Foreign Language Pillar

By Carmen Dial, Emily Ferguson, Rebecca Mills, and Cinda Newlon

Foreign language pillar podcast.wma

Definition

• the teaching of languages, native and foreign, in the classroom

Importance

• Activates cognitive problem centers in the brain

• Higher SAT scores in verbal and math portions• Can achieve near native pronunciation and

intonation• Enhances curiosity about other cultures

Importance

• Improves memory, multitasking, and understanding of primary language

• Staves off dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease• Never too late to reap benefits-can start as an

adult

Utilization

• Immerse the students in the culture a. introduce the students to interesting slang or phrases -split students into groups and have them use slang in conversations in a discussion board -have students create a blog using the language they are learning

Utilization

b. play popular music -have the students find music from the country and present it to the class -download several songs from iTunes and have group projects where the students research the band, where it is from, and find and interesting fact, then present it to the class -have the students research a popular band and present in a podcast as if they were interviewing the band

Utilization

c. Watch movies or soap operas -post videos on a Facebook page for the class and have students watch and comment on them -watch the videos in class and create a discussion board for the class with specific questions -split the class into groups and have each group create a movie or soap opera all in the foreign language

Utilization

d. Introduce them to popular fashions -have the students dress in traditional or popular clothing that they discovered online through research -split the class into groups of traditional and current fashion trends, have them research these fashions and present to the class with posters

Utilization

e. study menus or recipes from the country -bring in samples of food -have a class cooking day

Example podcast.mp3

ReferencesAbbott, M., Caccavale, T., & Stewart, K. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.actfl.org/advocacy/discover-languages/for-parents/cognitiveMerritt, A., , , & (2013, June 19). Why learn a foreign language? benefits of

bilingualism. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationopinion/10126883/Why-learn-a-foreign-language-Benefits-of-bilingualism.html

Retrieved from

http://www.cal.org/resources/pubs/whyhowwhen_brochure.pdf

Retrieved from

http://www.wahm.com/articles/how-to-introduce-children

ReferencesRetrieved from

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet

Retrieved from

http://voices.yahoo.com/tips-advice-introducting-second-language