flag journal 2009 (spring)

FLAG JOURNAL Volume 9 Spring/Summer 2009

The Journal of the Foreign Language Association of Georgia

Volume 9 Spring/Summer 2009

2 FLAG JOURNAL Volume 9 Spring/Summer 2009

Communication Beyond the Classroom 2010 SCOLT/FLANC Conference April 15-17, 2010 Winston-Salem, NC

On-line conference proposal: www.scolt.org Conference Information posted at website by August 2009.

Call for Papers The Editors of the FLAG Journal are extending an invitation to the language teaching community to submit papers for publication consideration. We are going to publish an annual, refereed, on-line journal with articles about all aspects of foreign language education across all levels: innovative teaching strategies, learner variables, policy and issues, re-search, curriculum development, assessment and technology among other topics. Articles on all lan-guages are welcome and manuscripts must be writ-ten in English to accommodate our readership. See the full description on page 34.


2009 FLAG Officers

President David Jahner Foreign Language Director Gwinnett County Public Schools, Instructional Support Center 437 Old Peachtree Rd. Suwanee, GA 30024 Phone: (678) 301-7027 Fax: (770) 277-4470 President Elect Elizabeth Combier North Georgia College & State University, Modern Languages 305B Dunlap Hall Dahlonega, GA 30597 Phone: 706) 867-2811 Fax: (706) 864-1485 Vice-President for Advocacy Denise Overfield University of West Georgia, Foreign Languages & Literatures Maple Street, Carrollton, GA 30118 Phone: (678) 839-6515 Fax: (678) 839-5931 Vice-President for Language Contests Rhonda Wells DeKalb County School System Instruction, Bldg. B, 3770 N. Decatur Rd., Decatur, GA 30032 Phone: 678-676-0227

Immediate Past President Greg Barfield Student Advisor, Cobb County Schools International Welcome Center East 380 Holt Road, Marietta, GA 30068 Phone: (770) 973-2955 Fax: (770) 578-2742 Corresponding Secretary Pat McCoy Wesleyan School 5405 Spalding Drive, Norcross, GA 30092 (770) 448-7640 x4438 Treasurer / Administrator Mary Ellen Foye P.O. Box 734, Griffin, GA 30224 Phone: (c) (770) 468-3396 Members-At-Large FLES (ESFL) Sandra Cleveland Sharon Elementary School Middle School Jamie Patterson Fulton County Schools High School Joy Lynn Tynes Cobb County Schools Post Secondary Amye Sukapdjo Gainesville College

Directors FLAG Journal Editors Peter Swanson Georgia State University, Modern & Classical Languages P.O. Box 3970, Atlanta, GA 30302-3970 (404)413-6595 [email protected] Susan Crooks Kennesaw State University Dept. of F.L. 1000 Chastain Rd. MD 1804 Kennesaw, GA 30144-5591 Phone 770-971-9504 Archivist Jane Hursey Public Relations Joe Frank Uriz Parsons Elementary School 1615 Old Peachtree Road, Suwanee, GA 30024 Phone: (404) 556-3653 Fax (678) 957-3055 Conference Brandi Meeks Starr's Mill High School 193 Panther Path, Fayetteville, GA 30215 Phone: (770) 486-2710 Fax: (770) 486-2716 Electronic Media Horst Kurz Georgia Southern University, Foreign Languages GA DOE Liaison Jon Valentine Program Specialist for Foreign Lan-guages & International Education

The photos on this issue’s cover are generously reprinted here compliments of the REALIA Project (http://www.realiaproject.org/). The REALIA Project publishes faculty-reviewed media for the teaching and study of modern languages and cultures. Faculty and students at all levels are encouraged to contribute ma-terials to our searchable, online database. The focus of the REALIA Project is realia: Materials which con-vey the everyday life of different cultures. The top photograph was taken in Lyon, France and represents the Tromp-l’oeil technique involving highly realistic imagery to create a three dimensional optic illusion. The lower photograph, taken in Germany, depicts a plethora of bicycles in Muenster, Germany. These images can be easily accessed at (add URLs)


The past year has been filled with many new and exciting changes on both global and local stages. As new President of the United States, Barack Obama stated that “it took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to get where we are today, but we have just begun. Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is just a little bit bet-ter than the one we inhabit today.” As Susan and I begin our journey as editors of the FLAG Journal, we recognize the dedication of the former journal editors like Jim Chestnut

(North Georgia College and State University). Their dedication to providing a quality periodical devoted to the foreign language community inside and outside our state has been outstanding. As editors and language professors, we feel it is important that the journal offer FLAG members a pedagogical tool immediately upon receipt. So, we have worked with the editors of the REALIA Project <<http://www.realiaproject.org>> to allow us to re-print two peer-reviewed photos that teachers may use perhaps as a warm-up the first few moments of class to engage students and to encourage oral language production. We encourage FLAG members to visit the REALIA Project and submit their travel photos for publication to expand the library. Susan wants to start a column called “ Tips for Teachers.” She hopes people will send in ideas about strategies that work, whether they are in behavior management, homework, methods, or ideas for units. For example, one of her favorite strategies involves using the recent past. Once her students have learned how to use it, they are given a standing homework assignment. Every Monday they must say three sentences about their weekend in response to the question “Was hast du dieses Wochenende gemacht?” or “What did you do this weekend?” It doesn’t take much time to grade with a short rubric and it has relevance to the students. After 18 weeks they are well prac-ticed in using that tense. In the Fall, we plan on compiling FLAG’s first peer-reviewed journal and we are placing a call for original manuscripts that Georgia’s language teachers would find of interest. We would love to have you submit an article of interest to us. See the Call for Papers for more details. If you have any questions about the upcoming issue or just questions/comments in general about the journal, please feel free to contact us: Peter Swanson <[email protected]> or Susan Crooks <[email protected]>. We hope that you enjoy this issue and your summer!

Editors’ Message


FLAG Journal

Contents FLAG Officers ……………………………………………………………..3 Editors’ Message …………………………………………………………...4 President’s Letter …………………………………………………………..6 Letter from Past President ………………………………………………….7 Amana at the FLAG Contest………………………………………………..7 FLAG Award Recipients …………………………………………………...8 News from Colleges and Universities ……………………………………..10 Georgia Department of Education Update ………………………………...11 FLAG Spoken Language Contest…………………………………………..12 AATF—Georgia Report ..………………………………………………….13 AATG—Georgia Report ..…………………………………………………14 AATSP—Georgia Report ...………………………………………………..15 FLAIR Report …..………………………………………………………….19 JNCL—NCLIS Executive Summary ………………………………………21 JNCL—NCLIS Breaking News ……………………………………………23 Archivist Report ……………………………………………………………24 En Memoriam ………………………………………………………………26 Pen Pal/ Key Pal by S. Jourdain ….………………………………………...28 French Correspondence Beyond the Classroom Walls by C. Jones ……….32 Call for Papers ……………………………………………………………..34 FLAG Award Application Instructions…………………………………….35 SCOLT Scholarships ……...……………………………………………….36 FLAG Membership Form ………………………………………………….37

A Publication of the Georgia Association of Foreign Language Teachers

http://www.flageorgia.org/flag.htm Volume 9 Spring/Summer 2009


President’s Letter

Dear FLAG Members: Summer is a special time for educators – those outside our profession often think that teachers and professors “do nothing” during those lazy, hazy days. Those of us intimately involved in educa-tion, however, know what a fallacy this is! Summer is filled with a myriad of activities including learning how to further hone our skills, traveling to places where we can immerse ourselves in our chosen target language or perhaps to learn about a new culture, preparing for the new school year that always sneaks up on us and sorting through that stack of handouts and pile of things that accu-mulate during the hectic school year! In addition to these more erudite endeavors there is also hopefully some time built in for resting, reconnecting with family and recharging for the coming school year! Whatever your plans are for the summer I hope you consider ways that you can be of service to YOUR professional organization. Here are some ideas that come to mind immediately: recruit a new member to the organization, submit a session proposal for the 2010 FLAG Conference in Au-gusta, participate in the 2010 Spoken Language Contests, contribute an article to the FLAG Jour-nal, or nominate a colleague for a FLAG award. Our organization can only be as strong as the membership is active. At the same time, if you can think of ways FLAG can better serve your needs, be sure to let a FLAG Board member know about your ideas! Through the establishment of two new positions, the FLAG Board is already at work trying to de-velop innovative ways to better serve its members. Joe Frank Uriz, our Public Relations Director, is eager to find out about all the great things going on in the name of language education across our state through our new “Caught in the Act” initiative. Check out the FLAG website for more information. Joe is also exploring ways FLAG can support our newest members. Dr. Denise Over-field, our Vice President for Advocacy, is seeking out ways to keep the membership informed about legislative issues that may affect language education as well as making sure everyone is in-formed about advocacy efforts that take place throughout the year. Whether your summer involves primarily work-related events or a much deserved opportunity to “get away from it all”, we on the FLAG Board wish you all the best and look forward to seeing you at a FLAG event during the 2009-2010 school year! Sincerely David Jahner FLAG President


Letter from the Past-President Dear FLAG Colleagues: It has been my privilege to serve as FLAG President the past two years. I have had the honor of representing FLAG, both nationally, and internationally, and no matter where I go, I hear wonder-ful comments about FLAG and what FLAG members do for foreign language programs in our state.

The word that I hear most often about Georgia foreign language educators is PASSIONATE. We are passionate about the importance of foreign languages in our schools, and we carry this passion to our students each day. Our passion is also shared with community members and political lead-ers, and indeed, FLAG now carries a strong voice with the Georgia General Assembly and our congressional delegation in Washington. Please know that your passion and dedication for foreign language programs has been an inspiration to me as I have represented FLAG as your president. I thank all FLAG members, and especially the FLAG Board, for your support. Sincerely,

Greg Barfield FLAG Past-President

Letter from Amana at the FLAG Language Contest One more time Amana has proven to be a in the spot light when 35 of her students participated in the wonderful annual FLAG Language contest that was held last Saturday at Peachtree Ridge High School. Our brave girls and boys participated in different categories that included Numbers recognition, counting, reciting poems, pre- senting Arabic skits, singing, vocabulary recognition of different theme, and interviewing with the judges.

Tension, anxiety and happiness were in the air; however, the will that those students had, and the pride to be selected among their friends, made them strong and determined to achieve and reach suc-cess. success.

They presented Amana in the best way they can, and all of them came out smiling with a ranking of either a “Superior” or “Excellent”. Those students will carry the torch of high achievers to next year, hoping that other students will be ready to receive it eagerly, and with joy! The Arabic Department is very proud of those 35 students who clearly met our expectations, and push us, as Arabic teachers, to raise the bar year after another. The department would like to thank all the parents who drove their children, and for believing in language learning, which clearly states that languages are a vital part of students total growth and development. Finally, we would like to thank all the parents who drove their children, and for believing in Language learning, making it clear that Languages are a vital part of students total growth and development.


FLAG Awards

Rhonda Wells - Leadership Award – K-12 Rhonda is currently the Coordinator of World Languages for the DeKalb County School System. She has taught French in both DeKalb and Henry County. She holds a Bachelor degree from Western Illinois University, a Master degree from Troy State University and a Specialist degree from Lincoln Memorial University. Since taking the role as curriculum leader for one of the largest districts in Georgia, Rhonda has offered a wealth of professional learning opportunities for the teachers, led curriculum development and curriculum mapping sessions, and has also encouraged teachers to become active in professional organizations. As one of DeKalb’s teachers writes in a letter of support, “World Language teachers hit the jackpot when Rhonda Wells returned to DeKalb to take on the job as World Language Coordinator. Rhonda brought with her a contagious energy which motivated DeKalb’s teachers to evaluate and improve teaching through standards-based curriculum, staff-development courses and involvement in state and national organizations. Exactly how has Rhonda determined the needs of DeKalb’s world language teachers? She has done so by visiting every classroom, observing instruction and speaking directly to her teachers, asking about their concerns and needs. Ms. Wells is aware of the county’s strengths and weaknesses, and she devotes her time and efforts to improve world language teaching in DeKalb County. ”

Kathy Annis - Administrative Support Award Kathy Annis holds the position of Director of Instructional Administration with the Cobb County School District where she began work in 1987. Mrs. Annis’ background includes advanced degrees in Educational Leadership from the University of West Georgia as well as experience as a middle school language arts and reading teacher, a district Instructional Lead Teacher, and a School Improvement Specialist with the Georgia Department of Edu- cation. Kathy states, “I am highly honored to accept this distinction and feel that it mainly reflects the long-standing exemplary work of my colleagues in Cobb County. The district’s foreign language program offers eight different languages (French, Spanish, German, Latin, Portuguese, Chinese Japanese, and Italian). In addition, teachers are offered evening classes in Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, Russian, and Chinese. Large numbers of middle school students take a foreign language in eighth grade and may take advantage of locally funded classes in French, Spanish, German, or Latin before and after school. The dis-trict offers many enrichment opportunities for the foreign language staff. An International Spanish Academy at Walton High School is operated in collaboration with the government of Spain. Walton High School also hosts an AP Summer Institute in languages. Additionally, for the past five summers, the district has sent teachers abroad to study Spanish, Portuguese, and Korean in Mexico, Brazil, and Korea.”

Dr. Carol Wilkerson - Leadership Award – Postsecondary Carol Wilkerson is currently the Dean for ESL and Foreign Languages at Georgia Perimeter College and holds a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia. After working at Kennesaw State from 1995 – 2000, Carol left Georgia to teach at postsecondary institutions in Tennessee and Kentucky. Fortunately for us here in Georgia, her path has brought her back “home”. Carol has a long history of dedication to professional organizations and has been active on the boards of FLAG, AATSPGA, and SCOLT. In addition, she serves as a reviewer for ACTFL’s professional journal, Foreign Language Annals. As Carol says, “I began my career in Charleston, SC, and teaching has taken me, quite literally, across the country and around the world. My friends know that I am always up to new challenges, including teaching high school while simultaneously completing doctoral coursework and offer-ing night classes as an adjunct at a two-year college. I’ve taught in seven states in the SCOLT region, but Georgia has been my most frequent “home” and FLAG has been an anchor in my professional life. I am most appreciative to the Foreign Language Association of Georgia for this award, and it is doubly special to receive this award today during the joint meeting of SCOLT in Atlanta! Friends, WE are the profession and WE are its leadership. Please encourage others to join FLAG and SCOLT to accomplish the work we have been given to do.”

Dr. James Chesnut - President’s Award Dr. Jim Chesnut, Professor of French at North Georgia College & State University, joined the fac-ulty in 1988. From 1997 until 2006, he served as Coordinator of the Foreign Language section of the Department of Language & Literature. He continues to coordinate the Georgia French Col-laborative, a consortium of four universities offering a series of on-line upper-level French courses. Dr. Chesnut has also co-directed a Joint-Enrollment Study-Abroad Program to France, and he will conduct his tenth study-abroad program to Laval University in Quebec City, Canada this summer. He serves on the USG Board of Regents’ Academic Advisory Committee for Foreign Languages


FLAG Awards

Clarissa Adams-Fletcher - Teaching Award – K-12 Clarissa Adams-Fletcher teaches Spanish and sponsors the Spanish Honor Society at Dunwoody High School in DeKalb County and she has taught at the school since 1991. She holds a Master of Arts in Latin American Studies with a concentration in History and Political Science from Vanderbilt University. In 2002, Clarissa was Dunwoody’s Teacher of the Year and in 2004 achieved her status as National Board Certified teacher. She presents regularly at FLAG and has also conducted staff development workshops for her district. Her former depart-ment chair writes, “The salient characteristics of Mrs. Adams’ teaching were her love of teach-ing and her passion to innovate, to study and implement new teaching strategies. She was al-ways ready to learn from veteran teachers and to use and adapt methods she gleaned from them. Most of the time, I had to make an effort to find Ms. Adams when I walked past or into her classroom. Her class was almost always student centered with students occupying the front stage of the room engaged in the use of the target language and the teacher sitting among the students observing and providing specific and motivating feedback to the students.” Finally, Clarissa herself says about her philosophy of teaching language, “Several years ago, I told my students that I was not here to “teach them Spanish”. Well, naturally they looked at me rather astonished. I ex-plained that I can provide tools, devices, hooks, incentives, punishments, and on and on but the one thing that I couldn’t do was to “teach” them Spanish. I firmly believe that the acquisition of knowledge depends on the motivation and atti-

Bobbi-Lynn Moreno - Fostering Partnerships Award Bobbi-Lynn Moreno teaches Spanish at Southeast Bulloch High School in Brooklet, GA. She completed her Bachelor degree in English education, her Master degree in Spanish education, and she will complete her Specialist degree in Teaching and Learning with an emphasis in Span-ish in May. Dr. David Alley from Georgia Southern University comments: “As a teacher, cur-riculum writer and grant writer, Ms. Moreno exemplifies the best of the foreign language profes-sion.” Bobbi-Lynn explains two of her partnerships in her nomination letter: “After many years of working as a foreign language teacher, I have come to a realization about language learning. Students who learn foreign language through hands on, real life experiences actually acquire the language skills needed to actively use the language rather than those who learn simply through rote memorization. Over the last several years, have begun to write grants that involve moving out of the Spanish classroom and into other subject area classrooms such as health occupations,

literature, and art. The first cross-curricular grant that I wrote involved collaboration between the art department and my Spanish level two classes. This year, I worked with our Advanced Health Occupations class to develop a unit with an interactive lesson between the two classes on different Spanish words and phrases that pertain to health care, emergency services and the body. These two projects take all of the elements that I use as a teacher. Speaking, writing, and the learning of culture are the backbones of my curriculum. Getting students actively involved in everyday language use, I believe, is the key to genuine language comprehension and acquisition.”

Ralph Pohlmeier - President’s Award Ralph is currently the President of Stevens Learning Systems, a language lab company based in Norcross, Georgia. He has more than 30 years experience working with educators on integrat-ing technology in language classrooms. The most poignant characteristic of Ralph’s personality is his generous spirit. Over the years he has organized countless workshops for language teachers with nationally known presenter, Peggy Boyles, and provides everything from enriching lessons and activities to refreshments, binders and pictures. Ralph is a teacher at heart and he analyzes everything he does around the principle of how he can help teachers do the best job possible. For many years Ralph has supported FLAG and numerous professional organizations around the country. For example, last year he donated funds to pay for all the FLAG bags at the annual con-ference. He does all this from his home base in Oklahoma, but he puts more miles on his white

van than any of us can imagine! FLAG and our entire profession benefit tremendously from Ralph and he is most de-serving of this recognition.

since 1991 and chaired that committee during semester conversion in 1998 and again in 2003. He served on the FLAG Board for many years, was President of FLAG 2003-2005, and served as co-editor, then editor, of The FLAG Journal for four years. He currently serves on the SCOLT Board as the regional representative to ACTFL. He holds an undergradu-ate degree in Sociology, a M.Ed. in counseling & Psychological Services, a B.S. in Computer Science and a Ph.D. in Romances from the University of Georgia. While his field of specialization for the Ph.D. is 20th-century French litera-ture, he has taught a variety of courses, including phonetics, Francophone Literature, a translation course, methodology, world literature, and a number of German courses. He has presented at state, regional, and national conferences; remains active in matters of foreign language advocacy; and he enjoys applying technology to language teaching.


News from Georgia Colleges and Universities

The Department of Foreign Languages at KSU is pleased to make two new announcements. Ger-man, as a "primary language”, was recently approved and successful graduates receive a B.A. de-gree in Modern Language & Culture. Students will now be able to complete a 30-hour degree in German with a choice of 4 concentrations, including teacher certification. A minor in German Studies is also available. See http://foreignlanguages.hss.kennesaw.edu/programs/minor-german/ and http://foreignlanguages.hss.kennesaw.edu/programs/ for complete information about this new program.

Additionally, the Department of Foreign Languages at KSU is pleased to announce the recent ap-proval of a new MAT in Foreign Languages, leading to Georgia teacher certification in Chinese or Spanish. The program consists of 48 credit hours: 18 in the teaching field, 20 in education (diversity, curriculum, assessment, methods, second language acquisition research, & portfolio), and 10 in field and clinical experiences in P-12 classrooms. Complete information about this new graduate degree is available at http://foreignlanguages.hss.kennesaw.edu/programs/fled/

Georgia Southern University offers B.A. degrees in Modern Languages with concentrations in French, German, and Spanish. In addition, Georgia Southern offers coursework in Arabic, Chi-nese, Japanese, Latin and Yoruba. Georgia Southern offers students a variety of study abroad opportunities in France, Quebec, Ger-many, Spain, Mexico, and Chile. Programs vary from four to six weeks in the summer to semester-long programs during the academic year. A number of scholarships are available. Georgia Southern University offers the Master of Arts in Teaching Spanish. The program is de-signed to prepare graduate students who have attained an advanced proficiency in Spanish with the necessary training to be effective foreign language teachers at the elementary, middle and high school level. The coursework covers general principles of education, educational research, second language acquisition, foreign language curriculum and methods, and graduate level Spanish. In addition a student in the MAT program works with different mentor teachers at the university, sec-ondary, middle school and elementary levels culminating in a full-time internship. Location is not a barrier to your begin student in the MAT in Spanish program at Georgia Southern University: 100% of the coursework can be taken in an online and study abroad format. Georgia Southern also offers an M. A. degree in Spanish. Total number of hours required for the M.A. degree is 30 hours. Courses include History of the Language, Phonetics, Survey of 16th and 17th century drama in Spain, Colonial Spanish American Literature, and Contemporary Spanish American Culture and Civilization. Students can elect to write a thesis or to complete additional coursework. A number of graduate assistantships are available for M.A. students.


Dear Colleagues:

At the Georgia Department of Education we have been working closely with our educational part-ners to provide students, teachers and administrators with support in a very difficult budget envi-ronment. While the ban on nearly all travel in the state made things a bit more complicated, we were able to stretch our creativity and work with many of our RESAs and other partners to con-tinue to provide GPS and other training to world language teachers. A positive result of spending more time off the road was our work with DOE data services, collecting and analyzing program data and benchmarking enrollment, AP and other useful data.

Some of the highlights from 2008 – 2009 included:

The Art and Essay Contest sponsored by the Istanbul Center. Twelve middle and high school students and teachers received an expenses-paid trip to Turkey.

Placement of 16 teachers from Austria through Visiting International Educators throughout Georgia.

Completion of a draft GPS K-5 elementary document and selection of a state review team. A new memorandum of understanding between the GaDOE and the PSC to ease placement

restrictions on teachers from Austria. A very successful round of Governor’s Honors interviews at Dutch Valley High School.

As we ramp up for 2009-2010, we’d like to keep you abreast of some of our larger initiatives. We are investigating federal stimulus and grant options and ways that Georgia might be well posi-tioned to use these monies to support world language programs. We hope to have the Elementary K-5 GPS posted soon, thereby being one of the first states in the nation to have a fully articulated K-12 performance-based curriculum available to all teachers. We’re continuing our data gathering and hope to make available a detailed state of the state document with information on enrollment trends, AP and IB classes, as well as a list of innovative programs that can be successfully imple-mented in other schools - we hope that this data will be useful in strategizing, directing support, and will serve as useful information to our districts and partners in higher ed. In addition, we are planning initiatives to increase AP course enrollment and testing in world languages, further im-plementation of Linguafolio and continued training of teachers. As we finish this school year and begin gearing up for another, we’d like to extend a special thanks to the boards of both SCOLT and FLAG for their successful conference in Atlanta this win-ter. We received messages from both teachers and administrators praising the quality of work-shops and sessions and marveling at the overall attendance. Many teachers noted that, regardless of their school’s budget, they plan to attend the FLAG conference in Augusta next year. Thanks again to everyone who is working so hard to provide a world-class education to our world language students in Georgia. We look forward to an excellent end to this year and wish every-one a restful summer and successful start to the 2009-2010 school year. Please check in at <<www.doe.k12.ga.us>>, continue to work with the GPS at <<www.georgiaperformancestandards.org>> and feel free to contact me directly with any com-ments or concerns at [email protected].

Yours, Jon Valentine

Georgia Department of Education


More than 600 students registered for the 2009 FLAG Spo-ken Language Contest, which was held at Mill Creek High School in Gwinnett County and Darton College in Albany. This is the sixth time that FLAG sponsored two concurrent contests in an effort to offer options for teachers and students who live in the southwestern part of the state. Once again, all registration for the event took place via FLAG’s website. Polly Stadnik, Spanish teacher at Westover High School in Albany, coordinated the southern site, which had well over hundred students registered to compete in French, German, Japanese, Latin and Spanish. Genevieve Breedon from Dar-ton College also helped facilitate the Albany contest. Darton College faculty, staff and language students provided a tre-mendous assistance on the day of the contest as well. The south site gives students the opportunity to participate in con-test without having to drive many miles. Jaime Claymore, Latin Teacher at Mill Creek High School in cooperation with Joe Uriz, FLAG 2nd-Vice President coordi-nated the metro contest site. Over 550 students registered to test their language skills in Chinese, German, French, Japa-nese, Latin and Spanish. More 70 teachers volunteered to judge at the contest and Mill Creek had more than 90 student volunteers to give directions, assist with tabulations and to welcome people to their school. Many participants com-mented on the excellent organization of FLAG’s largest ad-vocacy event. The FLAG Spoken Language Contest experience provides an excellent opportunity for students to practice their language skills. At the contest, teachers from another school or system interview students and their speaking skills are rated. Latin students compete in an oratorical contest. Based on their per-formance, students earn ribbons for a ranking of Superior, Excellent or Notable and all students receive certificates of participation. Joe Frank Uriz, Contest Director

2009 FLAG Spoken Language Contest a Victory!


Merci AATF Géorgie!

I take this opportunity to publicly thank Georgia AATF for the opportunity to serve as chapter president for these past two years. I am delighted to announce that Mr. Stéphane Allagnon has ac-cepted the presidential gavel in a seamless transition at our annual business meeting, during the occasion of the 2009 FLAG/SCOLT joint conference at the outset of March. Stéphane Allagnon is Foreign Language Department Chair along with holding teaching responsibilities in French and Spanish at Sandy Creek High School, in Fayette County School District. In addition to swearing in our new president, we honored several chapter members at our annual meeting, most revered among them our Teachers of the Year. Ms. Anne Shook of Rabun Gap Na-coochee Independent School in Rabun Gap County was our middle school winner. Ms. Christy Belby of Dacula High School in Gwinnett County was our high school winner. Georgia AATF also honors some outstanding members who have served the chapter in laudable ways. First and foremost, Ms. Valerie White of Northview High School in Fulton County has served as our Grand Concours administrator for the past four years, bringing Georgia student participation into the na-tional ranks of the top ten states. Ms. Muriel Davison of Collins Hill High School in Gwinnett County has been organizing a phenomenally successful student immersion weekend at Rock Eagle Camp in Eatonton, Georgia, which continued the tradition of success this spring with nearly 150 students and over 30 volunteers in attendance. Ms. Kathy Porto of McIntosh High School in Peachtree City reinstituted our Teacher of the Year program in 2007-08 and continues in soliciting outstanding nominees for recognition. As I leave the officer’s position to join my colleagues as a “regular” chapter member, I would be remiss if I were not to mention the tremendous support of Dr. Bill Griffin, our chapter Secretary/Treasurer and my colleague at Kennesaw State University. In truth, he served well beyond his du-ties by collaboratively guiding me through the chapter’s activities during my presidency. And fi-nally, among those members who stepped out well beyond ‘regular’ status are Dr. Jay Lutz of Oglethorpe University, who hosted our Fall 2007 GA-AATF Conference and Dr. Joe Johnson of Clayton State University, who hosted our Fall 2008 GA-AATF Conference, and our faithful con-ference presenters: Dina Foster of Georgia Perimeter College and Janene Sullivan of Shiloh High School in Gwinnett County. Merci à tous !

Respectfully submitted, Dr. Kristin Hoyt

Kennesaw State University

President Treasurer Stephane Allagnon Bill Griffin

Sandy Creek HS Kennesaw State University

360 Jenkins Road 1000 Chastain Rd., #1804

Tyrone, GA 30290-1614 Kennesaw, GA 30144-5591

770-969-2840 770-423-6366

[email protected] [email protected]


AATG Georgia

Between July and September of 2008 the new chapter president and webmaster collaborated on migrating the chapter’s website from a private server to one hosted by AATG National as well re-vising and updating all materials pertinent to the chapter’s activities. (http://georgia.aatg.org) Due to a series of logistical problems this past year, we were unable to coordinate our annual Fall Teacher’s Workshop with our recent host, Emory University. Since that time steps have been taken to formalize negotiations with that host and to announce the theme and dates of the Teacher’s Workshop before the end of the 2008-2009 academic year. Due to a series of logistical problems this past year, we were unable to coordinate our annual Fall Teacher’s Workshop with our recent host, Emory University. Since that time steps have been taken to formalize negotiations with that host and to announce the theme and dates of the Teacher’s Workshop before the end of the 2008-2009 academic year. In October, the newly-constituted Executive Council held its first meeting. Primary topics of dis-cussion were a wholesale updating and revision of the Chapter’s constitution as well as strategies for improving communication among AATG-GA members. Active AATG-GA members were provided the opportunity to review the Constitution in December 2008 and have been asked to submit their secret ballot on ratification by February 20, 2009. I have created a wiki (http://aatg-ga.pbwiki.com/) to facilitate communication within the chapter; the success of this venture will be reviewed in next year’s Chapter Report. Invitations to non-AATG-GA members will be extended upon request. The AATG Georgia 2009 State German Convention was held on Friday and Saturday, January 30 & 31, at the State FFA-FCCLA Camp in Covington. The convention schedule was similar to last year’s, with registration from 12:30 – 2:00 pm on Friday and the closing Awards Ceremony finishing around 4:00 pm on Saturday. As always, the State German Convention is conceived as a co-curricular activity, encouraging and motivating students at all levels in their study of German. It is a wonderful, fun-filled way to encourage interest in your German program. The theme this year was *Es lebe die DDR: Zwanzig Jahre nach der Wende*. Competition winners can be reviewed at our website (http://georgia.aatg.org/rundschreiben.html). In May we will hold our annual AATG-GA honors night at the German Cultural Center (formerly Goethe Institute) where we recognized students who scored over 85% on the National German Exam. Also honored will be our Teacher of the Year, Leader of the Year and Student of the Year. This year’s Governor’s Honors candidates, Congress Bundestag Scholarship recipients, AATG/PAD recipient, and GLOW Award recipient will also recognized. A complete list of awards can be reviewed at our website (http://georgia.aatg.org/rundschreiben.html). Edward Weintraut Chapter President [email protected]


AATSP Georgia AATSP GA began a successful school year with the announcement of its selection as recipient of the 2008-09 Chapter Incentive Grant, a national AATSP award for the state group judged to have the most outstanding annual record for programs and activities. The award, accompanied by a commemorative plaque and cash prize of $500, was presented at the July AATSP National Con-ference in Costa Rica. The AATSP GA Fall Conference, held at Collins Hill High School in September, focused on Ar-gentina, with educational presentations by two distinguished visitors from Buenos Aires. The day-long program featured sessions by María Cristina Fuertes Goth, specialist in education and Argen-tine culture, and a demonstration of South American music traditions by renowned guitarist Marcelo Bettoni. A low number of registrations forced cancellation of a proposed fall congress for high school stu-dents of Spanish. The planning group anticipates reconsideration of the project when economic conditions are more favorable. Students from schools statewide submitted art work to the Chapter-sponsored High School Poster Contest. The theme “Las lenguas-una ventana al mundo/Languages-A Window to the World." Winners received cash awards in addition to personalized certificates that were presented to all participants. Top prizes went to students from Lowndes HS (Teacher,-Carmen Ruddle), Whitewa-ter HS (Teacher- Lourdes Nieves) and Evans HS (Teacher- DiAnne Johnson). The next high-school level poster contest is scheduled for early fall, 2009. The Spanish Immersion Camp, which took place in March at Fortson 4-H Center in Hampton, hosted 82 intermediate and advanced-level students from high schools representing all regions of Georgia. Participants were guided by a volunteer staff of enthusiastic teacher-counselors through a weekend filled with activities conducted entirely in Spanish language. Camp Coordinator Heather Young organized a schedule of workshops on dance, sports, crafts, cooking, Hispanic arts and crafts. The Saturday evening carnaval featured typical costumes, Hispanic dances, and public speaking, as well as the selection of Carnival King, Queen and courtiers. The Camp program in-cluded an open market in Spanish, original skits and an awards ceremony to conclude the week-end activities. Elementary and middle school member-at-large Vicki Welch Alvis reported another successful year for the AATSP Elementary/Middle School Poster Contest. State contest participants at level K-3, 4-5 and 6-8 submitted original artwork on the theme of “Quien habla dos lenguas vale por dos:/Whoever speaks two languages has the value of two." From the state-level winners of the contest that were forwarded to the national level competition, one from Autrey Mill MS (teacher-Vicki Alvis) and one from St. James Catholic School (teacher-Nancy Urcuhuaranga) were selected as second-place national winners. Registrations for the AATSP GA High School Spanish Composition Contest totaled nearly 700, while 135 university students participated in the college division of the competition. All contest-ants received either a certificate of participation or certificate of award, corresponding to essays evaluated as Notable, Excellent or Superior. For the first time in the Contest history, a number of entries selected from those judged Superior received additional prizes of $25.00. Students at every course level, from beginner to native speaker, are eligible to take part in this annual event, which provides valuable experience for secondary students who are (continued on next page)


preparing for the Advanced Placement Spanish Examination, and for college students in courses that emphasize writing skills. The 2009 edition of the National Spanish Examination marked the fourth year of delivery in an online format. Georgia public and private schools were well represented in the list of winners of top placement designation at national level. Georgia NSE Director Shirley Fernández encourages all Georgia’s sponsoring teachers to communicate with her via e-mails or other written accounts of their experiences with the NSE, as she is working to compile pertinent information for the annual report to the national directors. During the annual affiliates’ meeting session at the Atlanta FLAG Conference in March, the Chap-ter recognized winners of the 2008 awards for outstanding teaching: Professor of the Year-- Dr. Sarah Blackwell, University of Georgia; High School Teacher of the Year-- Salima Bacchus, Ce-dar Shoals HS. Other award winners include: College Student of the Year--Gilbert Lewis of Au-gusta State University (professor- Dr. Jana Sandarg); High School Student of the Year--Agata Rzucidlo, Cedar Shoals HS School (teacher-Salima Bacchus); Middle School Student of the Year--Keisha Bennett of Woodland Middle School (teacher-Dr.Candace Murdock). Agata Rzucidlo, our HS SOTY was also the winner of Junior Travel Award to Peru, sponsored by the National Spanish Honor Society. The 2009 recipient of the Raúl Fernández Memorial Travel-Study Award is Michelle Peace, of Early County HS, who will begin work on her master's degree at University of Salamanca during the summer of 2009. Winners in the newly-inaugurated mini-grant program are Flo Thurston of St. Andrew's School and DiAnne Johnson, Evans HS. Congratulations also go to AATSP GA member Dr. Carol Wilkerson of GA Perimeter College, on winning the 2009 FLAG Post-Secondary Leadership Award. Information on all AATSP GA programs and activities is posted regularly on the Chapter website: www. aatsp.org Lucinda York-Rickards, President

The FLAG listserv has grown substantially over the years. Are YOU signed up? Go to http://www.flageorgia.org/board/feed-list.htm The listserv keeps you up-to-date on what is happening in our

Foreign Language Community.


Educators in all languages, all levels, are invited to participate in the AATSP GA 2009 Fall Conference

Talking Up a Storm!

Maximizing Speaking in the Foreign Language Classroom

When: Saturday, September 12, 2009 Where: Westminster Schools of Atlanta Who: Greg Duncan, of InterPrep, Inc.

Greg Duncan, nationally acclaimed workshop presenter and foreign language education consult-ant, will present a full day of activities designed to energize and motivate beginning teachers as well as experienced professionals. The Conference will focus on high-leverage, interactive classroom strategies designed to facilitate the efforts of our students to continually expand their speaking ability. Activities, which include paired and small group work, will be anchored in the Intermediate range of proficiency and will also consider the process of guiding students toward being classified as Advanced speakers. Participants will receive handout materials that include the activities covered during the workshop, in addition to others that can be used in the proficiency-oriented classroom. What else: The Conference will feature guest speaker, Jon Valentine, FL Specialist from the Geor-gia Department of Education, who will present updates on the status of foreign language education in Georgia. AATSP GA will provide assistance and documentation for teachers who are seeking PLU credit. This requires prior approval from the county/school district and application to AATSP GA, in advance of the Conference date. Further details and registration information will be published in upcoming issues of the Chapter newsletter, AL DIA, and at.www. aatsp-ga.org


AATSP Georgia Chapter Annual Conference 2009 For ALL LANGUAGES--ALL LEVELS

Talking Up a Storm! Maximizing Speaking in the Foreign Language Classroom

A full-day workshop presented by Greg Duncan of InterPrep, Inc.

Special guest- Jon Valentine, FL Program Specialist at GA DOE

Saturday, September 12, 2009 Westminster Schools of Atlanta

1424 West Paces Ferry Rd. NW, Atlanta, GA 30327

This Conference is for Foreign Language Educators at all levels College & University students are welcome

▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪ 8:00-9:00 a.m. Onsite registration and coffee hour 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Conference Sessions; Lunch & business meeting 12:00-1:00 p.m Program Chair: Jana Sandarg Registration: Anita R. Picas Please complete the pre-registration form and mail it to: Anita R. Picas, 250 Ansley Dr., Athens, GA 30605 Postmark deadline for pre-registration: August 31, 2009 PLU assistance is available for those who apply in advance of the Conference.

Please direct all PLU inquiries BEFORE the conference to: [email protected] ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪ Name:________________________________________________________________________________ AATSP Members: enter your 6-digit member identification number here:_______________ School name: ____________________________Language:_______________Level:______________ Address: Mark X to indicate (school address_____) or (home address_____) ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ Street city state/zip code Telephone number: ____________________ E-mail :______________________________________

(Confirmations and related communications will be via e-mail) Please enclose check or money order (made out to GA-AATSP—no cash, please)

Pre-registration includes Lunch and breaks

General registration fees:

Pre-registration--$30.00_____ Onsite registration--$40.00____

Rates for *current* AATSP Members:

[*current=2009 dues received by national AATSP before June 1, 2009]

Member Pre-registration fee $15.00____ Member Onsite registration-$25.00____

Rates for full-time** students:

[**Must provide letter from the registrar indicating full-time student status]

Student pre-registration--$10.00 ____ Student Onsite registration--$20.00 ____

Additional lunch tickets for non-participant drivers should be purchased in advance. Non-participating companion/driver lunch ticket $15.00_____

Driving directions can be found on the Westminster Schools website: http://www.westminster.net/about_us/ourcampus_maps.asp

Additional information and updates will be posted on the AATSP GA website: www.aatsp-ga.org


Foreign Language Association for International Rapport (FLAIR)

The foreign language academic alliance in the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) was founded on January 16, 1985 by Michele Edelsberg (Davidson Fine Arts School) and Terry Meredith (Aquinas High School). We named our alliance the Foreign Language Association for Interna-tional Rapport (FLAIR) and we serve several counties in Georgia and a few in South Carolina. In-formation on FLAIR is on our webpage, www.aug.edu/flair. The first conference we sponsored was in 1987 at Paine College. We have held a conference every year since then and for the past few years, the conferences have been free to teachers. In the fall of 2008, our conference was "Podcasting in the Foreign Language Classroom," presented by Dr. Lara Lomicka Anderson and Dr. Lara Ducate, both from the University of South Carolina. On January 22, we held a program on China, "Chinese Culture and Chinese Foreign Language Teaching Methods," hosted by Terry Meredith at Aquinas High School. Teachers enjoyed Chinese food, music, and a presentation by Lei Liang, a teacher from China who is teaching Chinese at the Academy of Richmond County and A.R. Johnson. Decorations were provided by Leslie Dawson, of Augusta Christian School and we enjoyed food from Ming Wah Restaurant. Lei even taught us some Chinese! We enjoyed her presentation so much that we invited her to bring her Chi-nese students to perform at the FLAIR honor society induction. They performed "Taiji Fans" - a type of kung fu performed with huge red fans - and they sang in Chinese "Welcome to Beijing." Other entertainment included tango dancing by students from Davidson Fine Arts School and a song and accompaniment on the piano by two students from Augusta Christian School. FLAIR established an honor society for high school students and held the first ceremony in 1987. On March 10, 2009, we inducted more than three hundred students from nineteen schools. In addi-tion, we award a third-year medal, a fourth-year pin and a fifth-year medal to students who main-tain their A average. Students can wear their medals and pin at graduation; they also receive a FLAIR honor society seal for their diploma. Door prizes for each school were boxes of Girl Scout cookies. Greenbrier High School students and their teacher, Christy Presgrove, served refresh-

ments at the reception. This year we held a Culinary Arts class on March 22 at Cross Creek High School -- just for FLAIR honor society members. Teachers Craig Oglesby, Edwin Perez and Leslie Dawson taught students how to prepare several international dishes and all enjoyed the banquet. In 1990, we began giving awards at the FLAIR honor society induction for the Teacher of the Year and the Student of the Year. We now recognize the outstanding foreign language student from each school with a certificate and prize, usually CDs of music in the foreign language and books in the language. (Continued on next page)

Suzanne Schuman


These students were recognized this year: Brandi Clagg, A. R. Johnson Magnet School Sara Cavallo, Academy of Richmond County Joseph Welsh, Aquinas High School Suzanne Schuman, Augusta Christian Schools Deema Elchoufi, Augusta Preparatory Day School Khiry West, Butler High School Sarah Hernandez, Cross Creek High School Jessica Wallis, Cross Creek High School Sora Parks, Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School Cody Ashe, Edmund Burke Academy Megan Jessee, Evans Christian Academy Parveen Dhillon, Greenbrier High School Trinity Bass, Harlem High School Justin E. Durden, Hephzibah High School Mihir Patel, Lakeside High School Dominique Holmes, T. W. Josey High School Nicholas O. Gober, Washington County High School Ellen Peacock, Westside High School One student from this group is chosen as the FLAIR Outstanding Student of the Year. The 2009 FLAIR Student of the Year is Suzanne Schuman, a French and Latin student from Augusta Chris-tian Schools. The 2009 FLAIR Teacher of the Year is Dr. Mallory Millender, a French professor from Paine College. Both received a plaque and a cash award. Their photos are on the FLAIR web page. In 2007 FLAIR began awarding outstanding foreign language students in the middle schools with a Certificate of Merit. The students receive them at a ceremony at their school. Our newsletter has been in circulation since 1985. FLAIR awards study abroad grants to teachers and students, as well as teacher scholarships for conference presentations or special projects. Submitted by, Jana Sandarg FLAIR Steering Committee Member FLAIR Newsletter Editor

Dr. Mallory Millender

Lei Liang and our China program


JNCL—NCLIS Executive Summary 2009

I recently had the pleasure of representing FLAG at this year’s JNCL-NCLIS annual conference. This organization lobbies for foreign language and international studies at the federal level. At this year’s conference, we received updates on legislation pending before Congress concerning foreign languages and international studies. Below is a synopsis of each piece of legislation:

111TH CONGRESS Legislative Summary Concerning Foreign Language and International Education 2009-2010 Compiled by Ashley L. Lenker, Program Manager, JNCL-NCLIS Source: The Library of Congress: THOMAS

Should you wish to voice your support or opposition to any of these bills, please contact your congressman, Senator Chambliss, or Senator Isakson. Contact information can be found at www.congress.gov and www.senate.gov. As always, it was an honor for me to represent FLAG at this conference to express our support for increased federal funding of foreign language programs. Greg Barfield FLAG Past- President

Title & Sponsor Purpose H.CON.RES.3 English Plus Resolution Rep. Jose E. Serrano (D-NY) 1/6/2009

Declares that the U.S. Government should pursue English-plus policies that: (1) encourage all residents of this country to become fully proficient in English by ex-panding educational opportunities and access to information technologies; (2) con-serve and develop the nation's linguistic resources by encouraging all residents of this country to learn or maintain skills in languages other than English; (3) assist Native Americans, Native Alaskans, Native Hawaiians, and other peoples indige-nous to the United States in their efforts to prevent the extinction of their languages and cultures; (4) continue to provide services in languages other than English as needed to facilitate access to essential functions of government, promote public health and safety, ensure due process, promote equal educational opportunity, and protect fundamental rights; and (5) recognize the importance of multilingualism to vital American interests and individual rights, and oppose English-only measures and other restrictionist language measures. (Status: Referred to House Committee on Education and Labor)

H.R.597 Access to Complete Education Act Rep. Lynn C. Woosley (D-CA) 1/15/2009

This bill would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to promote and strengthen as an integral part of the curriculum one or more of the subjects of music and arts, foreign languages, civics and government, eco-nomics, history, geography, and physical education and health. Gives priority to LEAs that have the greatest numbers or percentages of children from families below the poverty line. Requires grantees to coordinate, to the extent practicable, their programs to promote or strengthen education in such subjects with opportunities provided by public or private cultural entities, including museums, education associations, libraries, and theaters. (Status: Referred to the House Com-mittee on Education and Labor. Co-sponsors: 2)

H.R.997 English Language Unity Act of 2009 Rep. Steve King (R-IA) 2/11/2009

To declare English as the official language of the United States. (Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor. (Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor. Co-sponsors:112)


Title & Sponsor Purpose

S.473 Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) 2/25/2009

To establish the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation under the au-thorities of the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961. This act would authorize $80 million in grants for the Foundation to administer to U.S. students and nongovernmental institutions that provide and promote study abroad opportunities in consortium with institutions of higher education. These grants would be awarded increasingly to students studying in nontraditional locations. The legislation implements the recommendations from the Abraham Lincoln Commission's report Global Competence and National Needs: One Million Americans Studying Abroad. *This bill has been reintroduced from the 110th Congress (S.991 & H.R.1469) (Status: Referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Co-sponsors: 29)

H.R.1224 Families Learning and Under-standing English Together Act of 2009 Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) 2/26/2009

To authorize the Secretary of Education to make grants to family literacy ser-vice providers for the improvement of English skills in limited English profi-cient individuals. It would require grantees to meet specified outcomes. (Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor Co-sponsors: 4)

H.R.1229 National Language Act of 2009 Rep. Peter King (R-NY) 2/26/2009

To declare English as the official language of the U.S. government. (Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor and the Committee on the Judiciary Cosponsors: 23)

H.R.1621 Pledge Language is English Decla-ration and Government Endorse-ment Act of 2009 Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) 3/19/2009

Prohibits state or local educational agencies from requiring or permitting the Pledge of Allegiance or national anthem to be recited or sung in any language other than English in any elementary or secondary school under their jurisdic-tion. Withholds federal funds from state or local educational agencies that vio-late such prohibition, unless the funds are specifically appropriated to such agencies after they have been found to be violating the prohibition. Establishes a private right of action for persons injured by violations of such prohibition. (Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor Co-sponsors: 10)

JNCL—NCLIS Executive Summary 2009


JNCL—NCLIS Breaking News 2009

On Thursday, May 7, at the JNCL-NCLIS annual Legislative Day held in the Library of Congress, Senator Daniel K. Akaka spoke to the assembled language leaders regarding the importance of co-ordinated national language policies within the federal government to address our country’s secu-rity, economic and educational language and international knowledge needs. Please refer to the “Files Folder” for the “Senator Akaka’s Speech” attachment. A number of you have indicated that you intend to reprint it in your newsletters/journals. When you do, please send a copy to the Sena-tor’s office at United States Senate. 141 Hart Senate Office Building. Washington, D.C. 20510. That afternoon, Senator Akaka introduced S.1010, “The National Language Coordination Act of 2009.” The bill is also attached in the “Files Folder.” This recent version of the Coordinating Council/ National Language Advisor effort is co-sponsored by Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS), Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT), and Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL). It is anticipated that there will be additional co-sponsors. Previous revisions of the Coordination bill have passed the Senate twice and the concept actually received one million dollars in defense opportunities which was used to convene and coordinate three highly successful state “language road map” conferences. The current bill makes changes that will streamline agency participation, seek increased advisory input for academic and other language experts, and stress the coordination and understanding of programs over direction and specific involvement in programs. Also for your information, NAFSA informs us that on May 14, 2009 the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act was introduced by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman (D-Calif.) as part of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act (H.R. 2410). While the authorization bill’s primary purpose is to authorize funding for the operations of the U.S. De-partment of State, it also includes innovative programs like the Simon legislation that are critical to accomplishing U.S. foreign policy and public diplomacy goals. The version of the Simon bill in-cluded in the State Department Authorization bill is identical to the Senate bill introduced earlier this year by Senators Durbin (D-Ill.) and Wicker (R-Miss.). The House Foreign Affairs Commit-tee is scheduled to take up the bill on May 20th, 2009. This information, as well as other legislation and the President’s budget report can be found at our website: www.languagepolicy.org


This continues the history of FLAG begun in earlier issues. If anyone has details to add, or correc-tions to make, please let me know. You will notice that some years very little information is avail-able, and I would appreciate anything you might be able to add. Thank you. Jane Hursey, FLAG Archivist 1988 - A new award was given for the first time in 1988: The Genelle Morain Award, for the in-dividual submitting the best piece for publication in the Beacon. Criteria were originality and ef-fectiveness, and the piece must be timely and well-written. No 1988 publications are on file, so we don’t know who won this award in 1988. If any readers still have publications from this year, please help us fill in this information. The following year, FLAG moved the annual meeting from fall to winter, so there was no meeting in 1989. The meeting was held February 9 – 11, 1990, in Savannah. A pre-conference workshop by Greg Duncan was so successful that the FLAG board decided to offer more in the future. Lowell Bouma of Georgia Southern College was elected President, and he also received the Gen-elle Morain Award. Lillie B. Hamilton received a special award for her 25 years of service to the teaching profession. FLAG also gave an award to Thomas Daughtry, who designed the new cover for the Beacon. Ralph Gavett, teacher of both Latin and German, was FLAG teacher of the year; and Dr. Nancy Shumaker, Spanish professor at Georgia Southern College, was FLAG Professor of the Year. The spoken language contest was held at Shiloh High School in Gwinnett County. The FLAG meeting was held November 2-3, 1990, at the Macon Hilton. The theme was “FLAG: New Decade, New Directions, New Dimensions.” John DeMado conducted a general session. Lynne McClendon of Fulton County Schools was elected FLAG President. Nancy Rice, Latin teacher at Milton High School in Fulton County, was FLAG Teacher of the Year, and Jana San-darg, Spanish professor at Augusta College, was named Professor of the Year. The FLAG board designated new categories of awards to recognize those who promote foreign languages in Geor-gia. Maureen DeLoach, principal of Rockbridge Elementary School in Gwinnett County, was rec-ognized for her establishment of an elementary Spanish program at her school. Georgia Senator Sallie Newbill, a former teacher, was awarded the 1990 FLAG Certificate of Merit in recognition for her legislation allowing middle school students the opportunity to take foreign language during the academic block. Dr. Robert Freeman, Superintendent of Dekalb County Schools, received a FLAG Merit Award for his support of foreign language programs, including a pilot program in six elementary schools. For the first time in five years, FLAG dues were increased, to $15.00. In 1991, the annual meeting was again moved to February, so no meeting took place in 1991. The Georgia Legislature voted to fund pilot programs in foreign languages. FLAG met February 7-9, 1992, at the Savannah Hyatt. The theme was “Culture: More than Lip Service.” Genelle Morain spoke at the banquet Friday night at 7 P.M. The Saturday luncheon was a business meeting. Peter White, President of the Southern Center for International Studies, was keynote speaker at a 9 A.M. session on Saturday. The award for Fostering Partnerships with For-eign Languages was given to Summit National Bank of Atlanta; Administrative Support for For-eign Languages award went to George “Chip” Haines, Assistant Principal of Crabapple Middle School in Roswell, and to Dr. Mary Mortegomery, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction for Lamar County Schools. Awards for Leadership in Foreign Language Education were given to four individuals: Dr. Genelle Morain of the University of Georgia, Dr. Janice

(Continued on next page)

FLAG Archivist Report March, 2009


Martin Benario of Georgia State University, Dr. Clara Krug of Georgia Southern University, and Gisela Griffin of Dekalb County Schools. Certificates of Merit for service to and support of the foreign language teaching profession were given to Lt.Gov. Pierre Howard, State Senator John Foster, State Superintendent Werner Rogers, and Francoise Cloutier, Public Affairs Attache for the Quebec Government in Atlanta. Ted Kalivoda of the University of Georgia received the Genelle Morain award, and Dr. Jerry Weatherford received an award for his years of dedicated service as editor of the Beacon. The spoken language contest was held at two sites for the first time on March 7, 1992. One was Redan High School in Dekalb County, and the second at ABAC, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, in Tifton. FLAG held a joint conference with SCOLT at the Atlanta Hyatt Regency Hotel February 11-13, 1993. The theme was “Foreign Languages: Internationalizing the Future.” Donna Myers was in-stalled as FLAG President. John DeMado was keynote speaker. Mr. Elliott Bouis, a non-Foreign Language person, and father of Liz Bouis, was the first recipient of FLAG’s Certificate of Excel-lence for storing all Foreign Language teachers and programs on a computer. The second Certifi-cate of Merit went to Mrs. Mary Ellen Beaton for her behind-the-scenes work for FLAG and other language organizations for many years. Dr. Betty Y. Brown, Superintendent of Emanuel County Schools, received the award for Administration Support for Foreign Languages. Two 1993 awards for Fostering Partnerships with a Foreign Language were given to The Mill Creek Foundation, and to Martha Hughes. Deborah Riedmiller of Central Gwinnett High School received the FLAG Award for Promoting Student Achievement in Foreign Languages. Carmen Reyes of Jonesboro High School was the recipient of the FLAG Award for Excellence in Foreign Language Teaching; and Horst Bussiek, German Foreign Language Consultant for the State Department of Georgia, received the FLAG Leadership in Foreign language Education Award. The position of Executive Secretary was created to compile information for Fall Features as well as printing and mailing; to coordinate all mailings of the Executive Board; and to increase mem-bership through special mailings and contacts and preparing and updating membership brochures. This person would receive an honorarium of $2,000.00 per year, and the Beacon contained an ap-plication form for this new position. The 1993 FLAG spoken language contest was held at Pope High School in Cobb County and at ABAC in Tifton. The Latin contest was held only at Pope H.S. Respectfully submitted, Jane Hursey


Colleagues throughout our foreign language associations were saddened at the passing of Raúl Fernández, in Carroll County, GA, on December 29, 2008. A native of Havana, Cuba, Raúl emigrated to the United States with his family in 1958. After graduating from Millsaps College in Jackson, MS, he earned his Master's degree from Emory University and subsequently completed an extensive amount of course work in advanced foreign language programs at Shorter College, West Georgia College, UGA and Georgia State University. During a teaching career that spanned five decades, Raúl taught Spanish and French in various metro Atlanta institutions, including Darlington School, Forest Park HS, Clayton State College, Central Gwinnett HS, and Shiloh HS. After retiring from public education in 1999, Raul re-entered teaching service at the Georgian School, Oak Mountain Academy and finally at West Georgia University. While serving as foreign language department chair at Shiloh High School, Raúl developed and supervised a County-wide foreign language festival and served on local and state committees for curriculum development, middle school exploratory programs, textbook adoption, teacher certification testing and Governor's Honors Pro-gram. The impact of his leadership has benefited successors at Shiloh HS in many positive ways. Gwinnett County FL Supervisor David Jahner recalls the extraordinary experience of serving with Raúl at department chair meetings in Gwinnett County, where "his passion of Spanish and for language teaching in general will always stand out in memory." From the time he joined AATSP in 1976, until well after he attained the status of active Emeritus member, Raúl Fernández promoted the full range of Association programs with unparalleled enthusiasm and dedication. He served as AATSP GA Chapter President from 1982-84, and again in the 2000-02 term. He was one of the founders and a long-time volunteer staff member of the Spanish Language Immersion Camp, which was established in 1982. Raúl's skilled commitment to foreign language education achieved recognition as he was named AATSP GA High School Spanish Teacher of the Year (1993), and as Univer-sity Spanish Professor of the Year (2004). He was named Chair of the National AATSP Scholarship Com-mittee for Conference Attendees, and he was honored as National AATSP Teacher of the Year in 1994. In 1980, Raúl Fernández was chosen as FLAG Teacher of the Year. He served as FLAG Secretary from 1983-85, and was a frequent session presenter at association conferences sponsored by FLAG, SCOLT and ACTFL. In 2001, he was selected as recipient of the FLAG Leadership Award. During his most active professional years, Raúl traveled frequently to local, regional and interna-tional foreign language events. He always could be counted on to add a lively presence at association meet-ings, to chaperone students on cultural exchange programs or state contests, to direct a play or to join in festivities at the Cuban Club in Atlanta. In recent years, Raúl experienced health problems that severely reduced his travel schedule but never diminished his faithful commitment to the activities of Georgia's for-eign language affiliates. Graciously assuming roles of quiet efficiency behind the scenes, he continued to serve as chair of various committees and spent many volunteer hours judging in competitions. Raúl main-tained an exemplary cheerful and optimistic outlook in the face of physical limitations. From the many pages of his volume of experience, he was always ready to offer sage advice and encouragement to veteran colleagues as well as newcomers to the profession. Foreign language education in Georgia has been greatly enriched by the work of Raúl Fernández. In poignant words of tribute at the FLAG luncheon during the SCOLT/FLAG/ SEALLT Conference in March, David Jahner described Raúl's contributions as a legacy that will live on through our colleagues in many ways. That reflection provides comfort as we reflect on the good will, the wit and the unique spirit that marked Raúl Fernández as a truly dedicated and inspiring educator.

IN MEMORIUM IN MEMORIUM Raúl FernándezRaúl Fernández

December 29, 2008December 29, 2008


IN MEMORIUMIN MEMORIUM Evelyn BradyEvelyn Brady

March 26, 2007March 26, 2007

Dr. Evelyn Brady was a long-time employee of the DeKalb County School System, serving for thirty-two years as a Spanish teacher at Lakeside High School. The last seven years of her service were as World Languages Coordinator for the DeKalb County School System. Evelyn was deeply involved in multiple co-curricular ac-tivities at Lakeside. She was also active in professional organizations that included FLAG and SCOLT. Evelyn was also immersed in local, national, and international initiatives. She was a long-standing patron of the Atlanta Symphony and the Atlanta Zoo. She sponsored a girl from one of the underdeveloped African countries for many years. She also sponsored a whale as part of the whale protection project in the United States. Evelyn fought a courageous battle against cancer, and each time that she was in re-mission she kept a positive attitude and a giving spirit. Upon her death October 10, 2008, her body was donated to science at Emory University. This was her final wish. Evelyn’s mother, Mrs. Geraldine Head, and her two brothers, Michael and Ge-rald, live in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her father was Lieutenant Glenn Head, a member of the Tuskegee Airmen.


Pen pal/Key pal Partnerships: Creating Connections1

Sarah Jourdain, Stony Brook University [email protected]

Why develop a pen pal/key pal partnership? Helping our students create a personal link to another student their age, to a speaker of an-other language or a person from another culture is one of the most valuable roles we can play as language educators. This personal relationship has a direct impact on student attitudes and be-liefs about other cultures and languages. As one illustration of this point, take the following quote from a student who participated in a se-mester-long key pal exchange through the CULTURA project (Furstenberg, et. al., 2001):

The same word [may] have two differ-ent meanings that can lead to confu-sion; We should not judge one’s behav-ior quickly, we should take other’s cul-tural background into account; Before visiting a foreign country we should learn a bit about its culture. It is as im-portant as learning the language. (p. 91)

This statement suggests a heightened inter-cultural awareness brought about through the participation in a key pal exchange program. It further suggests a willingness on the part of this student to view cultural norms as dynamic, context-dependent, and intrinsic to the learning of languages. As language educators, we would do well to foster these notions in all of our students, assisting them in constructing a view of what it means to be culturally literate. The National Standards for Foreign Lan-guage Learning offer additional reasons for cre-ating the means by which our students may have direct personal contact with speakers of other languages and members of other cultures. Developing pen pal/key pal partnerships falls under the sometimes elusive “Communities” Standard by helping students to “use the lan-guage both within and beyond the school set-ting” and “show evidence of becoming life-long learners by using the language for per-sonal enjoyment and enrichment” (Standards 5.1 & 5.2 of the NSFFLL, 1996, p. 9). Further-more, reading and writing letters or e-mails in the target language promotes authentic interper-

sonal and interpretive communication skills (Standards 1.1 & 1.2) as well as cross-cultural understanding (Standards 2.1 & 2.2). There-fore, by assisting our students in connecting to speakers of other languages, we may help them both to expand their cultural literacy and to de-velop their language literacy skills (Barksdale, Watson & Park, 2007; Lehmkuhl, 2002). A successful pen pal/key pal partnership is a cul-tural and linguistic gift that we, as language educators, are ideally suited to offering each of our students. How can a successful pen pal/key pal part-nership be developed? The crucial step to building a successful pen pal/key pal partnership link for our language students is to find an interested and reliable partner teacher with whom to work. At mini-mum, you would like to build a relationship that will last for an entire school year. Ideally, you will create a professional bond that will last much longer, perhaps the duration of your career. Ultimately, developing a successful pen pal/key pal partnership link for your language students involves first establishing an exciting pen pal/key pal partnership for yourself. There are many resources available to help you create such a partnership. The sites listed in the section “Web sites for finding key pals/pen pals” below will help you to begin this journey. Some of these sites are designed to help you build pen pal partnerships—the ex-change of letters, photos, and other artifacts via the postal service. Others were created to help teachers and students develop key pal partner-ships—the exchange of e-mails and other elec-tronic documents as well as on-line chat ex-changes and video conferences. There are ad-vantages and disadvantages to each of these means of exchange, and these should be con-sidered carefully before launching your partner-ship. First you should assess the availability of technology in your school to determine whether a key pal partnership is feasible or whether a pen pal partnership would be more appropriate


for your students. We cannot assume that all students have ready access to computers at home. Consequently, for a key pal partnership to be successful, students must have reliable access to computers within the school setting, preferably access to a computer lab as part of their regularly scheduled foreign language class time. Even if you do not wish to devote many class periods to key pal activities, it is neverthe-less preferable to be able to devote the time you do have to completing these activities in a whole-class setting, receiving and proof-reading all of your students e-mails at once for example, as opposed to conducting the project in a piecemeal fashion. If your students do not have reliable access to computers at school, then a pen pal partnership would be the better alternative. In addition, although key pal part-nerships allow for a quicker exchange of mes-sages between students, you may also decide you would prefer a pen pal partnership because they afford the possibility of exchanging arti-facts (including stamps, posters, memorabilia, etc.) as well as correspondence. Of course some sort of hybrid pen pal-key pal partnership may also be possible depending on the specifics of your situation and that of your partner teacher. Next you should consider whether you would like for your students to be able to ex-change information individually or whether you would like all correspondence to pass through you. Many schools require that you act as me-diator for any exchange of student information in order to ensure that no personal information is divulged without parental consent. Before establishing a partnership, you should find out whether your school has a policy Traditional pen pal partnerships typically afford this pro-tection. You may require that all students sub-mit correspondence to you first. Then you mail the correspondence to your partner teacher who distributes the letters to his/her class. Some key pal sites, “e-pals” for example, also offer this service by allowing you to create an elec-tronic instructor mailbox to which all e-mails must be sent. You then forward these e-mails to your partner teacher who distributes them to his/her students and vice versa. Many teachers prefer this type of arrangement because it en-sures that students do not disclose personal in-formation to their partners and because it al-

lows the teacher to monitor the type of lan-guage sent and received and to award a grade if so desired. One participant on the FLTeach listserv tells of a time when she “came across some very inappropriate language as the stu-dent named his ‘favorite’ movies and books. They were totally fictional and obscene!”2 Since then she and her partner teacher have re-quired that the e-mails be sent first to the teacher. She reads, and grades, all of her stu-dent letters before sending them on, and she reads all incoming letters before distributing them. As a third step, you should consider with whom you would like for students to be con-nected. Pairing students up with peers who are native speakers of another language has obvi-ous advantages in fostering cross-cultural dia-log. Many of the web sites listed below offer resources for creating this type of partnership. Alternatives are available, however, and should be explored. Because other countries have dif-ferent academic calendars, you might find it preferable, for scheduling reasons, to link your students with adults who may be native speak-ers of the target language or may be performing missions abroad—service men and women, Peace Corps volunteers, NGO (non-governmental organization) workers, etc. These people have a unique perspective on the countries and cultures in which they are living which they may be willing to share with your students. The clearinghouse site listed below offers links to many of these types of resources. Completing these first three steps will enable you to begin your pen pal/key pal adventure by finding a partner with whom to establish a pen pal/key pal relationship for your students. Web Sites for finding pen pals/key pals fol-lowed by commentary3

Sites for finding partners worldwide: For key pals around the world. Site available in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese & Arabic. This site does not allow direct student-student e-mail exchanges unless the instructor permits it. Site reports that no fee payment is required. http://www.ePals.com


ο For pen-pal classes, via the Flat Stanley project. Though this project is geared mainly towards the elementary level, some middle school classes are represented. This site is now also available in French and Spanish. No fees involved. http://www.flatstanley.com ο For key pals and video link-ups around the world. The site allows students to find individ-ual language partners or for teachers to find partner classes interested in language ex-changes. Participants typically correspond and chat using the free service Skype. No fee pay-ment required. http://www.language-exchanges.org/ ο Kidlink is an international, not-for-profit organization based in Norway that proposes communication and projects on the Internet. There are about 90,000 children between 8 and 15 years old and educators from 197 countries involved. Participation in Kidlink is free and is coordinated by volunteer educators. http://www.kidlink.org/ ο The GLOBE project. “GLOBE is a world-wide hands-on, primary and secondary school-based education and science program.” Many international partners are available. Some training is required to participate in GLOBE. http://www.globe.gov/globe_flash.html ο The Coverdell World Wise Schools pro-gram links educators to Peace Corps volunteers around the globe. Participation is free. http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/ Sites for finding language specific interna-tional partners: French For pen pals throughout the French-speaking world. Participants may fill out individual ap-plication forms. Teachers may also request class partnerships. A free message board for teachers seeking partner classes is available on-line. http://www.franceworld.com/fw3/ German For German pen pals, coordinated through the German postal service. Site divided between +17/-17 years old. Participants fill out individ-

ual application forms so teacher monitoring may not be possible. Participation in free. http://www.letternet.de Spanish ο For key pals/pen pals in Spanish. Based in Argentina, but schools from Chile, Peru and Spain participate. This site serves to connect teachers. Participation is free. http://nuevaalejandria.com/maestros/clases/ For key pals in Spanish. This site also coordi-nates a chat room. Participants fill out individ-ual application forms so teacher monitoring may not be possible. This service is free. http://www.lingolex.com/spanish.htm Clearing House Site for many partnerships: “Friendship Through Education is a consortium of organizations committed to creating opportu-nities that facilitate interactions between youth worldwide, building an understanding between nations and a bond between humanity.” Infor-mation and links are provided to many projects and organizations including People To People International, Sister Cities International, UN CyberSchoolBus, US Fund for UNICEF, World Wise Schools (Peace Corps Correspondence), iEARN, and e-PALS. How can a successful pen pal/key pal part-nership be structured and assessed? The final step to developing a successful pen pal/key pal partnership involves establish-ing “rules of correspondence.” You need to determine the nature of your expectations for the exchange. How often would you like your students to correspond? In which language will they write? Will the exchange be an integral part of the course, worth points in the grade? Will students be free to choose their own topics or will you follow some sort of pre-determined syllabus? For the successful establishment of a pen pal/key pal relationship, all of these issues need to be discussed with your partner teacher. The most frequent complaint from teachers who have tried, unsuccessfully, to establish partnerships is that their students have not re-ceived return letters/e-mails. This disappoint-ing situation is most likely to occur if students fill out individual application forms for a single


correspondent. Chances for success are in-creased if classes are paired, if students are as-signed more than one correspondent, and if each partner teacher monitors the exchange, ensuring that all students on each end partici-pate regularly. The expected frequency of exchanges may also be a source of tension. Agreeing ahead of time with your partner teacher on a reasonable schedule of exchanges greatly helps to facilitate these partnerships. For many teachers, ex-changes once per month seem to work well: Students correspond frequently enough to get to know their partners, but the monitoring of the exchanges is not over burdensome for the teachers. My own experience with pen pal ex-change suggests that even one successful ex-change of letters can serve to promote a cul-tural awakening. In the spring of 2003 I was able to arrange for a pen pal exchange between my 5th semester college French class and a sec-ond year college English class in Bénin. My students wrote introductory letters which I mailed as a class packet to my partner teacher in Africa. Our school calendars allowed time for only one return mail from our partners, but on the day that the packet arrived, the sense of excitement in my classroom was palpable. The envelope we received was adorned with beauti-ful stamps, the letters within hand-written in flowing script on paper of a kind you cannot find in the United States. These first impres-sions made quite an impact on my students, all of whom had word-processed their introductory letters, resulting in a uniformity which must have startled our Bénin partners. It was the contents of the letters, however, that made the greatest impact. My students and I received information on the families of our correspon-dents, their home languages, their likes and dis-likes, the structure of the educational system, the geography of the country, and the politics of Bénin and neighboring countries. It was a wealth of information without parallel in any textbook which then formed the basis for sev-eral future assignments. It pleased me to no-tice that after having received this packet, my students were much more attentive to the news stories coming out of western Africa as evi-denced by the topics they nominated during discussion sessions. Although we were able to achieve only one exchange, I have no doubt

that the experience remains in the memories of all of these students and that they maintain a heightened awareness of Francophone Africa. Before the student exchange of letters, I had been in contact with my partner teacher in Bé-nin to determine the language(s) in which this exchange could best occur. One of my goals for this exchange was for my students to be able to practice their writing and reading skills in French; therefore, I requested that the entire exchange be conducted in French. My partner teacher was amenable to this, consequently both my students and his wrote their letters in French. Frequently in these sorts of exchanges, however, where each group is seeking to learn the other group’s language (commonly referred to as “tandem exchanges”), teachers agree to a trade-off of languages. The first set of letters may be written by both groups in one of the two languages while the next round of ex-changes occurs in the other language. Yet an-other option is to have the students always write in their native language. This is the posi-tion adopted by the CULTURA project as they explain: “We wanted to make sure that students were able to express their thoughts in all their complexity as fully and as naturally as possi-ble… And what students may ‘lose,’ by not writing in the target language, is largely offset by the gains they make by getting access to an extraordinarily rich, dynamic, and totally au-thentic language.” (Furstenberg, et. al., p. 97) If the primary goal of a pen pal/key pal ex-change program is to increase the world knowl-edge, the cultural literacy and the cross-cultural comprehension of your students, then the lan-guage in which the exchange occurs is less im-portant than the exchange itself. A prior agree-ment with your partner teacher will avoid any miscommunication on this point, increasing the chances for the success of the endeavor. Also key to success is determining whether participation in the exchange is an essential part of the course, where correspondence would first be read and graded by the teacher for ex-ample. If participation is mandatory for your students, but optional for your partner teacher’s students, it is likely that the exchange will be lopsided. Even if the exchange is viewed as part of regularly assigned homework by both partners, you must still determine how you can best integrate the project into your curriculum


and your grading scheme. Many teachers as-sign particular topics, consistent with the year’s curriculum, about which students write essays that are first graded by the teacher before being sent to their partners. Teachers who find this structure too constraining have instead required that students keep a personal portfolio of ex-changes including correspondence sent (drafts and final copies) and received. The portfolio can then be collected and evaluated at specific intervals during the semester or year. The evaluation tool can take the form of a rubric which assesses type and quality of questions asked and responses given, quality of revisions to drafts (vocabulary, accuracy, organization, creativity, and so forth), quantity of exchanges, or other characteristics of the written work. Another way to ensure equal weight on both sides of the exchange is to agree in advance with your partner teacher on both a schedule for exchanges and on topics to be covered or assignments to be completed. Diane Chaffee-Sorace (1999) and Thomas Robb (1996) both offer suggestions for interesting topics and ac-tivities. For example, Robb suggests one possi-ble writing exchange topic: “A mark of inde-pendence.” One can imagine students sharing their views on what it means to be “independent”: children independent from their parents, countries independent from colonial rule, or individuals free to act independently from government persecution. Chaffee-Sorace suggests activities to practice specific gram-matical concepts. To practice the future tense for example, she proposes a fortune-telling ac-tivity in which students pretend to see into the future, predicting the fortunes of popstars, ath-letes or even their pen pal/key pal partners. Colleagues who have launched successful pen pal/key pal partnerships are another prime source for creative activities. In a posting on the FLTeach listserv, one participant suggests that classes come up with questionnaires to be completed. Students then share and compare their responses resulting in cross-cultural com-parisons that are interesting and immediately relevant. Questions may range from “How much is a hamburger over there?”4 to “How would you react if you were in a supermarket and saw a mother slap her child?”5 By reach-ing a prior understanding about crucial aspects of the nature of the exchange, you and your

partner teacher sow the seeds for your students’ partnerships to flourish. Establishing direct student-to-student ex-changes (written, audio, video or some combi-nation of these) is an effective, engaging means for language teachers to encourage cross-cultural awareness and promote language liter-acy skills. By offering our students this excit-ing opportunity, we may enable them to come to an understanding similar to the one ex-pressed by the novelist Kurt Vonnegut: I didn’t learn until I was in college about all the other cultures, and I should have learned that in the first grade. A first-grader should understand that his culture isn’t a rational in-vention; that there are thousands of other cul-tures and they all work pretty well; that all cul-tures function on faith rather than truth; that there are lots of alternatives to our own soci-ety.6 As language educators, we should encourage our students to become aware of, and attuned to, cultural differences, and similarities, be-cause this is the first step on the long road to becoming linguistically and culturally educated citizens.

Endnotes

1 This is an updated version of an article which originally appeared in the NYSAFLT Journal (New York State Association of Foreign Lan-guage Teachers), “Developing Pen pal / Key pal Partnerships” vol. 57, no. 3, pp. 15-18. Per-mission to reprint is gratefully acknowledged.

2 FLTeach archives, Feb. 2004, #181213: http://listserv.buffalo.edu/archives/flteach.html 3 All sites valid as of May, 2009. Note that it is not recommended to have your students do a web search, using a search engine such as Google or Yahoo, typing in terms such as “French pen pals” or “Spanish key pals.” This type of search frequently sends students to sites that claim to give access to international pen-pals, but the sites are often heavy on advertis-ing and many of their links are for dating ser-vices.


4 FLTeach archives, Feb. 2004, #181233: http://listserv.buffalo.edu/archives/flteach.html 5 This scenario from Furstenberg, G. et. al. (2001) 6 Kurt Vonnegut, Wampeters, Foma, and Grand Falloons. New York: Dell, 1976, p. 276. As cited in former Illinois Senator Paul Simon’s The Tongue-Tied American. New York: Continuum Publishing, 1980, p. 99. _____________________________________

References available in print Barksdale, Mary Alice, Watson, Carol & Park, Eun Soo. 2007. Pen Pal Letter Exchanges: Taking first steps toward developing cultural understandings. The Reading Teacher, vol. 61, no. 1, pp. 58-68. Belz, Julie & Andreas Müller-Hartman. 2003. Teachers as Intercultural Learners: Negotiating German-American Telecollaboration along the Institutional Fault Line. The Modern Language Journal, vol. 87, no. 1, pp. 71-89. Bigler-McCarthy, Tracey. 2007. American Friends Making Zimbabwean Sah-wiras. Language Arts, vol. 85, no.1, p. 92. Chaffee- Sorace, Diane. 1999. Computer Pen Pals: Writing Activities for Students of Foreign Languages. Canadian Modern Language Re-view, v. 56 no. 2, pp. 351-54. Furstenberg, Gilberte, Sabine Levet, Kathryn English & Katherine Maillet. 2001. Giving a Virtual Voice to the Silent Language of Cul-ture: The CULTURA Project. Language Learning& Technology, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 55-102. Jourdain, Sarah. 2006. Developing Pen pal / Key pal Partnerships. New York State Asso-ciation of Foreign Language Teachers (NYSAFLT) Language Association Journal, 57(3): 15-18. Kennedy, Teresa. 1999. GLOBE Integrates Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and Technology into the Foreign Language Class-

room. Learning Languages, v4, n3 p23-25. Lehmkuhl, M. 2002. Pen-pal letters: The cross-curricular experience. The Reading Tea-cher, 55, 720-22. National Standards for Foreign Language Learning. 1996. Lawrence, KS: Allen Press. Simon, Paul. 1980. The Tongue-Tied Ameri-can: Confronting the Foreign Language Crisis. New York: Continuum Publishing. Vonnegut, Kurt. 1976. Wampeters, Foma, and Grand Falloons. New York: Dell. References available on-line (all sites valid

as of May, 2009) Cerles, Jean-François, Hélène Gresso, Lara Lomicka, Pascale Pfister, Audra Merfeld & Isa-belle Lambert “Travail collaborative en classe de langue” at http://www.ac-grenoble.fr/heroult/langues/report2001_idx.htm Henry, Laurie. “E-pals Around the World” at http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=178 Detailed lesson plan for designing and imple-menting e-pals. Targets English classes, but could be adapted for foreign language classes. Robb, Thomas. “E-Mail Keypals for Language Fluency” at http://www.kyoto-su.ac.jp/~trobb/keypals.html An earlier print version is in Foreign Language Notes (Foreign Language Educators of New Jersey), Vol 38, No 3, pp 8-10, Fall 1996.


French Correspondence Beyond The Classroom Walls By Channing Jones

There she stood, clad in a pair of black leather boots and those tight-fitting jeans you’ll often find when flipping across the pages of Vogue. Wisps of her waving mocha locks spewed over the top of her matching leather jacket; the misty rain outside began to smudge away at the eyeliner under her lids. She and her friends began unloading their suitcases off the athletic buses, while a veil of silence fell over the crowd. I stood at the back of the group. Watching and waiting for her. When our eyes finally met and a rush of excitement propelled our feet toward one another, our brief cheek-to-cheek kiss silently involuntarily spoke the language of two countries meeting in sudden embrace. Salut mon amie . Welcome friend. Amélie Andrea Testa, my French pen pal correspon-dent, had finally arrived to the U.S., accompanied by nine other students from the surrounding re-gions near Lorraine. After two years of conversing, they were finally here to live with ten Southern families at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School for twelve days. For the past three semesters, AP and Honors French students at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School in Sandy Springs have been eagerly communicating with their newly acquired pen pals via written letters and even chatting over the ever-popular internet webcams. French native and teacher at HIES, Gerard Gatoux had been preparing for the arrival of these French students to the U.S. for quite some time. Having taken copious trips to several regions including Spain, Italy, Switzerland, England, Mexico, Costa Rica, and France, Gatoux knows there has never been a dull sojourn since he began taking students with him in 1976. “Sometimes we [the students and I] just go stay in a hotel. Sometimes we stay with the families of people in different areas. I really love it when my students are able to live with a host though be-cause they get a real sense of the culture and can familiarize themselves with a new language other than their own,” added Gatoux. Likewise, ten hospitable Southern families at Holy Innocents’ greeted all the French correspondents. “What I think was so great about this experience was that both groups of teens quickly began to recognize that even though we live an ocean apart, we have way more similarities than we real-ized. And this same lesson can be applied when establishing correspondence with people in coun-tries across the world. It was really eye-opening,” says Sarah Hamill, a Junior and Honors French student at Holy Innocents’. With the hopes of quenching their thirst for American tourist sites, Gatoux’s students rode buses with their pen pals to visit the Aquarium, CNN center, World of Coca Cola, and the MLK Center. A sea of blinding flashes reflected onto the never-ending glass walls of the Aquarium, as students marveled over the 30-ft whale sharks that have become a popular attraction in the metro Atlanta area. The World of Coca Cola provided students with a taste testing session of 64 Coke products from around the world, while the MLK Center’s striking historic images left lasting impressions on many students from France. “All in all, everything was really wonderful. But my favorite place of all that we visited was defi-nitely the CNN center,” recalled French correspondent Mélanie Gasparrini. “I loved seeing the way an American news station manages its information. I was really impressed by the fact that the news is constantly playing into the day and into the night.” Tourist destinations and American fast food chains pervaded the daily schedules of the French and American students, but the learning continued to take place within the classroom during the ten-day period. Holy Innocents’ teacher, Gerard Gatoux and Madame Faye-Gallatinni, who


traveled with her students from Lycée Louis Bertrand, held sessions of open discussion with all of the students during class time. The intention was to identify and break down the stereotypes of French and American people, hopefully to create a more accurate understanding and depiction of everyday life in these countries. It is the “only step toward peace”, something Faye emphasized during one of her co-teaching days with Gatoux. Some of the more bizarre rumors left students giggling with embarrassment, while others had classmates questioning the roots of unflattering stereotypes. “We came into this expecting our pen pals to improve the quality of their language and get a feel for the culture. They were here to learn about us, when I feel as though we’re the ones who, in turn, learned so much about them. It was so much greater to have them visit us in person because there's quite a difference between talking to someone via an internet webcam versus the real deal. We got a chance to become really acquainted with each other and to abolish and false perceptions we may have had about each other. We had the opportunity to make true friendships,” says Junior at Holy Innocents’ and Honors French student, Katelyn Dramis. Ten days pass quickly, as I and Amélie Andréa Testa—my heartwarmingly shy fashionista from Homecourt France—did learn. Approaching the departure buses, I was forced to reminisce over the short-lived yet momentous experience. An eerie silence of a language barrier that once shrouded the walls within my home had now become peaceful stillness. The series of quizzical glances from miscommunications in conversation had morphed into smiles and fits of laughter and an unexpressed understanding of one another. But the slamming of a creaking bus door jolted my thoughts and I was brought back to the realization that the correspondents were bidding us fare-well. The blushing and brown-eyed young woman with whom I had shared common knowledge and sit-down Southern meals embraced me with her version of an American hug. Tears streamed down faces of both boys and girls in the program. Camera flashes erupted onto the scene. “If I only had one more day to spend here in the U.S., I would spend it with all of these wonderful people I met on this vacation. I would spend my entire day with them because they have all been so welcoming. I truly am not ready to leave here,” stated a teary-eyed student from Lycée Louis Bertrand, Cédric Corzani. Mr. Gerard Gatoux and his students hope to travel to France in March of 2010. He wishes to con-tinue his work of emphasizing the importance of gearing toward global communication—inside the hearts and minds of his students and out of the confines of classroom walls. “Just merely on a personal level, “ comments Chris Durst, Upper School Principal at Holy Inno-cents’, “allowing these kids to spend time with students from another country was such a great ex-perience for all of them. These students got to form lasting friendships with people that will con-tinue to grow after this hosting experience. It was just so fun for them all.” All of the students of Gerard Gatoux and Madame Faye look forward to future years of correspon-dence. To the students of HI and Lycée Louis Bertrand, spending time with each other was none other this: très essentiel. The editors would like to thank Gerard Gatoux, a fantastic French and Spanish Teacher at Holy Innocents' Episcopal School in Atlanta for encouraging Channing Jones to submit the article discussing the exchange between Holy Inno-cents' Episcopal School (Atlanta) and Lycée Louis Bertrand (Briey/ France). We encourage FLAG members to submit original work to FLAG.


Call for FLAG Journal Papers

As the new editors for the FLAG Journal, Susan and I are extending an invitation to the language teaching community to submit papers for publication consideration. We are going to publish an annual, refereed, on-line journal with articles about all aspects of foreign language education across all levels: innovative teaching strategies, learner variables, policy and issues, research, cur-riculum development, assessment and technology among other topics. Articles on all languages are welcome and manuscripts must be written in English to accommodate our readership. Authors are to submit original manuscripts that are not under review by any other publication to [email protected] and copy [email protected] on the email. Manuscripts will be submitted to three members of an Editorial Review Board for evaluation and comment. The editors make the final decision on publication. The first peer-reviewed publication will be available to members in the Fall 2009 (Oct/Nov) and all authors must be FLAG members at the time of publication. Please include the following information on the first page of the manuscript: Author(s) Name(s) and contact information Title of article The instructional level(s) for which the article is appropriate To whom the article is of interest Language(s) for which article is relevant 4-5 key words specific to the content

Think you can’t afford to attend the 2010 Conference in Augusta?

THINK AGAIN!

Announcing the

Stimulus Package!

FLAG is rolling back the conference registration cost $10 to help make it possible for YOU to attend!

Check the FLAG Website this summer and fall for registration details.

See you in Augusta on March 12 – 13, 2010!

Note: The FLAG Stimulus Package offer is only effective through the conference registration deadline. Late registrations and on-site registrations will be at the pre-Stimulus rate.


FLAG Awards Information

Teaching Awards

• Teaching Award Recognizes teachers who effectively strive to use various strategies, techniques, and materials to enhance the students' interest in, acquisition of, and proficiency in a second language. Two divisions will be recognized: P-12 and Post-Secondary.

• Teacher of Promise Award Recognizes teachers in their first, second, or third year of teaching who show the promise to be an outstanding teacher and leader in foreign language education. Two divisions will be recognized: P-12 and Post-Secondary.

Leadership & Support Awards

• Administrative Support of Foreign Languages Recognizes a Georgia Dean, Superintendent, Princi-pal, or other administrator who has evidenced strong and overt support for foreign languages.

• Fostering Partnerships With Foreign Languages Recognizes teachers who have sought to involve the community / business / colleges in foreign language activities, which may occur on or away from campus.

• Leadership Award Recognizes those who have taken an active role in promoting foreign language education through professional and/or academic endeavors. Two divisions will be recognized: P-12 and Post-Secondary.

On occasion and at the discretion of its board, FLAG may present additional ad hoc and/or one-time awards as warranted (e.g. for noteworthy, special accomplishments etc.). See webpage for more information <<http://www.flageorgia.org/awards.htm>>

• The Awards Committee consists of the President-Elect and the FLAG Board. In case of conflicts other members may be asked to serve.

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1. Approach a qualified candidate and ask if you can nominate her/him. Direct the potential nominee to the FLAG website (here) for information on the process and requirements. Self-nominations are accept able. FLAG Board members may nominate and be nominated.

2. Complete the general Nomination/Application form on the FLAG website. A complete application dos-sier consists of and must include all items listed on the respective awards info page. All documents to-gether comprise the nomination information for any of the awards.

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Retain a copy of anything you submit for your records.

Application dossiers become the property of FLAG.

Application materials must be submitted electronically. Only documents in electronic format will be ac-cepted; please do not mail paper.


FRENCH, GERMAN AND SPANISH SCHOLARSHIPS FOR TEACHERS IN THE SCOLT REGION

Estudio Sampere: This scholarship is available to teachers of Spanish K-16; it provides three weeks of study in Spain or Ecuador. It includes tuition, room, and board in one of several locations in Spain or in Cuenca, Ecuador. The schol-arship does not include transportation to or transfer within Spain or Ecuador. The Cemanahuac Educational Community: This scholarship, available to teachers of Spanish in levels K-12, pro-vides two weeks at Cemanahuac Educational Community in Cuernavaca, Mexico, including registration, tuition, hous-ing with a Mexican family (double room) for two weeks, all meals, a field-study trip, and a certificate of attendance. The scholarship does not include transportation to Mexico City or transfers to Cuernavaca from Mexico City airport. The Embassy of Spain: This scholarship, sponsored by the Embassy of Spain for three weeks of study in Spain, is available to secondary teachers of Spanish. It includes registration, tuition, and housing in one of several locations in Spain. The scholarship does not include transportation to Spain or transfers within the country Centro MundoLingua: This scholarship is available to secondary school teachers of Spanish who teach AP classes or indicate and can validate that they will do so in the near future. It provides tuition for a 2-week course, room, board, and materials. The course, an AP summer institute endorsed by the College Board (renewal credits offered free and graduate credits available for an additional cost), is in Sevilla. The scholarship does not include transportation to Spain or transfers to Sevilla. The Goethe Institut and AATG: This scholarship for German teachers pre-K through university includes registration and tuition at a Goethe Institut in Germany, housing, with breakfast and one meal daily on seminar days for three or four weeks, depending on the seminar chosen, and some specific field trips. The Cultural Services of the French Embassy: These scholarships, available to French teachers in levels K-12, pro-vide three weeks of study during July in France. They include registration, tuition and a certificate of attendance, and an allotment for lodging, meals, and expenses while in France, including transfer from the airport to the study site. They do not include transportation to France. The University of Quebec - Chicoutimi: This scholarship, available to French teachers in levels K-12, provides three weeks at the Ecole de langue française et de culture, including admission and tuition fees, materials, and meals, daily transportation to the University, cultural activities, and a 2-day excursion to Quebec City. There may be a small fee for lodging with a French-speaking family or in a university residence. ——————————————————————————————————————————————— REQUIREMENTS: • Reside in a SCOLT region state (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV, US Virgin Islands). • Teach two or more classes of the specific language. • Register for and attend the 2010 SCOLT Conference (Winston-Salem, NC) to accept the award in person as our guest at the Awards Luncheon. • Be able to take advantage of the schooling available in 2010. • Be a participant in professional organizations such as SCOLT, local state world language association, ACTFL, specific language associations, etc. Present a session relating to the travel study experience at the 2011 SCOLT conference (registration fee waived). More information and details available in the fall SCOLTalk or on the SCOLT webpage (www.scolt.org) or from SCOLT Scholarship Director Susan Navey-Davis: [email protected]. APPLICATION POSTMARKED BY NOVEMBER 1, 2009: Application information is available on-line and in the fall SCOLTalk. Completed applications must include three copies of each of the following:

• The completed application form available in the fall SCOLTalk and on-line http://www.scolt.org/ (click on SCOLT Scholarships)

• One-page biographical profile (education, memberships/activities including SCOLT, honors)

• One-page statement in English detailing benefits of the award to the applicant and students

• One-page statement in the target language describing teaching philosophy

• Two one-page letters of recommendation (any combination of principal, supervisor, department chair, colleagues, students/former students)


FLAG MEMBERSHIP FORM FLAG dues are due by September 1 of each year and should be sent to FLAG Treasurer, Mary Ellen Foye, P.O. Box 734, Griffin, GA 30224 ([email protected]). [ ] $15.00 - Student/Retired Membership (“student” means full0time, undergraduate student only; “retired” means retired and NOT teaching). Benefits: Subscription to The FLAG Journal, “Fall Features”, FLAG Conference at member rates, participation at the FLAG Contests. [ ] $25.00 – Regular Membership Benefits: Subscription to The FLAG Journal, “Fall Features”, FLAG Conference at member rates, participation at the FLAG Contests [ ] $40.00 Joint Spouses’ Membership Benefits: Subscription to The FLAG Journal, “Fall Features”, FLAG Conference at member rates, participation at the FLAG Contests [ ] $50.00 Patron Membership Available to individuals. Benefits: Subscription to The FLAG Journal, “Fall Features”, FLAG Conference at member rates, participation at the FLAG Contests. Name will be Listed on the FLAG web page, in The FLAG Journal, and in the conference program. [ ] $50.00 Institutional Membership Available to institutions only. Subscription to The FLAG Journal, “Fall Features”. Name will be listed on the FLAG web page, in The FLAG Journal, and in the conference Program Did a colleague urge you to join FLAG? If so, please let us know who it was (name, school, email), so that we can thank him or her for supporting our membership drive. Thank you for your support! Please print clearly. Name: _______________________________________________________________________ School: _______________________________________________________________________ County: ________________Level of Instruction: _____________________________________ School Address: ________________________________________________________________ School Phone: _________________________ School FAX: _______________________ Language taught: ______________________________________________________________ Home address: ________________________________________________________________ Home Phone: ______________________________ Home FAX: _______________________ Email address: ________________________________________________________________

Join FLAG


2009 August 15 FLAG Features submissions due September 1 Membership Year begins September 30 Conference session proposals due October 2 Board Meeting November 15 Award nominations due November 20-22 ACTFL Conference (San Diego, CA)

2010 January Conference registration due February MS/HS Spoken Language Contest registration due March 10/11 Board Meeting March 11-14 Conference (Augusta, GA) March MS/HS Spoken Language Contest March MS/HS Spoken Language Contest March FLES Spoken Language Contest registration due April 1 FLAG Journal submissions due April 15-17 SCOLT Conference (Winston-Salem, NC) April Board Meeting April FLES Spoken Language Contest August 15 FLAG Features submissions due September 1 Membership Year begins September 30 Conference session proposals due September/Oct Board Meeting November 15 Award nominations due November 19-21 ACTFL Conference (Boston, MA)

Important Dates


Été Français, the French summer program for high school students starts June 8th June / July Conversation, Grammar, Games! Alliance Française Intensive Class is a program designed for students wishing to work on grammar points, learn / review vocabulary and practice their oral skills in group of maximum 12. July Théâtre*, Musique, Jeux, Bricolage, Films, Fun! Theater, Music, Games, Arts/Crafts, Films and Fun! Alliance Française Summer Camp is an interactive and fun way to practice the language and discover the French and Francophone culture through various entertaining workshops such as cinema, music, games, craft…. Carolyn Cook, Education Director of Theatre du Reve will lead the theater workshop.

For more info : Marion Dudrey, Youth Programs Coordinator [email protected] or http:// www.afatl.com/Levels_learn.html or 404-875-1211

Summer Programs for French Teachers French teacher workshops | Wednesdays in July | 2- 4 pm Enseigner, Apprendre ! Exemples de thèmes: enseigner la phonétique, enseigner avec les clips vidéos, les jeux et activités ludiques en classe, cultures régionales et cui-sine Vous pouvez vous inscrire pour toute la série afin d'obtenir des PLUs ($170), ou bien uniquement pour un atelier si vous préférez ($38). Liste détaillée des thèmes: * 1er juillet: Prof. Catherine Masseron | enseigner avec des clips vidéo * 8 juillet: Prof. Catherine Masseron | enseigner avec la publicité * 15 juillet: Prof. Véronique Hering | enseigner la phonétique * 22 juillet: Prof. Véronique Hering |enseigner les cultures régionales et cuisines * 29 juillet: Prof. Hélène Touré, AF Executive Director | Enseigner avec les jeux et activités ludiques en classe NOTE: French teachers receive 50% off tuition on classes at AF Also get a free membership when you refer a new student during the summer session. Pour plus d'infos: Ronda Léchaire-Callahan, Dir. of Educational Programs [email protected] | 404 898 1221

Alliance Française


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