Ahlan ya colleagues, Welcome to the Arabic K-12 Bulletin, a biweekly resource for elementary, middle, and high school Arabic teachers, administrators, and researchers. This issue brings you two curriculum development jobs, new on-line resources, and an encouraging story about a high school Arabic program in Colorado that continues to grow. As always, if you would like to reach us please send a message to arabick12@gmail.com. Steven Berbeco, Editor |
The Arabic K-12 Teachers Network consists of more than 1,000 educators, administrators, and researchers interested in the Arabic K-12 field in the U.S. It is a free membership provided by the National Capital Language Resource Center's Arabic K-12 Project. Recent issues of the Bulletin are archived here: http://bit.ly/10KRZi3 . All members are welcome to submit posts in English or Arabic and may do so by e-mailing their content to arabick12@gmail.com specifying their content for the listserv. This listserv is focused on elementary, middle, and high school Arabic teaching. Job openings at the university level can be found on the AATA's website . |
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES NEW RESOURCES FOR YOUR STUDENTS AND CLASSROOM GRANT OPPORTUNITIES AND JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS NADA'S WEBSITES: "Wall Wisher" BELAL'S ACTIVITIES: "Tower Building" MEOC BOOK RECOMMENDATION: "The Wooden Sword" CURRENT RESEARCH: "Helping the Children of Poverty Succeed in School" FOCUS ON LEARNING: "Louisville's Monarch High Expanding Arabic Program" |
Workshops and Webinars The Center for Middle Eastern Studies (Harvard University, Cambridge, MA) is offering a two-part webinar: From Social Media to Social Welfare: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Studying the Arab Uprisings on May 14 (7-8 pm EST) and May 21 (7-8 pm EST). Explore how twitter feeds, GIS mapping, and demographic data inform innovative research on political change in the Arab World. Educators will gain insight into ongoing political change in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as skill building in analysis of graphs, maps, and close reading of new media sources. For more information and to register: http://bit.ly/10VPDRJ . The Center for Language Education and Research (East Lansing, MI) is offering summer professional development workshops in July and August. These workshops offer hands-on experience and concrete ideas for language teachers: Writing in the Foreign Language Classroom; Revisiting the Learning and Teaching of Vocabulary; Rich Internet Applications for Language Learning: Introductory Techniques; and Assessing Speaking: For Placement Testing, Classroom-based Assessment, and Proficiency Exams. Early bird deadline is May 17 ($150/workshop), regular deadline is June 3. For more information: http://bit.ly/16KTFeh . Language Teacher Education Conference (Washington, DC) pre-conference workshop: Excel in Teaching Arabic: Implementing Standards-based Arabic Curricula & Instructional Materials, May 30, 2013. This workshop will provide teachers of Arabic as a foreign language access to state-of-the-art thematic and Standards-based instructional materials. The materials are consisting of 32 thematic topics that are aligned with world language programs and were developed with ACTFL proficiency guidelines in mind. Teachers participating in the workshop will receive a full copy of the materials ready to be used immediately in their classrooms. For more information and registration visit: http://bit.ly/16kanUs . New York University (New York City, NY) will conduct a STARTALK teacher-training workshop June 10-21, 2013. All current and prospective teachers at any level can apply, from community to college; graduate students are also welcome. Grant covers on-campus housing, course transcript, and need-based travel assistance. To apply: http://bit.ly/151VnK4 . Occidental College is offering Technology as the Core of Standards-Based Arabic Instruction, a workshop for teachers at California State University, Long Beach, June 20-26. Participants will learn to effectively use technology to enhance a standards-based approach, including locating authentic materials on the web; using technologies to make authentic materials accessible to students; facilitating interpersonal communication through instant messaging, video, audio and written chats, emails, interactive assignments and homework; supporting presentational communication using online postings, webpages and GoogleDrive. For more information, contact Iman Hashem ihashem@oxy.edu. The Developing Materials for Less Commonly Taught Languages institute at CARLA (Minneapolis, MN; July 15-19, 2013
) will provide Instructors with practical tools and hands-on experience in developing a wide range of materials. Grounded in the latest research on effective language pedagogy and second language acquisition, this institute will focus on proficiency-oriented approaches to teaching. For more information: http://bit.ly/16rRtIp . Concordia Language Villages is offering Qatar Professional Development Workshops this spring and fall with full scholarships, substitute teacher reimbursement, and travel stipends for current and future teachers of Arabic, October 10-13. These workshops will bring together K-16 Arabic language teachers from across the United States to explore innovative instructional strategies. All Arabic language teachers are invited to apply for one or both of these workshops. To register: http://bit.ly/Xm0v7y . Professional Conferences The International Conference on Language Teacher Education will be held May 30 - June 1, 2013 at George Washington University (Washington, DC). Designed for practitioners and researchers involved in the preparation and ongoing professional development of language teachers, LTE 2013 will address the education of teachers of all languages, at all instructional and institutional levels, and in many national and international contexts in which this takes place including: English as a Second or Foreign Language (ESL/EFL) instruction; foreign/modern/world language teaching; bilingual education; immersion education; indigenous and minority language education; and the teaching of less commonly taught languages. For more information: http://bit.ly/THAevN . Call For Proposals and Papers The Journal of the National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages (JNCOLCTL) is soliciting articles for publication. The Journal, published annually by NCOLCTL, is dedicated to the issues and concerns related to the teaching and learning of Less Commonly Taught Languages such as Arabic. The Journal primarily seeks to address the interests of language teachers, administrators, and researchers. Articles that describe innovative and successful teaching methods that are relevant to the concerns or problems of the profession, or that report educational research or experimentation in Less Commonly Taught Languages are welcome. For more information: http://bit.ly/12gmiRT . To submit an article: Danko.Sipka@asu.edu . The Foreign Language Association of Virginia (FLAVA) will be holding its annual conference Oct 3-4, 2013 at Williamsburg, VA. FLAVA is seeking papers, panels, and workshops on teaching Arabic L2. Last year we had eight sessions on Arabic that where well-attended by teachers of Arabic, French, Spanish, Chinese, and more. School teachers as well as college professes are strongly encouraged to share their teaching and research with teachers of other languages attend this annual meeting. For more details: http://bit.ly/Xf3aBL . |
Game Maker 8 (http://www.yoyogames.com/gamemaker) is a free game development tool that allows you to create simple video games using a drag-and-drop editor. Extra help is available through on-line tutorials. If you are looking for ideas, the company that publishes this program, YoYo Games (http://www.yoyogames.com/browse), lets you browse hundreds of free games, too. Mission Map Quest (http://www.classtools.net/mapgame/game.php) lets you create a virtual treasure hunt using an on-line map making tool. It's easy to use: just set up a list of clues for places in the Middle East. Students can access the assignment by using a URL or by scanning a QR code. The Middle East Outreach Center offers a free gallery of member-contributed photographs taken in the Middle East: http://bit.ly/112sDjS. These copyright-friendly photographs are licensed for use in the classroom or for non-commercial projects. High School Summer Programs Choate Rosemary Hall is offering a high school summer program in Amman, Jordan (June 10 - July 10, 2013). The program will offer Modern Standard Arabic (at a level appropriate to proficiency) and intensive Jordanian colloquial classes. Students will also explore Jordanian History and learn about traditional Islamic arts, and students will live in pairs with Jordanian families. For further information: http://bit.ly/10CGmYr or email Georges Chahwan gchahwan@choate.edu. Aldeen Foundation (Pasadena, CA) is offering Stay Fit and Healthy June 17-July 5, 2013, a free Arabic summer program for beginner and heritage learner high school students. Language activities include sports, fitness, nutrition and role playing. Students who complete the online and onsite sessions will receive an allowance for mileage and college credit. Deadline to apply is May 31, 2013. For more information: http://bit.ly/Yjwab6 . King's Academy is offering a summer program for middle school and high school students on its campus outside of Amman, Jordan (June 30-July 25). The program will offer separate tracks for heritage and non-heritage speakers. Students will also engage in afternoon and weekend activities to explore the culture, traditions and history of Jordan and the Arab world. Students will live in King's Academy dormitories, supervised by school faculty. For more information: http://bit.ly/XUSgLB or email Joe Silvestri jsilvestri@kingsacademy.edu.jo. University of North Georgia is offering the Federal Service Language Academy, an intensive first-year and second-year Arabic program for rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors who are interested in international-related careers with the federal government. Includes a daily fitness program, career counseling from federal agency representatives, and possible high school credit. For further information: http://bit.ly/TYKd3B . The Middlebury-Monterey Language Academy recently received a grant from the Qatar Foundation International to provide student scholarships for this summer's four-week immersion Arabic Academy at Pomona College (Claremont, CA). For more information: http://bit.ly/17p1IP4 . Connecting With Teachers Connect with hundreds of Arabic teachers in America and from around the world on the Teachers of Arabic Language K-12 (TALK12) page on Facebook. Teachers can chat, swap ideas, and give each other advice: http://www.talk12.org . Arabic teachers from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut: the New England Association of Arabic Teachers has been supporting K-12 Arabic teachers since 2008 with workshops, material and resources, and regular meetings. To join, contact Steven Berbeco berbeco@bu.edu. The Marhaba! Project is facilitating biweekly Virtual Coffee Hours, where a small group of teachers "meet up" on a conference call to talk about classroom teaching, materials and resources, and educational technology. The next coffee hour will be May 25 at 11am EST. Contact coffeehour@marhabaproject.org if you have any questions or would like to participate. |
The ACTFL Arabic SIG has announced the Dora Johnson 2013 award for K-12 teachers who wish to attend the ACTFL 2013 convention in Orlando, FL. To be eligible, teachers must be ACTFL and Arabic SIG members, and either first-time attendees or confirmed conference presenters. The revised application deadline is June 2, 2013. To apply: http://bit.ly/ZZMfio . For more information: arabicsig@gmail.com. Job Openings Noorart (Richardson, TX) is seeking curriculum developers for an upper elementary Islamic Studies textbook as part of a multi-grade articulated curriculum. Applicants should demonstrate relevant writing competence, classroom teaching experience (preferably grades 4-6), and a graduate degree in a related field. Developers will receive detailed instructions for the format/structure of each book, including page count; components of textbook, unit, and lessons; objectives for each textbook; and grade-level content. To apply, send a letter of interest a writing sample (2-3 pages) such as lesson plans, and a resume to: info@noorart.com by May 30, 2013. The Middle East Studies Center at Portland State University seeks a paid curriculum consultant to help develop Arab Culture through Literature and Film, a five-unit high school curriculum to increase knowledge about Arab culture. Submit your resume and cover letter to Elisheva Cohen e.cohen@pdx.edu by May 20, 2013 . Aldeen-Startalk Teacher Assistant Program (Pasadena, CA) is looking for summer-time teaching assistants for the "Stay Fit and Healthy" program, June 24-July 5. Sophomore and junior college students are needed to help students improve their Arabic skills. Stipend is $750. Application deadline is June 1, 2013. To apply: aldeenstartalk09@aldeenfoundation.org . Salem Public Schools (Salem, MA) anticipates a job opening for an Arabic teacher for the 2013-2014 school year. For additional information, contact Jeanine Dentremont at (978) 740-1115. Orange Crescent School (Garden Grove CA) is seeking a full-time K-8 Arabic teacher for the 2013-2014 school year. To apply, send a letter of introduction, letter(s) of recommendation, and a resume to: hr@orangecrescent.com . South Brunswick Summer Institute (North Brunswick, NJ) is seeking a summer-time high school Arabic teacher for 60 hours or 120 hours of instructional time. To apply: http://bit.ly/YgS27M . ABC Languages (New York, NY) is seeking a part-time Arabic teacher for classes in Westchester county. To apply, send your resume to: westchester@abclang.com. Chicago Ridge School (Chicago Ridge, IL) is seeking a full-time elementary school Arabic teacher for the 2013-2014 school year. For more information: http://bit.ly/16yGbjH . Newark Collegiate Academy (Newark, NJ), a KIPP school, is seeking a full-time high school Arabic teacher for the 2013-2014 school year. For more information: http://bit.ly/WL05YE . American Councils for International Education is seeking a Summer Assistant Resident Director for the NSLI-Y program for high-school students in Amman, Jordan (June 11-August 1, 2013). For more information: http://bit.ly/16Ck3XJ . The Awty International School (Houston, TX) is seeking a Classical Arabic language teacher to teach in the middle and high school IB program for the 2013-2014 school year. For more information: http://bit.ly/13PbScW . Albert Einstein Academy for Letters, Arts and Sciences (Los Angeles, CA) is seeking a part-time high school Arabic teacher for the 2013-2014 school year. For more information: http://bit.ly/13MlNzK . E.L. Haynes High School (Washington, DC) is seeking a full-time middle school Arabic teacher for the 2013-2014 school year. To apply: http://bit.ly/YcJBE3 . |
Nada Shaath (Bell High School, CA) suggests: Wall Wisher (http://www.wallwisher.com) where you can create topic-based Post It notes. Teachers can have one account for all students to post on the wall. Create a prompt and ask students to answer it in an interactive way, to share ideas and information. |
Belal Joundeya (Renaissance Academy, UT) suggests: Tower Building. This cups game is good for reviews, assessments, or a unit with a lot of vocabulary. Students sit in a circle with about two feet between each of them. You give each student 12 plastic cups. Using flashcards with vocabulary or pictures elicit answers from the students. If they get it correct, they get to start building a cup tower. It is good to keep it in random order to make it interesting. If a student's tower falls down, they have to start over with the flashcards to rebuild their tower. You can specify the time amount and see who has the highest tower at the end. It is fun to take a photo of the winner's tower. For advanced levels, you can have the students ask you a question about the topic on the flashcard. |
The Middle East Outreach Council (http://www.meoc.us) recommends the picture book The Wooden Sword: A Jewish Afghanistan by Ann Redisch Stampler, illustrated by Carol Liddiment (Albert Whitman and Co.). The Wooden Sword is a charming story with "vibrant illustrations with rich, sensuous colors that epitomize the beauty of the Middle East." Reviewers also loved the repetition of the phrase "I have faith that everything will turn out just as it should," which is reassuring to children. It is well-written, engaging, and colorful. |
Helping the Children of Poverty Succeed in School
By Kim Marshall | Marshall Memo #484, May 6, 2013, http://www.marshallmemo.com In this helpful article in Educational Leadership, author Eric Jensen lists seven reasons children from low-income households find it more difficult to be engaged in school – and what educators can do: • Health and nutrition – "Overall, poor people are less likely to exercise, get proper diagnoses, receive appropriate and prompt medical attention, or be prescribed appropriate medications or interventions," says Jensen. There are more untreated ear infections, greater exposure to lead, a higher incidence of asthma, and less nutritious food – all of which affects attention, reasoning, memory, learning, and behavior. Action steps: Make sure students get breakfast, recess, physical education, games, movement, drama, and yoga, all of which boost the level of oxygen and glucose in the brain and fuel learning. "Never withhold recess from students for a disciplinary issue," says Jensen; "there are countless other ways to let them know they behaved inappropriately." • Vocabulary – Children from low-income homes hear 13 million total spoken words by age 4, compared to 46 million words heard by upper-income children. "This language difference is not subtle," says Jensen; "it's a mind-boggling, jaw-dropping cognitive chasm. A child's vocabulary is part of the brain's tool kit for learning, memory, and cognition. Words help children represent, manipulate, and reframe information." Action steps: Vocabulary building must be a daily, relentless part of instruction, using multiple approaches to strengthen knowledge and understanding of well-chosen words. • Effort – Unsophisticated educators often characterize poor children as "lazy," but what they're seeing is lost hope and incipient depression. "Students who show little or no effort are simply giving you feedback," says Jensen. Action steps: "Effort can be taught, and strong teachers do this every day," he says. Build relationships with students; introduce novelty, excitement, and competition into learning activities; make connections between the curriculum and students' everyday lives; give more positive comments than negative; set high goals and motivate students to meet them; show them real-world success stories of adults who came from similar circumstances; and give daily feedback so students see that effort matters. • Hope and the growth mindset – One characteristic of poverty is learned helplessness. Another is a negative, "fixed" view of intelligence. Both sap motivation to try hard in school. Action steps: "Teach students that their brains can change and grow, that they can even raise their IQs," says Jensen. "Don't use comforting phrases that imply that even though a student isn't good at something, he or she has 'other' strengths." In addition, provide feedback that is prompt, actionable, and task-specific, spurring students to try hard. • Cognition – "Commonly, low-SES children show cognitive problems, including short attention spans, high levels of distractibility, difficulty monitoring the quality of their work, and difficulty generating new solutions to problems," says Jensen. These deficits may lead students to act out or shut down. Action steps: "Like effort, cognitive capacity is teachable," he says. "Focus on the core academic skills that students need the most." These include how to organize, study, take notes, prioritize, remember key ideas, problem-solve, process, and build working memory. "This will take tons of encouragement, positive feedback, and persistence." • Relationships – "When children's early experiences are chaotic and one or both of the parents are absent, the developing brain often becomes insecure and stressed," says Jensen. Stressed parents and caregivers are more often grumpy, and children can get twice as many reprimands as positive comments (compared to the 3:1 positive/negative ratio middle-class children typically receive). Poor parents are less likely to have the resources to deal with ADHD, dyslexia, or oppositional behavior. Action steps: Children from such homes need positive, caring adults in school – teachers and other staff members who get to know them well (family, hobbies, interests), are wise enough not to embarrass them in front of their peers, and teach them appropriate social and emotional responses – "When you think your teacher has overstepped his or her bounds, this is what you should say" and "This will keep you out of trouble with other adults." • Distress – Acute, chronic stress is toxic, and children living in poverty have more than their share. "Distress affects brain development, academic success, and social competence," says Jensen. "It also impairs behaviors; reduces attentional control; boosts impulsivity; and impairs working memory." Common symptoms are in-your-face assertiveness or leave-me-alone passivity. "To the uninformed, the student may appear to be either out of control, showing an attitude, or lazy. But those behaviors are actually symptoms of stress disorders…" Action steps: If teachers address the real issue, the symptoms will diminish. Building strong relationships is the starting point. Getting students to articulate what is stressing them out is also helpful, as is teaching them coping skills – for example, an if-this-then-that strategy for solving problems. Making learning fun is key, as is giving students more control over learning – gradual release of responsibility – versus trying to control them. "Having a sense of control is the fundamental element that helps diminish the effects of chronic and acute stress," says Jensen. "How Poverty Affects Classroom Engagement" by Eric Jensen in Educational Leadership, May 2013 (Vol. 70, #8, p. 24-30). |
Louisville's Monarch High Expanding Arabic Program
By Amy Bounds | Daily Camera, May 3, 2013
Source: http://bit.ly/12x5Qst Monarch High School's introductory Arabic class has garnered enough interest that the school plans to expand, adding more levels. Redouan Bouchta, who also teaches Spanish at Monarch High, is teaching the Arabic classes. Bouchta, who previously taught Arabic and French in Morocco, proposed Arabic because so many students were interested. About 20 students enrolled in the school's inaugural Arabic class this year. "It's a great class," he said. "They're all here because they want to learn a new language. I love to talk to them in Arabic and teach them about the culture. They can write. They can read. It's unbelievable how much they learn." The school board recently approved adding Arabic 2 and 3 at Monarch. The Arabic classes are among the 14 new classes approved next school year in the Boulder Valley School District. Other new classes include middle school Java programming, middle school robotics, yoga, pre-advanced placement Latin and basic welding. Boulder Valley is one of the few districts in the state that requires that students take a world language to graduate. The requirement in Boulder Valley is a year of world language, level 2 or higher. At Monarch, officials said, many students have met their requirement by the end of their sophomore year and are looking to try a second world language. Monarch is one of a small number of high schools in Colorado to offer the language, adding it to the American Sign Language, French, German and Spanish classes in the school's world languages department. Several Boulder Valley high schools offer less common language classes. Boulder High, for example, offers Japanese. Fairview High and Peak to Peak Charter School offer Mandarin. At Monarch, the students in Arabic recently worked on translating sentences, writing the date and asking each other questions in Arabic. They also watched a sitcom about a Muslim community living in Canada to learn about the culture. While the students had varying degrees of experience learning a language, all agreed that Arabic is challenging. Brooke Hubbard, a junior who's taking both Arabic and Spanish and is interested in political science, said she didn't like the class much in the first semester. She said it was tough to learn a new, 28-letter alphabet and new rules of grammar, with the verb typically appearing before the subject and many forms of verbs. Unlike learning a European language, there are no familiar words. Arabic also is read from right to left. "Once I got a grasp of the alphabet, it was easier," she said. Sophomore Robin Silk said he signed up for Arabic because he lived in Bahrain for nine years, moving there with his family when he was 2. "I really like the culture," he said. "I jumped at the chance to get back into it." Even remembering bits of Arabic, he said, "It's been really difficult, but we're learning a lot. Arabic is a really important language to know. There are a lot of job opportunities." Junior Kate O'Donnell, who's also taken French and Japanese, said she signed up for Arabic because she has a pen pal who speaks the language and she wanted to make a statement. When the class was first proposed, she said, there was " a lot of backlash" and some dismissed it as a "terrorist" or "oil" language. But now, she said, the school community is "at least open to it." She said she loves learning about the culture and history, but her favorite part of class is getting to eat Arabic food. "I'm trying hard to learn everything I can," she said. Bouchta said that, as students learn more about the Arab world, he's hoping it will encourage more acceptance of diversity within the school. Monarch enrolls students from about 10 Arab families. Last school year, those students were targeted in threatening graffiti scrawled on a bathroom wall. Hosna Satar, a senior, is one of several Muslim students taking the class. As a Muslim, she said, she would like to learn the language. Plus, she wants to travel and dreams of working as a heart surgeon in a Muslim country. "It's a beautiful language," she said. "I'm always telling other students to take Arabic." |
| |
