STARTALK 2009 - Programs in LA

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.