The Digital Polyglot

A publication of the Inland Empire World Language Association since 1985

March, 2016

Editor - Bethany Thompson
Asst. Editor - Trini Rios

In this Issue:

IEFLA Spring Workshop - Give it Your Best Shot!
Honors Reception - Deadline March 15, only 4 spaces left
CLTA Annual Conference Visalia Marriott, March 17-20
Tech Corner - Easy Bib
YouTube Clip of the Month - "Dis Papa" and "10 Spanish Color Songs"
#authres
Activities, Activities, Activities
Arabic Summer Intensive Language Programs
Language in the News

Give it Your Best Shot!

with
Kara Parker and Megan Smith

IEFLA Spring Workshop, California State University, San Bernardino
Saturday, April 30, 2016, 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Refocus a Traditional Language Unit: Zoom in on Culture

• Engage students with culture.
• Sharpen that language lesson.
• Zoom in on purposeful communication.
• Create real-life scenarios.
• Make real connections at home and abroad.
• Reflect through comparisons.
  

Assessment? Think Snapshots and Selfies

• Explore performance-based assessments.
• Provide your class with meaningful feedback.
• Measure with proficiency-based rubrics.
• Guide students to create and self-assess.
• Experience interpersonal assessment.

Registration:  $85   We cannot take PO’s.
When and Where:  Saturday, April 30, 2016, University Hall Room UH-042, California State University, San Bernardino, 5500 University Parkway, San Bernardino, CA 92407

Register online with credit card at http://iefla.weebly.com/ or mail the registration form with a check. (Download registration form at http://www.iefla.org/.)

As of press time, 36 teachers had already submitted their nominations. So there are only 4 spaces left. Nominate your students now to ensure them a spot on the program. - Ed.

17th Annual Inland Empire Language Association

Honors Reception For Outstanding World Language Students

 (Nomination deadline March 15, 2016)

Inland Empire world language teachers are invited to submit the names of students of any level whose world language achievement they would like recognized at the Honors Reception.  No more than five students may be nominated per teacher. All five of the students that you nominate will be honored at the reception with a certificate.

On Wednesday, April 20, 2016, IEFLA and the Cal State San Bernardino Center for the Advancement of Second Language Acquisition will be sponsoring an Honors Reception to recognize outstanding foreign language students.  The reception will be at 5:00 p.m. at California State University, San Bernardino.

Nominate your students online at http://iefla.weebly.com/iefla-honors-reception.html/.  Deadline is March 15, 2016, or when 40 teacher limit is reached. Nominations are accepted on a first come, first served basis. There is no charge for this event. Select your five top students now and submit your nominations right away. You will receive confirmation of your nominations the first week of April.

For questions or information send email to Jennifer Lovelace at lovelj@charter.net.

CLTA Annual Conference 2016

The annual CLTA Conference is coming to Visalia! It is a wonderful opportunity to network with colleagues, get new ideas and materials for your classroom, and visit with a variety of publishers and vendors. Visalia is only a 4-hour drive north of San Bernardino. Get a group of your friends and/or colleagues together and plan your trip now!

Visalia Marriott - Convention Center
March 17-20, 2016, CLTA Annual Conference, including speakers, workshops, interest sessions, exhibitors, and more.

For registration and additional information. This is a fantastic opportunity for professional development when you need it most! The Conference is one of the premiere professional development opportunities every year for world language professionals in California and beyond. Expert and seasoned presenters, peer presentations, pre-Conference workshops, exhibitors , vendors, awards and grants, and more.

Pre-Registration Deadline March 9, 2016
Click Here

Mini-grant results

IEFLA offered three $200 mini-grants to Inland Empire teachers. However we received only one application. The mini-grant was awarded to Dr. Sybil Acevedo at A. B. Miller High School in Fontana.

The other two mini-grants were not awarded because no other teachers applied.

Tech Corner 

Easy Bib-  If you have students do research, they can use Easy Bib to easily cite sources.  Easy Bib takes the Internet resource and puts it into proper format and will export the Bibliography in a variety of formats.  If your students are doing research you need Easy Bib!  Check it out today.

YouTube Clip of the Month

“Dis Papa” – Your students will be laughing at this dad trying to get his daughter to say his name.

YouTube Extra

Ten Spanish Color songs for kids from Spanish Playground

#authres

Great ideas for choosing appropriate #authres from Mundo de Pepita.

Imagine what you can do with this infographic about François Hollande’s recent trip.  Level 1:  Dates and days and times, Level 2:  Where did he go?  Level 3:  Where will he be going?  Level 4:  Why?  What is the purpose of his trip?

Entrevista de cumpleaños – from contrasypros.com  Can your students fill it out?

“Calais:  Parler de la jungle est-ce raciste?” – Discuss the refugee camp in Calais with your students.

#langchat summary on improving reading skills with #authres

Combining #authres for a more in depth study and analysis –an example from Maris Hawkins. 

Activities, Activities, Activities

Homework choices- Give your students a choice for their homework.  Check out these student selected homework slips. 

Ships and Sailors Activity for Spanish Class – Get everyone laughing and talking in Spanish.

Reading PLUS activity in Spanish about “La Affluenza” from Amy Lenord

Report of the Day – Do it with students in the lower levels or assign a date to upper level students and have them do a “Report of the Day” 

Turn your classroom into a giant board game!  From http://www.throwawayyourtextbook.com/blog/spanish-board-game

Printable Spanish Word Problems- Because everyone needs practice with numbers and everyone loves word problems!

Using word clouds for comprehensible input and exposure to language from CI Peek.

No prep- extended reading and writing activity from Cynthia Hitz

Use a telenovela to flip the classroom?  Read how and why from Pilar Munday.

French cultural activities in Southern California including films and an exhibit at the Norton Simon museum.

100 Canciones Infantiles – Spanish songs available for download.

Arabic Summer Language Intensive Program at CSUSB

June 22 - August 12, 2016

Participants will complete the equivalent of an entire year of college classes during the seven-and-a-half week program. Students should expect to spend their weeks, Mondays through Saturdays, immersed in the program all day long (half day on Saturdays).

The program includes extra-curricular activities, some of them are electives while others are compulsory. These activities include learning the art of calligraphy, Middle Eastern ceramics, folkloric dancing, ethnic food cooking, in addition to watching and discussing movies from the Arab world, listening to guest speakers, going on three field trips and participating in one camping trip.

Students are encouraged but not required to stay in the dorms to maximize their exposure to the language, so they have the added opportunity to live with language tutors who are native Arabs or students who have reached advanced proficiency levels.

Early registration is encouraged to increase chances of qualifying for scholarships. For additional information go to http://flan.csusb.edu/summer/arabic/ or phone (909) 537-5847.

Summer Arabic Language Program for High School Students in the University of Illinois

This summer, high school students can earn 2 University of Illinois credits in just 2 weeks by taking part in this intensive Modern Arabic Language Program which will be held from June 12 to June 25, 2016.
Program Highlights:

•   This is a language program designed and run by experienced teachers, tutors and staff with a native command of Arabic
•   No prior knowledge of Arabic assumed
•   Small class size and supportive environment
•   The program provides solid preparation for college

Registration is open till April 30, 2016. For more information, visit the program website at http://publish.illinois.edu/summerlanguageprogram/

Languages in the News

“Why California’s Multilingual Education Act matters”

“Cabrillo proposes changes to Cunha immersion”