Voz
Espejo
Gente
Pulpo
Órgano
Momento
Extraño
Buen
Miedo
Todas
Todo
Lejos
Mundo
Diario
Siempre
Ojos
Abrazo
Músculo
Musical
Delgado
Deportista
¿Cuál es el tema de la canción?
Oigo
Llamándome
Moviéndose
Eres
Cambiando
Tenemos
Sucediendo
Ha dicho
Canta
Tienes
Quieres
Soy
Sé
Es
Corres
¿Crees en el destino? ¿Por qué?
¿Crees que existe el amor perfecto? ¿Por qué?
¿Hay relación entre la canción y el video? Explica.
¿Cómo imaginas a tu novio/novia ideal?
(Dibujar/collage/describir)
6. Escribir/Crear
1) Tú conoces al chico y crees que Julieta está en un error.
El chico no es bueno para ella. Escríbele una carta a
Julieta explicándole por qué ella debe olvidarse del chico.
2) Escribe un aviso clasificado en la sección Solos/Solas del
periódico local.
2. ¿Qué profesionales encuentra Julieta por la calle?
Policía ◊ ✓
Jardinero
Bombero
Trabajador
Estudiante
Electricista ◊ ✓
Carnicero
Arquitecta
Monja ◊ ✓
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
J.
K.
L.
M.
N.
O.
P.
Q.
R.
Deportista ◊ ✓
Enfermera
Mesera ◊ ✓
Cura
Ladrón ◊ ✓
Médica
Abogado
Vendedor de dulces ◊ ✓
Maestra
3. La historia (on the board, with magnets)
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
J.
K.
Aparece una mesera
Julieta estaciona el auto.
Aparece una monja
Julieta baja del auto
La policía saluda a Julieta
La policía persigue a un ladrón
Un grupo de gente baila en la calle.
Anita Tijoux rapea por la calle
Julieta conduce su auto.
Aparecen dos Julietas
Julieta encuentra a un hombre disfrazado
de pulpo
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
4. ¿Verdadero o Falso?
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
14
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
Julieta lleva unos pantalones azules
La monja tiene un hábito blanco
Llueve y hace viento
El electricista es bajo y delgado
La policía saluda a Julieta
Hay un hombre disfrazado de perro
La mesera es antipática
El novio de Julieta conduce el auto
El ladrón persigue al policía
Julieta sabe que el chico es para ella.
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
I
B
D
A
C
K
E
F
H
G
J
3) Crea un crucigrama o un buscapalabras con el nuevo
vocabulario.
4) Ilustra la canción con un dibujo o un collage. Preséntalo a
la clase.
5) Escribe una tira cómica sobre la canción. Preséntalo a la
clase
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Carlino, J. (2006) Using Online Music Videos: The New Twist.
NYSAFLT Summer Institute, Oneonta, NY.
Eddy, J.B. (2006) Sonidos, Sabores y Palabras. Boston, MA:
ThomsonHeinle.
Fenton, S. (2004) You played a song. Now What? A survival
guide for using songs in the Classroom 100's of ideas.
Madame Fifi Publications.
Wilson, S. B. (2006) Integrating Music in the Spanish
Classroom. NYSAFLT Annual Meeting Saratoga Springs, NY.
FOOTNOTE
I want to acknowledge the profound impact that the workshops
presented by John Carlino and Stevi B. Wilson have had in my
own work with music and videos in the classroom. Their outstanding presentations at the 2006 NYSAFLT Summer InstituteOneonta and 2006 Annual Meeting-Saratoga Springs, respectively, were a powerful source of materials, technologies, ideas, and
inspiration.
__________
Anahí Walton-Schafer teaches Spanish IV, IV, and V at Northport
High School, Long Island. She came to the United States from
Buenos Aires, Argentina, to pursue graduate studies in Modern
Latin American History. In 2001 she received her M.A. in Spanish
and became a Spanish Teacher. Presently, she is the Secretary of
LILT, the Long Island Language Teachers Association.
Ten Burning Questions
Center for Applied Second Language Studies
Carl Falsgraf, Director
We are starting up on a new project at CASLS called Ten Burning Questions. We are surveying the field to see what teachers
really want to know about language teaching and learning; then we will dig through the mountains of STAMP data (over 50,000 tests
last year) to try and find the answer.
____________________________________________________________________
You know, Iʼve always wondered
When is the best time to start learning a language?
How long does it take to get to Novice-High?
Is there an “achievement gap” in foreign languages?
We want to know what you have been wondering about.
CASLS (http://casls.uoregon.edu) is trying to identify the ʻten burning questionsʼ that practicing teachers have about
language learning and teaching. Then we will put our team of researchers to work on the problem.
We will try to answer each of the ten burning questions with a combination of literature review of what others have found and
original research based on data we have collected from administering the STAMP test (http://casls.uoregon.edu/stamp2.php). This year
about 50,000 students received STAMP scores. We also collect information on their home languages, years of study, program model,
and teacher background. Putting this information together, we can find out how different factors affect proficiency.
In fact, there is so much information in our database that we need help deciding where to prioritize. That is why CASLS is asking your
help in identifying the ten burning questions that teachers really want answered. We can also look at specific aspects of student
performance, such as pronunciation, spelling, fluency, and discourse structure. Donʼt worry too much about whether the question is easy
or hard for us to answer, just tell us what really matters to you as a teacher.
Submit your question to lforrest@uoregon.edu
Planned Giving
Last year, NYSAFLT learned that we were to be the beneficiary of a very generous contribution from a former member who recently passed away. Sally G. Hahn felt so strongly about the
benefits of early language instruction that she made it possible for NYSAFLT to make an annual award of up to $1000 to an outstanding FLES program in New York State. This award money
will come from interest earned on her bequest, which has been carefully invested by our
Financial Management Committee. If you would like more information about how you can make
a planned gift to NYSAFLT and impact a cause near to your heart, please contact John Carlino,
Executive Director, at NYSAFLT Headquarters.
15
LANGUAGE LEGISLATION
from JNCL-NCLIS
College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007
The College Cost and Reduction Act of 2007 was passed in
both the House of Representatives and the Senate. It was signed
by President Bush on Thursday, September 27, 2007 and became
Public Law No. 110-84. The purpose of this legislation is to
increase college financial aid and reduce loan costs in order to
make college more affordable. "The legislation will do more to help
students and families pay for college than any federal effort since
the 1944 GI Bill and comes at no new cost to U.S. taxpayers."
(http://edworkforce.house.gov/) The legislation makes changes to
the Pell Grant program and alters the current Higher Education Act
student loan program.
Of particular interest to language professionals, this bill would
provide student loan forgiveness to borrowers who serve in areas
of national need as early childhood educators, nurses, foreign language specialists, librarians, certain highly qualified teachers, child
welfare workers, speech language pathologists, National Service
participants, and public sector employees. It also would establish
a TEACH Grant program providing tuition assistance to undergraduate and graduate students who commit to teaching a high-need
subject in a high-need school for four years.
The chairman of the House Committee on Education and
Labor, Rep. George Miller, offered the following comments regarding the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007:
"Today is a momentous day for students and families
struggling to pay for college. This bill will help ensure that no
qualified student is prevented from going to college because
of the cost. With the College Cost Reduction and Access Act
signed into law, millions of students will receive much needed help to pay for college. I am extremely proud that the
Democratic Congress has provided the greatest investment
to help students and parents pay for college since the GI bill
and has delivered on our promise to make college more
affordable and accessible for families. This legislation shows
how the Congress and the President can work together to
accomplish important things on behalf of American families."
America COMPETES
On August 9, 2007, the President signed into law the America
Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in
Technology, Education, and Science Act. The purpose of this legislation is to invest in the innovation and education to improve the
competitiveness of the U.S. in the global economy. The America
"COMPETES" Act is an updated version of last yearʼs National
Competitiveness Investment Act introduced by Senators Frist and
Reid. This legislation is a bipartisan response to the National
Academies' "Rising Above the Gathering Storm" report and the
Council on Competitiveness' "Innovate America" report. It would
increase research investment, strengthen educational opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics from elementary through graduate school, and develop and innovation
infrastructure. In addition to expanding AP and IB programs and
funding for math, science, engineering, and technology, the
America COMPETES act would develop and implement programs
for bachelor's and master's degrees in critical foreign languages
with concurrent teaching credentials.
It would expand critical foreign language programs in elementary and secondary schools in order to increase the number of students studying and becoming proficient in these languages.
The legislation also proposes programs to develop and train
more teachers in these subject areas. This law is fairly broad in
scope and creates programs in a number of federal agencies.
16
Foreign Language Education Partnership Program
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965 to establish a partnership program in foreign languages. The
Secretary of Education would be given the authority to make
incentive payments to eligible partnerships to "develop and maintain model programs that support articulated language learning in
kindergarten through grade 12." The funds may be used for program design and teaching strategies according to best practices
and available research, curriculum and materials development,
national assessment development and enhancement, teacher inservice and pre-service program development, and recruitment
incentives for new teachers and students. The funds can also be
used to provide opportunities for maximum language exposure for
students, dual-language immersion programs, scholarships for
study abroad opportunities, activities that encourage whole-school
and community involvement, effective and innovative use of technology, and certification and alternative certification programs.
Further, a model program is exempt from receiving funding
under this program unless it contains a research and evaluation
component that would collect data regarding the effectiveness of
each activity of the language program and the effect of each activity on the language proficiency of the students. This data would be
analyzed and made public under standardization guidelines determined by the Secretary.
A partnership that is awarded incentive funding under this program for one fiscal year would have the opportunity to continue
funding for the three succeeding fiscal years if proven effective.
This requirement may be waived by the Secretary if the program
relates to critical languages or if the year is used primarily for planning rather than program implementation. Incentive payments for
this bill would be appropriated in the amount of $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2008.
This bill has been added into Title V of the discussion draft
for the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act as Part B of the Foreign Language Assistance
Program.
Foreign Language Education Expansion Act
This legislation would provide teacher of foreign languages the
same loan forgiveness opportunities as teachers of math and science. It would give teachers of foreign languages eligibility for loan
forgiveness up to $17,500 if they teach in Title I elementary and
secondary schools for five years. This bill addresses the teacher
shortages in foreign languages and is designed to expand the
number of teachers entering the field.
Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Act
*This bill passed unanimously in the House of Representatives on
June 5, 2007*
This bill would establish the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad
Foundation under the authorities of the Mutual Educational and
Cultural Exchange Act of 1961. The act would require the
Foundation to award grants to U.S. students and nongovernmental institutions that provide and promote study abroad opportunities
in consortium with institutions of higher education. These grants
would be awarded increasingly to students studying in nontraditional locations.
The legislation implements the recommendations from the
Abraham Lincoln Commission's report Global Competence and
National Needs: One Million Americans Studying Abroad.
America COMPETES Act
On August 9, 2007, the President signed into law the America
Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in
Technology, Education, and Science Act. The purpose of this legislation is to invest in the innovation and education to improve the
competitiveness of the U.S. in the global economy. The America
"COMPETES" Act is an updated version of last year's National
Competitiveness Investment Act introduced by Senators Frist and
Reid. This legislation is a bipartisan response to the National
Academies' "Rising Above the Gathering Storm" report and the
Council on Competitiveness' "Innovate America" report. It would
increase research investment, strengthen educational opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics from elementary through graduate school, and develop and innovation
infrastructure. In addition to expanding AP and IB programs and
funding for math, science, engineering, and technology, the
America COMPETES act would develop and implement programs
for bachelor's and master's degrees in critical foreign languages
with concurrent teaching credentials. It would expand critical foreign language programs in elementary and secondary schools in
order to increase the number of students studying and becoming
proficient in these languages.
The legislation also proposes programs to develop and train
more teachers in these subject areas. This law is fairly broad in
scope and creates programs in a number of federal agencies.
Foreign Language Coordination Council
This bill was introduced in both the House and Senate early in
the first session of the 110th Congress. If passed, it would establish a national foreign language strategy to be executed by a
national council. The council would appoint a National Language
Director and would consist of the Secretaries of Education,
Defense, State, Homeland Security, Labor, and Commerce,
among others. The council would be responsible for overseeing,
coordinating, and implementing foreign language initiatives, including the National Security Language Initiative.
Appropriations FY 2008
The President's budget proposal for fiscal year 2008, the
Senate Committee recommendations, and the House Committee
recommendations have been released. The budget proposal allots
$56 billion for education, with almost half of that going toward
Pres. Bush's No Child Left Behind Act. Of importance for foreign
languages would be the $2 million increase in FLAP funding
($24 million), $15.4 billion for Pell Grants, and $1.2 billion for
Academic Competitiveness and SMART grants, which would be
a $390 million increase from FY 2006.
Senate Recommendations
The Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related
Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2008 has some very strong
report language regarding the Foreign Language Assistance
Program (FLAP):
• "The Committee intends for funding available under this program to promote the goal of well-articulated, long-sequence
language programs that lead to demonstrable results for all
students. The Committee directs the Department not to make
grants to schools that are replacing current traditional
language programs with critical needs language instruction."
• ... At least 75 percent of the appropriation must be used to
expand foreign language education in the elementary
grades..."
• "The Committee is concerned that this program...is unavailable to the poorest schools because grant recipients must
provide a 50 percent match from non-Federal sources. The
Committee, therefore, strongly urges the Secretary to use her
ability to waive the matching requirement..."
House Recommendations
Among other things, the House Committee revives Star
Schools at $11.5 million; increases the Foreign Language
Assistance Program (FLAP) by $3 million; provides a $4.2 million
push for Civic Education; and provides significant additions in earmarks for the Fund for the Improvement of Education (FIE) and the
Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE).
Significantly in higher education, International Education and
Foreign Language Studies receive a $9.9 million increase.
As with the Senate Committee report language, (available at
http://languagepolicy.org) the House Committee has some strong
views on a number of these programs, such as International
Education and Foreign Language Studies, where they urge greater
coordination and improved data gathering and reporting. They do
not fund the Administration's request for funding for NSLI's
Advancing America Through Foreign Language Partnerships and
suggest that the goals of this initiative can be accomplished
through expanding FLAP.
JNCL-NCLIS Appropriations Chart (available at
http://languagepolicy.org
Appropriations FY 2007
The budget has been passed by Congress for fiscal year 2007.
It follows the same figures as FY 2006 and will fund the various
government agencies (except for Defense and Homeland Security
where appropriation bills were passed) at the same levels as last
year, i.e. International Education and Foreign Language Studies at
$105.8 million, the Foreign Language Assistance Program at
$21.7 million, Civic Education at $29.1 million, the National
Endowment for the Humanities at $140.9 million, and Education
and Cultural Exchange (State Dept.) at $437.1 million. For other
program funding, please see the appropriations chart (available at
http://languagepolicy.org).
Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP)
For the first time in his Administration, President Bush did not
eliminate FLAP. The President requested a $2 million increase to
$23.7 million for FY 2007. As a part of NSLI, FLAP will be refocused to create incentives to teach and study critical languages
including Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean along with other
languages the Administration deems to fall under this heading.
Please visit All About FLAP at http://languagepolicy.org to learn
more about the program.
Title VI and Fulbright-Hays
The budget proposes level funding for Title VI and FulbrightHays, except for a $1 million increase for Title VI domestic programs. The increase is "to establish a nationwide distance education E-learning Clearinghouse to deliver foreign language education resources to teachers and students across the country." The
new E-learning Clearinghouse is a part of the President's NSLI
Overseas Programs/Fulbright-Hays Institute for International
Public Policy $1.6 million (FY 06 funding is $1.6 million).
Advancing America Through Foreign Language Partnerships
As a part of NSLI, this is a program of "competitive grants to
establish fully articulated language programs of study in languages
critical to US national security. Twenty-four grants of $1 million
each would be made "to institutions of higher education for partnerships with school districts for language learning from kindergarten through high school and into advanced language learning at
the postsecondary level." The goal is to "produce significant
17
numbers of graduates with advanced levels of proficiency in languages critical to national security, many of whom would be candidates for employment with agencies and offices of the Federal
Government, across a wide range of disciplines." The funding level
request for this program is $24 million. New legislation authorizing
the creation of this program is needed.
Language Teacher Corps
This program will be funded under the Fund for the
Improvement of Education. The Administration requested $5 million for this program that will provide training to college graduates
with critical language skills who are interested in becoming foreign
language teachers. This program is also a part of NSLI.
E-Learning Clearinghouse
This program is a nationwide distance education Clearinghouse
to deliver foreign language education resources to teachers and
students across the country. It received a $1 million request for
funding in the Administrationʼs budget proposal.
For more information on these and other national policy
issues, legislation, and initiatives, please visit JNCL-NCLIS at
www.languagepolicy.org
Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative
Another NSLI program, the initiative will fund intensive summer
training sessions for foreign language teachers, especially those of
critical languages. Three million dollars was requested to fund the
initiative.
18
NYSAFLT is pleased to announce the
2008-2009 Teacher Travel Cultural Awards
•
•
•
Unless otherwise noted, all applications are available at www.nysaflt.org or from
NYSAFLT Headquarters.
In order to be eligible for a NYSAFLT Travel Stipend (available as noted below),
applicant must be a current member of NYSAFLT.
Other requirements vary by award. Please see individual applications for details.
NYSAFLT/AATI/
ItalianCulturalInstituteAward
Università per Stranieri di Perugia
Travel Summer 2008
$500 honorarium from AATI
Italian Cultural Institute
*Must be a member of NYSAFLT and AATI
Deadline: March 15th
Contact: Rosa Riccio Pietanza
(718) 256-3223
RMRP@aol.com
NYSAFLT/GoetheInstitutCulturalAward
InternationesAward
Dates/locations of programs tba
Travel summer 2009
$700 NYSAFLT travel stipend
Deadline: April 15th
Contact: Ana Djukic-Cocks
(315) 343-4647
djukicco@oswego.edu
NYSAFLT/FrenchCulturalServicesAward
Times/locationstba
Travel Summer 2007
$700 NYSAFLT stipend available
FrenchEmbassyDeadline:January 2008
See www.frenchculture.org for up-to-date
information. Click on “Search” and enter
“SPCD” (Stages Pédagogiques de Courte Durée)
NYSAFLTDeadline: May 1
Contact: Abbe Guillet
(315) 638-8332
anguillet@yahoo.fr
SpecialDirections:Scholarship applications are
handled through the French Embassy. To apply,
go to www.frenchculture.org, click on Click on
“Search” and enter “SPCD” (Stages
Pédagogiques de Courte Durée), and download
the application. Upon notification from the
French Cultural Services that you have been
selected, submit the separate application for the
NYSAFLT travel stipend, which should be
submitted to Abbe Guillet no later than May 1.
NYSAFLT/CemanahuacCulturalAward
Cemanahuac Institute in Cuernavaca
Travel Summer 2007
$700 NYSAFLT travel stipend available
Deadline:April 15th
Contact: Jill Dugan
(518) 218-0822
jilldugan@earthlink.net
NYSAFLT/NovgorodCulturalAward
Teach Russian to teachers of English
Travel June/July, 2008
Deadline:January 15th
Contact: Candice Black
(585) 334-5046
cblack@rhnet.org
NYSAFLT/CostaRicaCulturalAward
Academia Tica - Costa Rica
Travel Summer 2007
Deadline:April 15th
Contact: Jill Dugan
(518) 218-0822
jilldugan@earthlink.net
NYSAFLT/Qu?becCulturalAwards
Centre Linguistique du Collège de Jonquière
Travel Summer 2008
Deadline:April 15th
Contacts: David Graham
(518) 563-1779
davidg8809@aol.com
Dr. Eliane McKee
(716) 763-2021
mckeee@buffalostate.edu
NYSAFLT* 2400 Main Street * Buffalo, NY 14214 * (716) 836-3130 * www.nysaflt.org * hq@nysaflt.org
19
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
FOR 2008 NYSAFLT ELECTIONS
Candidates are sought for the following offices for terms beginning January 1, 2009:
Directors
Director, Buffalo Region, 3 year term
Director, Capital Region, 3 year term
Director, Long Island Region, 3 year term
Director, Mid-Hudson Region, 3 year term
Director, New York City Region, 3 year term
Director, Rochester Region, 3 year term
Director, Syracuse Region, 3 year term
Officers
2nd Vice-President, 1 year term
1st Vice President, 1 year term
President-elect, 1 year term
Secretary, 2 year term
Nominations Committee
2009 Nominations Committee, 1 year term
Requirements –
• A candidate for an office must have been a member of NYSAFLT for 5 years preceding 2008.
• A candidate for a Director position must have been a member of NYSAFLT for 3 years
including 2008.
• A candidate for the Nominations Committee must have been a member of NYSAFLT for 2
years preceding 2008.
Any member of NYSAFLT may make a nomination. For more information or to make a
nomination, visit our website or contact:
Marie Campanaro,
Nominations Committee Chairperson
Mcampanaro@aol.com
(585) 227-7905
Have ideas to share with your colleagues?
Consider being a presenter at the
91st NYSAFLT Annual Meeting
October 10 – 12, 2008
Saratoga Springs, NY
Workshop Proposals accepted online at
http://annualmeeting.nysaflt.org
For more information, contact:
Irma Evangelista, 2008 Annual Meeting Chair
ievangelista@nysaflt.org
20
John Carlino, Executive Director
hq@nysaflt.org
21
Study Spanish in Costa Rica with Academia Tica and experience
nature at its best! www.academiatica.com, actica@racsa.c.cr
Bennington College
Master of Arts
in Teaching a Second Language
designed for working teachers •
low residency •
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22
Earn a MATSL degree in French or Spanish
through a unique summer residency program at
Bennington College in Vermont. The program is
designed for working teachers who want to
sharpen their teaching skills and define the
future of the foreign language profession.
802.440.4710
matsl@bennington.edu
www.bennington.edu
Give them a better way to learn any language
(without spending a fortune).
With our digital language lab technology, you get effective teaching and learning
tools so that your students’ success is not by chance. SANS offers a suite of
fully digital software products for an interactive learning environment – engaging
students in listening, speaking, and cultural exploration and providing teachers
with digital tools for assessment and authentic lesson creation. All of this can positively impact student performance, test scores, and real life language skills. From
the Sony Virtuoso™ and Sony Soloist® Software suite for classroom instruction
and independent study, to our SANSSpace™ Virtual Learning Environment for anytime, anywhere language learning, we can provide a scalable software solution
based on your curriculum, level, and budget. With more fully digital language labs
in place in the United States, SANS is a proven technology leader in language education. And fortunately, with SANS’ new flexible licensing options, affordable
technology is now part of your immediate future. Please contact Jay Carney, your
local representative at jcarney@ctslabs.com or 800-342-5285 ext.105
877-315-SANS
www.sansinc.com
Chester Technical
Services, Inc.
800-342-5285
www.ctslabs.com
©2007 SANS Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Virtuoso
and Soloist are trademarks of Sony Electronics Inc. SANS products incorporate SANS and Sony technology. SANSSpace
is a trademark of SANS Inc.
23
24
25
26
Dear NYSAFLT Member:
Membership renewal time is here! In fact, if you received a renewal notice in the mail, your NYSAFLT
membership will expire December 31st, 2007. (NYSAFLT membership is by calendar year only.) Please don’t
let that happen! Stop and think about all that NYSAFLT is and can be for you:
• The collective voice of thousands of foreign language teachers across New York State
• Your advocate at the New York State Education Department
• Your opportunity for LOTE-specific professional development
• Your access to a state-of-the art website
• Your source for student recognition awards
• Your source for travel awards to France, Germany, Russia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Québec, and Italy
• Your network for communication with colleagues around the state through our Journal, our Listserv,
our Newsletter, our conferences
• Your opportunity for professional growth, through state and regional conferences
• Your voice at the national level— at NECTFL, at ACTFL, and at JNCL-NCLIS
Please take advantage of this opportunity sooner rather than later. By renewing now, you will:
• Ensure that you won’t miss our first Journal and Newsletter of 2008
• Ensure uninterrupted access to the NYSAFLT website Members Only section and to uninterrupted
Listserv updates (If you are not on our listserv, please send us an e-mail and request to be added!)
• Ensure eligibility for yourself and for your students for NYSAFLT scholarships and awards
Membership rates will be increasing January 1, 2008. If you renew before January 1,
you can still take advantage of our 2007 rates!
Membership rates
Regular Member
Associate Member
(Employed part-time)
Retired Member
Student Member
(with copy of student ID)
2007
$40 (2 years for $75)
2008
$50 (2 years for $95)
$23
$15 (2 years for $25)
$30
$20 (2 years for $35)
$10
$15
Your NYSAFLT membership continues to be one of the best professional bargains available!
You can renew with this membership form or with a credit at www.nysaflt.org card in just a few easy steps!
As you complete your membership form, please take a moment to consider a tax deductible donation to
NYSAFLT in the name of any of our very worthwhile funds. For more information about donation
opportunities, contact John Carlino at NYSAFLT Headquarters.
If you have any questions about this process, please contact NYSAFLT Headquarters at 716.836.3130 or by
e-mail at hq@nysaflt.org.
27
NEW YORK STATE ASSOCIATION OF
FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHERS, Inc.
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
NYSAFLT membership is by calendar year – January 1 – December 31
LAST NAME:
FIRST NAME:
STREET ADDRESS:
REFERRED BY:
CITY / STATE / ZIP:
COUNTY:
HOME PHONE:
(
)
PREFERRED E-MAIL:
ALTERNATE E-MAIL:
SCHOOL NAME:
SCHOOL ADDRESS:
SCHOOL PHONE:
(
)
Please select the region (only one) in which you would like
to be included for regional mailings:
__ Buffalo
__ Capital
__ Long Island
__ Mid-Hudson
__ NYC
__ Northern - East
__ Northern - West
__ Rochester
__ Southern Tier
__ Syracuse
__ Westchester
Please check the language(s) you teach:
__ French
__ German
__ Hebrew
__ Italian
__ Latin
__ Russian
__ Spanish
__ ESL
__ Other:
Please check the level(s) at which you work:
__ Elem.
__ Middle / Junior High
__ Other _________
__ Dept. Chair / Supervisor
__ Methods Instructor
__ Senior High
__ Post Secondary
YEARS OF TEACHING EXPERIENCE:
Membership Type:
Please indicate your membership category by circling the
correct amount and entering it on the line below:
Postmarked by Dec. 31, 2007
As of Jan. 1, 2008
Regular
$40 (2 yrs. $75)
$50 (2 yrs. $95)
Associate (part-time) $23
$30
Retiree
$15 (2 yrs. $25)
$20 (2 yrs. $35)
Full-Time Student
$10
$15
Life - Regular
$1000
$1250
Life - Retiree
$375
$500
Enter Membership Amount Here:
$
Please consider making a donation to NYSAFLT to help
support one or more of the following award funds:
Philip Fulvi Fund
(Student Award)
$
Anthony Papalia Fund
(Research)
$
Dorothy Ludwig Fund
(Service)
$
Gertrude Rossin Fund
(Culture)
$
Kay Lyons Fund
(Leadership)
$
General Scholarship Fund
(General)
$
Charles Zimmerman Fund (Teacher-led Travel)
$
Student Study Abroad Endowment Fund
$
ENTER TOTAL PAYMENT HERE:
NYSAFLT is an organization made up of teachers who
volunteer their time and talents. Please check any of the
following activities with which you would be willing to help!
$
Pay by CHECK or by CREDIT CARD OR SCHOOL P.O.
(MasterCard or VISA ONLY – NO CHECK CARDS)
Enter Card Number Here:
_ Annual Meeting Hospitality
_ Colloquium (April)
_ Annual Meeting Registration
_ Summer Institute (Aug)
Exp. Date ___ ___ / ___ ___
_ Workshop Presenter
_ Other _____________
Signature _________________________________________
___ ___ ___ ___-___ ___ ___ ___-___ ___ ___ ___-___ ___ ___ ___
JOIN OR RENEW ONLINE OR RETURN COMPLETED APPLICATION WITH CHECK (PAYABLE TO NYSAFLT),
CREDIT CARD INFORMATION, OR SCHOOL DISTRICT PURCHASE ORDER TO:
NYSAFLT, 2400 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14214
OR FAX TO 716-836-3020
28
NFIC;
,!.'5!'%3
E<N
'/
)'
Where Great Lessons Begin
Looking for a NEW program?
Start with McDougal Littell!
1000_1131_NYSALFT_Fall.alt.indd 1
9/7/07 11:40:53 AM
Non-profit
Organization
U.S. Postage
2400 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14214-2364
PAID
A Printed on recycled paper.
Albany, N.Y.
Permit No. 730
presents
Call: 1-800-272-8674
Email: info@bravotours.com • www.bravotours.com
Our
26th
Year

Language Association Journal - New York State Association of

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