January 2011

Sowing Bilingual Success Spanish Materials Guide COLORFUL SPEECH 2011 Policy Recommendations News

Changes to AP Spanish Literature and Culture, Latin Significant changes to the College Board’s Advanced drama has been cut to 38 linguistically and thematically challenging Placement (AP) Spanish Literature and Culture, and AP Latin programs readings. These readings represent the many voices and cultures writ- will take effect in the 2012-13 academic year. ten in Spanish, from Spain, Latin America and the U.S. The shortened One major goal of the course redesign was to shift the instructional reading list gives teachers the time they need to promote students’ emphasis from breadth to depth of coverage in an attempt to help depth of understanding and contextual knowledge — as well as to teachers cultivate in students a deep understanding of content and incorporate art and other media into their curriculum. contexts. Another goal was to include clearly articulated learning objec- Course revisions in AP Spanish Literature and Culture will continue to tives that will help teachers align their curricula with best practices in provide students with opportunities to develop proficiency in Spanish college teaching and learning in the 21st century. across a full range of skills, with emphases on critical reading and analytical “AP continues to be the gold standard in American education and writing. In addition, said Long, the revised course “broadens the approach the leading program offering high school students the rigor of college- to studying literature by focusing on literature as a vehicle for understanding level course work,” said College Board president Gaston Caperton. culture and language through key texts of the Spanish-speaking world.” “These revisions reflect the high standards that educators at the sec- ondary and postsecondary levels have come to expect from AP.” Latin The revised AP Latin course integrates the two previous Spanish Literature and Culture courses — one of which focused exclusively on prose, the other on poetry “The revised AP Spanish Literature and Culture course — into a single course that now focuses on the works of Virgil and Caesar. reflects the best thinking in the field,” said Sheri Spaine Long, professor The course requires students to read and translate poetry and prose, ana- of Spanish at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and editor-in- lyze literary texts in written argument, and practice sight reading. chief of Hispania, the journal of the American Association of Teachers The revised course objectives will help teachers set expectations for of Spanish and Portuguese. students in relating Latin texts to Roman historical, cultural and literary con- The prior course reading list of 56 works of prose, poetry and texts. The objectives are organized into broad categories that include read- ing and comprehension, translation, contextualization, and analysis of texts. Comprehensive details about changes to AP world language cours- es and exams can be found online at http://advancesinap.collegeboard.org. CIA Chief Urges Language Mandate Last month, CIA Director Leon Panetta, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and more than 300 foreign language educa- tors gathered at the CIA Foreign Language Summit at the University of Maryland University College conference center. “If we are truly interested in having America succeed in the future, with regards to foreign language training, then I believe that the U.S. should require language study beginning at a younger age,” Panetta said, drawing applause. Panetta said K-12 educators need to focus on not just the three R’s of reading, writing and arithmetic but a fourth “R.” “And that ‘R’ stands for reality, the reality of the world that we live in,” Panetta said. “This country cannot simply expect the rest of the world to speak English. We must be multilingual.” “It is vital to our economic interests,” Panetta added. “It is vital to our diplomacy. It is vital to our national security to use the language of the people that we engage throughout the world. And, finally,” he said, “we need to get back to mandating language training as a requirement for graduating from college.” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan cited statistics that show foreign language instruction in the United States is generally on the decline and that universities are not producing enough foreign lan- guage instructors or students with degrees in a foreign language. “Right now, too many colleges and universities are starting to scale back language programs or eliminate them altogether,” Duncan said. “And even those where the language programs remain intact, the pri- ority is often put in the wrong place.” 10 http://www.languagemagazine.com January 2011 News

Texas Curriculum ‘Violates’ Civil Rights The Texas chapters of the National Association for the butions of Thomas Jefferson, the separation of church and state, Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the League of and the letter argues that they misrepresent the Civil Rights United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) have issued a complaint Movement and generally disregard the struggle of minorities against the state’s education policy with the U.S. Department of throughout American history, in order “to omit teaching controver- Education’s Office of Civil Rights. The organizations allege that the sial lessons on racial violence.” Texas Education Agency (TEA) and its State Board of Education The complaint further contends “that the SBOE curriculum (SBOE) have “violated or will violate” Title VI of the US Civil Rights changes were made with the intention to discriminate, and that the Act in both the recent, controversial changes to the state’s social SBOE curriculum and other areas raised in this complaint were studies curriculum and state policies as they relate to minorities either the result of unnecessary policies that have a disparate or students in general. stigmatizing impact on African-Americans and Latinos, or reflect Signed by Texas NAACP president Gary Bledsoe and director of disparate treatment or neglect.” Also quoted is University of Texas Texas LULAC Joey D. Cardenas, the letter asks the federal agency professor of history Juliet E.K. Walker, who argues that “it is to perform a “compliance review” of the state’s educational struc- unconscionable that a limited number of people have seized a vir- tures as they relate to minority students. The request argues that tual irrefutable power to dictate what information should be includ- Texas’ changes to its curriculum “negatively impact all students but ed or excluded in the social sciences, particularly the historic past.” [do] disparately greater harm to minority students.” SBOE members In response, SBOE member David Bradley told the Houston Mavis Knight and Lawrence Allen have also signed on, expressing Chronicle that the alterations had increased the inclusions of their support for the complaint against the Board. minorities in the curriculum, and that “these activists are never sat- The changes to the curriculum, passed amidst much con- isfied, and their whining to the federal government is silly and with- tention by the conservative-dominated Board, downplay the contri- out merit.”

January 2011 http://www.languagemagazine.com 11 Source

Funding Opportunities for Language-Related Fields

United States-Japan Foundation: Elgin Heinz Brown Rudnick Center for the Public Interest: Outstanding Teacher Award Insight/Foresight Grants The Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Award recognizes Brown Rudnick will fund specific, one-time future education- exceptional teachers who further mutual understanding between related needs or ideas that promise to improve inner-city education Americans and Japanese. The award is presented annually to two within one year of the grant award in one of the cities eligible for pre-college teachers in two categories, humanities and Japanese foundation grants. language. Maximum Award: $2,000. Maximum Award: $7,500 ($2,500 monetary award, $5,000 in proj- Eligibility: small, concrete projects that will improve inner-city edu- ect funds). cation in Boston, Hartford, Providence, New York, or Washington, Eligibility: Current full-time K-12 classroom teachers of any rele- D.C. within the coming year. vant subject in the United States who have been teaching for at Deadline: N/A least five years. http://www.brownrudnickcenter.com/foundation/ Deadline: February 1, 2011. communitygrant.asp http://www.us-jf.org/elginHeinz.html Comcast Grants for Diversity-Oriented Horace Mann: Programs Scholarship Program for Educators The Comcast Foundation is awarding grants to maximize the The Horace Mann Companies is offering scholarships for public impact of community investments so they yield tangible, measura- and private school educators to take college courses. ble benefits to the neighborhoods Comcast serves and the people Maximum Award: $5,000. who live there. The Foundation’s primary focus is in funding diversi- Eligibility: Full-time K-12 teachers, librarians, or teacher’s aides. At ty-oriented programs that address literacy, volunteerism, and youth time of application and award of scholarship, entrants must have at leadership development. least two years K-12 teaching experience and work at least 30 hours Maximum Award: $500,000. a week at a U.S. public or private school. Residents of Kentucky, Eligibility: 501(c)3 organizations operating within communities that Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, and Hawaii are not eligible. Comcast serves. Deadline: March 1, 2011 Deadline: N/A. https://www.horacemann.com/teacher-lounge/ http://www.comcast.com/foundation educator-scholarship-opportunities/how-to-apply.aspx Grants for Early Literary Professionals Pathways Within Roads to Reading Initiative RA & RR Reading Conference Grants are available to help The Pathways Within Roads to Reading Initiative donates books to fund expenses for selected early literacy professionals attending literacy programs in small and rural low-income communities. International Reading Association or Reading Recovery confer- Maximum Award: 200 books appropriate for readers age 0 to ences. young adult; English only. Maximum Award: $200 Eligibility: 501(c)3 organizations that run school, after-school, Eligibility: Early literacy professionals (grades K-3). summer, community, day-care, and library reading and literacy pro- Deadline: N/A grams; must have an annual operating budget of less than $95,000 http://www.wilbooks.com/scholarships/travelgrant.php (schools and libraries are exempt from this budget requirement) be located in an underserved community with a population of less than 50,000. Deadline: March 30, 2011 http://www.pwirtr.org/annual_donation_prog.html ING: Unsung Heroes Awards The ING Unsung Heroes awards program recognizes innovative and progressive thinking in education through monetary awards. Maximum Award: $25,000. Eligibility: Full-time educators, teachers, principals, paraprofession- als, or classified staff members with effective projects that improve student learning at an accredited K-12 public or private school. Deadline: April 30, 2011 http://ing.us/about-ing/citizenship/ childrens-education/ing-unsung-heroes 12 http://www.languagemagazine.com January 2011

World Languages

Spanish ‘Future Lies in North America’

Last month, New York State Senator “The Spanish Royal Academy is well and published by Santillana USA. With a José Peralta honored the president of the aware that the future of the Spanish lan- witty, helpful tone, it is aimed at the U.S. North American Academy of the Spanish guage lies in North America, specifically in Hispanic community. Luis Alberto Ambroggio, Language (ANLE per its Spanish acronym), the United States, a country that makes up a member of ANLE, presented an anthology Gerardo Piña-Rosales, during a celebration 10 percent of the 450 million Spanish speak- published by the Academy, Al pie de la Casa at the fourth annual Latino/Hispanic Book ers on the planet.” Moreover, says Piña- Blanca. Poetas Hispanos de Washington DC Fair in the Borough of Queens, New York. Rosales, for the Academy to be able to con- (Near the White House: Hispanic Poets of The presentation took place during the tinue its pathway in this vast country, it needs Washington, DC), which he co-edited and three-day literary event where participating not only financial support from Hispanic enti- co-authored. The anthology, a collection of writers represented Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, ties in the U.S., but also from the Spanish 24 distinguished Spanish language poets, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Peru, government. resorts to the poetic genre to convey, in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and During the three-day event, Piña-Rosales Spanish, idealism, protest and testimony the U.S. and other members of the Academy present- faithful to the Castilian traditions of the Senator Peralta said that the objective of ed the book Hablando Bien se Entiende la Golden Age in their endeavor to write poetry this year’s book fair is “to support all U.S. Gente, a Spanish language reference book in difficult times. It echoes the statement of Hispanic artists and authors and have their with more than 300 Spanish idiomatic Teresa de Ávila: ‘Life would not be bearable talents valued and known in the community.” expressions compiled by ANLE members without poetry.’ Piña-Rosales recalled the difficulties the Academy encountered, located in a non- Spanish language origin country, to become Spanish Lessons by Army for Lebanese a member of the Association of Academies Last month, the Spanish Minister of Defense, Carme Chacón, signed an of the Spanish Language. “Today, however, agreement with the Instituto Cervantes to provide Spanish language training for the local our Academy represents the second largest Lebanese population near its “Miguel de Cervantes” base in southern Lebanon. Spanish speaking community in the world, More than a thousand Lebanese students have benefitted from the free classes provided surpassed only by Mexico.” by military volunteers integrated with the United Nations peacekeeping force. 14 http://www.languagemagazine.com January 2011 World Languages

Exhibit photos and sample art from the Español con humor show at the Instituto Cervantes

Spanish with Humor At the end of last month, an exhibition entitled Español con humor opened at the Instituto Cervantes’ headquarters in Madrid. The show features 126 cartoons which demonstrate how humor can be used to facilitate the learning of Spanish. Organized by the Fundación Comillas in collaboration with the Fundación General de la Universidad de Alcalá, most of the fea- tured works are originals created by 38 Spanish and Iberoamerican artists including, Antonio Fraguas, Forges; José María Pérez, Peridis; Joaquín Salvador, Quino; Alfredo Martirena, Antonio Mingote o Carlos Garaycochea. The exhibition’s director, Juan García, selected works from Argentina, Colombia, Cuba, Chile, México and Spain to make the point that humor is international, and divided them into six sections according to the way in which the images have been used in textbooks: Oral Expression with the Aid of Cartoons; The Meaning of Punctuation Marks; One Image, Many Words; Past, Present & Future; Spanish Customs & Expressions; and The Illustration as a Landscape. Also on show is a selection of textbooks which use graphical humor to teach Spanish. For ideas on using humor in the Spanish class, there are two articles (Riendo se entiende la gente, by Pedro Alonso, and Con Mafalda en la clase de español by Celicia Montero available on the Instituto Cervantes’ website (http://cvc.cervantes.es).

January 2011 http://www.languagemagazine.com 15 World Languages

Chinese Challenges English Online and Off

China gained 36 million additional internet users last year meaning there are now over 440 million internet users in the country. English has long been the most widely used language on the internet but with Chinese Internet growth ris- ing at this rate, it could be less than five years before Chinese becomes the most popular lan- guage on the internet. The infographic chart, courtesy of Nextweb, has provided the numbers and percentages of the top ten languages that dominate the inter- net. The Chinese government has reacted to this emerging trend with an appropriate piece of leg- islation called “The National Common Language Law of the PRC” that seeks to preserve the integrity of Han language in all forms of media, digital and otherwise. And Chinese newspapers, books and web- sites will no longer be allowed to use English words and phrases, the country’s publishing body has announced, saying the “purity” of the Chinese language is in peril. The General Administration of Press and Publication, which announced the new rule last month, said the increasing use of English words and abbreviations in Chinese texts had caused confusion and was a means of “abusing the lan- guage.” Such practices “severely damaged the standard and purity of the Chinese language and disrupted the harmonious and healthy language and cultural environ- ulated use of foreign languages and respect the structure, glossary ment, causing negative social impacts,” the body said on its web site. and grammar of the Chinese and foreign languages.” “It is banned to mix at will foreign language phrases such as Companies that violate the regulation will face “administrative pun- English words or abbreviations [in] Chinese publications, creating ishment” although English terms can be used “if necessary” as long words of vague meaning that are not exactly Chinese or of any for- as they are followed by a direct translation in Chinese. eign language,’’ it said. Despite the growth of Chinese on the web, English may still remain “Publishing houses and the media must further strengthen the reg- in first place if internet use in India surges as is expected. 16 http://www.languagemagazine.com January 2011 World Languages

Belgian Linguistic Crisis Continues

Divided Belgium is heading into political and economic appointed in October following a June general election that failed to chaos after leaders of its Flemish and French-speaking communities produce an outright winner. were unable to come to an agreement to form a coalition govern- With debt hovering just below the 100 percent mark of GDP, rat- ment. ings agencies and the nation’s central bank have warned of a poten- After almost seven months of failed negotiations, the latest tial threat from financial markets if feuding politicians fail to strike a attempt to work out a deal was rejected by Flemish separatists. deal any time soon. The failure to bridge the widening gulf between leaders of Dutch- Vande Lanotte’s proposal offered to reform the state to offer the speaking Flanders and French-speaking Wallonia prompted Johan communities more autonomy in line with demands from the powerful Vande Lanotte, appointed by King Albert II to find enough common independence-minded New Flemish Alliance (N-VA). But the N-VA, ground to set up a workable coalition, to tender his resignation. which won the most votes at last year’s elections, said it had “funda- “You can take a horse to water but you can’t force it to drink,” he mental remarks”, or objections, on the text. said. “There is not sufficient willingness to negotiate.” The N-VA, which represents the once rurally-poor but now wealthi- “One day, the political leaders will have to take this step in the er 6.2 million Dutch speakers, complains of subsidizing the 4.5 million interests of the country’s prosperity,” said Vande Lanotte, who was francophones.

Best Acting New Linguistic Usage Tool Researchers have created a powerful With the tool, you can search the popular- in Spanish? new approach to scholarship, using approxi- ity of up to five different words or phrases mately four percent of all books ever pub- that have appeared since 1800 via a table As we went to press, the word in lished as a digital “fossil record” of human cul- charting each term’s growth or decline. Hollywood was that Javier Bardem was ture. By tracking the frequency with which “Interest in computational approaches to becoming the favorite to win this year’s words appear in books in different languages the humanities and social sciences dates to Oscar for Best Actor thanks to his haunt- over time, scholars can now precisely quantify the 1950s,” says co-author Jean-Baptiste ingly brilliant performance in the Spanish a wide variety of cultural and historical trends. Michel, a postdoctoral researcher based in language Biutiful. In 2006, Penélope Cruz The team, comprising researchers from Harvard’s Department of Psychology and became the first Spanish actor/actress to Harvard, Google, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Program for Evolutionary Dynamics. “But be nominated for a Spanish-language film and the American Heritage Dictionary, has attempts to introduce quantitative methods for her role in Volver but to date no male already used their approach — dubbed “cul- into the study of culture have been hampered actor has been nominated for a leading turomics,” by analogy with genomics — to by the lack of suitable data.” role in Spanish. gain insight into topics as diverse as humani- Among his A-list colleagues lending ty’s collective memory, the adoption of tech- their support to the actor’s award cam- nology, the dynamics of fame, and the effects Turkish Army paign are Sean Penn, Ben Affleck (who of censorship and propaganda. said that Bardem “is on another level from The collaboration between Google and Concerned by the rest of us,”) and Ryan Gosling who is Harvard University has also created the openly campaigning for a Bardem Oscar Ngram Viewer (http://ngrams. Kurdish Growth nomination. googlelabs.com/), a service that analyzes Julia Roberts has also joined the fray, how often certain terms have appeared in The Turkish army, which considers saying bluntly that if a performance as millions of books over a specific time range. itself the guardian of the constitution, last remarkable as Bardem’s gets overlooked, When you enter phrases into the Ngram month expressed “grave concern” about the then the industry is “f-ed.” Viewer, it displays a graph showing how spread of Kurdish. “He’s so raw and completely open to those phrases have occurred in a corpus of “There are intense efforts to take recent sharing every emotion this character has. I books (e.g., “English Fiction,” “Spanish,” public debates over ‘our language’ to a point think it’s unexpected for a man to expose “French”) over the selected years. Since that could radically change the foundation himself so deeply. And it’s incredibly ago- Ngram Viewer uses Google Books as a philosophy of our republic,” it said in a state- nizing in its subtleties. I just have a great search database, results are limited to about ment. “History is full of bitter examples of the appreciation for what he went through to five million books, or about four percent ever consequences of a nation without a unified show us all this. I know it had to hurt,” published. Still, the archive features a sam- language.” Roberts told Entertainment Weekly during pling of different languages, including Particularly provocative to mainstream a screening of the film Roberts hosted. Chinese, German, Russian, French, Spanish, Turks is the use of Kurdish in official and English. settings. January 2011 http://www.languagemagazine.com 17 Opinion

How Can We Improve our Linguistic or Literacy Skills? Every January, Language Magazine asks experts in our field to share their opinions on

Three Ideas to Improve forgiven for up to five years. As we move for- Labov 1982); (2) adequate programs for Linguistic Skills ward with advocacy, we must keep before us teaching English to all; (3) respect for both For a year, the local National Public Radio the goal of educating people for the post- plurilingual capacity and for diverse individual station located at the University of Michigan industrial digital age, an age requiring differ- languages; (4) programs that enhance her- has been asking people around the state to ent skills, new modes of thinking, new media itage languages and community languages; offer three ideas for making Michigan a bet- for communicating ideas and values, and a (5) multi-branched language-capacity pro- ter place and improving its future. Taking a nimble mind. Learning languages and learn- grams that ensure heritage programs con- cue from that fascinating project, I want to ing about the cultures in which they are spo- nect with advanced language training pro- offer three things I’d like to see happen ken prepare new learners and life-long learn- grams and overseas-experience approaches over the next twelve months that would ers for the tasks and lives ahead, even if they that lead to knowledge of, and respect for, help students improve their linguistic and/or live and work in the U.S. other languages and cultures. The time is literacy skills. Sidonie Smith, 2010 President, Modern ripe for the majority of Americans who speak 1. I’d like to see a grass roots initiative, Language Association, and Martha Guernsey only English to reflect on the positive benefits modeled on Teach for America, called Teach Colby Collegiate Professor of English and of speaking more than one language in a lin- Language for America. Launched with fund- Women’s Studies, University of Michigan guistically diverse world and acknowledge ing from a foundation like the Gates Found- the resources of the multilingual population in ation, Teach Language for America would A Policy Based on our our midst. Going forward, the United States train recent graduates with majors in lan- Multilingual Reality needs a policy climate that values linguistic guage to teach in urban and rural schools A positive focus for 2011 and beyond would tolerance as well as linguistic diversity to that have cutback instruction in foreign lan- be for the U.S. to develop a language policy enable us to communicate and compete guages. based on the current and historical reality of successfully on the global stage. 2. I’d like to see grassroots school-com- multilingualism in America. With one out of Dr. Terrence G. Wiley, President, Center munity partnerships that would establish every six people speaking a language other for Applied Linguistics bilingual internships for high school students than English, the U.S. needs to rise to the to work with people in the community who challenge and tap into the opportunities The Freedom in Education Act are multilingual or live in multilingual house- afforded by such powerful national linguistic Instead of my visions for 2011, here are my holds. The MLA Language Map helps us resources. There continues to be a discon- predictions. visualize how multilingual the U.S. actually is. nect between the language speakers in our After Arne Duncan gets rid of all teacher 3. I’d like to see a federal loan program population and the languages we teach. education, here are the next steps, inspired targeted to undergraduates taking majors in Despite the fact that America is the 5th by Gov-Elect Scott of Florida, who wants to foreign languages. This program would be largest Spanish speaking nation in the world, provide vouchers to all parents and let them designed on the 1960s NDEA (National Spanish in the United States is still taught as send their children to any school they like. Defense Education Act) model but would be if it were a foreign language in most public This will be followed by: renamed the NFEA (National Future schools and university programs. 1. Dismantling the public school system. Education Act). Graduates who go on to What might a policy based on current and All schools will be private. teach language in elementary or secondary historical reality include? Spolksy (2002) has 2. Gradually reducing the voucher amount schools and graduates who go on to jobs suggested a set of recommendations that until it is zero. (“Let’s get government out of requiring bilingualism would be eligible to are helpful in this connection: (1) policies that the education business,” but see below.) have a certain percentage of the NFEA loan ensure there is no linguistic discrimination (cf. 3. No longer requiring school attendance 18 http://www.languagemagazine.com January 2011 Opinion

on how we should tackle an issue of importance in the New Year

at all. BUT about the same as the current NCLB annual ■ School boards will award credit to stu- 4. Requiring that each child take stan- budget. And whenever the feds feel they dents for how well they communicate rather dardized, government-approved tests in all need to put more poor people in jail, they will than how many years they have survived lan- subjects every year, as well as interim tests raise the test-scoring fee a little. guage classes. during the year. All tests will be regularly A new industry loaning poor families ■ School districts recognize home schoolers, scheduled, and administered and machine- money to pay their test-scoring fees will heritage speakers, year-abroad returnees, scored by computer. (Arne Duncan’s plans emerge. Special interest groups will be and others for their language abilities. are close to this already. The only function of allowed to pay test-scoring fees for qualifying ■ European language teachers will stop school is test-prep. Families can choose how families, as the groups see fit. Donations to complaining that Chinese is taking over the they want to do it with no “interference” from many of these groups will be tax-deductible. world. the government — online, private school, I think most people would agree to steps ■ Chinese teachers will approach non- tutor, or doing nothing.) one to four with no hesitation, now that Chinese colleagues and learn something 5. Requiring that people pay the corpora- everyone is convinced that our schools are from them. tions to take the tests or for their children to “broken” and that private enterprise does ■ The Department of Education will realize take the tests. (A “test-scoring” fee.) All fees everything better. Step five would be easy if that foreign languages are the one field with must be paid before the test-taker takes the the fee is low at first. Step six can be moti- agreement on standards and make it a test. vated by horror stories placed in the media model for other fields. 6. Not taking the tests is not an option for about lazy people who don’t want their chil- ■ All language teachers will have at least one those under 18. Failing to take the tests dren to learn anything. Step seven would heritage or native speaker from the commu- results in prison for the parents of those pass tomorrow. nity visit their classes, physically or virtually. under 16, and prison for the students them- Stephen Krashen, Professor Emeritus, ■ Colleges will give scholarships to students selves ages 17 and 18, unless all past due Rossier School of Education, University of demonstrating proficiency in a language testing-scoring fees, plus interest, are paid Southern California other than English. immediately. Prisoners will be put to work. ■ Realizing that bilinguals are more likely to Money earned goes to pay past bills for test- A Few Modest Proposals get rich and donate money, colleges will scoring fees for tests not taken. ■ Proficiency in at least two languages will begin recruiting world language speakers. 7. No college attendance is required for a be a required and central element of “global ■ Xenophobes will stop complaining that degree. All you need to do is pass the stan- competence.” Spanish is an option at ATM machines. dardized competency test for any degree, ■ At least ten states will follow Utah’s lead ■ Districts will stop buying textbooks and use including MDs. (Like the Bar, but no law and fund the establishment of immersion the savings for long-term professional devel- school required, like the CPA exam, but no programs. opment and balanced assessment systems. business school required.) ■ For every “free” teacher from China or ■ Language Magazine will have a booth at There will be no “education budget” at all. Spain, states will fund a scholarship for a the ACTFL Convention in Denver. Instead, with 50 million test-takers, test cre- bilingual American graduate pursuing a ■ Scholars will discover that the Mayan cal- ators and test administrators will take in bil- teaching license. endar actually ended in 1986. lions each year from “test-scoring” fees for ■ Every college language professor will Happy New Year! doing nearly nothing, once the tests are in spend a day in a K-12 classroom. Carl Falsgraf,Director, Center for place. Even if the annual average fee is a ■ Barack Obama will spend an hour a day Applied Second Language Studies, University mere $500, the total will be about 25 billion, brushing up on his Bahasa Indonesia. of Oregon January 2011 http://www.languagemagazine.com 19

Bilingual Education

Sowing Success Kathy Pon, Irma Bravo Lawrence and Arturo Duran describe how a charter school in California’s Central Valley has reaped the benefits of becoming completely dual-language

Vivid recollections come to mind as we look back to 1998, dual-language programs had been. Research continued to confirm the when Proposition 227 was passed in California and English Language benefit of such programs for ELLs as well as their English speaking Learners (ELLs) were required to receive instruction in English for the counterparts. According to Pettito, Kovelman, and Baker: “Bilinguals majority of the instructional time during their first year in U.S. schools learning to read in two languages might also have an advantage in and perhaps a second year if needed. After this period of Structured grasping the symbolic nature of sound-to-letter correspondence, as a English Immersion, according to the law, ELLs would theoretically be plethora of sounds in their two languages corresponds in a very multi- sufficiently fluent in English to be able to participate meaningfully in faceted manner in their two writing systems.” In addition, these the mainstream classroom. National researcher and expert on the authors conclude through brain research, that metalinguistic aware- subject James Crawford responded with the following: “By a more ness has been shown to develop faster and more effectively in bilin- reasonable standard, however, a preponderance of the evidence guals compared to monolinguals. However, in 1998, with the passing favors the conclusion that well-designed bilingual programs can pro- of Proposition 227, some local educational agencies saw it as the per- duce high levels of school achievement over the long term, at no cost fect opportunity to dismantle bilingual programs, and many did. to English acquisition, among students from disempowered groups.” On the west side of Stanislaus County lies a town where the school This conclusion is found in many studies, such as the work of Kenji district stands firm on the principle of preparing students for the 21st Hakuta, 1998. century. Bilingualism is seen as an asset, as enrichment, and beneficial It was a devastating blow to educators that supported dual-lan- for students, communities, and society in general. The dual-language guage instruction because they understood how successful late exit program in the district continued at Grayson Charter School (part of 20 http://www.languagemagazine.com January 2011 Bilingual Education

Grayson Charter School’s Journey of School Improvement First Nine Years of API Results Year 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 API 493 530 631 612 672 649 647 687 770

A very high percentage of students who fall into all three subgroups. As for staff, 14 teachers are fully credentialed and one is an intern. They have an average of 5.8 years of teaching experience. All hold appropriate authorization to work with ELLs, and none is assigned outside an authorized subject area. In 2001, Grayson Elementary was a 90-90-90 school but it received a paltry 493 from a possible 800 score on California’s Academic Performance Index (API) which is used to measure the academic growth of a school from one year to another. The 90-90-90 refers to schools with 90 percent free or reduced lunch, 90 percent ethnic minority, and 90 percent of the students meeting the district or state standards. Immediately, the school was identified as low per- forming for not meeting its annual yearly progress target set by the federal government’s Title 1 Program Regulations. Two years later it was one of the first schools in the county to enter into what was then titled NCLB’s “Program Improvement.” Grayson initiated a 50-50 Dual Language Immersion program in 2002-03 to meet the expressed desires of parents and community members. This program’s goal then and now is for students to become bilingual and biliterate in Spanish and English, and to achieve at high academic levels on local (district benchmark) and state (California Standards Tests) assessments in both languages. Nine years later, this dual language school has achieved a 770 API. Its 277 point gain clearly illustrates an unwavering dedication to improvement which has made it an example to other schools. District and county leaders attribute this dramatic growth to the current prin- cipal and staff’s commitment to academic rigor and determination not to compromise the goals of dual-language in their quest for improve- ment. The principal is an active participant in the Central Valley Dual Language Consortium, which meets regularly to plan ways to support dual-language program schools and parents. The Patterson Joint Unified School district has also fully supported its bold efforts that have clearly resulted in improved teaching and learning. The Superintendent of 11 years has been a staunch proponent of bilingual Patterson Joint Unified School District), so it is important to share the education. He has continually enlisted the support of Patterson’s struggle as well as celebrate the success of this school. It is a small, School Board to provide such a program of excellence for the stu- K-5 elementary school serving the rural neighborhoods of Grayson dents of Grayson. Under his leadership, he created a dependent and Westley, seven miles north of the city of Patterson. The most strik- charter school in December of 1999 to make sure the necessary cur- ing aspect of the school campus is the way in which the simple and riculum and instruction could be implemented for the dual-language aged buildings come to life with beautiful, culturally appropriate murals. program to succeed. These murals include worn, but colorful replicas of villagers making Student achievement at Grayson improved substantially from 2001 music, children playing in the warm sun and mothers raising their to 2005, but did not show the same level of improvement for the next hands to the sky. The staff and students are very proud of these artis- two years. The API increased a total of 157 points between 2001 and tic contributions to their home away from home. 2006, but declined by 41 points over the next two year period. At Numbers cannot tell the entire story, but some facts help describe that time, both site and district staff worked with private and county the cultural context of this school: According to California Basic consultants to identify areas that needed more support and change Educational Data System (CBEDS), enrollment in October 2009 was at and to, “stop the bleeding” as described by principal Arturo Duran. 250 students. Virtually all the students (97.3%) are Hispanic/Latino, and Grayson attributes its success in overcoming the odds to a com- more than three-fourths (77.7%) are ELLs. Most (96%) of the students mitment to adapt the 50-50 model to increase student language pro- qualify for free/reduced lunch. Grayson’s significant subgroups are ficiency and academic achievement. Its dual-language model is not Hispanic/Latino, socioeconomically disadvantaged students, and ELLs. one that is widely used in California. The model adopted was based January 2011 http://www.languagemagazine.com 21 Bilingual Education on the philosophy that the students, who came almost entirely from writing scores, which were higher than those of peers in town from a Spanish speaking homes, should build on their home language and school that received over 800 on the API. The fact that Grayson stu- learn English simultaneously. Therefore, it gave equal weight to dents’ manuscripts for the writing tests are in both English and instruction in both languages, and students did not exit the program Spanish is quite an accomplishment. until after fifth grade, based on the research of Virginia Collier and Early into the implementation of this model, it was evident that the Wayne Thomas, who describe how ELLs attending one-way dual-lan- academic test results and CELDT score were not increasing as guage programs performed outstandingly high in Spanish in the early expected. In 2007, Arturo Duran began to work with an outside con- grades. Their high achievement in Spanish significantly influenced sultant and with the Central Valley Dual Language Consortium experts their high achievement in English. After four years in a 50-50 pro- to retool the 50-50 model. The decision was made to teach one gram, students started reaching the 72 percentile in English on the additional core subject in English on a daily basis to give “an extra Terra Nova exam. dose” of instruction in the English language. Mathematics was the While most dual-language programs were experimenting with 90- subject that was chosen, and this modification rendered positive 10 models, Grayson made a decision that students would be shared results. In addition in 2008, County Office of Education experts were by two team teachers to achieve the 50-50 model. Students, in brought in to strengthen the delivery of English Language essence, have core subjects in one language one week and in the Development and the use of Hampton-Brown’s Avenues materials. other language the next. This model has necessitated careful plan- The rigor of the ELD lessons was increased as the staff became profi- ning, as teachers need to communicate daily with each other to cient in integrating an academic language focus, a fluency develop- make sure they do not repeat lessons or units taught in one language ment component, and forms and functions of language into their daily or the other but, instead, build upon them. An unintended conse- lessons. These modifications to the instruction have strengthened the quence of this high degree of collaboration has been that teachers implementation of this 50-50 model. are keenly focused on individual student’s needs every week. Decisions were made each week regarding what skills need to be Professional Development and integrated through the following week, against what students have Building Leadership Capacity mastered or not, thus saving instructional time. One of the most cele- Staff development is an integral part of the school culture. Professional brated achievements for students at the school were the 4th grade development continually improves and refines teachers’ knowledge,

22 http://www.languagemagazine.com January 2011 Bilingual Education skills, and attitudes so they become effective in their role as teachers contributions are so important that, even in tough budget times, the in a dual-language immersion program. Staff development has staff, the principal and the school district worked to keep her position. evolved at the school throughout the years as the school restructured its program under the demands of NCLB. It has been a major vehicle Cycle of Inquiry and to provide training for teachers to assist them in adjusting their prac- the Use of Data to Inform Instruction tices and effectively delivering grade level standards to students. It The Cycle of Inquiry as practiced at the school is a systematic has progressed to an inquiry-based model where best practices and process of asking questions, identifying problems, setting goals, student data are studied and refined over time. This culture of sup- developing action plans, and analyzing outcomes using data. The port and collaboration among all staff has been one of the primary Cycle of Inquiry is a process tool identified by the Bay Area School reasons for the dramatic increases in the API. It has also made pro- Reform Collaborative (BASRC) in 1996. fessional development practice a major enterprise for all the teachers. This deliberate process has allowed the teachers to discern cause The peer coaching model is a specific professional development and effect amid all that is happening in the school. This process helps practice that has propelled the professionalism and instructional capac- teachers to make thoughtful, informed choices about instruction, ity of teachers at the school. Simply put, teachers learn from each interventions and programs. The school utilizes benchmark assess- other. The school uses peer observations, conferencing, and reflection ments to analyze student performance on an ongoing basis. For to facilitate teacher learning. Peer coaching activities have the capacity Grayson, it is essential that staff minimize “busy work” and document to increase professional dialogue and foster trust among staff (Robbins, only the assessment data that can truly inform instruction. The cycle 1991). The model is based on trust, ownership, confidentiality, and a of inquiry consists of four phases. Below is a brief description of the validation of professional expertise. It promotes professional growth in a four phases: nonjudgmental manner and has truly helped Grayson staff take the implementation of best practices to a deeper level. Teacher to Student Performance Chats Professional development could not have had such profound Teacher to Student Performance chats are structured meetings in impact if not for the role of Grayson’s Literacy/English Learner Coach. which the teacher meets with every student to discuss how the stu- Her job has many facets including professional development, facilita- dent did on a curriculum embedded assessment. These meetings tion of data analysis, and work with parents and family literacy. These take about five to ten minutes per student. If necessary, a roving sub

January 2011 http://www.languagemagazine.com 23 Bilingual Education is brought in to assist the teacher in accomplishing this task. These coach and special education resource teacher meet with every meetings assist each teacher to have a clear picture of the levels of teacher to look at classroom instructional practices. These meetings student achievement for every child in his/her class. It is also the take approximately 20 minutes per teacher and require the use of a place where discussions take place about how to individualize roving substitute teacher. The purpose of these meetings is to attain a instruction for specific students who are not showing adequate levels clearer understanding of class performance and instructional prac- of growth. Information attained from the chats guide discussion and tices within each classroom. decisions for the next phase. Teachers meet with each individual stu- The Student Performance Meeting is the place to address any dent at the beginning of each year to analyze his/her performance on concerns the teacher might have. At the initial Student Performance the previous year’s CST. This analysis is broken in areas of strength Meeting, a summative information form and a detailed assessment and areas of future growth. A form is filled out that will constitute a log are used to help teachers organize information and reflect on the student instructional action plan for the year. current realities in their classrooms. Here, the classroom information is also used as part of a larger collaborative accountability system Grade Level Meetings with the district. The final two Student Performance Meetings are Grade level meetings are structured gatherings in which the teacher much more reflective in nature with the purpose of revisiting student meets with her/his grade level peers to discuss how students did on achievement data and progress, and ensuring no student “fall curriculum embedded assessments. The purpose of these meetings through the cracks.” is to have instructors at specific grade levels form questions, identify problems and analyze outcomes. The results help identify strategies Parent Involvement in Meaningful Capacities that are more effective for student learning or where re-teaching is While parents have always been highly visible at the school, over time needed. These meetings guide professional development in terms of there has been considerable work to create meaningful parent involve- identifying areas of need, and in some cases, guide the reallocation of ment. Grayson, as a rural school in a poor community, also houses a resources. Family Resource Center, a Health Clinic, and a State Preschool on site. Parents, therefore, have always used the school as a one-stop Student Performance Meetings shop to obtain health and nutrition resources and assistance with Student performance meetings are structured so that the principal, housing, as well as a source for early childhood education assistance. However, when the school became a Dependent Charter, the district helped to create the FAMA (Families and Agencies Moving Ahead) Council. In collaboration with the School Site Council, these groups form a joint advisory board for the site’s school plan, budget, and pro- gram improvement actions. This advisory board has provided parents a voice in the education of their children. While not always unanimous- ly approving its goals and fiscal priorities, parents and representatives of Grayson agencies have been solid supporters of the dual-language program resulting in bilingualism and bi-literacy for their children. The School Principal, Arturo Duran, has worked in two significant ways to build the capacity of his parent community. He has invited School Site Council members to learn about important instructional elements as those found in Direct Instruction and Special Designed Academic Instruction in English, and then assisted them in identifying the implementation of such practices through classroom visitations. This has promoted parent understanding of teacher expectations. For teachers, it has elevated the value of informing parents about the teaching-learning process. In 2008, Mr. Duran brought trainers from the Parent Information Resource Center to his school’s English Learner Advisory Committee to assist them in better defining the site’s parental involvement policy and goals. This has resulted in con- tinued understanding and support for the program by parents. Even when given the option of School Choice through Program Improvement sanctions, not one parent has requested to transfer their child out of Grayson in seven years. Last year, the school had the good fortune to be involved in a Toyota Family Literacy Program. Twenty parents each committed ten hours a week to the program activities, including six hours a week of English as a Second Language instruction, two hours of time in their children’s classroom, learning, side by side with their students, and two hours a week of parent seminar time. Early program assessment data is showing student attendance and achievement to be better 24 http://www.languagemagazine.com January 2011 Bilingual Education than those of non-program participants, and parents are verbalizing References their appreciation of the techniques they are transferring to the learn- Crawford, J. (1998) “The Political Paradox of Bilingual Education. ing in their homes. Although still in its infancy, this program is certain Language Policy Web Site & Emporium.” Social Justice 25, No. 3 to have a positive impact on the overall achievement of students. (Fall 1998) Hakuta, K. (1998) “Improving Education for All Children: Meeting the Overall Ulitization of a Systems Approach and Needs of Language Minority Children.” Education and Development Commitment to Continual Improvement of American Youth Fifth Conference. Peer coaching has de-privatized the act of teaching and created a Kovelman, I., Baker, S.A. & Pettito, L.A. (2008) “Age of first bilingual culture in the school of teachers as professional leaders. Staff devel- language exposure as a new window into bilingual reading develop- opment and teacher empowerment are at the core of this practice ment.” Bilingual: Language and Cognition 11 (2). Cambridge and are enhanced by allowing teachers the opportunity to interact as University Press. professionals and exchange ideas. Collier, V. & Thomas, W. (2004) The Outstanding Effectiveness of Dual Improvement is not a single action in time, but the channeling of Language Education for All: NABE Journal of Research and Practice, best practices from the many components of a system that creates 2:1 Winter 2004. energy and momentum and, ultimately, improvement. Grayson has Robbins, Pam, “How to Plan and Implement a Peer Coaching Program,” spent considerable time defining the dual-language program and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1991 optimal delivery of this program that will best meet the needs of its students. The principal and district have invested in the development Kathy Pon is assistant superintendent, Educational Services, of its staff to ensure excellent teaching. It has created a culture that Patterson Joint Unified School District. Irma Bravo Lawrence is uses data to ensure positive academic outcomes for its students. It Director of English Learner Support Services, Stanislaus County has involved parents as true partners in its journey as a way to attain Office of Education. Arturo Duran is Principal at Grayson Charter, success for all. This is a systems approach to continual improvement Patterson Joint Unified School District. and is the hope for the children of Grayson Charter School.

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January 2011 http://www.languagemagazine.com 25 Materials

¡Ya Estamos en el Fu Language Magazine’s guide to the latest innovations for the Spanish classroom

Focus Publishing films and it may be used as a primary or ancil- latest scientific research regarding language Cinema for Spanish Conversation, Third lary text, providing flexibility for courses that acquisition and brain development, worked Edition and ¡De película!: Spanish cannot accommodate an entire semester of with leading neuroscientist Dr. April Benasich, Conversation through Film both offer an inno- film or where resources are more limited, like and drew from her own experience as a lan- vative way to facilitate conversations in high school courses or language courses guage teacher, filmmaker and mother. Spanish while retaining the high level of inter- taught in the evening. Little Pim is available in Spanish, with DVDs est that today’s modern students demand. featuring the Entertainment Immersion Method Movies offer natural language in context and Little Pim of native speakers, optional English subtitles, provide a context in history and culture. Little Pim is an award-winning foreign lan- and themed repetition so children and parents Cinema for Spanish Conversation includes guage learning series for babies, toddlers and can easily learn a new language. previewing exercises, background information, preschoolers. The program, specifically Winner of 18 awards including the 2010 vocabulary, cultural material, and post-viewing designed for children under six, combines car- National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, exercises in each chapter. Using sixteen toon animation and real kids, teaching words Parents’ Choice, Dr. Toy 2010 Best Audio engaging and thought-provoking feature films, and phrases for everyday activities. Visual Award, the Creative Child 2010 Media students hear Spanish as it is spoken in differ- Little Pim is the brainchild of Julia Pimsleur of the Year Award, and recently featured on ent countries and in a wide variety of situa- Levine, an award winning documentary film- the Today Show, Little Pim offers a host of dif- tions and are encouraged to listen to and con- maker who, as the mother of two, wanted to ferent ways to learn. verse about the social and cultural aspects of create a top quality, fun language-learning Spanish-speaking countries around the world. series for babies and young children. Julia was Mango Languages As with the parent text, ¡De pelicula! provides inspired by her own bilingual childhood: she is Mango’s K-12 Educator Edition makes a great a context for listening to the film through exer- the daughter of Dr. Paul Pimsleur, who pio- supplement to course material for students of cises and vocabulary but also divides each neered the international best-selling foreign all ages. The online language learning tools chapter into four segments allowing educators language audio teaching method. In determin- focus on delivering practical conversation skills more options of showing the film over an ing how best to approach creating effective and cultural lessons for the most popular ele- extended period of time. This text covers eight materials for kids, she immersed herself in the mentary and high-school languages. With a 26 http://www.languagemagazine.com January 2011 Materials

uturo!

fun and engaging format, an easy and effec- tems. Coursework can be implemented into and grammar books including: Exacto!: A tive teaching methodology, and access from classrooms with or without teacher support Practical Guide to Spanish Grammar, a stu- any online computer, Mango gets your stu- (on-site or virtual), and because it is Web- dent-friendly Spanish grammar aimed at inter- dents excited about learning, and makes them based, MiddWorld is scalable for classrooms, mediate-level learners and the Living active participants in the world around them. schools and districts, and is compatible with Language series. Perfect for students and popular LMS platforms. They also offer Avant travelers, this series takes a traditional Middlebury Interactive Languages STAMP assessment testing as an option for approach to language learning with accompa- MiddWorld Online’s, High School Spanish I schools that require quantifiable benchmarks. nying CDs for both listening and speaking. is a brand-new online product available for the Aligned with national ACTFL standards, Oxford Dictionaries Online is the English first time this month. It is based on the 100 MiddWorld Online helps pre-college students dictionary site English language users have years of proven language immersion method- become proficient in a language: that is, they been waiting for: the most comprehensive, ology of Middlebury College and claims to be will be able to use it, use it for a purpose, use accurate, up-to-date language resource avail- the most immersive high school language it in context and use it in interaction with oth- able — based on the largest language product in the market today. Using current ers. Spanish I is available in January 2011, research program in the world. Bilingual teach- technology platforms, the program recreates with Spanish II to follow in Fall 2011. ers and students should turn to the innovative the immersion experience for the high school Oxford Language Dictionaries Online. classroom by guiding students through Oxford University Press Featuring essential language resources in coursework, activities, and extracurricular From dictionaries to workbooks, Oxford German, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, games designed to keep students in language University Press has a variety of language and Chinese, this fully searchable and com- — developed by highly qualified Middlebury resources for students and teachers alike. pletely comprehensive site offers instant academics from around the world. MiddWorld Oxford language reference products are avail- access to Oxford’s unabridged bilingual dic- Online incorporates contemporary Web-based able in over 15 different languages, and come tionaries. technologies such as a virtual world game and in a range of prices and formats to fit any social media into the learning process to budget and level of learning. Recorded Books engage students using familiar delivery sys- Oxford offers an assortment of dictionaries Recorded Books offers technology solutions January 2011 http://www.languagemagazine.com 27 Materials

to make language learning easy and fun, giv- Education Courses, and Byki Online Foreign ing educators support in motivating students Language Courses. to learn. The foreign language learning resources from Recorded Books consist of Red River Press programs for all ages and levels of proficiency ESL Library is expanding its Spanish and students who are speaking and learning resources section this year to include ready- English as a second or foreign language. to-print lesson plans for Spanish teachers in Featured products include Pimsleur a variety of topics and levels. You can also Language courses, Byki Online, Transparent download or print over 2000 Spanish flash- Language, KidSpeak, Sing & Learn ABC cards to enhance your lesson plans and Melody, SmartReaders and SteadyReaders. teach new vocabulary. Since 1979 Recorded Books has produced and distributed unabridged audiobooks and Teacher’s Discovery other audio products direct to public, univer- Teacher’s Discovery’s Game Guroo is a sity, and school libraries, on CD, cassette, Spanish e-learning web site with over 5,000 Playaway, MP3, CD, and in downloadable online reinforcement games for Spanish formats. Over 9,000 titles are available for teachers and their students. adults, children and young adults narrated by Spanish teachers find it easy to create professional, award-winning actors. In addi- their own online interactive games, quizzes tion to downloadable audiobooks from One- and homework, or choose from thousands of Click Audio, the digital databases offered by proofed activities, created by Teacher’s Recorded Books are ePrep Test Preparation Discovery. All activities track student scores Services, Universal Class Continuing and report directly back to the teacher.

28 http://www.languagemagazine.com January 2011 Materials

Games include classic game shows, conjuga- counts — as little as $7 per student per year Avant tion games, and aural writing practice, just to — and special management tools for teachers. Avant offers Spanish students self-assess- name a few. Your students can quickly and easily sign ments in web-based language portfolios A new Gringos video game section of the themselves up, choosing their own usernames which include integration with instruction, site allows students to enter a virtual town and and passwords. Then you’ll be able to assign formative and summative assessments, teach- shop in its tiendas to earn points and reinforce videos to them as homework or lab assign- ing resources, and meaningful reporting at vocabulary and grammar. The site also offers ments. Students complete assignments by individual and class/district levels. thousands of printable exercises available for playing the Yabla Game and earning points. As Avant’s new generation of solutions for lan- all first-year Spanish topics. Improve students’ students complete the assignments, you can guage teachers and learners is centered on overall grades by reinforcing with something monitor their progress with detailed reporting. data to inform decisions and guide student they know and love — interactive games! learning. Avant integrated solutions in 2011 Yabla Spanish Features: include: Yabla ■ Subtitles in Spanish and English; One-click, ■ Web-based four-skill assessments for Yabla Spanish provides authentic video multi-dictionary definitions; Phrase repeat and placement and proficiency at levels related to immersion to your students anywhere they pitch-corrected slow play; Videos organized by the ACTFL Performance Guidelines. have an Internet connection. Videos include category and difficulty level; New videos added ■ Multimedia portfolio utilizing CEFR descrip- TV dramas, documentaries, profiles of beauti- regularly; Email mini-lessons; Personal flash tors where students show evidence of what ful travel destinations such as Ibiza and card lists to assist learning; Monitored com- they can do and teachers review student evi- Madrid, “man on the street” interviews, and, ments for each video so students can ask dence, integrate classroom instruction and best of all, lots of music videos. Students are Yabla a question or discuss what they’ve coach with feedback. motivated to learn because the videos are watched; The Yabla Game; Steep discounts — ■ Professional development to facilitate engrossing and fun, not stale and didactic. rates drop the more students you enroll; and a the application of data to improve student Yabla Spanish offers steep educational dis- 60-day free trial for any number of students. learning.

January 2011 http://www.languagemagazine.com 29

Culture Colorful Language Alan Kennedy explains how the perception of color in different languages reveals cultural diversity

We tend to think of colors as ideas on which all humans agree — grass is green, flames are orange, the sky is light blue — even if different languages have different names for these colors. As English speakers, we think of color names in terms of the “basic” ones and the more specific, secondary ones (turquoise, beige). Think of the words that are taught to young children for color. A quick look at baby books shows that English generally has 11 basic color words:

Many people are surprised to learn, therefore, Perhaps unsurprisingly, studies have shown ■ Both Japanese and Korean do have sepa- that different languages do not consider the that people can remember and sort colored rate words for green and blue, but the distinc- basic colors to be the same. This was true of objects more easily if their language has a tion is not always made in the same way that ancient languages — Latin originally lacked a name for that color. Linguist Stephen Pinker English makes it. A green traffic light, for generic word for “gray” and “brown” and had affirms in the 2007 update of his classic trea- example, can be called the “blue” light in both to borrow its words from Germanic language tise The Language Instinct that Berlin & Kay’s languages. Likewise, in Thai the word sources; Classical Greek is said to not have findings are essentially accepted. Following means green, but is also used to describe the had different names for blue and black. It is are some other specific examples of how dif- sky. also true, however, for languages spoken ferent colors are dealt with in various lan- ■ In Welsh language (part of a different lan- today. Some spoken in the New Guinea guages: guage family from English), the word for “blue” Highlands still have terms only for black and ■ Russian has two different basic words for traditionally covers not only what English white — perhaps better translated as “dark” blue and light blue: and . speakers would call blue, but also parts of and “light.” As another example, Hanuno’o ■ Hungarian has two different basic red words: green and grey as well; gwyrdd is yellowish- language (spoken in the Philippines) has only bordó (darker reds) and piros (lighter reds). green, glas is greenish and grayish blues, and four basic color words: black, white, red and ■ Hindi has traditionally had no standard llwyd is gray which is not blueish. However, in green. word for the color “gray.” However, lists for contemporary Welsh the words have come to Looking at the chart below: Berlin & Kay’s child or foreigner Hindi language learning often correspond more with English. landmark study (1969) of 98 languages include “saffron” as a basic color in ■ Similarly, Shona language (a Bantu lan- showed that if a language has a name for a addition to orange, yellow and red. guage from Southern Africa) has no one word color in a higher-numbered column it always ■ Navajo has one word for both gray and for our “green” concept; they have one word has a name for the ones to the left (if a lan- brown and one for blue and green. It has two for yellowish-green, and a different word for guage has only two color words they will for black, however, distinguishing the color of bluish-green. always be white and black; if it has five they “coal” from that of “darkness.” ■ Bilingual speakers of English and will always be white, black, red, green and yel- ■ Many languages do not have separate Kwakwa’la (a native language of Vancouver low). terms for blue and green, instead using one Island) demonstrated that they use the words While some of the particulars of this term for both. Linguists sometimes use the “yellow” and “green” when speaking English research have been debated, the notion per- term “grue” to describe such words. In but refer to the catch-all term ibenxa for both sists that “basic” colors may be relative for a Vietnamese, for example, both tree leaves and colors when speaking Kwakwa’la. person and are influenced by language. the sky are described by the color word xanh. ■ Some languages have color verbs. As an 30 http://www.languagemagazine.com January 2011 Culture

example, the Lakhota (a Native American lan- think of heaven as white or blue — in the with my students which they find both practi- guage of the Sioux family) verb gigímeans “to Koran, the term for “greenness” is found in cal and entertaining — reviewing some of the be rusty brown,” and skaská means “to be several verses to describe the state of the common color idioms that we have in English. white.” inhabitants of paradise. For the Chinese, the If you have not given this topic any thought It should be pointed out that popular, color red is strongly associated with good before, you may be surprised at how many we everyday concepts of “basic” color differ from luck, an association most Westerners don’t have in English. These are often idioms in the scientific ones, no matter what language is have. In traditional Cherokee culture, colors truest sense, because they have figurative being discussed. For example, English speak- are associated with the four directions: blue meanings that one probably could not “guess” ers use the mnemonic device “Roy G. Biv” to (north), white (south), red (east) and west from the color associations themselves (“yel- memorize the sequence of colors in a spec- (black). low-bellied,” “once in a blue moon”). My les- trum (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, Flag colors often symbolize countries, to son, and the subsequent discussions it violet) — but few English speakers would call stronger or lesser degrees. “Red, white and prompts, has enabled me to collect some indigo a “basic” color. Incidentally, English is blue,” as a combination, signals “America” to non-English examples. not the only language with such a mnemonic Americans, but not necessarily to others. The seeming arbitrariness of many color device. Russian, for example, has this one: Colors can also signify social identity. For exam- idioms is underscored by the fact that in other languages these colors have different associa- tions and are used in idioms with completely different meanings. When Korean speakers say that someone has a “black heart” they mean he has an ulterior motive — nothing to Color and Culture ple, In British Isles cities where Catholic and do with the cruelty idea it connotes for us. A Cultural color associations can differ Protestants have a history of conflict, the use of thriller novel in Italian is un libro giallo (“a yellow widely. Western brides consider a white dress green (Catholicism) or Orange (Protestantism) in book”), unrelated to the scandal-mongering to be traditional, and in Anglo-American cul- certain contexts is seen as taboo. notion of our “yellow journalism.” In English, ture, wearing “something blue” is equally tradi- “he is blue” means he’s sad. The German tional. In some Asia/Pacific countries, howev- translation, however, er ist blau, means “he is er, it is customary for brides to wear red. We Color Idioms drunk.” We use a “white lie” to avoid hurting wear black to funerals; in India it is common to It follows, then, that colors are used in someone’s feelings. For Turkish speakers, this wear white. In Western cultures, purple is very different ways in different color idioms is a pembe yalan — a pink lie. Korean speak- often associated with royalty — an association across languages. In my university English as ers go one step further with the “lie” color which does not exist in other places. Christians a Second Language classes, I do a lesson idioms. They speak of “a red lie,” which January 2011 http://www.languagemagazine.com 31 Culture

WHITE

means a lie which everyone knows is a lie. (“green joke”) a dirty joke — once he has to our attention, they may make us feel that, A lot of French color idioms are already cooled off. All of this is of less concern to the as Portuguese speakers say, está tudo azul familiar to us (film noir, la vie en rose, carte Italian delegate, who has bigger problems: he “everything is blue” — that is, all is right with blanche) but did you know rire jaune (“to laugh is al verde (“at the green”) — by which one the world. yellow”) is to give a forced, insincere laugh? means he is broke. (The American allegedly How about faire quelqu’un marron (“to make tried to embezzle some money for him, but Notes someone brown”), which means to cheat on sadly he was caught red-handed, so the ■ “Gray” is also spelled “grey,” which is someone? Here’s a question: is inexperience Italian remains in the red). sometimes referred to as a British spelling, blue or green? The French say être fleur bleue Speaking of red, as Berlin and Kay noted, if although that distinction seems to be on the (“to be a blue flower”) for naïveté. The a language has only one lexeme for a color wane. Nowadays you will hear that it is simply Japanese seem to side with the French — besides black and white, it is red. It should be spelled both ways they say an inexperienced person has “a blue no surprise, then, that there are many good ■ The “basic” word in English for purple color butt.” We English speakers, on the other “red” idioms. Here’s a sample. The Russians is sometimes “violet.” hand, might say “she’s so green” about the say (“red roof”) for a ■ Let’s leave aside for the purposes of this unseasoned colleague. That is, unless we add place illegally protected by police. Arabic analysis that “black” and “white” may not, “with envy,” in which case we are talking speakers say “show the red eye” for being strictly/scientifically speaking, be colors. about something else entirely. Of course, “that strict with or disapproving of someone. company is very green” probably refers to Speakers of Mandarin say “he is big red and References being environmentally aware. big purple” for someone who is popular and Jean Aitchison, Linguistics (2003) Green seems particularly rich with idiomatic famous. In Japanese, a “red child” is a baby. Brent Berlin, and Paule Kay, Basic Color meanings across languages. French has vert Italian speakers calling the egg yolk the rosso Terms: Their Universality and Evolution (1969) de peur (“green from fear”). In some dialects of d’uovo (“red of the egg”) may seem illogical, David Crystal, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Spanish, ponerse verde a uno (“to become until we remember that we English speakers Language (1987) green to someone”) means to tell someone call people with orange hair “redheads.” Victoria A. Fromkin, Linguistics (2000) off. I might imagine a heated U.N. debate Whether or not, and to what extent, color Aneta Pavlenko, “Bilingualism and Thought” whereby an angry Spaniard becomes green to words in one’s native language affect one’s (Chapter 21) from Handbook of Bilingualism: a Frenchman, who in turn becomes green worldview is part of a larger concept that lin- Psycholinguistic Approaches (2005). Judith F. with fear. This situation may not necessarily guists will no doubt continue to debate. The Kroll & Annette M.B. De Groot, eds. impress the Russian delegate, who feels existence, or pervasiveness, of linguistic rela- Steven Pinker, The Language Instinct (“green boredom”) — utter tivity is certainly a “gray area.” Nevertheless, (revised edition, 2007) boredom — at the all-too-familiar situation. On there is something satisfying about this cornu- the other hand, the reaction from the Thai del- copia of color idioms; they support the idea Alan Kennedy is an adjunct professor of ESL egate might be that “her body turns green” that we humans, despite globalization, contin- at Columbia University’s American Language (she becomes angry), especially if she sup- ue to maintain cultural idiosyncrasies which Program in New York City. ports the French. Perhaps, to lighten the differentiate us. We want these cultural differ- mood, the Spaniard will tell a chiste verde ences to exists — and when they are brought 32 http://www.languagemagazine.com January 2011 Jobshop Jobshop Language Magazine’s Employment Marketplace

apply a professional level of knowl- Preferred Qualification: Written and Modern and Classical Languages, California edge in dealing with booksellers and oral proficiency in at least one foreign 4225 University Avenue, Columbus, Palo Alto other vendors of research materials language (French, Italian preferred). GA 31907-5645. (Electronic copies The Stanford University Libraries & both in the United States and Positions are open until filled. not accepted.) Applications for part- Academic Information Resources abroad, including the UK and other Stanford University is an affirmative time and full-time faculty positions (SULAIR) currently has two part-time European countries that may require action, equal opportunity employer. must include transcripts of all aca- positions available for a Library correspondence in foreign lan- Online application form: demic work, and official transcripts Specialist IV to provide support for guages. Required Qualifications: http://recruit.trovix.com/jobhostmaste must be presented prior to campus planning, developing and managing Ability to work independently within r/jobhost/ViewJobPostDetails.do? visit if selected for interview. collections in various subject areas, guidelines and directions established jobPo stId=npcpwtr6wjevtogmih including: French and Italian studies, by the Curator/Bibliographer. dz5s5lqe&accountId=de85ad313f85 Illinois British and American History, British Excellent problem-solving skills and 98db1c42b567a3df24a00 Aurora and American Literature, History of the ability to exercise considerable 497ba22&action=viewDetails. Aurora University invites applications Science, Film Studies, and African judgment and initiative. Bachelors’ from talented assistant professors to Studies. Successful candidates will degree in one of the relevant sub- Georgia begin in the Fall of 2011 as a tenure be qualified to support two or more jects, including foreign language pro- Columbus track Assistant Professor of of these disciplines. Depending on ficiency (to be tailored to position). The Department of Modern and Spanish and either French or the applicants’ backgrounds and Candidates lacking a subject B.A. Classical Languages at Columbus Italian. Teach undergraduate, intro- skills and the specific needs of the but with equivalent knowledge and State University has an opening for ductory and intermediate Spanish, as department, these positions may be experience in a field, including an Assistant Professor of well as introductory and intermediate filled as one full time position or two research and language skills, may be Spanish, tenure-track, to start classes in French or Italian. The abili- part-time positions. The Curatorial considered. Ability to apply subject August 2011. Initially, the successful ty to teach literature and culture Assistant will provide assistance to knowledge to complex tasks of bibli- candidate can expect to teach in the courses is also highly desirable. All of the Curator or Bibliographer in the ographic organization and descrip- areas of his/her immediate expertise the undergraduate and graduate acquisition of current and out-of-print tion. Ability to work collaboratively as well as Advanced Conversation, positions offer a competitive salary publications, both print and digital, as with the curator as well as colleagues Composition, Grammar, and intro- and excellent benefits including well as rare books, manuscripts and in Technical Services departments, ductory language courses. The health, life and generous matching other materials destined for Special Special Collections, and throughout University seeks an engaging dynam- contributions to a 403(b) plan provid- Collections, perform limited but high the Libraries and Information ic individual who’ll have an earned ed. Applications must include a letter level reference assistance and biblio- Resources organization. Ability to doctorate in Spanish by date of hire, of intent including description of edu- graphic instruction, and may be perform substantive research in the native or near-native proficiency in cation, certifications held, and all rel- asked to train student assistants for curatorial fields and to effectively Spanish and English, evidence of evant experience, current curriculum special projects. The Curatorial present the results for purposes of creative use of instructional technolo- vitae, and contact information for Assistant will also assist the Curator exhibits, reports, and other special gy, demonstrated use of communica- three references including phone or Bibliographer as appropriate in projects. Knowledge and interest in tive approaches in teaching, scholarly numbers (candidates will be notified preparation of materials for courses, academic or research libraries and potential, and familiarity with the prior to references being contacted). orientation sessions, and related the research environment in major American higher education system. Please submit information to Faculty public presentations, assist in the universities. Skill and tact in working Strong preference will be given to Search, Office of the Provost, Aurora creation and maintenance of the sub- with faculty, students, and staff, as candidates with specialization in University, 347 S. Gladstone Ave., ject specialists’ resources pages on well as patrons, donors and visiting Peninsular cultural studies. Ability to Aurora, IL 60506, faculty- the SULAIR web site and provide scholars. Demonstrated high level of and credentials for teaching another [email protected]. support for exhibit preparation and communication skills, oral and writ- language, with preference to French, production of guides or other aids to ten, including the ability to compose will receive special consideration. To Indiana research. The Curatorial Assistant will correspondence in English as well as apply, please send a letter of applica- Terre Haute also assist in the preparation of appropriate foreign languages. tion, curriculum vitae, statement of Indiana State University seeks an materials for donor relations and in Proficiency in basic word processing teaching philosophy, unofficial tran- Assistant Professor of Spanish the management and coordination of and spreadsheet functions (latest scripts, and the names, addresses, Literature and Culture, tenure- gifts and of established exchange versions of Word/Excel). Ability to e-mail addresses, and telephone track, beginning Fall Semester, 2011. programs. The Curatorial Assistant create and maintain web pages or numbers of five references to: PhD preferred, ABD accepted. will be expected to independently willingness to learn these skills. Spanish Search Chair, Department of Required: native or near-native fluen- January 2011 http://www.languagemagazine.com 33 Jobshop

cy in Spanish and English, demon- application website; transcript and ing. Successful candidates will of the Department of World strable potential and commitment to reference letters should be sent via demonstrate an ability to teach in Languages and Cultures with an teaching a broad range of courses in regular mail to: Chair, Search ways that value the varied learning undergraduate degree in Spanish, Spanish language, and to scholarly Committee, Dept. of Languages, needs and interests of a culturally minors in Chinese and French, and research in those fields. Candidacy Literatures and Linguistics, Indiana diverse student population, and that courses in several non-traditional lan- enhanced by preparation in any of State University, Terre Haute, IN reflect a commitment to encouraging guages. Fayetteville State University the following: translation, Hispanic 47809. Indiana State University is an the success of all students. We also is located in Fayetteville, NC, which is issues, distance education. Indiana equal opportunity/affirmative action seek candidates who have relevant the home of Fort Bragg and Pope State University has an enrollment of employer committed to excellence experience and/or a record of profes- AFB, and is within a two-hour drive approximately 11,500 students through diversity. The University sional engagement with groups and of NC beaches and a one-hour drive across the College of Arts and actively encourages the applications communities underrepresented in the of Raleigh-Durham-Chapel-Hill, home Sciences and five professional col- of women, minorities, and persons academy. Candidates from underrep- of the Research Triangle Park and leges, and offers a wide array of with disabilities. Experiential learning resented groups whose exclusion Duke University, NC State University, bachelor’s and master’s programs and community engagement are key from the academy has been long- and UNC-Chapel Hill. Applicants and selected doctoral programs. components of the University’s mission. standing are strongly encouraged to must have a doctorate in a foreign Prospective candidates must apply apply. A completed Ph.D. in French language with a preference given to through the on-line site at New York or Francophone Literatures or a relat- Spanish, French or a non-traditional http://jobs.indstate.edu/. Applicants Ithaca ed field; excellence or potential for language. The successful candidate are urged to submit applications Ithaca College’s Department of excellence in both scholarship and must have a record of teaching electronically as soon as possible, Modern Languages and Literatures teaching; commitment to undergrad- excellence and evidence of active but those submitted after February 7, invites applicants for a non-tenure- uate education; and native or near- scholarship commensurate with the 2011 cannot be assured of consider- eligible Assistant Professorship in native fluency in French and English rank of a tenured Associate or Full ation. Questions about the position French to begin August 16, 2011, to required. Professor. Preference will be given to or the on-line application procedure teach all levels of the French lan- candidates who have experience may be e-mailed to Ron.Dunbar@ guage, literature, and culture. The North Carolina with administrative academic leader- indstate.edu or directed to 812-237- successful candidate should have Fayetteville ship and acquisition of external grant 2366. Required materials: letter, CV significant experience in teaching Fayetteville State University, a mem- funding. The position start-date is & dossier (including transcripts and 3 French-language literature, language ber institution of the 16-campus August 1, 2011 and applications will letters of reference). Letter and CV and culture at the college level and University of North Carolina, seeks a be reviewed until the position is filled. should be sent electronically to the have a strong commitment to teach- visionary and highly innovative Chair The salary is highly competitive and

34 http://www.languagemagazine.com January 2011 Jobshop

will be consistent with credentials credentials required by the Southern 28301. Initial letter of interest and teach courses in accordance with the and experience. To apply, please Association of College and Schools vitae only may be sent electronically schedule of classes and follow the submit a letter of application (includ- to teach Arabic at the college level: to Dr. Hurtado at the following approved course descriptions and ing a statement of administra- at least 18 graduate credit hours in address [email protected]. syllabi established by the Division tive/leadership philosophy), a curricu- Arabic. The successful candidate faculty and administered by the lum vitae, all official graduate and must demonstrate native or near- Tennessee Dean. Teaching assignments may be undergraduate transcripts, and three native fluency in Arabic, a record of Clarksville on one or more of the college’s cam- letters of recommendation from indi- teaching excellence, and evidence of Austin Peay State University invites puses or offsite locations and may viduals who are familiar with the active scholarship. Ability to teach applications for the position of include concurrent enrollment, dis- applicant’s employment history to: Dr. French is highly desirable, but is not Assistant Professor of German. tance education, evening and week- David E. Barlow, Dean, College of required. ABDs may apply, but only Native or near-native proficiency in end programs, online instruction and Arts and Sciences Fayetteville State individuals who can reasonably German and English required. other instructional modalities. University, 1200 Murchison Road, expect to have their doctoral degree Background in Foreign Language Master’s degree from a regionally Fayetteville, NC 28301-4298. completed by Fall 2011 will be con- Education preferred, as is ability to accredited institution, indicating a sidered. MA holders may be consid- teach college-level English or French. major and/or 18 graduate semester Fayetteville State University also ered for a fixed term non-tenure- This is a full-time, 9-month, tenure- hours in language to be taught. invites applications for a full-time, track faculty position. The position track position to begin August, 2011. Native or near-native fluency in lan- tenure track Assistant Professor of start date is August 1, 2011 and Salary is competitive and commen- guage to be taught. Online applica- Arabic position in the newly estab- applications will be reviewed until the surate with education and experi- tion form: https://collin.hua. lished Department of World position is filled. To apply, please ence. A Ph.D. in German is required. hrsmart.com/ats/career_center.php. Languages and Cultures, beginning submit: a letter of application, current Background in Foreign Language August 2011. The Department of curriculum vitae, official graduate and Education preferred, as is ability to Wisconsin World Languages and Cultures is at undergraduate transcripts, and three teach college-level English or French. Menomonie the forefront of globalization efforts at letters of reference from individuals Applications taken online only at The University of Wisconsin-Stout, FSU and the successful candidate who are familiar with the applicant’s https://jobs.tbr.edu. Applicant review located in Western Wisconsin, 60 will have the privilege of working with employment history to Dr. Milena M. will being January 24, 2011 and con- miles east of the Twin Cities Metro like-minded colleagues to advance Hurtado, Search Committee Chair, tinue until the position is filled. Please area, with a student population of the University’s internationalization Dept. of World Languages and refer all questions to facultyapplica- 10,000, invites applications for an momentum. Applicants must have a Cultures, Fayetteville State University, [email protected]. entry-level, tenure-track, Assistant PhD in a foreign language and the 1200 Murchison Rd., Fayetteville, NC Professor position in Spanish Texas commencing in August 29, 2011. Laredo The successful candidate will normal- Greens Farms Academy, Westport, Connecticut Texas A&M International Univerity ly teach 12 credit hours per semester invites applicants to teach French of Intermediate Language Spanish Upper School Spanish Teacher for Fall 2011 Greens Farms Academy is a K-12 co-educational day school of 660 students in the Greens Farms and English as a Second courses, Intermediate and advanced section of Westport, CT which is an hour drive north from New York city and a half-hour drive Language (ESL) to participate in co- Spanish Composition and southwest from New Haven. We are a suburban school close to major transportation and a 5 minute walk from the Greens Farms Metro North train station. Please visit www.gfacademy.org for curricular activities and student Conversation, and Literature courses more information. Spanish teacher to teach Spanish through Level Four in grades 9-12. Qualifica- advising. Work collaboratively within which are part of the Spanish minor. tions: Fluency in Spanish and in English; experience in teaching American students at the high school level and demonstrated success in working with this age group; orientation toward the com- department. Master’s in French or 18 Curriculum development, use of new municative approach to language teaching and mastery of creative and diverse methods of teaching, semester hours graduate work in delivery systems, engagement in learning and assessment; energy, enthusiasm, and personal skills needed to promote language and culture with students and within the school community; willingness to explore different ways that French with a Master’s in TESOL, scholarly activities, student advise- technology can be used in the classroom; personal skills needed to work collaboratively with col- applied linguistics, or a comparable ment, pursuit of external funding, and leagues in a school-wide department; willingness to chaperone exchange trips and to sponsor or support special modern language events; eagerness to participate in professional development or in degree. Applicant should have a service to the university are expect- summer work as needed to develop programs. Ability to coach and three years of teaching experi- strong background in second lan- ed. At the time of interview, candi- ence preferred. Resumes to Lynne Laukhuf, Assistant Head of School, at [email protected] with "US Spanish" in the subject line. guage acquisition, and ESL and dates will be asked to demonstrate Foreign Language Methodologies. their proficiency in Spanish. Upper School Mandarin Teacher for Fall 2011 Native or near-native fluency in Demonstrated potential for teaching Mandarin teacher to teach Mandarin through Level Five in grades 9-12. Qualifications: Fluency in French and English. Preference will undergraduate students in a poly- Mandarin and in English; knowledge of Chinese culture from direct experience of living in China; potential to teach through the AP level and to design and teach upper level elective courses; experi- be given to candidates who have technic institution is also required. ence in teaching American students at the high school level and demonstrated success in working demonstrated excellence in teaching Minimum Requirements: PH.D in with this age group; orientation toward the immersive and communicative approach to language teaching and mastery of creative and diverse methods of teaching, learning and assessment; experi- at the college level, excellent oral and Spanish, Linguistics or closely related ence in developing curriculum and different modes of assessment along with enthusiasm to follow developments in defining standards; energy, enthusiasm, and personal skills needed to promote written communication skills, strong field required before start of contract Mandarin language and culture outside the classroom and within the school community; personal interpersonal skills, ability to work in August, 2011. Preferred skills needed to work collaboratively with colleagues in a school-wide department; willingness to chaperone exchange trips and to sponsor or support special modern language events and /or to with people from diverse cultures, Qualifications: College teaching expe- coach; willingness to participate in summer professional work as needed to develop programs. Mini- and ability to teach day and/or rience or teaching adults. French mum of three years teaching experience preferred. Resumes to Lynne Laukhuf, Assistant Head of School, at [email protected] with "US Mandarin" in the subject line. evening classes. Please send cur- desired. Salary: Commensurate with riculum vitae, transcripts, letter of verified education and expertise. Upper School Spanish and Global Studies Intern, for Fall 2011 application, a statement of teaching Send CV, transcripts (unofficial), con- Spanish and Global Studies Intern to teach two sections of Spanish, in addition to mentoring two to philosophy, and a list of three refer- tact information for 3 references and three 12th grade students writing Global Theses and assisting in the general administration and im- plementation of GFA's World Perspectives Program. Assist in coordinating and chaperoning at least ences to: H. Lisa Gardner Flores, lflo- a written statement describing your one international trip with students each year. Qualifications: Fluency in Spanish and English; un- derstanding of Web 2.0 technologies and their use for connecting class- [email protected]. teaching philosophy by US mail or rooms; energy, enthusiasm, and personal skills needed to promote fax to: Paul K. Stauffacher, Chair; language and culture with students and within the school community; willingness to explore different ways that technology can be used in the Plano Department of Speech Communications, classroom; personal skills needed to work collaboratively with colleagues Collin College is currently seeking Foreign Languages, Theater and in a school-wide department; willingness to support special modern lan- guage events; eagerness to participate in professional development. Re- part-time associate faculty for the fol- Music; UW-Stout, Menomonie WI sumes to Lynne Laukhuf, Assistant Head of School, at [email protected] lowing disciplines: Japanese, 54751. Tel: (715) 232-1291, E-mail: with "Spanish / Global Studies Intern" in the subject line. Spanish, French, Chinese and [email protected]; fax: (715) American Sign Language (ASL) to 232-1468. January 2011 http://www.languagemagazine.com 35 Newsbytes

First Washable Language Lab Headsets The new Titanium series of washable due to wear and tear. Lending an added headphones and headsets from Califone degree of safety, the series is made of International are the first products on the rugged ABS plastic, which is stronger and market that can be cleaned without damag- less likely to break into dangerous shards, ing sensitive electronic equipment or com- unlike the less durable plastics used in con- promising the quality and safety of the listen- sumer items. Though ultra-strong, comfort is ing experience. Thanks to innovative design, not sacrificed — in addition to being wash- four of the six headphone and headsets are able, the supple ear cushions provide a soft- washable when the cords are detached, er point of contact and won’t feel as warm providing a new standard for classrooms. In after being worn for an extended period of addition to being the first washable head- time. phones and headsets, built-in Sentinel tech- “Not only are these our safest products nology can restrict volume playback to 85dB offered to date, they’re also the quietest in adherence to guidelines recommended by products we’ve ever made in terms of isola- the OSHA and the American Speech- tion of the amplified audio and external Language-Hearing Association for student’s ambient noise rejection,” notes Tim hearing safety. Ridgway, VP of marketing at Califone. The washable headphones and headsets The Titanium Series is available from a help guard against equipment replacement starting price of $36.00. www.califone.com.

Cambridge Launches Online B1 English Program

Language schools training students of real-life communication skills they need.” to the crucial “B1” level of English — where The course, which is suitable for learn- users are considered “independent” accord- ers over the age of 16, is made up of a mix ing to international standards — can take of 75 hours online self-study using a advantage of a new course from Cambridge Learning Management System and 25 language experts. hours face to face teaching. It includes The Cambridge B1 Course Online has teachers’ notes, supplementary materials, been developed by two departments of timed practice tests, a dictionary, refer- Cambridge University: University of ences, and hundreds of media-rich activi- Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ties written by expert authors. Sharon ESOL) and Cambridge University Press. It is Harvey explains what students taking the set at level B1 which is defined by The course will be able to achieve: Common European Framework of Reference “The course has been designed to help for Languages (CEFR) as the level when learners bridge the gap between simple and learners can understand the main points on complex language usage and covers familiar familiar matters encountered in work, school topics such as travel, family and sport. It’s and leisure. Cambridge ESOL’s Sharon an excellent preparation tool for exams such Harvey says: as Cambridge English: Preliminary, an inter- “As the Common European Framework mediate qualification in English recognized becomes more widely used in a range of by thousands of organizations around the industries, language schools need adequate world.” training solutions to offer ambitious students. To view a Flash demo or find out more The course combines classroom and online information about the Cambridge B1 Course study to help students to develop just the kind Online, go to www.CambridgeB1.org. 36 http://www.languagemagazine.com January 2011 Reviews Getting Together for the Holidays Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy Navidad y el Dia de los Reyes Magos Softcover Spanish Book, 9781417761258 $11.95 Christmas and Three Kings Day Softcover English Book, 9781598201369 $11.95 Illustrator: Walter Torres Translators: Joe Hayes and Sharon Franco Del Sol Books, San Diego, California

This beautifully illustrated book is It also contains an informative one of a series about holidays and special section about Christmas and events by Alma Flor Ada and Isabel Campoy Three Kings Day. that offer a helpful basis for topical lessons in The story is engaging and it car- Spanish (Cuentos para celebrar) and English ries the important message of gen- (Stories to Celebrate). erosity and caring for others. But, In this charming book, Carlitos writes a let- even more importantly, the book comes with intermediate, and advanced learners. ter to the Three Kings asking for lots of pres- great downloadable lesson and activity plans It is so important to use topical materials ents. Later, he decides to write a new letter covering exploration of topics, reading, that educators can really engage with, and and gives up some of the things in his wish vocabulary, writing, and even ideas for other this book fulfills this need perfectly. list in exchange for a bigger gift for his older content areas including math, science and brother, who is teaching him how to ride a social studies. The plans cover three days Gloria Ochoa is a bilingual educator in San bike and lets him use his own big kid’s bike. and offer different activities for beginning, Fernando, California.

The authors, Rosa and Eschholz, write in a language that is non- The Write Stuff threatening to students, yet they are clear and concise in their expla- nations as to form and its related function. The user-friendly explana- Alfred Rosa and Paul Eschholz tions of the skills needed by developing writers in order to excel are clearly defined. The explanations of the writing process are provided Models for Writers: Short Essays for through relatable samples and run the gamut of classical prose to Composition, Ninth Edition contemporary issues. Bedford/St. Martin, Boston, Mass (2007) From an instructional point of view, the short stories are conve- niently clustered by themes ranging from relationships (teacher/stu- 9780312446376 $43.95 dent, parent/child, doctors/patients) to pop culture. The use of selec- tions of themes that are used across the curriculum help to present Non-threatening and approachable are the two words the writing discipline through appealing topics with which students can that can be said about the new edition of Alfred Rosa and Paul connect and which present underlying themes for rhetorical analysis. Eschholz’s Models for Writers: Short Essays for Composition. As edu- The book is formatted so that students, regardless of their writing cators can attest, one of the biggest challenges that writing students levels, can find reference information easily according to themes or face in learning to write is grasping all the subtle nuances that are rhetorical elements. A reliable text over the years, the new edition required in writing: format, methods, style, genres, and modes. updates the offerings while still providing thought provoking and timely Needless to say, in addition to the aforementioned, the number one considerations. complaint by developing writers is that they cannot seem to get their ideas out. The sundry methods aside, students feel overwhelmed with Marlene Espina is an MA candidate in English at the California State what is expected of them when it comes to writing, or better said, the Polytechnic University, Pomona. Her research interests include CALL beginning stages of the process. and Generation 1.5. January 2011 http://www.languagemagazine.com 37 Last Writes with Richard Lederer

Fifty years ago, on January 20, 1961, thousands of visitors converged on Washington, D.C., for the inauguration of our 35th president, John Fitzgerald Kennedy. A blizzard had struck the eastern seaboard that day. The streets of the capital were clogged with snow and stranded automobiles, but the inaugural ceremony went on, and a new president delivered one of the most memorable addresses in American history. What makes President Kennedy’s speech so unforgettable is its striking use of parallel structure — the repetition of grammatical forms to emphasize similar ideas. Let’s look at four brief excerpts from that famous inaugural address that exemplify the president’s pow- erful use of parallelism. The address begins with this clarion-call sentence: “We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom,” immediately followed by the tandem participial phrases “symbolizing an end as well as a beginning, signifying renewal as well as change.” The echoic sounds of symbolizing and signifying enhance the parallel “as well as” prepositional phrases. Two paragraphs later, Kennedy proclaims: “Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new gener- ation of Americans, born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a A Stylish Inauguration Speech hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage, and unwilling to permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed and to which we are committed today at home and around the world. “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty.” Here the new president gathers momentum with two prepositional phrases, “From this time and place, to friend and foe alike,” and then launches into five adjective phrases — ”born..., tempered..., disciplined..., proud..., and unwilling...” And the first four of these adjectives are modified by parallel prepositional phrases. The 81-word sentence ends with parallel adjective clauses — “to which this nation is committed and to which we are com- mitted today” — and prepositional phrases — “at home and around the world.” In the next sentence, after a brief parallelism of two balanced adjectives, “whether it wishes us well or ill,” Kennedy employs five parallel verb-direct object constructions — “pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe.” The alliteration of pay/price, bear/burden, and friend/foe is capped by survival/success. Toward the end of his inaugural address, Kennedy declares: “So let us begin anew, remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate.” Following the balanced noun clauses — “that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sinceri- ty is always subject to proof,” the new president utters the memorable, “Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate.” Here the powerful “Let us...” claus- es are marked by chiasmus, a rhetorical term that involves the effective transposition of key words — in this case negotiate and fear. Near the conclusion of his address, Kennedy again employs chiasmus to craft what is probably his most enduring statement: “And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.” In this ringing passage, each sentence begins with a direct address — “my fellow Americans” and “my fellow citizens of the world,” and the two chiasmi — “country... you” and “you... country” — work their magic with four parallel noun clauses — “what your country can do..., what you can do..., what America will do..., what we can do....” I do not contend that President Kennedy’s oration is so unforgettable solely because of its parallel structure. But would we remember his message as vividly if he had said, “You shouldn’t worry about the things you can get from your country. Instead consider how you can contribute to America”?

Richard Lederer, M.A.T. English and Education, Ph.D. Linguistics, is the author of more than 30 books on language, history, and humor. Explore his web site www.verbivore.com. Write him at [email protected].

38 http://www.languagemagazine.com January 2011 AATSP Members Save More Subscribe now and your AATSP membership number will give you a year of Language Magazine for $17.95. For a limited time we are offering along with subscription memberships a free T-shirt in sizes medium to x-large. SPECIAL AATSP OFFER Language Magazine isis youryour doordoor toto thethe worldwideworldwide languagelanguage teachingteaching professionprofession wherewhere youyou cancan interactinteract with thousands of other educators who are overcoming the same challenges you face $27.95a yr every day. Our monthly publication will help you get your job done and make you AATSP Save $10 with proud of the job that you are doing. your membership number Sign-upSign-up online.online. SelectSelect youryour shirtshirt designdesign andand sizesize andand beginbegin toto receivereceive youryour monthlymonthly worldworld ofof languagelanguage newsnews andand featurefeature articles,articles, reportsreports asas wellwell asas sourcesource informationinformation onon financialfinancial aid,aid, awards,awards, grantsgrants andand jobjob listings.listings.

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Vol 10, No. 5

6 Editorial 8 Letters 9 News 12 Source 14 The World as We Speak Language Magazine’s forum for changes in world languages 18 How Can We Improve our Linguistic or Literacy Skills? Every January, experts in our field share their opinions on how we should tackle an issue of importance in the New Year 20 Sowing Success Kathy Pon, Irma Bravo Lawrence and Arturo Duran describe how a charter school in California’s Central Valley has reaped the benefits of becoming completely dual- language 26 ¡Ya Estamos en el Futuro! Language Magazine’s guide to the latest innovations for the Spanish classroom 30 Colorful Speech Alan Kennedy explains how the perception of color in different languages reveals cultural diversity 33 Jobshop 36 Newsbytes 37 Reviews 38 Last Writes Richard Lederer on JFK’s stylish speech Editorial Cautious Optimism

As we enter the New Year, we continue to Teach for America, which sends graduates to be challenged economically which, in turn, to teach at schools in disadvantaged com- aggravates social tensions. But there are munities for two years. Although participation Language Magazine Jan 2011 Vol 10, No 5 signs to the optimists amongst us that sug- in the program may look good on a resume gest we are in a difficult job market, there must be some Publishing Editor Daniel Ward Creative Director Gregory Van Zuyen moving toward real long-term benefit in our top graduates Assistant Editor Kate Sommers-Dawes a more cooper- gaining first-hand experience of teaching in Webmaster Claudio Valenzuela ative phase of challenging schools. Imagine how much easi- Office Manager Tiffany Goodnight development er it might be to secure school funding if Departments: where educa- most of the Fortune 500’s CEOs had spent a Book Reviews Karen Russikoff tion and edu- couple of years teaching in the trenches. Last Writes Richard Lederer cators are truly Elsewhere, CIA director Leon Panetta is Contributors Arturo Duran valued. demanding that we “get back to mandating Marlene Espina Carl Falsgraf As the new language training as a requirement for gradu- Alan Kennedy Congress ating from college” (see News, page 10), and Stephen Krashen begins, we may the Modern Language Association is reporting Irma Bravo Lawrence have extremists “significant increases” in the number of enroll- Gloria Ochoa calling for the revocation of automatic ments in world languages programs at U.S. Kathy Pon citizenship for anyone born in the U.S. but, colleges with nearly a million students now in Sidonie Smith amongst the majority of moderate repre- Terrence Wiley sentatives, we also seem to have a grow- ...we seem to have Photographers Özgür Donmaz ing, bipartisan consensus that simple, Evgeny Kuklev Sean Locke quick fixes are not going to close educa- a growing, Mariano Ruiz tional achievement gaps. Mehmet Yunus Ye il According to Secretary of Education bipartisan ş Arne Duncan, “On many issues, consensus that Marketing Emma Sutton Democrats and Republicans agree, start- ing with the fact that no one likes how simple, quick fixes National Offices 131 S. Topanga Cyn Bl NCLB (No Child Left Behind) labels Topanga CA 90290 schools as failures, even when they are are not going to Telephone (310) 455-7193 Fax (310) 455-8993 making broad gains. Parents, teachers, close educational Editorial E-mail and lawmakers want a system that meas- [email protected] ures not just an arbitrary level of proficien- achievement gaps Advertising E-mail cy, but student growth and school [email protected] progress in ways that better reflect the Spanish programs (see News, page 9). Subscriptions E-mail impact of a school and its teachers on stu- Despite the infighting, President Obama [email protected] dent learning. and the Republicans were remarkably produc- Subscriptions 310-455-7193 “These issues are at the heart of the tive in December. If our representatives can Distributors Delta Systems, Inc. Obama administration’s blueprint for reautho- continue in this vein and be flexible in their 1400 Miller Parkway rizing ESEA (Elementary & Secondary approach, education reforms may succeed. McHenry, IL 60050 Education Act): more flexibility and fairness in The recession has had a devastating 1-800-323-8270 our accountability system, a bigger invest- effect on education budgets but the econom- Retail Ingram Periodicals, Inc. ment in teachers and principals, and a sharp- ic meltdown has also forced us to reassess 1-800-627-MAGS er focus on schools and students most at priorities, and one of its positive conse- Language Magazine (ISSN 1537-7350) is an editorial- ly independent publication of Language Magazine, LLC. risk” (The Washington Post, 1/3/2011). quences may be recognition of the value of Opinions expressed by contributors and/or advertisers Now, Duncan is still placing too much teachers and a realignment of our education- in Language Magazine do not necessarily reflect the emphasis on testing and teacher evaluation al goals to more closely resemble the needs views of the Publishers nor the Distributor. but he is acknowledging that schools need of the 21st century global village that our © 2011 Language Magazine, LLC. flexibility and more investment — a step in children will inhabit. Language Magazine (ISSN 1537-7350) is pub- the right direction. lished monthly for $27.95 per year (US/Canada) and $59.95 (Overseas) by Language Magazine LLC, 131 Another positive indicator suggesting that S. Topanga Cyn Blvd, Topanga, CA 90290. the teaching profession may be regaining the Application to mail at Periodicals Postage Rates is prestige it once held is that last year, 12 per- pending at Los Angeles, CA. POSTMASTER: Send cent of seniors at Ivy League colleges applied Daniel Ward, Editor address changes to LANGUAGE MAGAZINE, 131 S. Topanga Cyn Blvd, Topanga, CA 90290. 6 http://www.languagemagazine.com

Letters

Access: Editor, Language Magazine, 131 S. Topanga Cyn Blvd., Topanga, CA 90290 or email us at [email protected] Keep Your Brain Young “Bialystok’s studies were with those who had been bilingual mation. This is the subject matter using the same linguistic device when since youth and who used both languages regularly. We don’t yet know if acquiring a second language later in life. language acquisition in later life has a positive effect on the Jehovanna Arcia Torres brain.”(Language Magazine, October, 2010, page 29) Contributor Response Dear Editor, Dr. Stephen Krashen: A very good point: The independent contribution In previous studies done by the scholar mentioned, Dr Ellen of extensive reading, education and second language competence could Bialystok and colleagues at York University in 2004, http://news.bbc. be teased out with a multivariate study. co.uk/2/hi/health/3794479.stm, the same team concluded the positive effects of bilingualism, but at the same time admitted “It is also well rec- ognized that education in general can bestow benefits on cognitive function in later life.” The acquisition of a language as a second language in later life can imply in itself a great deal of extensive reading performed by the acquirer considering the acquisition of the language being done in some cases for educational purposes, this is, the individual is compelled to perform aca- demic activities like reading novels and academic papers, having to write term papers, attending lectures, and so on. I personally consider that the process of acquiring a second lan- guage in later life compromises the brain in the same way as having to use both languages simultaneously since youth. I have seen a great deal of language attrition among many so called bilingual individuals who do not know about language retention and don’t read at all, so reading is the key for both types of bilingual individuals. After all, when studying in any specific field, the individual has to read a lot in that field in order to get the knowledge, vocabulary and all the background infor-

8 http://www.languagemagazine.com January 2011 News ‘Significant Increases’ in Language Study at U.S. Colleges Enrollments in languages other than English at U.S. institutions of higher education have continued to grow over the past decade and are diversifying to include an increasingly broad range of language studies, according to a new report, Enrollments in Languages Other Key Findings from the Report in the same sequence they have occupied Than English in United States Institutions of ■ Course enrollments in languages other than since 1998. Higher Education, Fall 2009, released last English reached a new high in 2009. ■ Arabic continues to draw increasing num- month by the Modern Language Association Enrollments grew by 6.6 percent between bers of enrollments, jumping two positions (MLA). The survey responses indicated signifi- 2006 and 2009, following an expansion of since 2006 to eighth, now ahead of Latin and cant increases in enrollments in nearly all the 12.9 percent between 2002 and 2006. This Russian. languages most studied on U.S. college cam- increase continues a rise in enrollment in lan- ■ The most studied languages (Spanish, puses since 2006, when the MLA last report- guages other than English that began in 1995. French, and German) continue to gain in ed on language course enrollments. ■ The most studied languages on college enrollments, but at a slower pace than some The new survey found that the study of campuses in fall 2009 were: other languages. Arabic registered the largest percentage ■ In two-year colleges, enrollments in Arabic, growth with enrollments growing by 46.3 per- Language Enrollments Change since 2006 ASL, Chinese, Hawaiian, Italian, Japanese, cent between 2006 and 2009, building on an 1. Spanish 864,986 +5.1% Latin, Portuguese, Spanish, and Vietnamese increase of 126.5 percent in the previous sur- 2. French 216,419 +4.8% all showed increases both long-term between vey. Arabic is now the eighth most studied for- 3. German 96,349 +2.2% 1990 and 2009 and short-term between 2006 eign language at U.S. colleges and universities, 4. ASL 91,763 +16.4% and 2009. The inclusion of Vietnamese and up from tenth in 2006. Also registering signifi- 5. Italian 80,752 +3.0% Hawaiian among the top fourteen languages cant increases in enrollments in the new MLA 6. Japanese 73,434 +10.3% taught in two-year colleges and their absence survey are Korean (up 19.1 percent), Chinese 7. Chinese 60,976 +18.2% among the top languages in four-year institu- (up 18.2 percent), American Sign Language 8. Arabic 35,083 +46.3% tions may reflect the unique mission of com- (up 16.4 percent), Portuguese (up 10.8 per- 9. Latin 32,606 +1.3% munity colleges serving the needs of local cent), and Japanese (up 10.3 percent). 10. Russian 26,883 +8.2% populations. Enrollments in less commonly taught lan- 11. Ancient Greek 20,695 -9.4% “Language study remains a central element guages (LCTLs) grew by 20.8 percent 12. Biblical Hebrew 13,807 -2.4% of a well-rounded education,” said Russell A. between 2006 and 2009, following a gain of 13. Portuguese 11,371 +10.8% Berman, first vice president of the MLA and 31.2 percent between 2002 and 2006. The 14. Korean 8,511 +19.1% professor of German studies and comparative number of LCTLs studied at U.S. colleges and 15. Modern Hebrew 8,245 -14.2% literature at Stanford University. “Yet while stu- universities also grew by 19.2 percent between dent interest in languages grows, program 2006 and 2009. In all, 217 LCTLs were offered The decline in enrollments in Ancient Greek cutbacks are threatening access to the study for study in 2009, 35 more than in 2006. (-9.4 percent) likely results from the reframing of languages students need to communicate “It’s gratifying to see that so many U.S. stu- of categories in premodern Greek courses in a effectively in an increasingly multicultural world. dents recognize the importance of language handful of institutions. America’s colleges and universities should use study for our future,” said MLA executive The list of “top ten” languages studied has the findings of this report as a basis to director Rosemary G. Feal. “The demand for shifted only slightly since 2006. strengthen and protect rather than reduce an ever-greater range of languages demon- ■ Spanish, French, and German are still the their commitment to language study.” strates the vitality of the field. Despite troubling three most studied languages, followed by The MLA report is the longest-running cutbacks in language offerings at some institu- American Sign Language (ASL), which jumped (since 1958) and most comprehensive analysis tions, this report shows that overall interest in to fourth in the 2006 survey and held that of the study of languages other than English at language study remains strong at U.S. col- position in 2009. U.S. colleges and universities. To download leges and universities.” ■ Italian, Japanese, and Chinese come next, the full report, visit www.mla.org. January 2011 http://www.languagemagazine.com 9