ACTFL 2019: Early language sessions
Early language educators, it’s ACTFL week! This Thursday kicks off the 2019 Annual Convention & Expo for the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). It’s an enormous conference that’s enormously fun and some of the best professional development around. This year, the ACTFL Convention is in Washington, D.C. Calico Spanish is not exhibiting in the exhibit hall, but I’ll be presenting twice (that’s COO/storyteller Sara-Elizabeth): a full-day workshop on the NCSSFL-ACTFL Can Do Statements, and a Friday morning session on whether comprehensible input and project-based language learning have a future together.
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If you’re an early language educator, you may want to prioritize ACTFL sessions that focus on that area of interest. Recently participants from the ACTFL Language Learning for Children Special Interest Group offered suggestions from their members presenting, and we’d like to curate them here for you in one place, adding several sessions tagged in the ACTFL Convention online program for the elementary-teacher audience.
Elementary-aligned ACTFL19 sessions: Friday
TURNING THE PAGE: READING SHORT NOVELS AT THE NOVICE LEVEL
Niki Tottingham, Hubbard Woods Elementary
Fri, 11/22: 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM
WEWCC Room 147B
Focus on strategies that make reading short novels manageable in the novice levels. Participate in backward planning from a sample text by breaking apart the language in the text into five teachable categories, and learn strategies to keep students engaged during reading and comprehension activities.
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GO REAL: CREATE AUTHENTIC LEARNING EXPERIENCES FOR NOVICE YOUNG LEARNERS
Yan Wang
Fri, 11/22: 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM
WEWCC Room 209C
WEWCC Room 209C
Novice young learners can experience authentic learning through authentic purposes, authentic texts, and authentic resources. The presenter will share age- and level-appropriate strategies and learning activities for building authentic purposes into learning tasks and using authentic texts and resources to connect learning to the real world.
K-8 LANGUAGE PROGRAMS: ONE TEACHER – 400 STUDENTS. MAKING IT COUNT!
Danyelle Davis, Sage International School
Fri, 11/22: 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM
WEWCC Room 142
Most K-5 and middle school language programs are exploratory, not immersive, and struggle to “make it count.” We provide a model for assessment, feedback, and tracking to transform once-a-week language classes into a formidable program. Empower students to own their learning and grow their skills strategically year to year.
PLANTING SEEDS OF ECOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL JUSTICE IN THE WORLD LANGUAGE CLASS
Sarah Sharp, Head Royce School
Judy Wu, Head Royce School
Cristiana King, Head Royce School
Cristiana King, Head Royce School
Fri, 11/22: 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM
WEWCC Room 142
This session shares the Head Royce model for teaching ecological and social justice in K-5 French, Mandarin, and Spanish programs. The presenters will share examples of developmentally-appropriate activities and projects. Participants will learn strategies and ideas for incorporating the natural world and social justice topics into existing units.
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LEADING WITH THE UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS: MEANINGFUL BILITERACY
Amanda Seewald, MARACAS / Learning Kaleidoscope
Nathan Lutz, Kent Place School
Nathan Lutz, Kent Place School
Fri, 11/22: 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM
WEWCC Room 155
The UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development can serve as a robust framework for structuring a globally-minded, enlightening, and impactful curriculum. This also encourages the development of essential problem-solving skills. Learn how to create a global focus across all areas of instruction and within your existing curriculum.
The UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development can serve as a robust framework for structuring a globally-minded, enlightening, and impactful curriculum. This also encourages the development of essential problem-solving skills. Learn how to create a global focus across all areas of instruction and within your existing curriculum.
KEEP THEM TALKING! MAXIMIZE TIME, ENGAGEMENT, AND RISK-TAKING OPPORTUNITIES
Liza Heath, UMS – Wright Preparatory School
Fri, 11/22: 2:30 PM – 3:15 PM
WEWCC Room 156
Keep young learners speaking in the target language! Maximize time, engagement, and risk-taking opportunities to keep them talking by applying comprehensible input strategies and ideas that promote student language experimentation and immersion through the dynamic use of children’s literature, technology, music, drama, movement, and imagination!
NNELL Panel: Rethinking FLES Programs for the 21st Century
Moderator: Nathan Lutz, NNELL Past President
Panel: Ms. Christine Brown, U.S. Department of State
Dr. Helena Curtain, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Emerita)
Dr. Mary Lynn Redmond, Wake Forest University
Ms. Nancy Rhodes, Center for Applied Linguistics
Fri, 11/22: 3:30 PM – 4:15 PM
WEWCC Room 146A
Join experienced elementary educators as they explore Foreign Language in the Elementary School (FLES) program outcomes and future directions. The panel will engage the audience in a lively discussion, using outcome data and comparisons with past programs, to explore optimal models for the 21st century. Bring your questions and observations!
Join experienced elementary educators as they explore Foreign Language in the Elementary School (FLES) program outcomes and future directions. The panel will engage the audience in a lively discussion, using outcome data and comparisons with past programs, to explore optimal models for the 21st century. Bring your questions and observations!
USING PROFICIENCY-BASED CENTERS IN THE WORLD LANGUAGE CLASSROOM
Marissa Coulehan, Dobbs Ferry School District
Betsy Basom, Village School
Betsy Basom, Village School
Fri, 11/22: 2:30 PM – 3:15 PM
WEWCC Room 101
Want to promote language-learning independence, student choice, and organic language fun? The presenters will demonstrate how interactive games, literacy strategies, and technology can help teachers set up successful centers in their K – 8 classrooms.
GREATEST HITS: THE MAGIC OF MUSIC IN THE EARLY LANGUAGE CLASSROOM
Glenda De Hoyos, The Langley School
Fri, 11/22: 4:30 PM – 5:15 PM
WEWCC Room 101
This session will offer multiple strategies to teach language in a fun, engaging, and relevant way for early language learners through the use of songs and music videos. You are guaranteed to leave with concrete ideas for creatively using music to promote language production in your classroom the very next day.
KINDERUNI: A CLIL-BASED APPROACH FOR GERMAN AND STEAM IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Eileen Sellman, Goethe-Institut Washington
Fri, 11/22: 5:30 PM – 6:15 PM
WEWCC Room 143B
The Kinderuni is a free educational platform for children. Based on “Sendung mit der Maus,” STEM topics are explored while playfully learning German. A particular focus will be placed on incorporating bilingual lectures into the German and CLIL classroom using provided lesson plans, didactic materials, and Kinderuni box to recreate experiments.
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WHAT ABOUT PINYIN? A SYSTEMATIC K-6 ELA-BASED APPROACH
Stacy Lyon, Utah State Board of Education
Jiajie Wu, Lone Peak Elementary
Ms. Liping Zheng, Weber School District
Ms. Liping Zheng, Weber School District
Fri, 11/22: 5:30 PM – 6:15 PM
WEWCC Room 209C
This session introduces a systematic, developmental approach used across grades K-6 in a large immersion program that meshes with research-based literacy practices in English Language Arts (ELA) to clearly define the role of pinyin in the Chinese literacy experience without compromising character-learning.
LIVEN UP YOUR TEACHER TOOLBOX WITH GAME-BASED LEARNING
Wendy Mercado, Bay Shore Middle School
Valérie Greer, Bay Shore Middle School
Valérie Greer, Bay Shore Middle School
Fri, 11/22: 5:30 PM – 6:15 PM
WEWCC Room 147A
Break free of drill and practice and increase the level of enthusiasm and participation in your class with games! These partner and group activities are used to strengthen interpersonal communication across multiple levels. All activities presented will include demonstrations and audience participation.
Elementary-aligned ACTFL19 sessions: Saturday
APPLYING STEAM AND PBL TO PROMOTE LANGUAGE ACQUISITION IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Gregory Jones, Fairfax County Public Schools
Karina Prudencio, Fairfax County Public Schools-ISD
Sat, 11/23: 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM
WEWCC Room 102A
Employing STEAM and PBL to teach world languages to elementary students? Is it possible to combine them, and if so, how? This presentation will unpack an innovative and newly implemented FLES program curriculum. Presenters will also delve into challenges that have surfaced in the first three years of implementation and outline next steps for refinement.
NATURE IMMERSION AND PLAY: ORGANIC LANGUAGE LEARNING FOR YOUNG STUDENTS
Meridith Kiyosue, Red Oak Community School
Sat, 11/23: 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM
WEWCC Room 154A
Through nature immersion, play, and cultural exploration, young learners organically retain new languages. Participants will explore play-based strategies blended with outdoor immersion to create lessons to foster the natural engagement of students who will absorb languages effectively and who will begin to become stewards of the global world.
THE NATURAL APPROACH QUESTION SEQUENCE (NAQS) FOR CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION
Mr. Jian Liu, New York State Education Department
Sat, 11/23: 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM
WEWCC Room 206
Many world language educators struggle to use Comprehensible Input while maintaining 90%+ target language in class. Join this workshop to learn how to more effectively deploy formative assessment strategies through a real-time demo lesson applying the theory and research-informed practices of the Natural Approach Questions Sequence (NAQS).
A WONDERFUL WORLD OF READING: ENHANCES COMMUNICATION, WRITING, AND SPEAKING
Lina Kholaki
Sat, 11/23: 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM
WEWCC Room 159B
Learn how reading age- and language-appropriate books increases student’s vocabulary, reading comprehension, and engagement in the classroom. The presenters will share a successful reading program aligned with the ACTFL reading proficiency guidelines that is proven to enhance student’s reading, writing, and speaking skills.
INCORPORATING LITERACY STRATEGIES IN THE DLI CLASSROOM
Lauren Speece, Lexington One School District
Sat, 11/23: 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM
WEWCC East Overlook
Need to integrate more literacy into your DLI curriculum? Led by a former immersion teacher and instructional coach, this session provides the opportunity for you to practice strategies that will help grow your students’ language and literacy in the L2. You will leave this workshop with activities and strategies ready to use immediately in the classroom.
C.I. ACTIVITIES TO FOSTER EMERGENT GLOBAL CITIZENS AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL
Anne-Sophie Roure, Montclair Kimberley Academy
Sat, 11/23: 2:30 PM – 3:15 PM
WEWCC Room 147B
This workshop will enable participants to address global citizenship with younger world language students. Definitions of global citizenship pertaining to this age group will be followed by impactful activities that provide opportunities for cultivating empathy, exploration, and connections, while staying in the target language using C.I. strategies.
PERSONALIZE YOUR K-8 CLASSROOM WITH PROJECT-BASED LEARNING!
Beth Gaunce, Kentucky Educational Television
Nadine Jacobsen-McLean, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Sat, 11/23: 2:30 PM – 3:15 PM
WEWCC East Overlook
Successes and strategies from elementary and middle school classrooms where project-based instruction provides a high level of personalization and engagement for students will be shared. Case studies, including some from the Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica (SHA), will be presented to underscore research and exemplify standards and planning steps.
TELL YOUR STORY: USING CI IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Albert Fernandez
Sat, 11/23: 5:30 PM – 6:15 PM
WEWCC Room 206
FLES teachers have a great responsibility: Starting our youngest, most eager learners on the path to proficiency in our TL. Learn strategies and techniques based on ACTFL’s Standards and Can-Do Statements that will get the youngest learners moving away from traditional “colors, numbers, days of the week” content and towards proficiency.
Elementary-aligned ACTFL sessions: Sunday
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING ACTIVITIES FOR THE DLI CLASSROOM
Wanting Wang, Coronado Elementary School
Sun, 11/24: 8:00 AM – 8:45 AM
WEWCC Room 209C
This presentation will focus on introducing and modeling activities that can be used to facilitate collaborative learning, such as Quizlet live relay races, marker games, plate sketch games, fishbowl, musical chairs retell, and tug of war. Attendees will participate in the these activities during the session.
4 Comments
Thank you for making this super helpful list. I will use it and share it. It’s also really exciting to see my session in this list surrounded by so many great colleagues. See you at #ACTFL19
You’re so welcome- see you there, and thanks for sharing your expertise at ACTFL!
¡Hola!
WOW! Thank you for taking the time to make this amazing list. It is an great resource for first timer like me.
¡Gracias!
You’re welcome – hope to meet you there, Carla!