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Teaching Foreign Languages K-12: A Library of Classroom Practices

Professional Development > Teaching Foreign Languages K-12: A Library of Classroom Practices > 0. Introduction to the Library > 0.3 Video Organizer Chart

World Languages

K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Introduction to the Library Video Organizer Chart

All lessons are appropriate for K–12 teachers of any foreign language.

Grade Level

Lesson Title Instructor Language Elementary Middle School High School
Comparing the Weather Wael Fawzy Arabic 6
How We Spend Our Free Time Katie Quackenbush Arabic 8
Making Plans Belal Joundeya Arabic 9–12
Making Sales Calls Eric Bartolotti Arabic 9, 11
People Who Help Us Khamael Alaloom Arabic 1
A Place I Call Home Manar Mayalah Arabic 9–10
Vegetables We Like Rita Lahoud Arabic 2
Communicating About Sports Jie Gao Chinese 6
Exploring New Directions Haiyan Fu Chinese 9–12
A Cajun Folktale and Zydeco Paris Granville French 8
Chicken Pox Jai Scott French K
Comparing Communities Ghislaine Tulou French 9–12
Family and Home Debra Terry French 5
Interpreting La Belle et la Bête Michel Pasquier French 11
Mapping Planet Earth Stephanie Appel French 2
Performing With Confidence Yvette Heno French 10–12
Touring a French City Robin Neuman French 8
Holidays and Seasons Margita Haberlen German 3
Sports in Action Denise Tanner German 9–11
Sports Stats Amy Garcia German 5
U.S. and Italian Homes Marylee DiGennaro Italian 9
Daily Routines Margaret Dyer Japanese 5
Happy New Year! Leslie Birkland Japanese 9–11
Promoting Attractions of Japan Yo Azama Japanese 10–12
Music and Manuscripts Lauri Dabbieri Latin 10–12
Russian Cities, Russian Stories Jane Shuffelton Russian 9–12
Creating Travel Advice Fran Pettigrew Spanish 11
Food Facts and Stories John Pedini Spanish 8
Fruits of the Americas Carina Rodriguez Spanish 4
Hearing Authentic Voices Davita Alston Spanish 8
Interpreting Literature Barbara Pope Bennett Spanish 11
Interpreting Picasso’s Guernica Meghan Zingle Spanish 10
Politics of Art Lori Langer de Ramirez Spanish 12
Routes to Culture Pablo Muirhead Spanish 9–10

Performance Range

Lesson Title Instructor Language Novice Intermediate Intermediate High/Advanced Low
Comparing the Weather Wael Fawzy Arabic dot dot
How We Spend Our Free Time Katie Quackenbush Arabic dot
Making Plans Belal Joundeya Arabic dot dot
Making Sales Calls Eric Bartolotti Arabic dot dot
People Who Help Us Khamael Alaloom Arabic dot dot
A Place I Call Home Manar Mayalah Arabic dot dot
Vegetables We Like Rita Lahoud Arabic dot
Communicating About Sports Jie Gao Chinese dot
Exploring New Directions Haiyan Fu Chinese dot dot
A Cajun Folktale and Zydeco Paris Granville French dot dot
Chicken Pox Jai Scott French dot
Comparing Communities Ghislaine Tulou French dot
Family and Home Debra Terry French dot
Interpreting La Belle et la Bête Michel Pasquier French dot dot
Mapping Planet Earth Stephanie Appel French dot
Performing With Confidence Yvette Heno French dot dot
Touring a French City Robin Neuman French dot
Holidays and Seasons Margita Haberlen German dot
Sports in Action Denise Tanner German dot
Sports Stats Amy Garcia German dot
U.S. and Italian Homes Marylee DiGennaro Italian dot
Daily Routines Margaret Dyer Japanese dot
Happy New Year! Leslie Birkland Japanese dot dot
Promoting Attractions of Japan Yo Azama Japanese dot
Music and Manuscripts Lauri Dabbieri Latin dot dot
Russian Cities, Russian Stories Jane Shuffelton Russian dot dot
Creating Travel Advice Fran Pettigrew Spanish dot
Food Facts and Stories John Pedini Spanish dot
Fruits of the Americas Carina Rodriguez Spanish dot
Hearing Authentic Voices Davita Alston Spanish dot
Interpreting Literature Barbara Pope Bennett Spanish dot
Interpreting Picasso’s Guernica Meghan Zingle Spanish dot
Politics of Art Lori Langer de Ramirez Spanish dot
Routes to Culture Pablo Muirhead Spanish dot

The 5 Cs

Lesson Title Instructor Language Communication Cultures Connections Comparisons Communities
Comparing the Weather Wael Fawzy Arabic dot dot dot
How We Spend Our Free Time Katie Quackenbush Arabic dot dot
Making Plans Belal Joundeya Arabic dot dot dot
Making Sales Calls Eric Bartolotti Arabic dot
People Who Help Us Khamael Alaloom Arabic dot dot
A Place I Call Home Manar Mayalah Arabic dot dot dot
Vegetables We Like Rita Lahoud Arabic dot dot
Communicating About Sports Jie Gao Chinese dot dot
Exploring New Directions Haiyan Fu Chinese dot dot dot
A Cajun Folktale and Zydeco Paris Granville French dot dot dot
Chicken Pox Jai Scott French dot dot dot
Comparing Communities Ghislaine Tulou French dot dot dot dot
Family and Home Debra Terry French dot dot
Interpreting La Belle et la Bête Michel Pasquier French dot dot dot dot
Mapping Planet Earth Stephanie Appel French dot dot
Performing With Confidence Yvette Heno French dot dot dot dot
Touring a French City Robin Neuman French dot dot dot
Holidays and Seasons Margita Haberlen German dot dot dot dot
Sports in Action Denise Tanner German dot dot
Sports Stats Amy Garcia German dot dot dot
U.S. and Italian Homes Marylee DiGennaro Italian dot dot dot dot
Daily Routines Margaret Dyer Japanese dot dot dot
Happy New Year! Leslie Birkland Japanese dot dot dot
Promoting Attractions of Japan Yo Azama Japanese dot dot dot
Music and Manuscripts Lauri Dabbieri Latin dot dot dot dot
Russian Cities, Russian Stories Jane Shuffelton Russian dot dot dot dot
Creating Travel Advice Fran Pettigrew Spanish dot dot
Food Facts and Stories John Pedini Spanish dot dot dot
Fruits of the Americas Carina Rodriguez Spanish dot dot dot
Hearing Authentic Voices Davita Alston Spanish dot dot dot dot
Interpreting Literature Barbara Pope Bennett Spanish dot dot dot dot
Interpreting Picasso’s Guernica Meghan Zingle Spanish dot dot dot
Politics of Art Lori Langer de Ramirez Spanish dot dot dot
Routes to Culture Pablo Muirhead Spanish dot dot dot dot

Key Teaching Strategies

Lesson Title Instructor Language Key Teaching Strategies
Comparing the Weather Wael Fawzy Arabic Content-Based Instruction
Incorporation of Technology
Theme-Based Curriculum
Visual Support for Learning
How We Spend Our Free Time Katie Quackenbush Arabic Appealing to Multiple Intelligences
Contextualizing Grammar
Providing Corrective Feedback
Visualizing Vocabulary
Making Plans Belal Joundeya Arabic Incorporation of Technology
Individual/Group Writing
Multilevel Group Work
Scaffolding
Making Sales Calls Eric Bartolotti Arabic Challenging Native Speakers
Establishing Routines
Role-Playing
Theme-Based Curriculum
People Who Help Us Khamael Alaloom Arabic Content-Based Instruction
Providing Comprehensible Input
Recalling Vocabulary by Categories
Visualizing Vocabulary
A Place I Call Home Manar Mayalah Arabic Creating Cultural Experiences
Scaffolding
Theme-Based Curriculum
Visual Support for Learning
Vegetables We Like Rita Lahoud Arabic Appealing to Multiple Intelligences
Content-Based Instruction
Establishing Routines
Visualizing Vocabulary
Communicating About Sports Jie Gao Chinese Challenging Native Speakers
Preparing for Communication
Role-Playing
Exploring New Directions Haiyan Fu Chinese Differentiated Instruction
Establishing Routines
A Cajun Folktale and Zydeco Paris Granville French Creating Cultural Experiences
Facilitating Listening to Authentic Texts
Storytelling
Student Grouping
Chicken Pox Jai Scott French Developing Literacy
Establishing Routines
Storytelling
Comparing Communities Ghislaine Tulou French Contextualizing Grammar
Facilitating Reading Authentic Texts
Family and Home Debra Terry French Manipulating Language Structures
Scaffolding
Visualizing Vocabulary
Interpreting La Belle et la Bête Michel Pasquier French Comparing Genres Across Media
Critical and Abstract Thinking
Interpreting Film
Mapping Planet Earth Stephanie Appel French Content-Based Instruction
Providing Comprehensible Input
Performing With Confidence Yvette Heno French Acquiring Knowledge of Current Events
Expanding Oral Discourse
Role-Playing
Touring a French City Robin Neuman French Expanding Oral Discourse
Role-Playing
Holidays and Seasons Margita Haberlen German Information Gap Activities
Manipulating Language Structures
Scaffolding
Sports in Action Denise Tanner German Individual/Group Writing
Providing Comprehensible Input
Sports Stats Amy Garcia German Facilitating Reading of Content-Related Materials
Preparing for Communication
Providing Corrective Feedback
Using Graphic Organizers
U.S. and Italian Homes Marylee DiGennaro Italian Appealing to Multiple Intelligences
Providing Interactions With Native Speakers
Visualizing Vocabulary
Daily Routines Margaret Dyer Japanese Formative Assessment
Providing Comprehensible Input
Happy New Year! Leslie Birkland Japanese Creating Cultural Experiences
Jigsaw
Promoting Attractions of Japan Yo Azama Japanese Process Approach to Writing
Providing Comprehensible Input
Scaffolding
Music and Manuscripts Lauri Dabbieri Latin Color Coding
Comparing Genres Across Media
Providing Corrective Feedback
Translating Literary Texts
Russian Cities, Russian Stories Jane Shuffelton Russian Differentiated Instruction
Multilevel Group Work
Reading to Write
Creating Travel Advice Fran Pettigrew Spanish Getting Information From Authentic Materials
Integrating the Communicative Modes
Student Grouping
Top-Down Reading
Food Facts and Stories John Pedini Spanish Acquiring Vocabulary Through Authentic Materials
Content-Based Instruction
Providing Comprehensible Input
Fruits of the Americas Carina Rodriguez Spanish Creating Cultural Experiences
Preparing for Communication
Hearing Authentic Voices Davita Alston Spanish Providing Interactions With Native Speakers
Scaffolding
Student Grouping
Interpreting Literature Barbara Pope Bennett Spanish Integrating the Communicative Modes
Interpreting Literature
Student Grouping
Interpreting Picasso’s Guernica Meghan Zingle Spanish Scaffolding
Using Graphic Organizers
Politics of Art Lori Langer de Ramirez Spanish Acquiring Knowledge of Current Events
Content-Based Instruction
Cultural Role-Playing
Providing Interactions With Native Speakers
Routes to Culture Pablo Muirhead Spanish Creating Cultural Experiences
Discovering Cultural Understanding From Texts
Reading to Write
Student Grouping

Series Directory

Teaching Foreign Languages K-12: A Library of Classroom Practices

Credits

Produced by WGBH Educational Foundation with the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. 2003. 2016.
  • ISBN: 1-57680-731-2

Sections

0.1 Standards and the Five Cs

An introduction to and illustration of the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning, this program shows how teachers can use the standards to help their students advance in foreign language proficiency.

0.2 Assessment Strategies

This program offers a detailed look at efforts to improve assessment in the foreign language classroom. Three case studies feature foreign language teachers using innovative assessment methods such as the Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA) model, Performance Tasks, and Backward Design. Each of these case studies follows a teacher as she works through the process with her students, from setting guidelines and modeling to giving immediate and helpful feedback on performances.

0.3 Video Organizer Chart

Programs

Session 0 Introduction to the Library

This program provides an overview of the entire library, with suggestions for use in professional development settings

Session 1 Arabic: Teaching Arabic Overview

Provides background on the standards with commentary by teaching experts and clips from the classroom programs.

Session 2 Arabic: People Who Help Us

Arabic Grade 1: Khamael Alaloom introduces her class to people who help in the community and teaches students a new letter of the alphabet. She projects images of community helpers and reviews their names and what they do.

Session 3 Arabic: Vegetables We Like

Arabic Grade 2: Rita Lahoud’s Art and Arabic students draw pictures of vegetables they like and don’t like. Students discuss in pairs what they drew and then present their drawings to the full class.

Session 4 Arabic: Comparing the Weather

Arabic Grade 6: Wael Fawzy’s class learns about the weather in the Arab world and practices speaking and writing using dialects. Mr. Fawzy shows slides of the weather in Chicago and Egypt and asks students about the weather in each place and then has them develop questions of their own.

Session 5 Arabic: How We Spend Our Free Time

Grade 8, Arabic I: In a unit on hobbies, Katie Quackenbush’s novice-level students practice asking and answering questions about what they like to do in their free time. In a small-group activity, students picks a card and asks classmates whether they like doing the activity pictured. Students then poll one another about their free-time activities.

Session 6 Arabic: A Place I Call Home

Grades 9 and 10, Arabic II/III: In a lesson rich with music and visuals, students learn vocabulary to describe the rooms and exterior features of modern and traditional houses in Arab countries. Manar Mayalah introduces the lesson with a song about a “dear little house,” then shows videos of a traditional house in Syria and a modern house in Lebanon.

Session 7 Arabic: Making Sales Calls

Grades 9 and 11, Arabic I: Eric Bartolotti’s high school class of novice and heritage speakers use basic greetings and express likes and dislikes through a role-playing activity. Students pair off, assuming the roles of telemarketers and prospective customers.

Session 8 Arabic: Making Plans

Grades 9–12, Arabic V/VI: Students converse about what they will be doing in the future, in pairs and expanding to a group of four. Belal Joundeya presents a scenario in which two celebrities negotiate their busy schedules to agree on a dinner date, and then he role plays a similar situation with a student volunteer.

Session 9 Chinese: Communicating About Sports

Chinese I, grade 6: In pairs and in small groups, Jie Gao's students develop interpersonal communication skills as they state their sports likes and dislikes. They practice writing Chinese characters for an ongoing activity — a letter they are composing and sending to Chinese students. At the end of the lesson, the students create skits to perform for their classmates.

Session 10 Chinese: Exploring New Directions

Chinese II - IV, grades 9 - 12: In this lesson, Haiyan Fu's multilevel class explores direction - both literally and metaphorically. While Chinese IV students practice reciting Chinese cultural poems, students in Chinese II and III work on mapping the locations of nearby restaurants and providing directions to them.

Session 11 French: A Cajun Folktale and Zydeco

French I, grade 8: After preparing her students for new vocabulary, Paris Granville retells a Cajun folktale while students act out the story. Students then create a story map to delve into the different story elements. Ms. Granville introduces zydeco music and the instruments typically used to create it, such as the washboard, accordion, and spoons.

Session 12 French: Chicken Pox

French I, kindergarten: Jai Scott's French immersion class uses the topic of chicken pox, from an Arthur book and a French song, and total physical response (TPR) movements to learn new vocabulary for the parts of the body. The class practices emerging literacy skills by matching vocabulary labels to a drawing of a person.

Session 13 French: Comparing Communities

French III, grades 9 - 12: Ghislaine Tulou's students work in pairs to discuss aspects of their own community. They also discuss a Canadian community that they had read about and plan what they would do if they were to visit. Through individual and group-centered activities, students learn to express conditional statements about personal preferences.

session 14 French: Family and Home

French I, grade 5: In this two-part lesson, Debra Terry's students integrate vocabulary about the family by creating an imaginary family tree. Then they develop more complex ideas by describing the location of family members in different rooms of the home. For homework, students write about activities that take place in each room.

session 15 French: Interpreting La Belle et la Bete

French IV, grade 11: Michel Pasquier focuses his class on interpreting and adapting film, literature, and music, using the classic tale Beauty and the Beast. The students work in groups to find moral meaning in the 1945 Jean Cocteau classic film and compare the film to the original story and a French rap song.

session 16 French: Mapping Planet Earth

French I, grade 2: Stephanie Appel connects her French lessons to content and teaching materials in the general classroom curriculum. She employs TPR and map activities to practice vocabulary for the planets, continents, and oceans.

session 17 French: Performing With Confidence

French IV - V, grades 10 - 12: This lesson focuses on advanced conversation proficiency with connections to social, political, and pop culture. Yvette Heno's students play word games, discuss French politics, and stage a mock press conference with students portraying celebrities and journalists.

session 18 French: Touring a French City

French I, grade 8: Prior to this lesson, Robin Neuman's students researched French architecture and constructed a model of a French city on the classroom floor. During the lesson, students take turns role-playing tourists asking for directions and tourist bureau agents giving directions and describing the buildings and the city.

session 19 German: Holidays and Seasons

German I, grade 3: Margita Haberlen's lesson combines the topics of seasons and German holidays to reinforce basic reading skills, build cultural knowledge, and introduce more abstract thinking. Using a Venn diagram, students compare aspects of Fasching and Halloween.

session 20 German: Sports in Action

German I, grades 9 - 11: Denise Tanner guides her students through graduated activities including a TPR vocabulary review of the body, a grammar segment teaching the German structure gefallen, and a discussion of the German medals won at the 2002 Winter Olympics. As a culminating activity, students act out a TPR story in front of the class.

session 21 German: Sports Stats

German I, grade 5: In Amy Garcia's German class, students write in journals, listen as classmates share their sports preferences, take a poll on sports likes and dislikes, and record the class results on a graph. Using a chart showing the favorite sports of young Germans, Ms. Garcia makes connections to math by having students analyze the data.

session 22 Italian: U.S. and Italian Homes

Italian II, grade 9: In this lesson, Marylee DiGennaro's students compare American homes with typical dwellings in Italy. The class learns new vocabulary words, then practices them during a line dance and a card game. For homework, the students compose letters describing their homes, which they will email to students in Italy.

session 23 Japanese: Daily Routines

Japanese I, grade 5: This lesson focuses on the daily routines of individuals in Japan and the U.S. Margaret Dyer uses a variety of activities including TPR, modeling, paired practice, and student-led charades to introduce and review new vocabulary and concepts.

session 24 Japanese: Happy New Year!

Japanese II, grades 10 - 12: Students learn about some common products and practices of the Japanese New Year's celebration. Leslie Birkland's class splits into two groups: One sings New Year's songs, writes cards, and plays cultural games, while the other discusses New Year's food and decorations. After switching activities, the class reconvenes to compare the Japanese New Year's celebration with those of other cultures.

session 25 Japanese: Promoting Attractions of Japan

Japanese III - IV, grades 10 - 12: As part of a larger unit on the geography and culture of Japan, students learn the major regions and cities and discuss popular tourist destinations. Using timed activities, including a fast-paced Jeopardy-style quiz game, Yo Azama, 2012 ACTFL Teacher of the Year, assesses students on recall and recognition. As a culminating project, students create a travel brochure and begin planning a promotional video to attract visitors to Japan.

session 26 Latin: Music and Manuscripts

Latin II - III, IV AP, grades 10 - 12: Lauri Dabbieri's class explores how Latin manuscripts are interpreted, translated, and created. Latin IV students work independently to translate a passage from Vergil's Aeneid, while students in Latin II and III are guided through activities in translation and interpretation. Then the whole class works in pairs to create their own versions of illuminated Latin manuscripts.

session 27 Russian: Russian Cities, Russian Stories

Russian I and IV, grades 9 - 12: In this unique mixed-level class, Jane Shuffelton's students work on geography skills, story writing, and presentations. Russian IV students are paired with small groups of Russian I students to read a story, gather information, and write their own folktales. Each group shares their tale while the remaining students use their interpretive skills to write down specific information. In a separate activity, Russian IV students debate the role of the leader in Russian history after reading an article about Vladimir Putin.

session 28 Spanish: Creating Travel Advice

Spanish III, grade 11: In this lesson, Fran Pettigrew gives her students a letter from a teacher in Chile who plans to bring students to visit the United States. Working with authentic tourist brochures in Spanish and their previous research, student groups plan itineraries for their Chilean counterparts. They prepare to send a follow-up letter to the Chilean teacher sharing their suggestions.

session 29 Spanish: Food Facts and Stories

Spanish I, grade 8: Students use math and science skills as they interpret nutritional information in a Spanish-language McDonald's menu. John Pedini's lesson integrates authentic materials, makes connections to other academic areas, and develops interpretive and interpersonal communication skills.

session 30 Spanish: Fruits of the Americas

Spanish I, grade 4: Teacher Carina Rodriguez combines visual media and multisensory activities in a vocabulary-building lesson about familiar and new fruit. Students learn what country the fruit comes from, try to identify the fruit solely through touch, and taste the fruit to categorize it as sweet or sour.

session 31 Spanish: Hearing Authentic Voices

Spanish I, grade 8: Davita Alston's class engages in mock phone conversations, brainstorms about how American teenagers occupy their time, and reviews a video of Spanish-speaking youths discussing their leisure activities. Later, two native Mexican students visit the class and answer questions about how they spend their free time in Mexico.

session 32 Spanish: Interpreting Literature

Spanish III, grade 11: This lesson centers on the story Dos Caras by the New Mexican author Sabine Ulibarri. Barbara Pope Bennett guides students as they recount the details and discuss their interpretations of the story and its moral message. Students act out segments of the story and then collaborate in groups to come up with alternate endings.

session 33 Spanish: Interpreting Picasso’s Guernica

Spanish II, grade 10: In this lesson, students use their interpretive abilities to learn about culture and history through art. The students in Meghan Zingle's class make initial observations about Picasso's painting, and then work in pairs to write and present a mock radio announcement about it. After reading about the painting's background, they discuss the history it represents.

session 34 Spanish: Politics of Art

Spanish V, grade 12: Lori Langer de Ramirez's class stages a political debate based on Spain's visa requirement for Central and South Americans who wish to enter that country. During the debate, students assume the role of Latin American artists whose work they had researched and weigh the pros and cons of boycotting an invitation to exhibit their work in Spain. After the debate, the class votes on whether or not to accept the Spanish invitation.

session 35 Spanish: Routes to Culture

Spanish II, grades 9 - 10: This culturally rich lesson falls in the middle of a thematic unit about the African presence in Latin America. Pablo Muirhead's students identify cultural aspects of stories about a fictitious African girl who is taken to Panama and enslaved. Then they work in small groups to incorporate these cultural aspects into skits to be performed by their classmates. The class also practices playing African/Latin American box drums called los cajones.

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