Contents

From http://www.coerll.utexas.edu/coerll/shl-workshop-2018

From Conception to Implementation: Creating and Sustaining a Heritage Spanish Language Program
June 7-8, 2019
University of Texas at Austin

During this two-day workshop, participants will discuss the administrative and pedagogical aspects that can play a role in the development of a theoretically- and pedagogically-sound language program for heritage language learners. In addition, participants will discuss issues related to the preparation and professionalization of teachers of Spanish as a heritage language, including professional development and institutional support. Finally, participants will learn how to create original, open source materials that promote positive cultural models and focus on the linguistic and academic needs of Spanish heritage language learners. Participants will obtain hands-on experience with these topics and will leave with practical ideas that they can implement in their own institutions.

For full details, go to http://www.coerll.utexas.edu/coerll/shl-workshop-2018

From https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2019/03/new-research-center-to-support-chicagos-bilingual-population/

New research center to support Chicago’s bilingual population
Bilingualism Matters Chicago will support schools, parents and the community
by Mohamed Abdelfattah
March 14, 2019

Bilingualism Matters, an international research and information center, will launch its Chicago chapter on Tuesday, March 19, hoping to bring the science of bilingualism to the wider Chicago community, including schools and parents.

...“Bilingualism Matters Chicago represents the first consortium of multiple universities in North America dedicated to the advocacy, education and support for issues surrounding bilingualism, multilingualism and linguistic diversity,” said Viorica Marian, a professor in Northwestern University’s School of Communication and the principal investigator in the Bilingualism and Psycholinguistics Research Group.

...Bilingualism Matters Chicago will bring together scientists and linguists from five universities in the Chicago area, including Northwestern, DePaul, Loyola University Chicago, University of Chicago and the University of Illinois at Chicago. 

“We will talk to parents, teachers, healthcare providers and community groups about the cognitive and social advantages of bilingualism, about the models of bilingual education that we know work best for kids, and about how to raise bilingual children in the face of pressure to abandon any language but English,” said Kim Potowski, professor in the Department of Hispanic and Italian Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and an expert on heritage language development.

Read the full article at https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2019/03/new-research-center-to-support-chicagos-bilingual-population/

As we noted last November (https://caslsintercom.uoregon.edu/content/25969), Maine joins the growing list of states that offer a Seal of Biliteracy to graduating high school seniors. Find out the full details about how your students can earn a seal on this Maine Department of Education Website: https://www.maine.gov/doe/learning/content/world-language/biliteracy

From https://kidworldcitizen.org

Becky Morales starts her 26-minute podcast, which celebrates the International Year of Indigenous Languages, by discussing the concept of "indigenous" and exploring the issue of indigenous languages by different world regions. She also provides links to resources and activities that may be of special usefulness for teachers of indigenous language. She then goes on to interview Américo Mendoza-Mori about his work teaching Quechua and Spanish at the University of Pennsylvania. 

Listen to the podcast and/or read the transcript at https://kidworldcitizen.org/teaching-indigenous-languages-history-best-practices-and-activities/

From https://mailchi.mp/qfi/arabic-k-12-bulletin-may-1-993393?e=feb2c9cab6

Here's an activity idea from the Arabic K-12 Teachers Network newsletter:

"Teaching students how to narrate their personal life story? Here's a fun idea: have them 'draw their life' and discuss it as they draw! First watch this Arab YouTuber [https://youtu.be/F88gtnRjrc4] draw his life, for inspiration and a really interesting listening exercise. Then have your students plan and execute their own "life story" illustration; this could be done with a partner and a small whiteboard, or it could be done as a presentation on the board in front of the class, or it could be a larger project that students could film. Take this is as inspiration, and create your own meaningful activity!"

As part of its Lead with Languages advocacy campaign, the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages has created a "Lead with Vietnamese" webpage that provides reasons for learning Vietnamese, information about scholarships and grants, and links to students' blogs.

Access the webpage at https://www.leadwithlanguages.org/2019/03/25/lead-with-vietnamese/

From https://mandarinhq.com

Here is a short (3:26) video in which Chinese people speak in favor either of renting or buying a home, along with a transcript of what people say: https://mandarinhq.com/2019/03/debating-in-chinese-buying-renting-house/

From https://www.dw.com

The Leipzig Book Fair (https://www.leipziger-buchmesse.com/) took place March 21-24, and the country of honor this year is the Czech Republic. Read an English-language article about four contemporary novels here: https://www.dw.com/en/leipzig-book-fair-spotlight-on-4-contemporary-czech-novels/a-47935507

In Mythos, designer Stephen Kelleher depicts the stories of Sisyphus, Icarus, Narcissus, Persephone, Midas, and Theseus using simple shapes and balls. Show your Classics students a clip and ask them which myth it represents.

Access the video at https://vimeo.com/271020658