http://linguaculture.net/blog/ en-us Nucleus CMS v3.24 © Weblog http://backend.userland.com/rss http://linguaculture.net/blog//nucleus/nucleus2.gif http://linguaculture.net/blog/ http://linguaculture.net/blog/index.php?itemid=12 Early Language Learners http://linguaculture.net/blog/index.php?itemid=12 Fri, 1 May 2009 06:40:17 -0400 http://linguaculture.net/blog/index.php?itemid=11 here.
The Decatur Daily also came to interview my class about the project. You can read the newspaper article here.
My daughter's Spanish-speaking preschool class is even in on the action now, exchanging drawings with a class in Spain. ]]> Early Language Learners http://linguaculture.net/blog/index.php?itemid=11 Sat, 27 Oct 2007 22:04:42 -0400 http://linguaculture.net/blog/index.php?itemid=10 I've set up a wiki for my Spanish class culture capsule project. I'm hoping that the idea of publishing the project online helps to encourage quality work and critical thought from my students. Stay tuned...
]]> Teen and Adult Language Learners http://linguaculture.net/blog/index.php?itemid=10 Tue, 2 Oct 2007 20:45:01 -0400 http://linguaculture.net/blog/index.php?itemid=9 Look at the items sent here.]]> Early Language Learners http://linguaculture.net/blog/index.php?itemid=9 Fri, 28 Sep 2007 12:17:26 -0400 http://linguaculture.net/blog/index.php?itemid=8 Teach Your Child Spanish Through Play is now officially in print!

Find it here.
If you know anyone who might be interested in teaching a child Spanish, please direct them my way!]]> Early Language Learners http://linguaculture.net/blog/index.php?itemid=8 Sat, 22 Sep 2007 14:58:52 -0400 http://linguaculture.net/blog/index.php?itemid=7 Curriculum-framing questions that we are exploring in my classroom right now are "How do underlying values and themes drive behavior in the target culture?" and "How are the products and practices of the target culture outward manifestations of the underlying values and themes?"
This is great, but what do we do with that student who cannot tolerate ambiguity? You know, the one who after a great classroom discussion looks up and says, "So what's the answer? What do I write?"
I'm currently attending a series of intel project-based learning workshops. So far, they have been packed with useful information. I'm hoping that the future workshops will help me to learn what to do with that student.
]]> Teen and Adult Language Learners http://linguaculture.net/blog/index.php?itemid=7 Fri, 14 Sep 2007 15:55:27 -0400 http://linguaculture.net/blog/index.php?itemid=6 Exactly when does teaching Spanish fit in to all of this? These kids need practice.
We are a month in with this academic year and I'm not even through chapter 1 of the text in any of my classes.
I vowed to give them more homework. But what? Meaningless grammar drills? No...that's just busywork. It's not helping them to really communicate in Spanish.
Just tell them to practice at home? No...there is no way they'd actually do it.
What if I gave them some activities that would really help them practice Spanish (such as having a "Spanish only" night out with a classmate) and found some sort of way to hold them accountable to actually doing it? That sounded like a good idea.
So I gave students a choice of 5 projects- something for everyone. They have to choose one to do before the end of the month and can do more for extra credit.
I unleashed the assignment on them this morning and braced myself for the whining.
Instead, I heard excited whispers and one, "Wow! This is going to be fun!"
I almost fell over.
]]> Teen and Adult Language Learners http://linguaculture.net/blog/index.php?itemid=6 Tue, 4 Sep 2007 23:00:51 -0400 http://linguaculture.net/blog/index.php?itemid=5
Then I gave my students a little prior knowledge quiz about countries of the Spanish-Speaking world.

According to my class:

Argentina = Russia
Venezuela = Europe
Costa Rica = A country run by Fidel Castro where there is 24 hours of sunlight. This country is actually part of the United States.
Spain = A country in South America (you know, down there near Russia...) that is most famous for sheep and eating tacos.
Ecuador = In Africa

I was amazed. These are high school students. And this is collective knowledge. They were in groups!

That very night, the Miss Teen South Carolina fiasco transpired. I would have thought that she was an isolated case, but after the day's geography activity I knew better. I vowed to launch a massive geography education plan in conjunction with the classroom language curriculum. My students may hate me for it, but they are not going to leave my class without at least learning that Argentina is not Russia.

This is what my geography plan consists of at the moment: We've labeled maps and colored them. Students have been given sticky notes with country names and been asked to post them in the correct location on a world map projected on to the wall. We are working on these two projects:
Geography and Colors
and
El Mapa Geography Project

Please leave a comment or email me and let me know if you have any other ideas!]]> Educator Resources http://linguaculture.net/blog/index.php?itemid=5 Mon, 3 Sep 2007 16:44:42 -0400