STARTALK 2009 - Arabic Programs

ACTFL (student)

Launching Into Arabic at the U.S. Naval Academy

This is an intensive four-week program in beginning or intermediate Arabic. Program participants must be current midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy or rising high school 11th or 12th graders currently in Naval JROTC programs in the Annapolis area. This is a non-residential program for the high school students.

Aldeen Foundation (teacher)

STARTALK Teaching Arabic Through Communication: Guidelines for Success

This program is composed of an online program that participants complete from home and an onsite program. The online program includes 20 real-life workshops recorded and posted online. The workshops were given by Professor Mahdi Alosh, an expert and leading figure in the field of teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language (AFL), to groups of Arabic teachers. This online program prepares the participants by giving them the requisite knowledge for the onsite program. The onsite program is a 12-day program,from June 18-July 3, excluding weekends. During the first six days of the program, participants will be introduced to the main theoretical and pedagogical concepts of teaching AFL through a combination of seminars, hands-on workshops, and micro-lesson teaching presentations to get a clear understanding of the basic practices of teaching AFL according to the communicative approach. The second six days of the program are comprised of a practicum. During this phase, participants will work closely with coaching Master Teachers that they will observe, reflect on their practices, and discuss any thoughts with them. Participants will also be assigned limited time to teach real classes and will be given feedback. Participants who complete the program will be awarded a generous stipend of $1,000 and may apply for five units of credit from Loyola Marymount University.

Aldeen Foundation (student)

STARTALK Summer Course in Modern Arabic for High School Students

This course is designed to take absolute beginners and learners at other levels to a higher stage. All learners will be engaged in speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills according to their language level. Small groups, with an instructional ratio of 1:8, will give learners individualized attention. Learners will be able to learn how to use the course textbook and to continue learning individually, following the course syllabus through the rest of the year and attending monthly support meetings with the program director and teachers. During the time students spend in the program, instructors will introduce learners to the sound and writing systems of the Arabic language and provide them with the basic instructional and lexical knowledge needed to produce language. Throughout the instructional time, students will be able to understand some formal and informal speech through clips of genuine communication that reveal several aspects of culture. Learners will engage in structured functional activities during the class period and communicate with classmates and teachers in class and during Middle Eastern breakfast and social time. Participants who fulfill the course requirement will receive a generous stipend of $500 and three units of college credit from California State University, San Bernardino.

Anne Arundel County Public Schools (student)

STARTALK Arabic Summer Institute

The Anne Arundel County Public School system proposes to offer a two-week non-residential immersion Arabic STARTALK Institute for students entering grades 4 through 6 from July 6,2009-July 17, 2009. The institute’s focus will be Arabic language and culture. The content will be a blending of linguistic immersion content as well as cultural experiences. Language activities will be differentiated to best meet the needs of new students. All activities will support the Maryland State Department of Education’s Foreign Language Voluntary State Curriculum. The program will be offered at Meade Middle School at Ft. George Meade.

Arlington Public Schools (student)

Arlington Public Schools Summer Exploratory and Enrichment for Arabic and Chinese

The STARTALK Arabic and Chinese summer programs are intended for rising 9-12th grade students who have not previously studied either target language or who have limited proficiency but are interested in further developing their basic skills. The goal of the program is to motivate students to begin or continue the study of these languages. Students will learn practical vocabulary and will be introduced to basic language structures with a focus on communicating about everyday needs and experiences. In addition, students will learn about the practices, perspectives, and products of the culture. Field trips, hands-on activities, music and songs, and technology-based activities will allow for creative and culturally relevant experiences. This is a high-expectations program for students seriously interested in developing language skills and knowledge about the target cultures. Classes meet from 9:00a.m. to 1:00p.m., Monday through Friday, at the Arlington campus of Northern Virginia Community College. Public transportation is provided for this no fee program. The program is available on a space available basis to students from outside Arlington County.

Associates in Cultural Exchange (A.C.E.) (student)

STARTALK, FINISHfirst: Bridging Language, Growth, and Achievement

Associates in Cultural Exchange, through a grant from STARTALK, is offering two-week Arabic, Persian, and Urdu summer language camps at Northgate Elementary School in Seattle for students ages 10-14. Classes start on July 13 and end July 24 and meet from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. All three camps are being offered free of charge with fresh lunches included. All teachers are native speakers trained in the Natural Approach and Total Physical Response methods. Students are immersed in their new language and culture through storytelling, reading, writing, arts, crafts, plays, field trips, and multicultural events.

Beloit College - Center for Language Studies (student)

Summer Intensive Arabic or Chinese Language Study at Beloit

If you are serious about learning a language, come to one of the nation's finest summer intensive language programs, the Center for Language Studies at Beloit College. Our STARTALK scholarships offer domestic undergraduates from diverse backgrounds and talented high school students a great opportunity to study Arabic or Chinese this summer. With classes in the newest building on campus, the Center for the Sciences, our residential program features superb instructors, 26 hours per week of classroom study, and a variety of cultural activities. Past events include international dinners, demonstrations by the Qi Shu Fang Peking Opera Company, and an excursion to the Chicago Arabesque. This summer, our program will also make use of two of Beloit College’s most distinctive strengths--the Logan Museum of Anthropology and the Wright Museum of Art. A museum specialist will facilitate the use of artifacts from the museums in class. During our eight-week program (June 13 – August 7), these competitive scholarships cover the cost of tuition ($6,366), with scholarship recipients responsible for the cost of housing and meals ($1,795). All participants must be 17 years of age or older by the beginning of the program and must live on campus.

Boston University (teacher)

Academy for Arabic Teachers: STARTALK Arabic K-16 Teacher Professional Development Program at Boston University

The Academy for Arabic Teachers (AAT) is an intensive four-week Arabic K-16 teacher professional development program at Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts. The program addresses all key aspects of foreign language instruction, focusing on Arabic as a Foreign Language. A three-week solid theoretical foundation phase will be followed by a one-week practical training phase at the Arabic Summer Academy, the nationally recognized STARTALK high school Arabic student program at nearby Charlestown High School in Boston, and three top Boston-area academic Arabic language programs (Boston University, Harvard University, and Northeastern University). The program’s main goal is to graduate highly competent Arabic teachers who are equipped with current foreign language acquisition and instruction theory, pedagogical tools, and practical experience. AAT includes a cohort of renowned experts in Arabic and second language acquisition disciplines with rich teacher training experience. The program runs July 2–July 31, 2009, with two weeks of online coursework and two weeks in Boston. Participants will be awarded a $1,000 stipend. There are no tuition or registration fees; materials and textbooks will be provided. The application deadline is June 5, 2009.

Brigham Young University (teacher)

Arabic Teacher Workhop

Come join us for an engaging three and a half week apprenticeship that will give you hands-on experience in running a lively Arabic program. In addition to experiencing our intensive high school and university-level programs, you will acquire familiarity with BYU's Middle East Studies, Arabic major, and Arabic minor, which result in scores of students reaching ACTFL-certified advanced-level proficiency every year. Apprentices will gain firsthand experience with our innovative and sociolinguistically authentic approach to learning spoken and written Arabic. Participants can earn three credit hours for BYU's Arabic teaching methods course.

Brigham Young University (student)

BYU STARTALK Arabic Camp

Learning through doing, students acquire facility in using Arabic in a sociolinguistically authentic manner to accomplish real-world tasks. They will live in an "Arabic house" (student apartments) where they will be immersed in Arab culture through music, films, games, cooking lessons, and more. The entire experience is designed to whet their appetites to press on to advanced levels of proficiency. They will have the opportunity to build on this camp experience by enrolling in our innovative and award-winning distance-learning program, Arabic Without Walls. We offer high school and university credit options.

California State University, San Bernardino (student)

High School Strand in Summer Intensive Arabic With Academic Year Continuation, CSUSB

The CSUSB STARTALK project will accept 25 high school juniors and seniors into the summer 2009 Intensive Arabic program at very reduced rates (only $282 instead of the $2,000 price for university students). Needs-based scholarships will also be available to defray the program fees, tuition, and textbooks. Students will attend classes from 8:00 to 6:00, Monday through Friday, plus Saturdays from 9:00 to 1:00 from June 22 through August 6. Four days a week will be dedicated to direct language study (mornings), cultural activities (afternoons), and weekly field trips to local Arabic-speaking communities and/or Arabic-related cultural sites. The program is non-residential. The program focuses on being able to speak Arabic and explore cultures. Students will receive individualized instruction through interactions with faculty, classmates, and peer tutors (native speaking college students). Special activities include a four-day camping trip, cooking and dance lessons, and information about educational opportunities and scholarships. Students will continue to study Arabic during the 2009-10 academic year with classes every other Saturday as well as through a rich online program, a film series (with parental interaction), and conversational practice with peer tutors. By the end of the 12-month program, students will earn 20 units of college credit.

Center for Applied Linguistics (teacher)

CAL STARTALK Proficiency Assessment Training Program

This STARTALK workshop will combine online and face-to-face workshop formats to provide training in language assessment. The purpose of the workshop is to help STARTALK program directors, instructors, and/or teacher trainers learn about and plan for assessment in their STARTALK summer programs. The workshop focuses on assessment with particular attention to assessing language growth in short-term STARTALK programs for students with novice-level proficiency. This blended learning workshop combines distance learning and face-to-face interaction. The workshop will begin with a four-module online course on the basics of assessment. Consistent with the blended learning approach, the initial four modules are followed by a two-day face-to-face workshop at the Center for Applied Linguistics in Washington, DC, in July, 2009. After the face-to-face workshop, CAL will continue the online modules in order to provide assessment assistance, advice, and support during participants’ STARTALK programs. Finally, optional oral proficiency workshops, conducted online, will be available in the fall of 2009. This workshop is limited to staff from STARTALK-funded programs. We hope that at least one person from every program participates. Organizers: Meg Malone, Lynn Thompson, Vicky Nier, and Anne Donovan Application: You can request the application and DRAFT syllabus from mmalone@cal.org.

Center for Human Services (CHS) (teacher)

CHS/McDaniel Summer STARTALK Institute on Arabic and Chinese Language Instruction

CHS/McDaniel Summer StarTalk Institute on Arabic and Chinese Language Instruction, will provide an intensive 4-week flexible 90 hour program, leading to three graduate credits, from July 27, 2009 to August 21, 2009. The program will require face-to-face meetings at McDaniel College and participation on online. Interested in improving your ability to teach Arabic or Chinese? Want to learn new strategies that engage and excite students using film, role-playing, problem-solving and more? Interested in learning how to become a certified instructor or go on to earn a master’s degree? The Institute will provide an innovative to assist all participants to develop a solid foundation to pursue continued professional growth as instructors of Arabic or Chinese. Designed to assist a broad spectrum of needs – from master teachers to pre-service instructors - the curriculum will reflect a balance of current theories in second language acquisition (SLA), research and best practices in teaching Arabic and Chinese. Using a team approach, participants will explore proven strategies, the use of appropriate technologies, assessment and culturally appropriate communication strategies to reach diverse learners. Our team based instruction will actively involve participants through presentations, facilitated discussion, peer instruction, group work, role-playing, problem-solving and reflection.

Charlestown High School (student)

Arabic Summer Academy

The Arabic Summer Academy is a five week intensive (Monday-Saturday) Arabic course for 60 high school students from Boston Public Schools and other schools in the Boston area. Here are five great reasons why you should apply: 1. Learning Arabic is special! Charlestown High School is the only public school in Massachusetts that offers Arabic. 2. Arabic will help you get into college! College admissions officers are always looking for students who are different and stand out. You'll stand out! 3. You'll get high school credit! It's a great way to get a graduation requirement out of the way. 4. We'll pay you! Every student who graduates from our summer program will earn a $500 college scholarship. That'll buy a lot of books when you get to college! 5. You'll set yourself up for great jobs! Arabic is a "critical need" language, which means that companies and the government will pay over $100,000 for your skills. Start your learning now!

Chicago Public Schools Office of Language and Cultural Education (student)

Chicago STARTALK Arabic Language Institute

Study Arabic this summer in courses specifically designed for Chicago Public Schools high school students by the University of Chicago and the CPS Office of Language and Cultural Education with funding from STARTALK. This program will allow students who will be taking their third year of high school courses in Arabic in 2009-2010 to consolidate their knowledge, continue the momentum of their language skills development, and prepare them for continued Arabic language studies. The University of Chicago is a world-renowned leader in language instruction and overall academic excellence. Participants in the program will be taught by university faculty, receive an official University of Chicago transcript with their grade, and have access to state-of-the-art learning facilities as well as special events that will allow students to practice their language and cultural skills. This program is offered for free to selected students. All students who successfully complete the program with passing grades and attendance will receive a $1,000 stipend.

Concordia Language Villages (student)

STARTALK Arabic Student Program: Building World Citizens With a "Village" Approach to Learning and Living Arabic

Students live in an “Arabic Village,” learning Arabic through daily life in this residential camp program. Concordia Language Villages prepares young people to be culturally sensitive, lifelong language learners. The experiential, residential setting immerses the participants in the culture of the countries where Arabic is spoken through food, music, sports, dance, games, and activities. Thousands of young people from 32 countries and all 50 states attend a Concordia Language Villages sessions every year. Two- and four-week summer youth programs are designed to offer experiences for beginning to advanced learners. The four-week session is the equivalent of one high school year of language instruction. After the session, students will continue the educational and social experience in an online e-village. Since 1961, Concordia Language Villages has been a nationally recognized language and cultural immersion program, with a mission of preparing young people for responsible citizenship in our global community. Programs are offered in 15 languages: Arabic, Chinese, Danish, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish. Concordia Language Villages is a flagship program of Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota, a liberal arts college recognized for its commitment to international education.

Concordia Language Villages (teacher)

STARTALK: Best Practices in Assessment for Teachers of Arabic

Participants will begin their exploration of assessment by participating in the ACTFL OPI Assessment Workshop. The workshop will give the participants a common understanding and allow them to share experiences assessing the oral proficiency of students with varying backgrounds in the Arabic language. Following the OPI workshop, participants will share assessments they currently are using and their goals for using them. Together the group will review the assessment samples to determine the degree to which they assess the goals of the Standards for Foreign Language Learning. They will discuss professional readings on assessment and reference sample assessments as appropriate. Because the program is a residential program, the participants will have opportunities beyond the classroom to share ideas and help each other build common understandings of best practices in assessment for the Arabic language classroom. Participants will visit the Arabic Language Village to observe and participate in the language and culture immersion program. They will meet with the leadership of the village to share their observations and discuss best practices in teaching and learning the Arabic language and culture. Upon successful completion of the course, participants will be award four graduate credits.

DePaul University (student)

DePaul Arabic STARTALK Student Program

The DePaul Arabic STARTALK Student Program is an intensive immersion program for high school students interested in pursuing Arabic studies. The program is for two weeks (June 22-July 3). Classes will be held on weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., for a total of 60 contact hours. Students must be enrolled in a public or private high school at the time of applying for the program. After orientation, potential students will be selected based on an interview and placement test prior to the start of the program and placed in beginner and intermediate groups according to these test results. A total of thirty students will be admitted to the program. Participants will receive standard-based instruction delivered by trained native speakers of Arabic. In addition to student centered language instruction, participants will use technology and participate in a range of cultural activities including instruction in Arabic calligraphy by a certified calligrapher, traditional Arabic group dance (dabka), Arabic songs and poetry, and many other activities designed to introduce the students to Arab culture practices, products, and perspectives. Students will have the opportunity to interact with Arabic heritage speakers through the sessions and activities of the program.

DePaul University (teacher)

DePaul STARTALK Teacher Program

The DePaul Arabic STARTALK Teacher Program offers two courses to teachers and prospective teachers of Arabic from Chicago and its suburbs. A total of 30 teachers will be selected to participate. Arabic material and resources will be developed and posted online. After an initial orientation, participants will be asked to review a list of materials one week prior to the start of each of the programs and discuss them through a designated online social group. The first course duration is two weeks (June 22-July 3) with 5 contact hours each week. It will introduce participants to the essentials of teaching Arabic as a second language, including methods and strategies for teaching language skills, planning lessons, selecting and developing materials, and assessing. The K-16 Arabic National Standards will be incorporated in all aspects of teaching and assessment. The second course duration is two weeks (July 6-17), with the first week onsite and the second week online. It will target experienced teachers who took prior DePaul STARTALK courses or equivalent courses. Participants will learn to use technology for teaching, communication, material and resource development, assessment, and contributing to Arabic open-sources. Materials and resources developed will be posted online when appropriate.

Fauquier County Public Schools (student)

Fauquier County Language Explore

The Fauquier County Language Explore program is an introduction to the Turkish and Arabic languages and cultures. The goal of our program is to expose rising 5th- through 8th-grade students to less commonly taught languages and cultures. Students will choose one of the languages to focus their studies as the two programs will run at the same time. We hope to build a foundation for further study and inspire students to want to learn more about languages and cultures. Specifically, students who complete this program will be able to participate in simple conversations on familiar topics including, but not limited to, greetings, numbers, colors, clothing, food, and animals. Students will be able to identify alphabetic characters leading them towards the ability to read the target language. Students will become aware of the different languages and cultures around them to help them to be more productive citizens in a global community. This program will be held at Kettle Run High School in Nokesville, VA. The program runs from Monday, July 6 to Tuesday, July 21. There will be no classes on Fridays.

George Mason University (teacher)

Brain-Compatible Differentiated Instruction for Diverse Language Learners

This workshop for pre- and in-service as well as heritage teachers of Arabic and Chinese will highlight the needs of heritage language learners as well as culturally, linguistically, and cognitively diverse learners, using brain-compatible differentiated instruction as a research source. The literature on brain-compatible and learner-centered instruction and interactive activities provides a sound theoretical foundation for an integrated, multidimensional style of education across languages, learning styles and cultures. Based on current studies, this workshop will provide teachers the opportunity to create learning environments that foster the development of all learners. The workshop is also designed to meet the challenge of providing hands-on teacher training in the introduction and application of interactive approaches in brain-compatible differentiated instruction. Focus will be placed on successful practices of teachers who thoughtfully use brain-compatible theories of research to provide learners with opportunities to learn and acquire language in the manner in which they are most receptive and how that maximizes their potential to learn and become successful. The workshop will highlight how varied approaches can be applied to language learning thereby enhancing teacher expertise, student performance, and lead to the creation of new materials for teaching both Arabic and Chinese.

Howard Community College (student)

STARTALK Intensive Critical Language Learning Experience for Howard County Students

Human Assistance & Development International - CLASSRoad (teacher)

Leading the Way in Content-Based Arabic Instruction

"Leading the Way in Content-Based Arabic Instruction" is a two-part professional development course for K-16 Arabic language teachers. The first component is a competitive two-week online course that provides development of the teachers' professional and pedagogical skills through the use of video lectures, quizzes, and an online discussion board for participant interaction. Following the online session, teachers with the highest grades will be invited to join a two-week intensive onsite program at California State University, San Bernardino. The onsite workshop features in depth and hands-on application of the material discussed in the online course and includes building a thematic unit, creating lesson plans, micro-teaching lessons in the classroom, field trips and much more.

Institute of Critical Languages and Cultural Exchange, Inc. (student)

STARTALK High School Arabic Immersion Program

This is a four-week residential Arabic immersion program for high school students (grades 9-12) will be held at Louisiana State University from June 27 to July 24, 2009. Instruction will be delivered in a context of carefully designed, age-appropriate thematic cultural capsules. The course will be conducted exclusively in Arabic. Upon successful completion of all program requirements (curriculum components, teacher-made test assessment materials, and Lingua Folio assessment materials), students will earn 1 Carnegie unit (2 high school semesters) of foreign language credit. Instructional strategies are based on ACTFL's benchmarks and standards. The course will be taught exclusively in Arabic and will allow participants to attain novice to intermediate competency levels. Most importantly, participants will engage in thematic cultural units, enabling them to gain valuable insight regarding the Arab-Islamic culture and its richly diverse dimensions. The array of integrated technological components of the STARTALK/ICLCE 2009 Arabic Immersion Program will allow students to acquire and enhance computer skills to videotape, edit, blog, and create Web sites illustrating their language acquisition progress. It is important to note at this juncture that the program is currently full; 25 applicants from around the United States have been selected, and fifteen applicants are on the waiting list.

Kent State University (student)

Regents STARTALK Foreign Language Academy in Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, and Russian

The 2009 Regents STARTALK Foreign Language Academy is a 4-week immersion program offering elementary instruction in Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, and Russian to rising juniors and seniors in Ohio high schools who are new learners of these languages. The academy will serve 58 students, and preference will be given to students from high schools that do not teach the languages offered in the Academy. The theme of the 2009 program is “My Space—Our World,” and instruction is organized around problem-solving projects. A mandatory academic year follow-up program consists of monthly mini-immersion sessions supported by distance learning.

Lewis University (student)

Lewis University Summer Language Camp for High School Students

In the summer of 2009, Lewis University will offer two, two-week sessions in beginning Arabic and Chinese to 24 highly-motivated eleventh and twelfth graders from Will County high schools, Illinois. Admission to the program is competitive. For those accepted, instruction in both languages is free. Students who will successfully complete the course will receive three transferrable university credits. The main goals of the Program are to help students to acquire the ability to communicate in the target language and to familiarize them with the culture of the countries where Arabic and Chinese are spoken. Both sessions will take place from June 15th through June 27th. Classes will be conducted every day from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will be supplemented by a variety of extra-curricular cultural activities. Lunch and transportation are provided. .

Los Angeles Unified School District (student)

Passport to the Arab World

Students at Bell and Roybal High Schools will accelerate their learning of Arabic by studying the language through different themes. The rich and mystical culture of the Middle East will be explored in a high interest, low anxiety environment. Technology such as document readers, MP3 players, laptops, and the Internet will be a core feature in the classroom to motivate students and emphasize interactive learning and teaching. In an authentic environment, students will learn to communicate purposefully in the target language as listeners, speakers, readers, and writers. The Arabic culture will be a natural component of language use in all activities. This will be supported through field trips into the local Arabic community. Students will acquire basic knowledge of the history of Arabic music and its influence on Western music, learn how to make Arabic food, and develop positive attitudes toward cultural diversity. Other relevant themes will include world history, health, science, and math. Students will be encouraged to take risks as language learners as the learning environment will be positive and supportive. Students will be expected to communicate, interpret, and present in beginning/intermediate levels. They will be assessed formally and informally on how well they meet the objectives of the lessons.

Michigan State University (teacher)

STARTALK: Learning Arabic and Making Connections: The Third C

Michigan State University is looking for 16 teachers of Arabic to participate in a 3-week summer STARTALK program, Arabic Language and Making Connections. STARTALK is a federally-funded program for language educators. This is a 3-week commitment, from 8:45 to 4:00, Monday through Thursday each week, from July 20 to August 7. PARTICIPANT TEACHERS WILL BE REIMBURSED $1,000 FOR THEIR TIME If you’re interested, please send an e-mail to Dr. Wafa Hassan (hassanw@msu.edu) by June 15, 2009. Include the following information:  Your name, address, and e-mail  Your school and current teaching status  A recent copy of your CV  A letter indicating your goals and interest in attending the program Selected teachers will be contacted and will receive more documents to complete and submit by July 5.

Michigan State University (student)

STARTALK: Learning Arabic and Making Connections: The Third C

Michigan State University is looking for 40 students, grades 4–12, to participate in a 3-week summer STARTALK program, Arabic Language and Making Connections. STARTALK is a federally funded program for language educators. Students will participate in model lessons, in-class cultural experiences, and field trips. This is a 3-week commitment, taking place during afternoons (1:00–4:00) between Monday and Thursday each week, from July 20 to August 6. Transportation will not be provided. STUDENTS WILL BE REIMBURSED FOR THEIR TIME If you’re interested, please send an e-mail to Dr. Wafa Hassan (hassanw@msu.edu) by June 15, 2009. Include the following information:  Your name  Your school and current grade  Your/parents email and phone number  Complete the application form, including any previous experiences in Arabic language instruction Selected students will be contacted and will receive more documents to complete and submit by July 5.

Middlebury-Monterey Language Academy (student)

Middlebury-Monterey Language Academy - Arabic

Middlebury College offers a dynamic summer language immersion for students who have completed grades 7-12. Our 4-week program, called the Middlebury-Monterey Language Academy (MMLA), teaches students Arabic in a highly intensive, but fun, environment. Modeled on Middlebury’s renowned Language Schools for undergraduate and graduate students, MMLA offers students the opportunity to live on a college campus and make a year’s worth of progress in their language in 4 weeks. This success owes primarily to the fact that, like their counterparts at the older level, MMLA students take a Language Pledge, promising to speak only the target language 24 hours a day. Please visit MMLA's web site (www.mmla.middlebury.edu) or call (802) 296-2459 to learn more about making a language breakthrough this summer.

Montgomery County Public Schools (teacher)

Montgomery County Public Schools Chinese and Arabic Teacher Institute

This five-day summer program will provide K-12 Chinese and Arabic language teachers pedagogical content knowledge within the context of U.S. public education by integrating training on curriculum and assessment development with direct instructional implementation. Each six-hour-day will address specific topics and strategies. While the five goals of the Standards for Foreign Language Learning will be embedded throughout the program, the first two days will explicitly target their application in instruction and curriculum development. Participants will learn how to develop their students’ proficiency and maximize their use of the target language by creating student-centered tasks and assessments that incorporate the three communication modes (interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational) and culture. They also will learn how to use the comparison goal to help their students gain a better understanding of their own languages and cultures. Participants will use relevant topics to address the connections and communities goals. Furthermore, participants will learn how to use backward design to create lessons that include both formative and summative integrated performance assessments. In addition, experienced master teachers will share strategies for engaging students, using equitable practices, and creating an environment that maximizes learning in the context of U.S. public education.

National Capital Language Resource Center (teacher)

Arabic K-12 Hands-On

This institute will provide teachers at the elementary and high school levels the opportunity to try out learner-centered, communicative language teaching strategies, become familiar with the National Standards for Learning Arabic, and “learn by doing” how to provide challenging, engaging instruction. This highly intensive institute has been offered successfully for three years at the NCLRC, twice with the sponsorship of STARTALK. This summer we will increase the microteaching component by engaging two groups of students, one group of elementary and middle school students and one group of high school students, to act as students in “laboratory” classes for two hours each day. The emphasis of this workshop will be to provide teachers with information that can be used to extend the scope and range of their teaching strategies combined with targeted experiences that will integrate the information with classroom practice. An email conversation for group members and the presenters will be maintained through the year by the NCLRC to extend the period of group exploration and support. Participants will receive certificates for 40 hours of professional development from the National Capital Language Resource Center which are converted by states and districts into CEUs.

National Capital Language Resource Center (teacher)

Writing & Implementing an Arabic Curriculum K-12

This intensive one-week institute is offered for the third consecutive summer, continuing the important work of helping teachers of Arabic develop standards-based curricula for their classes. The goal is to provide guidelines and frameworks for curriculum development and specifically to help teachers develop and share standards-based curricula, units and lesson plans for Arabic for their schools, programs, or districts. This summer’s particular emphasis will be placed on integrating the Language Continuum with standards-based curriculum and instruction. During the institute concepts of curriculum development will be reviewed, models of the Language Continuum for Arabic (sequencing of language learning) will be visited, existing curricular materials for Arabic and other languages K-12 will be reviewed and analyzed, and leaders will work with small groups to help develop and refine participants' own curricular materials with a focus on integrating sequential introduction of materials with the standards. Upon completion of the assignments, teachers will receive certificates indicating 40 hours earned in Curriculum Development for which most school districts award continuing education units (CEUs).

New York University (teacher)

Startalk Teacher Training Program 2009: Arabic and Persian

This intensive two-week residential program provides basic theoretical knowledge and entry-level teaching skills of current and prospective school, community, and college teachers with native or near-native command of Modern Standard Arabic or Persian. It is based on a course curriculum from NYU’s Master’s in Foreign Language Teaching. It trains participants in developing students’ Arabic or Persian proficiency across the three communicative modes (interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational) and the five C’s, as outlined in the Standards for Foreign Language Learning. Participants learn the most-up-to-date methodologies and develop, observe, and critique classroom procedures, strategies, and teaching techniques. They learn how to use community resources and how to select and use Internet materials. The program delivers 50 contact hours of classroom instruction. Every session consists of an interactive presentation of theoretical frameworks and practice. Outcomes include each participant’s portfolio and the materials and lesson plans in it. Participants receive an NYU transcript. The grant covers $700 per person out of the $920 continuing education tuition. Two scholarships are available for graduate tuition. The grant also covers accommodations in NYU residence halls, breakfast, lunch, and required textbooks.

Northern Virginia Community College (teacher)

Powering Up Your Chinese and Arabic Language Courses With Technology

NOVA STARTALK is a summer institute in its third year designed to help teachers integrate technology tools and 21st century language pedagogy in the Arabic and Chinese curricula. Arabic and Chinese teachers in each language will create a collection of activities to expand the curriculum presently in place. The networking that has resulted from this course in the past two years has enriched instruction and created a bond between teachers who have worked in teams in and out of our STARTALK setting. Major goals: •Faculty participants will apply foreign language standards and multiple intelligence theory while creating Chinese and Arabic materials. •Faculty participants will learn to use technology tools that promote student engagement in Chinese and Arabic classes (i.e. QUIA, MERLOT, wikis, blogs, video, SlideShare, asynchronous voice tools, Photo Story, Nings, netvibes, social bookmarking, etc.). •Faculty participants will create a personal toolkit of materials to be used in Arabic and Chinese courses and shared with colleagues in the target languages. •Faculty participants will integrate activities that they discover in the daily workshops in syllabi for Arabic and Chinese courses during the summer of 2009 and beyond.

Occidental College (teacher)

Putting the Arabic Standards Front and Center

*BUILDING LEADERSHIP IN THE ARABIC LANGUAGE TEACHING COMMUNITY* Leaders: Iman Hashem, Brandon Zaslow • Dates: June 13-19 • This invitational program is designed for teachers who attended our STARTALK workshop in 2007 or 2008 or completed our Arabic Language Teaching Certificate or equivalent course work. The workshop will provide teachers with opportunities to hone their skills in standards-based instruction and learn to support their colleagues in creating exemplary Arabic language lessons. Participants will enhance their capacity to create standards-based units that can be used as samples for professional development. (Scholarships are available for 15 participants.) *TECHNOLOGY AS THE CORE OF STANDARDS-BASED ARABIC INSTRUCTION* Leaders: Iman Hashem, Randa Jad-Musa • Dates: June 22-26 • Participants will learn to effectively use various technologies to enhance a standards-based approach: locating authentic materials on the web including video, music, art, graphics, text, and data; making input comprehensible using MovieMaker, iMovie, Cartoon Maker, and PowerPoint; facilitating interpersonal communication through instant messaging, video, audio and written chats, e-mails, blogs, and interactive assignments; and supporting presentational communication using the technologies listed above, as well as webpages, wikis, and podcasts. (Scholarships are available for 25 participants.) * Participants must have basic knowledge of Microsoft Word and the ability to use the Web.

OneWorld Now! TIDES Center (student)

OneWorld Now! Arabic Student Program

The 2009 OWN! Arabic Summer Language Camp will take place August 3-21, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (weekdays only), at Seattle University. The program is open to incoming 9th-12th grade students in the Seattle area, with a focus on serving minority and low-income applicants. Students from outside the area are welcome to apply and attend if they are able to arrange their own housing, transportation, and meals outside of the program. The summer camp is free for accepted students, thanks to STARTALK scholarships. The OWN! Summer Language Camp will include two levels of Modern Standard Arabic instruction (Level 1 for students with little or no knowledge of the language and Level 2 for students who have studied the language for at least one year). During the camp, students will learn and develop their writing, reading, listening, and speaking skills while also gaining exposure to the products, practices, and perspectives of the Arabic-speaking world. Classes and activities will emphasize student-centered learning. Language will be reinforced through skits, role playing activities, cultural simulations, music, presentations from guest speakers, and technology. The last day of the camp will feature student performances in a culminating showcase for classmates, family, and community members.

Seattle Public Schools (teacher)

Seattle STARTALK 3

Seattle Public Schools (SPS) STARTALK is a nonresidential teacher certification program for fluent speakers of Arabic, Chinese, and Hindi. The district has contracted with a local university to offer coursework leading to a Washington State residency teaching certificate with an endorsement in K-12 world languages. This program, an alternative route to certification, takes two summers of coursework plus one semester of full-time student teaching. To obtain the K-8 elementary endorsement, additional coursework is required. STARTALK funding covers tuition for the classes for two summers. Participants pay for texts and some materials. State conditional loans are available for the student teaching semester or for the third summer of study for the K-8 endorsement. Prospective candidates must have at least a bachelor’s degree and must have taken state-required tests: WEST B, a basic skills test of reading, English, and math; OPI, the oral proficiency interview that tests competency in Arabic, Chinese, or Hindi; and if seeking the K-8 endorsement, WEST E, the K-8 subject competency tests. For more information, contact Betty Lau at belau@seattleschools.org, or visit the SPS Web site at www.seattleschools.org/area/internationaled/resources.xml.

Teaching Chinese Resources (student)

STARTALK Good Will Program

The Pennsylvania State University (student)

Penn State STARTALK Arabic Academy

Integrated into Penn State’s well-established Summer Intensive Language Institute, the Penn State STARTALK Arabic Academy offers scholarships for underserved high school and college students to study Arabic in an intensive, innovative, 4-week summer program and to earn 4 Penn State college credits. In addition to rigorous language classes (4 hours, Monday-Friday mornings), the Arabic Academy is distinguished by: • Afternoon "Immersion" programming, designed to meet students’ learning needs and foster a sense of community through enjoyable activities and simulations of “living the language and its culture.” • An introduction to the diversity of spoken Arabic dialects via a “Journey Through the Dialects” module that uses Web broadcasts and targeted dialogues to sample the range of colloquial Arabic and its cultures. • Authentic peer-to-peer interaction with young people who come from, or have lived in, the Arabic-speaking world. Arabic-speaking Penn State students serve as Academy interns, and STARTALK students will interact via email, SKYPE, or similar technological means with students in Tunisia who are learning English. High school students need to be within commuting distance of Penn State’s University Park campus, as housing is not provided. College students (priority given to Pennsylvania residents) may make their own housing arrangements.

The University of Montana (student)

Montana Arabic Summer Institute for Students

The University of Montana (UM) proposes to host a second Montana Arabic Summer Institute (MASI) for high school students. The target students of this four-week non-residential institute will be rising junior and senior high school students from seven schools in Missoula and surrounding areas. The goal is for 30 students to develop basic knowledge and competence to enroll and excel in undergraduate Arabic courses after graduation. The objective is for the students to acquire the communication skills of a novice-mid/novice-high speaker based on ACTFL’s levels of proficiency. Each week will offer four hours of classroom instruction for four days, and outside activities on the fifth day. Classroom instruction will integrate the four language skills and cover Arabic letters and sounds, basic grammar, days of the week, vocabulary, practice writing, etc. Outside activities will comprise cultural events and field trips to gain a more authentic understanding of Arab culture. Students get five college credits upon completion. A seasoned team of veterans will return for MASI 2009. It includes Dr. Mehrdad Kia, the Principal Investigator and Program Director; Mr. Samir Bitar, Outreach Coordinator and Lead Instructor; Dr. Khaled Huthaily, Curriculum Developer and Lead Instructor; and Mr. Brian Lofink, the Program Manager.

UCLA Center for World Languages (teacher)

Heritage Language Teacher Workshop

In today’s “foreign” language classes, teachers are faced with many students who are heritage language speakers. For these students, the target language is not foreign, but rather a home language whose development was interrupted by a switch to English. A typical heritage learner has grown up hearing the language and begins classroom instruction with measurable oral and aural proficiency but with few literacy skills. This workshop is designed to help language teachers better understand the differences between L2 and HL learners, and learn how to differentiate curriculum to address the range of skill levels present in HL classes. Participants will explore ways to design their own curriculum and select materials and assessment tools. They will learn how to start where the students are and involve them as ACTIVE participants in the learning process. The workshop will include information on how to research a heritage language community and create a community-based program. A grasp of demographic data will give teachers an advantage in teaching and promoting heritage language instruction in their own departments, institutions, and districts. The goal for the workshop is to develop a cohort of language teachers who will be leaders and mentors in heritage language instruction.

University of New Mexico (student)

University of New Mexico Summer Institute in Arabic and Chinese for High School Students

By the end of this month-long Institute, to take place June 8 to July 3, 2009, 34 high school students (17 for each language) from the Albuquerque metropolitan region will have covered the curriculum of a first year semester course in Arabic or Chinese at the University of New Mexico. Through a cooperative agreement with the secondary schools in the region, these students will earn 3 UNM credit hours, as well as corresponding high school credits. The course emphasizes the three communicative areas of interpersonal, interpretive and presentational skills in both written and oral forms, as well as a cultural theme that is used to meaningfully integrate the linguistic material. Classes are taught by regular UNM faculty assisted by teaching assistants. Classes meet every day for three hours. Participants also connect with community resources to enhance the articulation between the real-world and academic forms of learning. Two cultural excursions per week are scheduled. The Institutes are open to both heritage and non-heritage students. The learning objective for the month-long program is for students to achieve a mid-Novice level in their respective languages, and to gain significant information about Chinese and Arabic speaking cultures.

Virginia Commonwealth University (student)

Virginia STARTALK Arabic Academy

The Virginia STARTALK Arabic Academy is integrated into the 2009 "Global Village" of the Virginia Governor's Foreign Language Academies (VGFLA) sponsored by the Virginia Department of Education. Sharing campus facilities and participating in several joint activities with the VGFLA, the three-week residential Arabic program for current Virginia tenth- and eleventh-grade foreign language students is housed on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond from June 28, 2008, through July 19, 2009. The academy accepts beginners as well as students with prior study of Arabic.