This workshop takes a deep dive into how to design practical, everyday teaching that meaningfully enacts the revised NYS Learning Standards for World Languages at Checkpoint A. The presenters—two classroom teachers and a unit plan exemplar author—describe their journey, processes, and strategies for bringing a standards-based unit plan to life for novice learners. They will share the sequenced and scaffolded learning tasks they designed and implemented to boost learner confidence and performance. Participants will then design practical unit-based learning tasks that they can use in their own instructional practice.
Join us for a transformative workshop focusing on fostering inclusivity in World Language (WL) classrooms. Learn dynamic strategies to engage all learners, including those with diverse needs. From interactive games to tailored instruction, music, movement techniques, and leveraging technology, discover innovative approaches that promote active participation and language acquisition for every student. This session equips WL teachers with practical tools to create welcoming and effective learning environments where all learners thrive.
The presenter will explain what the role playing game Dungeons and Dragons is and how it is played. He will discuss how this has been beneficial for his students in language acquisition and language production. He will address character creation and provide participants with character sheets in either German, French, Italian or Spanish. Tips for starting and important lessons learned will also be shared. Each guest at this presentation will receive a small gift to get them started on their own World Language DnD game!"
This session reports on one professor’s experience taking beginning and intermediate Spanish classes at the college-level. Sitting among the students provided a unique perspective to reflect on student learning, language acquisition, and language instruction. Instead of blaming students for not studying, we discuss the issues found among most freshmen and ways to help them. Delving into Second Language Acquisition theories, we examine the advantages and limitations of explicit grammar instruction. Finally, we offer concrete suggestions for language teachers at all levels to incorporate four strands (Nation, 2012) in their classroom: comprehensible input, comprehensible output, deliberate language study, and fluency development.
