Education Commons^™

Flarr Pages #68: Autobiography And Travel: Motivation For Writing In World Languages Classes, Thomas C. Turner

FLARR Pages

My idea for motivating compositional skill is to have students write about questions that they will surely be asked when they travel, especially, in my classes, when they travel to Latin America and Spain Students are most commonly asked about their families; about studies and future plans; about jobs, which are usually Summer jobs; and shortly thereafter about their views on love, courtship, and marriage. I have students write composition about these topics, drafts to be revised three times,and then students arrange the statements on one page, front and back. with illustrations. I then laminate the page for them and …

Flarr Pages #62: Using Songs To Teach Grammar And Generate Discussion In The Classroom, Cecilia Mafla-Bustamante

FLARR Pages

Throughout my nearly three decades of teaching language (Spanish and English), I have experienced that students absolutely love the use of songs in the classroom to learn vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, as well as engage in great discussions. Songs provide good models of pronunciation, authentic language, topics of interest, and impetus for discussion of controversial issues in the classroom. Songs present topics students can identify with, so they enjoy participating in the pre-song activities, listening, singing, and post-song discussion. . Because of the repetition of verses and the use of rhyme, the meaning and sounds are retained longer, helping students to …

Flarr Pages #57: Culture In The Stars: Signs Of The Zodiac In Language Courses, Richard Stanley

FLARR Pages

Most students know their astrological sign, but few realize that the signs of the zodiac have very deep roots in ancient Mediterranean/Middle Eastern culture. Since foreign language courses include units on the calendar and time, information about the zodiac can enrich in-class discussions of these topics with interesting cultural, linguistic, and scientific material. The examples included here can be adapted by using specific words in the target language. An added advantage is that students learn not only signs but some animal names as well.

Flarr Pages #58: From O Grove To Oak Grove Or From The Faro De Vigo To The Fargo Forum, Benjamin Smith

FLARR Pages

At Minnesota State University Moorhead, a course is offered for 3rd year students that centers on Spanish culture. The goal of this course is to explore the country of Spain in a way that students become interested in what their civilization has contributed to global culture in humanistic, scientific, artistic, and historical advancements. We explore Spanish linguistics from its origins in Latin, Arabic and Greek. We watch demonstrative films of the beautiful landscape and the people's diversity and personality. Not a detail is left out of the day to day culture pertaining to the cuisine, the wine culture, the agriculture, …

Flarr Pages #59: Vive La Gastronomie! A New Club For Your School, Veronique Walters

FLARR Pages

While teaching, I realized a couple of years ago, that both my students and I enjoyed discussions about food and that they never missed a dinner at my home if invited. So, I decided to start the "Gastronomie club". The concept is rather simple: students pick French or francophone recipes~ buy the groceries, come to my house, cook diner and eat it.

Flarr Pages #54: Isn't Culture A Blast!, Andre Lebugle

FLARR Pages

No abstract provided.

Flarr Pages #44: Uses Of Imovie, Brenda Romereim

FLARR Pages

Need a new idea to involve technology and fun? Using the Macintosh "iMovie" program or other movie making software, students can create movies in Spanish. You can use any topic to make a movie and the choice aspect is very attractive to students.

Flarr Pages #45: Teaching Teresa: Some Considerations And Suggestions, Part I, Thomas C. Turner

FLARR Pages

St Teresa of Avila.(1515-1582), since 1970 a Doctor of the Church, founder of the discalced Carmelite Order of Spain, is perhaps the most important figure of Spanish mysticism. She was, as well. despite almost insurmountable resistance, one of the greatest reformers of Spain. Her success was remarkable and she still serves as a model for women of today, with her "determination" to get things done in a male ·dominated world. The purpose of this article is to offer some considerations and suggestions for teaching certain aspects of St Teresa's life and times. Sources are recommended.

Flarr Pages #46: Teaching Teresa: Some Considerations And Suggestions, Part Ii, Thomas C. Turner

FLARR Pages

St Teresa of Avila.(1515-1582), since 1970 a Doctor of the Church, founder of the discalced Carmelite Order of Spain, is perhaps the most important figure of Spanish mysticism. She was, as well. despite almost insurmountable resistance, one of the greatest reformers of Spain. Her success was remarkable and she still serves as a model for women of today, with her "determination" to get things done in a male ·dominated world. The purpose of this article is to offer some considerations and suggestions for teaching certain aspects of St Teresa's life and times. Sources are recommended.

Flarr Pages #47: Etymology In The Foreign Language Classroom, Richard Stanley

FLARR Pages

No abstract provided.

Flarr Pages #48: Multi-Media In The Foreign Language Classroom: Let's Get Organized!, Kathryn Droske

FLARR Pages

No abstract provided.

Flarr Pages #49: Las Madres Takes On A New Meaning For Bemidji State University Students Who Travel To Argentina, April Larson

FLARR Pages

No abstract provided.

Flarr Pages #35: Let Your Fingers Do The Talking, Andre Lebugle

FLARR Pages

There are gestures and facial expressions that replace words and are immediately understood by natives of each country. The same signs may exist in another culture and have different meanings. Although these cultural traits are very simple, they must be performed very accurately; otherwise they are as meaningless as a mispronounced word.

Flarr Pages #36: Tomfoolery: Humor In The Classroom, Thomas C. Turner

FLARR Pages

It is traumatic for some college students to leave their parents, to say those final goodbyes. But we suspect that even more than parents student miss ... their pets! Below are two exercises, the first on preterites and imperfects (see drawings on back of page) and the second on comparisons.

Flarr Pages #38: Spanish: Me Llamo O Me Yamo? Survival Of The Phoneme /L/ (Ll) In Andean Countries, Jacqueline Alvarez

FLARR Pages

No abstract provided.

Flarr Pages #39: Perceptions Of Foreign Language Education In The Rural High School, Mara M. Gust

FLARR Pages

This study was conducted by the foreign language instructor of a rural school district in Northwestern Minnesota. The population of the high school (grades nine through twelve) is 144 students. The racial composition of the district is nearly 100% white. The district is classified as "low-income" with 41.3% of the district's children qualifying for free or reduced hot lunch. Of the most recent three classes, an average of 39% of graduates planned to attend a four-year college, 37% planned to attend a two-year college, and 24% planned to enter the work force. This study evolved from the observation by the …

Flarr Pages #37: Spanish: Me Llamo O Me Yamo? Survival Of Phoneme /L/ (Ll) In Andean Countries, Jacqueline Alvarez

FLARR Pages

The phoneme /1/ (as calle=street, apellido=last name, Have= key or caballo= horse) has disappeared in many zones of Spanish America to give place to the "yeismo", a linguistic phenomenon characterized by the predominance of the /y/ over other phonemes like /1/. Because of this, the word calle is pronounced caye, apellido=apeyido, Ilave=yave and caballo=cabayo.

Flarr Pages #41: Foreign Language In The Rural High Schools, Mara M. Gust

FLARR Pages

No abstract provided.

Flarr Pages #40: Foreign Language In The Rural High Schools (Continued), Mara M. Gust

FLARR Pages

No abstract provided.

Flarr Pages #31: Review Time, Andre Lebugle

FLARR Pages

In my first-year French classes, on the day before a test, I usually spend forty to fifty minutes reviewing. Since the students have learned a lot of new material over a period of perhaps two weeks, their knowledge may need refreshing. There are a number of exercises one can do and it is advisable to review as much as possible and resort some of the time to questions similar to those in the upcoming tests. The quickest way to review effectively is through very simple translation into the target language.

Flarr Pages #29: Writing At The Intermediate And Advanced Levels, Andre Lebugle

FLARR Pages

Writing in a foreign language is a demanding task, and students should therefore be thoroughly prepared for it. They may be given vocabulary and expressions to study in advance, . but this is of limited usefulness. Reading a story on which their narrations will focus will reap more benefits. Since language learning is based on imitation, reading is a prerequisite to writing.

Flarr Pages #24: Nahuatl Contributions To English And Spanish, Part Ii, John F. Schwaller

FLARR Pages

No abstract provided.

Flarr Pages #23: Nahuatl Contributions To English And Spanish, Part I, John F. Schwaller

FLARR Pages

Nahuatl is the language of the Aztecs, and other Central Mexican peoples. At the time of the Spanish conquest it was easily one of the most widely spoken native languages of the Americas, with a geographical extent from what is now the northern reaches of Mexico to the southern border of Nicaragua. It continues to be widely spoken in Mexico and ranks as the most common native language in that country, with approximately a million speakers. It is part of a larger language family called the Uto-Aztecan family that includes North American Indian languages such as Shoshone and Ute, spoken …

Flarr Pages #20: Spanish, Hispanics And The United States: How Much Do You Really Know?, Debra Maury

FLARR Pages

Here is a quiz on Hispanic culture in the United States. Try it on your students to pique their interest or use it on speaking occasions.

Flarr Pages #19: Developing Students' Understanding Of Latin Grammar Through Sentence-Structure Analysis Sheets, Daniel N. Erickson

FLARR Pages

Latin teachers well know that students are often overwhelmed when they are making the transition from English, a word-order dependent language, to Latin, which is not and thus is highly flexible. Sentence-Structure Analysis" ("SSA") is a technique of mine that has been used successfully to help students make the transition to Latin's word order and develop an understanding of its syntax. Let us begin by considering a basic principle underlying Sentence-Structure Analysis Sheets.

Flarr Pages #17: The Sensual Approach To Presenting Culture: Using The Five Senses To Gain Knowledge And Understanding Of The Products And Perspectives Of Culture, Karen Hilstrom, Mary Thrond

FLARR Pages

No abstract provided.

Flarr Pages #18: The Sensual Approach To Presenting Culture: Using The Five Senses To Gain Knowledge And Understanding Of The Products And Perspectives Of Culture Ii, Karin Hilstrom, Mary Thrond

FLARR Pages

Simply passing around cultural media will not necessarily create a meaningful understanding of the relationship between products and perspectives of a culture. Of the various Rassias Method techniques that lead to a deeper understanding of culture, the Macrologue is especially effective for high novice to intermediate levels.

Flarr Pages #16: Chinese Cultural Tidbits, Jenny Lin

FLARR Pages

No abstract provided.

Flarr Pages #15: The Virtual Tourist: Travelogues From The Language Classroom, Kristine Butler

FLARR Pages

For many of us as teachers of language, the intermediate level marks a crucial point in the students' learning. In colleges and universities in which a minimum language requirement imposes either one you two years of study, the intermediate level can make or break a student's desire to go on learning.

Flarr Pages #8: Spanish Teachers: Eliminate The Grammatical Paradigm To Facilitate Student Learning, Tom Washington

FLARR Pages

Since all textbooks present each new verb in this manner-and we, too, have learned with this approach -use of paradigm is assumed to be the best and possibly the only way to teach verbs.

The truth is that 1) the paradigm impedes the critical process of habit formation, 2) confronts the student with the false idea that one must learn six forms of each verb, and 3) causes unnecessary confusion and stress in the learning process.