| NCLRC Arabic K-12 Bulletin - April 14, 2014 Ahlan ya colleagues, Welcome to the Arabic K-12 Bulletin, a biweekly resource for elementary, middle, an 
| | Ahlan ya colleagues, Welcome to the Arabic K-12 Bulletin, a biweekly resource for elementary, middle, and high school Arabic teachers, administrators, and researchers. If you are a teacher of high school Arabic, please see the first item in the Professional Development section; two researchers are seeking your help in designing high school Arabic teaching materials. Note that this month marks the deadline for many proposals. As always, if you would like to reach us or be added to the mailing list please send a message to arabick12@gmail.com. Lucy Thiboutot, 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 .
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1. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
2. NEW RESOURCES FOR YOUR STUDENTS AND CLASSROOM
3. GRANT OPPORTUNITIES AND JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS
4. NADA'S WEBSITES: "Aratools"
5. BELAL'S ACTIVITIES: "Matching Game"
6. ARAB AMERICAN BOOK RECOMMENDATION: "Modern Arab American Fiction: A Reader's Guide"
7. CURRENT RESEARCH: "Should Students Be Allowed to Re-Take Tests?"
8. FOCUS ON LEARNING: "Chicago Arabic program sends debate team to Qatar"
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Two Master's students in Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language at University of Texas - Austin invite you to participate in a survey that will be part of a research project they are conducting for their Curriculum Design in Arabic graduate seminar. The purpose of this survey is to assess the current state of Arabic language curricular materials used at the high school level. Your participation in the study will contribute to development of a framework for future high school Arabic teaching materials. This survey is completely anonymous and will take approximately 15 minutes of your time. Link to the survey: http://svy.mk/1ewSOE7 Workshops and Webinars Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture in partnership with Qatar Foundation International and the School District of Philadelphia, will be hosting an Arab Arts & Culture Course from June 23-27, 2014. This is a unique interdisciplinary opportunity for music and Arabic language educators. The program will be hosted by University of Pennsylvania's Greenfield Intercultural Center. Accommodations for all out of town Arabic and Music teachers will be at International House from Sunday, June 22 till Saturday, June 28. To learn more and register: [http://bit.ly/1iPdoQA])(http://bit.ly/1iPdoQA) STARTALK Arabic Teacher Programs will be held in summer 2014 across the U.S. STARTALK's mission is to increase the number of Americans learning, speaking, and teaching critical need foreign languages by offering students (K–16) and teachers of these languages creative and engaging summer experiences that strive to exemplify best practices in language education and in language teacher development, forming an extensive community of practice that seeks continuous improvement in such criteria as outcomes-driven program design, standards-based curriculum planning, learner-centered approaches, excellence in selection and development of materials, and meaningful assessment of outcomes. Check the website to find a program that is in your area: http://bit.ly/1dG62jI Cornell University will be holding an Arabic Teachers Workshop , August 15 & 16, 2014 in Ithaca, NY. The workshop will be open to about 20 Arabic teachers and program directors who are interested in learning about the Integrated Approach and its actual implementation in the Arabic classroom. The two-day workshop will be led by Jonathan Featherstone, Senior Teaching Fellow at the University of Edinburgh; Maher Awad, Senior Lecturer of Arabic and Certified ACTFL & ILR Tester at Rice University; and Munther Younes, Reis Senior Lecturer in Arabic Language and Linguistics and Director of the Arabic Program at Cornell University. Munther Younes will focus on the rationale behind the "Integrated Approach" and the problems and challenges raised against it. He will also demonstrate the use of materials from the three-volume, fully-integrated textbook series 'Arabiyyat al-Naas, which he coauthored and which is due to be published by Routledge in the fall of 2013 and the spring of 2014. Jonathan Featherstone will deliver training sessions focusing on applying the Integrated Approach to communicative reading and speaking activities and will help teachers design their own language drills. Maher Awad will focus on issues of assessment, especially proficiency assessment, and discuss similarities and differences between the assessment tools employed in the Integrated vs. the non-integrated approaches, with special reference to the ACTFL proficiency guidelines. For more information and to reserve your spot in the workshop, please email Chris Capalongo at cmc40@cornell.edu Professional Development Travel Opportunities EnviroJordan offers a two-week environmental education study tour in Jordan (Aug 2-15, 2014). The program is open to private and public school teachers, administrators, curriculum specialists, environmental and science education professors, museum and nature center staff, and others. Visit Petra, the Dead Sea, and ancient castles, camping in nature reserves and the Wadi Rum desert. Hiking, camel riding, jeep touring, Bedouin music. Meetings with peers, specialists, leaders. An Amman overnight homestay. Some Arabic language learning opportunities in tandem with this, and a good opportunity for educators to integrate and collaborate across disciplines (science and Arabic). We will do some customizing to enhance the Arabic opportunity, if desired by any participant. Graduate credit and scholarships available. To learn more: envirojordan.org Professional Conferences The 17th annual National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages (NCOLCTL) conference will take place at the Westin Hotel & Resort in Chicago Northwest, IL from April 24-27, 2014 (with pre-conference workshops scheduled for April 24, 2014). This year's theme is "Collaboration and Internationalization: Enhancing and Sustaining Quality Outcomes for LCTLs". This conference brings together professionals from academia, government, private sector, and students in the field of Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTLs). To learn more and register for the conference: http://bit.ly/1gavjhU Registration is now open for the annual ACTFL convention November 21-23, 2014, in San Antonio, Texas. Register by the early bird deadline July 9, 2014 for considerable savings: http://bit.ly/Q7tU4q Call For Proposals and Papers The Foreign Language Association of Virginia provides an opportunity to share innovative teaching, technology, research and student success strategies. Send in your proposal by April 18, 2014. The Conference Committee invites proposals for active and engaging presentations on topics related, but not limited to: Supporting beginning teachers; Promoting active use of the target language; Making the most of classroom time; Supporting student learning; Active and engaging instructional strategies; Innovative instructional methodology; Innovative assessment strategies; Unique uses of technology; Technology strategies for all students including those with disabilities. To learn more and submit a proposal: http://bit.ly/1kk31CJ The American Association of Teachers of Arabic (AATA) invites members and other professionals in the field of teaching Arabic to submit proposals for participation in a panel on the teaching and/or learning of Arabic language through literature. The panel will take place in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) on 22 November 2014 in Washington, DC. Presentations will focus on current or innovative research and/or practices of incorporating Arabic literature in the Arabic language classroom and how Arabic literature can be used to further develop the learner's knowledge (communicative and otherwise) of Arabic. Possible topics include but need not be confined to some specific aspects of the following: Relevance of literature (Classical and Modern) to the Arabic language classroom; Current and/or innovative methods or techniques in the teaching of Arabic through literature; Role of literature (with specific exemplar activities) in creating opportunities for communication and language development through listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities; Teaching and assessing Arabic literature, Classical and Modern literary texts and texts in other formats; Using technology in the teaching and learning of Arabic language through literature. Proposals should be 250 words or less and received by April 30. Notification of acceptance will be sent by May 21. Send your proposal to ikram.easton@bc.edu The Arabic Teachers' Council at Western Michigan University invites professionals in the field of teaching Arabic to submit proposals to participate in the Symposium on Arabic Language Teaching. The Symposium will take place in Dearborn, MI Saturday June 21. Presentations and mini workshops will be focusing on research based best practices teaching Arabic in the USA and the World. We surveyed a significant number of K-16 teachers on the topics they need. The results of the survey concluded these topics: Differentiated language instruction related to proficiency levels and heritage Vs. Arabic language learners; Effective learner-centered teaching strategies; Teaching grammar and maintaining Arabic language; Developing curriculum and thematic-units; Integrating technology and Arabic instruction; Literature and Arabic instruction; Performance-based assessment methods. Your presentation proposal should be related to any of the above topics. Research-based proposals leading to effective practices are preferable. Bilingual Arabic/English presenters are mostly encouraged. Your proposal should be 250 words or less including the main topic and describing briefly your presentation style. Please email your proposal to Dr. Wafa Hassan wafa.hassan@wmich.edu by April 30, 2014. Acceptance and confirmation notice will be emailed by May 20. Travel expenses and accommodations will be provided for selected proposals from out of the State of MI. 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. 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. Our general editorial focus is on policy, education, programs, advocacy, and research in the field of Less commonly Taught Languages (LCTLs). The envisioned coverage of the journal is as follows: Methodology and Technology; Academia; Beyond Academia; Social embeddedness. The Journal of the National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages shall include papers focusing on broader theoretical and technological issues in all fields of LCTL's along with reports about research and teaching in academia, at both the K-12 and collegiate levels. Deadline May 1, 2014. For more information: http://bit.ly/1lCoSaE |
Study Opportunities for K-12 Students The National Middle East Language Resource Center (NMELRC) in collaboration with BYU independent Studies and QFI are pursuing a project to reach out to high school students across the nation, especially in schools that do not offer Arabic. This initiative consists of two components: 1) Students begin with an intensive one-day Arabic language and culture camp in their hometown or region; 2) They continue studying Arabic in a highly interactive format via our asynchronous online courses which includes regular live interaction with a BYU-based tutor who assists camp participants in moving forward as a community of online learners in a systematic fashion that results in their acquiring proficiency in using Arabic for real-world purposes. Financial aid is available for students who cannot afford to pay the full cost of the course. There is one one-day camp remaining on Saturday, April 26 at Yale University. To sign up students, please contact Alex Simmons at: alex.simmons85@gmail.com For those living within driving distance of Glastonbury, Connecticut, Glastonbury public schools are hosting a non-residential STARTALK Arabic course for rising 3rd-6th graders, running June 30-July 25, 2014. Applications are available from the website of the Glastonbury Public Schools' Foreign Language Department at www.foreignlanguage.org. Middlebury-Monterey Language Academy provides a full-immersion, pre-college summer language program for middle and high school students from June 22- July 17, 2014. Qatar Foundation International (QFI) has partnered with MMLA to offer full need-based scholarships with travel assistance for 20 students studying Arabic. The application deadline is April 30. To learn more: http://bit.ly/MqKUB5 California State University provides a seven-week residential or day immersion program for high school students in San Bernardino, CA from June 18- August 7, 2014. This program awards college credit to students, and students have the opportunity to continue study throughout the year for college credit. QFI funding will provide 15 student scholarships. Rolling admission, but the earlier the application the more likely to receive financial support. For more information, please visit: http://bit.ly/NWN8JC Choate Rosemary Hall, a private boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut, is offering students in grades 9-11 the opportunity to immerse themselves in the Arabic language and culture in Jordan. Participants spend 4 weeks in Amman from June 16-July 16. The program offers Modern Standard Arabic (at a level appropriate to proficiency) and intensive Jordanian colloquial classes. Students also explore Jordanian History and learn about traditional Islamic arts. Participants in the program will stay in pairs with Jordanian families, helping them to improve their spoken Arabic and discover Jordanian social customs and traditions. For more information: http://bit.ly/1gSeOYt To apply: http://bit.ly/1hos63t The University of North Georgia (UNG) will host the fourth summer language academy for high school rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors in June and July 2014. The Federal Service Language Academy (FSLA) is a three-week residential program for students who are interested in an immersive intensive language experience, fitness, and exploring international-related careers with the federal government. During the two three-week sessions, students will be immersed in intensive language instruction in First-Year Arabic from highly qualified teachers, participate in a daily fitness program, receive career counseling from federal agency representatives (CIA, DEA, FBI, State Department, Homeland Security, the Peace Corps and US Armed Forces), and possibly receive high school credit for successful completion of the academy. For more information: www.ung.edu/fsla Where There Be Dragons offers authentic, small-group, cultural and language immersion programs in Jordan and Morocco every summer as well as semesters for Gap Year students. All include service, local mentorship, language intensives, trekking, leadership development and global studies. Our summer programs are for ages 14+. Semesters are tailored for Gap Year & College-age students. Visit the website: www.wheretherebedragons.com or call: 800-982-9203 to learn more about scholarships and programs. The National Middle East Language Resource Center (NMELRC), in cooperation with Qatar Foundation International and Brigham Young University Independent Study, is offering a hybrid online course for high school students. The high school implementation of Arabic Without Walls, winner of the 2010 Distance Education Course Award, covers the basics of both spoken and written Arabic and enables students to acquire real-world communication skills. This process starts with students attending a one-day course in their region and continues as they work online with a tutor and a cohort of students who form a tight-knit learning community. Students who have done so have gone on to win NSLI-Youth Scholarships to study in the Arab world. For more information on registration, cost and credit please visit: http://bit.ly/1bfmfcG . Resources for Arabic Teachers You may be interested in a new resource for Arabic teachers, Teaching and Learning Arabic as a Foreign Language: A guide for teachers by Karin Ryding from Georgetown University Press: http://bit.ly/MGtNLk You may be interested in a mobile-ready, interactive network, game-like learning resource for Arabic students called "Falooka." Falooka can be used in the classroom, or purchased for a library or language lab. It encourages Arabic language students to jump in by selecting one of nine "3-Month Challenge programs." Students gain "Ookapoints" as they teach lower level students (for money or for free); post in the News Feed on Middle Eastern culture; and form "Ookafriendships" with other Arabic language students and native instructors. Falooka is both in Modern Standard Arabic and the Egyptian dialect. It includes over 700 web pages of learning materials plus 7,000 audio recordings by native Egyptians, 80 podcasts, and over 50 videos. To learn more, visit their website: http://falooka.com/ The Lingaga: Oxford Peace Project has free video conferencing and networking for language learners and speakers, including Arabic. On the free site, teachers and students may meet native speakers, make contacts in other countries, open their own and enter virtual classrooms, post videos on their country, discuss literature and culture, and swap language learning. With students and teachers in over 25 countries registering, it is a terrific place to actually speak the language and put into practice your learning. www.lingaga.com You may be interested in this simple Arabic typing tutor to help your students learn to type in Arabic: http://www.studyarabic.com/arabic-typing-tutor The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) now offers the Computerized Oral Proficiency Instrument (COPI), a computer-based, semi-adaptive test of Modern Standard Arabic or Spanish oral proficiency intended for use with native-English-speaking students in later years of high school, college students, and professionals. It provides language educators with a computerized, time-efficient assessment of their students' oral language proficiency in Arabic or Spanish. Performance on the COPI is rated according to the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines. For more information: http://bit.ly/Iw45aE The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) has produced an Arabic Oral Proficiency Guide for Students. This free online tutorial helps high school and university-level students of Arabic understand and improve their oral proficiency. It teaches students how oral proficiency is rated according to the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines so that they can self-assess and set language learning goals. The tutorial features authentic examples of students speaking Arabic at different levels, tips and resources to improve oral proficiency, and student descriptions of their experiences being assessed and then using their Arabic to communicate abroad. View the site at http://www.cal.org/aop/index.php The Qatar Foundation International (QFI) is launching a new website for Arabic K-12 teachers Al-Masdar (almasdar.oercommons.org). Al-Masdar provides a platform for you to discover free resources through search strategies, to author or upload your own resources, to review resources, join groups and conversations, and collaborate with others. The site is intended to be a hub - the source - for language teaching materials, opportunities, news and events relevant to Arabic instructors. You are invited to explore it and offer your feedback by completing this survey: http://bit.ly/1gvdkWS Your advanced students may enjoy this new simplified version of Lebanese author Hoda Barakat's novel, Sayyidi wa Habibi, which comes with a set of pedagogical activities and a companion website: http://bit.ly/16vBpEc Al-Jazeera news is currently developing a special news site for Arabic language learners. Although some of the features are still in progress, it may be worth keeping an eye on as a resource for your classes: http://learning.aljazeera.net/arabic The Institute for Middle East Studies (IMES) Title VI Outreach Program at The George Washington University (Washington, DC) maintains a film and book library and Skype-a-Scholar program that is free and available to area educators. You can view a list of all of the library resources and find out more about the films using our new Film Guide which contains synopses of the films and classroom usage ideas for educators. The Skype-A-Scholar program brings university experts to your classroom through Skype, to converse with students for an in-depth, innovative learning experience. Contact imesnrc@gwu.edu for more information on these programs. American Councils for International Education coordinates the U.S. Department of State's FLEX, YES, and A-SMYLE programs, where students from the Middle East and other areas of the world have competed against their peers and earned a scholarship to come to the U.S. for a full academic year. The students live with an American host family, attend school and become a part of the family. Anyone interested in hosting an exchange student for a period of two months to a full academic year, and the ability to provide a safe, supportive, English-speaking environment is welcome to contact the programs for more information. For more information: http://inbound.americancouncils.org . The Peace Corps offers the World Wise Schools website, with cross-cultural learning resources including lesson plans, videos, publications, an online game, and more. Take advantage of these free resources to develop your students' global competencies and prepare them to be engaged, 21st century global citizens. 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 . |
Grant Opportunities Stay tuned for future grant opportunities! Job Openings The Davis Center (Minneapolis, MN) is seeking a full-time K-12 Arabic teacher for the 2014-2015 school year. Minnesota teaching license required. To learn more: http://bit.ly/1dIR2kM Baltimore International Schools (Baltimore, MD) is looking for a full-time Kindergarten teacher for its new Arabic immersion program beginning in 2014-2015. The candidate must possess a valid teaching certificate in the State of Maryland or be eligible for one. A background in Elementary Education and experience with International Baccalaureate (IB) is strongly preferred. BIA does not sponsor visas. To apply, email a letter and resume to elokounia@bcps.k12.md.us There is an immediate part-time opening for an elementary school Arabic teacher for grades K-4 with Global Language Project in Harlem, New York. This individual must be New York state certified (or interested in pursuing certification--please make this clear to the contact below) and will teach two full days, or 10 periods a week at a school in West Harlem. The teacher will use GLP's Arabic curriculum, which introduces students to language through TPR, cultural activities, music and games. The emphasis is on oral communication and learning about other cultures. Please send cover letter and resume to Elisabeth Shovers: eshovers@glpny.org. Please write 'Arabic Teacher' in the subject line of your email. Friends Seminary in New York City seeks a Middle School/Upper School Arabic Teacher for the 2014-2015 academic year. This is a one-year leave replacement position. The candidate must be able to teach Modern Standard Arabic and a Levantine dialect to grades 4 through 12. Prior experience teaching middle and high school is strongly desired. To learn more, visit the employment section of the website and click on the Arabic Teacher listing: http://www.friendsseminary.org/careers Northeast College Prep, in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, is opening Kindergarten-3rd grade in August (eventually growing to K-8th grade) and hiring founding teachers in all subjects, including Arabic. This diverse, International Baccalaureate school is committed to closing the achievement gap and will offer both Spanish and Arabic classes to all students. Minnesota teaching license or eligibility for one required. Visit careers at Northeast College Prep's website to view job descriptions and the application process: northeastcollegeprep.org. If you have any questions, contact Erika Sass at esass@northeastcollegeprep.org. |
Nada Shaath (Bell High School, CA) suggests: Aratools (http://www.aratools.com) An Arabic-English and English-Arabic dictionary--great resource! Do you have a favorite website to share? Send us a link and a short description, and don't forget to include the name and location of your school! |
Belal Joundeya (Renaissance Academy, UT) suggests: Matching Game This game needs a lot of time for preparation, but it is worth it, especially if you teach the same topic for different levels or each year. Make a set of 8-10 pairs of flash cards the same size as playing cards and laminate them so they don't wear out. Give a set to each two students and let them start matching (like the traditional game, sometimes called "Memory") and then asking any question you want them to practice as they flip over the cards. Let them play 3-4 times. Here is a video which shows the activity in action: http://bit.ly/1elskHG |
The Arab American National Museum (http://www.arabamericanmuseum.org) recommends the non-fiction book Modern Arab American Fiction: A Reader's Guide By Steven Salaita (Syracuse University Press, 2011). Within the spectrum of American literary traditions, Arab American literature is relatively new. Writing produced by Americans of Arab origin is mainly a product of the twentieth century and only started to flourish in the past thirty years. While this young but thriving literature varies widely in content and style, it emerges from a common community and within a specific historical, political, and cultural context. In Modern Arab American Fiction, Salaita maps out the landscape of this genre as he details rather than defines the last century of Arab American fiction. Exploring the works of such best-selling authors as Rabih Alameddine, Mohja Kahf, Laila Halaby, Diana Abu-Jaber, Alicia Erian, and Randa Jarrar, Salaita highlights the development of each author's writing and how each has influenced Arab American fiction. He examines common themes including the Israel-Palestine conflict, the Lebanese Civil War of 1975-90, the representation and practice of Islam in the United States, social issues such as gender and national identity in Arab cultures, and the various identities that come with being Arab American. Steven Salaita is associate professor of English at Virginia Tech. He is the author of Anti-Arab Racism in the USA, The Uncultured Wars: Arabs, Muslims and the Poverty of Liberal Thought, and The Holy Land in Transit. |
Should Students Be Allowed to Re-Take Tests?
By Kim Marshall | Marshall Memo #530, March 31, 2014, http://www.marshallmemo.com In this thoughtful article in AMLE Magazine, Pooja Patel (New York City teacher), Darlene Pope (California teacher), and Patricia George (AMLE Magazine editor) debate whether students should be allowed to take a quiz or test again if they're not satisfied with their grade. George lists the reasons some educators are opposed to the idea:
- It reduces students' incentive to prepare well for the initial test.
- It allows students to treat the first go-round as a pre-test, giving them a heads-up on content and rigor.
- If full credit is given for re-takes, that's unfair to students who took the test only once.
- Allowing re-takes doesn't prepare students for the real world, where doing your best the first time around is important.
- It's a waste of teachers' time and effort to prepare and grade two sets of tests.
George says some schools have countered these concerns by allowing only one re-take per grading period, requiring students to do re-takes after school, and giving only partial credit for re-takes. Patel argues that allowing students to retake tests is an effective way of differentiating instruction, helping students learn from mistakes, motivating students to work harder, and thereby improving achievement. "All students will not reach mastery at the same time," she says. "If we provide students with only one opportunity to show their understanding, we do not allow all of them to understand to their true capacity… Students thrive in an environment where learning is emphasized, stress is minimal, effort is intrinsic, and students' needs are met." Pope recalls author/consultant Rick DuFour asking what happens when someone fails a driving test. They take it again, as many times as necessary. And which one counts? The one in which they demonstrated mastery. "This simple analogy spurred me to rethink my position on testing and revise my practice so that my focus was on mastery, not deadlines," says Pope. "I think we need to remember that when students fail, it is not always just their fault." When students in her classes don't do well on assignments or tests, she helps them during the lunch period (or verifies that another adult has worked with them) and allows them to try again. Since she made this shift ten years ago, her students' achievement on state tests has improved significantly, and she believes their understanding is deeper. "Perspectives: Opportunity for a Do-Over" by Pooja Patel, Darlene Pope, and Patricia George AMLE Magazine, March 2014 (Vol. 1, #7, p. 6-7), www.amle.org; Patel and Pope can be reached at pooja979@gmail.com and pope_d@sgusd.k12.ca.us. |
Chicago Arabic program sends debate team to Qatar
By Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah, Chicago Tribune | chicagotribune.com
Source: http://bit.ly/1hxKZ2r In a classroom on Chicago's South Side, four students made final preparations this week to compete in a debate halfway around the world in a language they have studied for only a handful of years. The students from Lindblom Math and Science Academy in West Englewood will leave Thursday for Doha, Qatar, where they will do their best to make compelling arguments in Arabic to teams made up almost entirely of native speakers. "It's going to be a challenge," said senior LaCharro Hawkins, 18, who lives in West Englewood. "We're not there to win. It's about the experience and becoming proficient in writing and speaking the language, and learning about the culture." Lindblom's Arabic language program, which began partly as an effort to foster understanding after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, is the largest of its kind in the country. The school will be the only one representing the U.S. in Qatar. None of the team's members has left the continent before. The debates on issues, including government surveillance, will require a whole new vocabulary for the students, who have been developing their arguments and translating them from English to Arabic since receiving the competition's eight topics three weeks ago. For debaters, anticipating the opposing team's counterarguments is key. The four Lindblom students will have the added burden of trying to understand their opponents' arguments as they are made. Then they'll have to be ready to snap back with rebuttals. The students have been getting help from their teachers in translating their opening arguments, fine-tuning pronunciation of newly acquired vocabulary and practicing to listen for transition words that will signal where the opposing team is headed — words such as "wa lakin," which means "but," "lidhalik," which means "therefore," and "ma'dhalik," which means "nevertheless." "It's such a difficult language," said Karina Reyes, 17, a junior whose parents moved to Chicago from Mexico. "It's not A-B-C-D-E-F-G. You have to learn a whole new set of letters. You need to read from right to left. There's gargling sounds, so you need to hear how a letter is pronounced in order to get the pronunciation right. You really need to pay attention in class to see how it all works." Lindblom is one of the oldest schools in the district and stretches across nearly an entire block in the middle of the West Englewood neighborhood. It is one of the district's elite selective-enrollment schools and accepts students based on test scores, grades and results of an entrance exam. Eleven percent of the kids who attend the school come from the surrounding Englewood community, and 93 percent come from the South Side. After being shut down for two years for restoration, Lindblom reopened in 2005. Principal Alan Mather wanted to offer a foreign language that would offer new opportunities for his students and set them apart from kids taking more traditional languages, like French and Spanish. As an assistant principal in 2001, Mather said he watched high school students grapple with their opinions as they watched the Sept. 11 attacks on TV, "having trouble sorting through the complexity of the noise" as people from the Arab world were being vilified. He thought offering Arabic would help students bridge a cultural divide. "It made me think about the need to create understanding, and that would only happen on the ground," he said. "Thus, this was a perfect blending of two pieces, opportunity and the constant battle to stamp out ignorance." The problem was that there was no curriculum for teaching Arabic as a foreign language to high schoolers and no certification for Arabic teachers. Mather reached out to the author of a new Arabic language textbook, put out searches for certified teachers who also happened to know Arabic and enlisted the help of Nesreen Akhtarkhavari, now the director of Arabic studies at DePaul University. Mather and Akhtarkhavari put together a proposal for CPS. They worked with the Illinois State Board of Education to set up a process by which certified teachers could get endorsements for teaching Arabic. In the years since, Mather has continuously advocated for his Arabic program, enlisting outside support including from the Qatar Foundation International for more opportunities for his students and teachers. The district received a federal grant of nearly $900,000 in 2008 to add languages deemed important, like Arabic, to the curriculum of schools around the city. Today, 12 CPS schools — seven elementary and five high schools — offer Arabic courses. This school year, with a grant from the Qatar Foundation International, Mather helped start the Center for Arabic Language and Culture, a nonprofit organization based at Lindblom that promotes the Arabic language and Arab culture. |
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