Resources for Language Teachers
Resources for Language Teachers
CARLA (Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition) at the University of Minnesota provides resources for language teachers at http://www.carla.umn.edu/resources/teaching/ including resources specifically for Minnesota teachers.
Registration forms for workshops sponsored by MDE and CARLA are located at:
NADSFL (National Association of District Supervisors of Foreign Languages) “Resources” section provides many useful links and materials. The National Association of District Supervisors of Foreign Languages has identified five Characteristics of Effective Foreign Language Instruction which can be downloaded from http://www.nadsfl.org/characteristics.htm.
NCSSFL (National Council of State Supervisors for Language) provides links to states’ standards and language associations.
Be sure to visit ACTFL’s web site at http://www.actfl.org. The latest facts and figure compiled by ACTFL along with recent articles on language learning and policy can be found at http://www.actfl.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3514
Languages are No Joke is an August 15, 2005 article from the Star Telegram.
ACTFL’s new publication, The Language Educator, is “the New Resource for Language Professionals that provides information on new programs and practices being used around the country, technology advances in language education, news in early language learning, and more.” This publication will be available to ACTFL members in January 2006.
Looking for authentic texts for use with your students? The Paperboy features 500 online newspapers written in foreign languages. Search this site by country.
Visit E.L. Easton languages online for exercises and information on many languages.
Quia web is an online technology resource for educators that provides teacher-developed activities and quizzes in many languages including Basque, Chinese, Japanese, and the commonly taught languages. Visit Quia’s shared activities page for great resources!
What to teach?
Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century. ACTFL www.actfl.org
How to teach?
National Board Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).
Standards—World Languages Other than English www.nbpts.org/pdf/ecya_wloe.pdf
What should students be able to do?
ACTFL – Performance Guidelines for K-12 Learners www.actfl.org
ACTFL – New Visions in Action, Curriculum, Instruction, Articulation, Assessment Strand – Criteria to Evaluate Program Models for Diverse Students.
http://www.nflrc.iastate.edu/nva/newsite/ciaa/ciaa_resourc.html
This is a three- page list of characteristics that are helpful as a resource when designing classrooms that successfully meet the needs of all students.
Understanding by Design. Grant Wiggins, Jay McTighe. Merrill Prentice Hall with ASCD www.merrilleducation.com ISBN 0-13-093058-X
Teacher’s Handbook, Contextualized Language Instruction, 3rd Ed Judith Shrum, Eileen Glisan Thomson/Heinle (www.thomson.com/learning) ISBN 1-4130-0462-8
Languages and Children, Making the Match, 3rd Ed. Helena Curtain, Carol Ann Dahlberg. Pearson Education www.pearsonatschool.com ISBN 0-205-36675-9 (May also be ordered from the AATG store- www.aatg.org)
Ruby Payne materials (http://ahaprocess.com/). Good information/ideas for all students, not just those targeted by her materials.
Differentiating Instruction in the Regular Classroom, How to Reach and Teach ALL Learners, Grade 3-12 by Diane Heacox ISBN 1-57542-105-4 free spirit Publishing www.freespirit.com
A Collection of Performance Tasks and Rubrics, Foreign Languages by Deborah Blaz
Differentiating Instruction: A Guide for Foreign Language Teachers by Deboreah Blaz. Eye on Education www.eyeoneducartion.com ISBN 1-59667-020-7
Internet Activities for Foreign Language Classes
Internet-based lesson plans that were created for foreign language classes by participants in the Technology Workshops of the California Foreign Language Project and the California Language Teachers Association can be seen and downloaded at the web site listed below. The sites were designed to be used as worksheets for students to complete while accessing the corresponding reference web sites online. “Teachers may print out the sheets, copy them, and distribute them to the students. For your convenience, each web address on the online worksheets is also a link to the corresponding reference page.”
The lessons for various levels of Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, ESL/EFL, Tagalong, Latin, and other language links can be found at http://www.clta.net/lessons/.
The Federal Resources for Educational Excellence is a free web site that makes it easy to find teaching resources on federal government web sites. The site was developed with the cooperation of more than 35 federal agencies and is updated each week with new materials and highlights. The foreign languages page provides useful links resources on history and culture.
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