STARTALK Classroom Video Collection
Welcome to the STARTALK Classroom Video Collection. This video collection was compiled to provide real-life examples of teachers working to incorporate STARTALK-endorsed effective practices in Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Persian, Swahili, Turkish and Urdu classroom settings. In these videos, you will find teachers interacting and engaging with students and encouraging them to engage one another. You will see the teachers utilize role playing to make students the center of the learning experience; make use of songs, videos, and other authentic materials in the target language; and, through the use of culturally rich activities such as meals, fully integrate the target language and culture into the classroom.
This collection is intended for current and future world language teachers in pre-K–16 programs, including those at heritage- and community-based schools. These videos can be used alone or incorporated into more extensive teacher education materials. Whether you are teaching now, preparing to become a world language teacher, or training and mentoring teachers, we feel certain that you will find these videos beneficial to your continued development as a language educator.
Each video below can be viewed online or downloaded to your own computer or mobile device. Download a copy of the viewing guide associated with each video for detailed information about each lesson.
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Thomas A. Edison Career and Technical Education High SchoolHindi Intermediate Low Charnjit Kaur and Suvra Bhaduri use visuals to contextualize new vocabulary and use the story of Gandhi as a way to integrate content and culture. This lesson took place during the third day of this unit during the summer course at Thomas A. Edison Career and Technical Education High School. The students are 11th and 12th graders and have different oral and written proficiency levels. There are 15 students enrolled in the course. The students in this class had not rehearsed the class prior to the actual filming of the lesson.
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Kent State UniversityArabic Novice Fetna Mikati shows her students an authentic interview between two native speakers, demonstrating both culturally appropriate greetings in context and how an interview is conducted in Arabic. The high school students who appear in this video participated in the first semester Elementary Arabic I course during the summer STARTALK session held at Kent State University. This video was filmed on one of the Saturdays that had been scheduled for follow-up during the school year.
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Kent State UniversityHindi Novice Uma Krishnan integrates language, culture, and content as she uses multimedia to explore the Nehru dynasty and the concept of multigenerational families with her students. The high school students who appear in this video participated in the first semester Elementary Hindi I course during the summer STARTALK session held at Kent State University. This video was filmed during one of the Saturday follow-up sessions scheduled throughout the school year.
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National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages (NCOLCTL)Swahili Novice Zablon Mgonja illustrates how consistent use of the target language creates an immersion experience for his students. This lesson was filmed during the tenth week of a first semester course at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. There are 22 students enrolled in the course. The students in this class had not previously learned this material and had not rehearsed the class prior to the actual filming of the lesson. The instructor, Zablon Mgonja, participated in a 2009 STARTALK teacher training program sponsored by NCOLCTL and has incorporated best practices featured in the training into his teaching.
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OneWorld Now!Arabic Novice Low Abdessamad Meskini uses role play to demonstrate new vocabulary in a realistic context, and he integrates language and culture by introducing a well-known quote often found hanging in Arabic shops. This lesson was filmed with a group of students who are taking Arabic for high school credit. The OneWorld Now! students meet two days after school per week, for a total of three hours per week. Several of the students also participated in the summer STARTALK program. The instructor, Abdessamad Meskini, expects his students to remain in the target language and is able to structure activities to allow for this to occur.
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OneWorld Now!Chinese Novice Sun Burford introduces clothing and currency vocabulary and prepares her students for a shopping experience in Beijing. This lesson was filmed with a group of students who are taking Chinese I for high school credit. The OneWorld Now! students meet two days after school per week, for a total of three hours per week. For the most part, the students are heritage students who do not speak Mandarin or third generation Chinese-American students who do not speak Chinese. Several of the students also participated in the summer STARTALK program. The instructor Sun Burford has participated in a STARTALK teacher-training program and has worked as a teacher leader in a STARTALK program.
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Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyChinese Novice Low Rebecca Wang uses props, body language, and song to make an authentic Chinese story and its concepts comprehensible for new learners. This lesson was filmed with a group of 6th grade students at Novice Low level. The 8 students in this class had three hours of instruction prior to filming this lesson. The instructor Rebecca Wang has participated in a STARTALK summer teacher training program and has worked as a teacher leader in a STARTALK program.
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Language Acquisition Resource Center at San Diego State UniversityPersian Intermediate Shahnaz Ahmadeian integrates language, culture, and content as she teaches her students about a famous photographer and encourages her students to share personal stories about themselves. The intermediate students in this video attend Persian classes on Thursdays after school and on Saturdays. They were part of the STARTALK summer program. Students will produce a written and oral autobiography and will have the opportunity to hear and read about the lives of others.
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San Diego State University/San Diego Turkish SchoolTurkish Novice Gul and Aydin Goksel use a Turkish puppet play and traditional instruments to introduce basic weather expressions. The elementary students in this video attend the San Diego Turkish School on Saturdays. They are heritage learners who may or may not speak Turkish at home. Most understand spoken Turkish. The lesson that is shown here is similar to one that was taught during the summer STARTALK program. Students in the summer program did have the opportunity to create an original shadow puppet show.
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University of PennsylvaniaUrdu Intermediate Low Rubab Qureshi embeds cultural perspectives, practices, and products while conducting a lesson on reunions and hospitality. This lesson took place the first day of week three during the summer course at the University of Pennsylvania Urdu STARTALK student program. The students range in age from 18–21 years old and are heritage learners at the Intermediate Low level. There are 10 students enrolled in the course. The students in this class did not rehearse this lesson prior to filming.
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STARTALK Classroom Video Collection System Requirements
You can view these videos online, or download for offline viewing or playback on many mobile devices.
Windows
- Online viewing: A web browser with Flash installed. If you don't have Flash installed you can download it for free at http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer
- Offline viewing: Windows Media Player does not support the playback of MP4. To playback MP4 videos on your computer you need to install one of the following:
- Quicktime Player: available for free at http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/
- VLC: available for free at http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.html
- Real Player: available for free at http://www.real.com/realplayer/free-media-player
Macintosh
- Online viewing: A web browser with Flash installed. If you don't have Flash installed you can download it for free at http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer
- Offline viewing: Your system came pre-installed with QuickTime Player and iTunes. Both can play back MP4 video. If you need to reinstall QuickTime, it's available for free at http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download
Mobile devices
MP4 video is compatible with the iPhone and video capable iPods, many BlackBerry devices, and various other mobile devices. Please consult your user documentation to confirm MP4 support on your specific device as well as for instructions for transferring videos to the device from your computer.
