A word from our President
Dear Colleagues,
Welcome back! I hope this finds all of you well and having a productive and enjoyable school year! It is evident to me that the year is moving quickly since we’ve finalized those first quarter grades and are fast approaching the Thanksgiving holiday. Where does the time go?
Certainly, FLAME Board members, MEA members and all of us are thankful that the TAX CAP did not pass. I was planning this letter and what I would say to colleagues and decided that I would wait until AFTER elections as the consequences were questionable. We can move forward this year without the fear of drastic measures due to such an initiative.
The FLAME Board and the Conference Committee are already hard at work to promote language study in Maine and organize the annual conference. Please check further in this newsletter and on the web site for important dates. It is not too early to request those professional days!
2005 has been officially declared “The Year of Languages”. Its goal is to heighten public awareness of the importance of foreign language study. ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language) is coordinating this yearlong initiative and FLAME is planning to be very involved. Several Board members are traveling to the ACTFL conference in November and will bring back information to aid in the organization of next year.
The Board is working diligently and feels that we have achieved many goals. Collaboratives are gathering more regularly throughout the state and the Board has approved some financial aid for those meetings. Check the web site for that information. The student activities committee has been revived with a new chairperson and new ideas. Stay tuned for opportunities! An advocacy video is in the works and will be available to use in the promotion of programs in Maine. Membership overwhelmingly supported the raise in dues with those funds earmarked to provide scholarships for professional development and attendance at conferences.
Please remember that FLAME is an all -volunteer organization. We are “just” teachers with the same teaching loads that prevail throughout our discipline. We all are busy yet find time to give to our profession. It is a worthwhile endeavor and we actually have FUN while we are working. Consider joining us for a meeting and see that the extra work is profitable and manageable.
On a personal note, I have said it many times, that involvement in professional organizations, travel to conferences and study to further my language and teaching skills have kept me energized in this profession. It is wonderful to keep contact with colleagues - new and old!
Contact me anytime with your questions, concerns and/or ideas. My school e-mail is laurie_littlefield@fc.sad57.k12.me.us and my home one is walkingll@gwi.net. I hope to hear from you soon and see you at the conference in March.
Laurie Littlefield
How YOU can Celebrate, Educate, Communicate!
Nearly six thousand foreign language teachers attended the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Annual Exposition and Convention in Chicago for the official kick-off of the Year of Languages 2005 (YOL 2005). “Dreams do come true”, announced ACTFL past-president Christine Brown, as she explained the history of the initiative.
YOL 2005 is the brainchild of Marty Abbott, Past-President, and Christine Brown and proves that “an idea over coffee can turn into a national campaign.” Senators Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and Thad Cochran (R-MS) worked together to introduce a Resolution to designate 2005 as the Year of Languages in the United States. ACTFL has worked with the Senators in seeking sponsors for the Resolution and to bring it to the Senate floor for a vote. In addition, ACTFL will be pursuing a similar Resolution in the House of Representatives and a Proclamation from the President of the United States to promote the Year of Languages.
The original idea for a Year of Languages came from the 2001 European Union Language Initiative to create a multilingual European community. The celebration of languages in Europe continues and they highlight one week of language promotion every year. Brown explained that it is the hope that the YOL 2005 could turn into a ten-year campaign. “We have grassroots support and state organizations that can spread the word.”
ACTFL is the major sponsor of YOL 2005 and has hired Abbott to run the campaign. There exists an Honorary Committee that include educators, college deans and presidents, business leaders, government representatives, Ambassadors, and humanitarian groups to work on the initiative throughout 2005. Many other organizations have supported the effort as well.
Brett Lovejoy, ACTFL executive Director, described the YOL 2005 as “the biggest thing ACTFL has done since standards". "This is the first year of a sustained campaign to reach the mind and hearts of people concerning Foreign Languages”, he announced at the Assembly of Delegates. In so doing this campaign will reiterate the message of the “power of learning languages”, that it is never too early nor too late to learn another language, and that everybody can learn another language. The YOL 2005 will also recognize that those who speak Heritage languages along with English could be the new multilingual citizenry. Lovejoy emphasized providing information on languages acquisition and supporting life-long learning.
This initiative is ambitious but there is little doubt of its importance. Language learning expands and enriches every learner’s life by offering cultural, social, academic and job opportunities not otherwise available. His Excellency Jean-David Levitte French Ambassador to the United States and member of the ACTFL YOL 2005 Honorary Committee explained in his speech at the Opening General Session of the ACTFL convention that “the leading cause of intolerance is ignorance.” (For the complete speech go to http://www.actfl.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1 ) Knowing another language combats such ignorance and encourages acceptance of others. U.S. Ambassador Michael C. Lemmon, Dean of the School of Language Studies at the Foreign Service Institute also spoke at the Opening General Session and further explained that if the United States wished to “inform, engage and influence” other nations “we need to make a real effort to understand them better.” On another front, His Excellency Levitte pointed out that one sixth of the jobs in the world are international in nature, highlighting the economic value of a multilingual citizenry.
But how can YOU bring YOL 2005 to Maine?
Marty Abbott made it very clear that YOL should not be an extra. “Do whatever you do but get some attention”, she explained. “Use the logo, invite an official, get it in the media!”
The easiest thing is to use the logo, which you can download from www.yearoflanguages.org . Put it on your newsletters to parents, on your e-mails, or to create a YOL 2005 bulletin board. There are also YOL 2005 products you can purchase to promote the YOL 2005.
Next time you have that international dinner, invite an “official.” Your superintendent and/or members of the school board would love to be invited to a celebratory event!
The most challenging of the three suggestions is to get media attention. This requires more work but is very worthwhile as nothing beats the reach of a newspaper article, or a TV or radio spot. ACTFL has created a participant’s kit with sample press releases, sample proclamations, a generic article on YOL 2005, a power point presentation, the calendar of YOL focus points, as well as the logo. In other words, everything to get you started and you can find it all at www.yearoflanguages.org.
Jackson Bain and Sandy Bain also gave the representatives at the Assembly of Delegates some useful tips on how to reach decision makers and raise awareness in the community. They made clear that “a grass-roots campaign works like a charm” to build momentum that can eventually build awareness in Washington. But you need a plan.
The Three Pillars of a good communication plan:
1. Public Relations
Start with a media event and create visibility by first sending a press release to a local reporter. The small newspaper, your small local radio show are your best bets for getting media attention. When you connect with your chosen reporter, be aware that they might be working on deadline and show consideration of their time. Be short and pithy. The Bains explained that it is important to give the reporter “news,” not just information, so you will need to package your event with a news spin. Be prepared to answer the following questions: “So what?” “What’s new?” and “What’s next?” You should offer print sources, photos, and be willing to be interviewed and/or photographed, if necessary. The Bains reminded us that a lot of follow-up is often necessary to ensure that the media will indeed be present and report on your event. Use the “the grin and spin” approach and be persistent with daily phone calls, if necessary.
With the larger papers start with the education reporter. Or you might follow the by-lines to note who is writing about what. Then, when you connect with your chosen reporter, you can actually refer to a recently written article, always a more personal touch.
The Golden Rule: “Always respond to media. Call back as quickly as you can.“
2. Public Service Announcement
You can take advantage of the fact that the media needs Public Service Announcements to fill print space and air-time. ACTFL has created copies which they have given to each state delegate present at the Assembly of Delegates.
3. People- Ally-building networking
The importance of networking was emphasized: your rotary club, your superintendents, ROTC programs, professional schools, your chamber of commerce, peace corps volunteers, local companies, local service departments, and senior citizens can all be valuable allies in the promotion of foreign languages.
ACTFL has created on online bulletin board with YOL 2005 events listed by state. It would be wonderful if all who take part in YOL 2005 in their school, district, and/or community to would post the event on the ACTFL website! Simply go to www.yearoflanguages.org and click on Year of languages bulletin board. You might also consider using this bulletin board as a resource and peruse it for ideas.
Ambassador Lemmon at the ACTFL YOL 2005 kick-off stated that our role as foreign language teachers was “to broaden and deepen the pool of language competency available to us and to broaden and deepen the pool of sophisticated and competent users of languages which will be needed in government and in business.” FLAME has created a YOL 2005 Committee to assist all interested teachers who wish to take part in the YOL 2005 initiative. As the year progresses, we will disseminate information and keep you up to date on any events we will be planning. His Excellency Jean-David Levitte made it very clear: “It is not the responsibility of one, but the duty of all."
I invite you all to become involved.
Catherine Hobby, Maine ACTFL Delegate 2004
Acadia: a Summer Institute
June 26, 2004 marked the 400th anniversary of the first French settlement in North America—on Saint Croix Island, located between New Brunswick and Maine on the Saint Croix River. St. Croix predates, therefore, the English settlements in Jamestown and Plymouth.
This summer I was fortunate to view St. Croix Island during an institute on Acadia led by Ray Pelletier and André Senécal. The institute was sponsored by the University of Maine, The Northeast National Resource Center on Canada, Plattsburgh State University, and The University of Vermont. It was the second in a series of institutes designed to give the participants an opportunity to strengthen their language skills as well as to learn about the history and culture of Francophone North America. (The first dealt with the Province of Quebec.)
I am “from away,” so I jumped at the chance to learn more about the North American experience of French speakers, a subject that I knew little about when I came to Maine. As an eighth grader (many long years ago!), I had read Evangeline, and I loved the romantic story, as perhaps only an adolescent girl can…
I was moved as I stood near the spot where Longfellow’s imaginary heroine had lived, and, where, more importantly, very real Acadians had lived and, in fact, had suffered very real tragedies—the loss of their farms and other property, and very often the loss of their families. No one knows exactly how many Acadians were evicted from their native land, but somewhere between 10,000 and 14,000 people seem to have been deported. And of that number, it seems likely that as many as one half of them died, many from accidents and disease due to the poor conditions that they endured during their journey and after their arrival in the English colonies.
While it is true that Evangeline was a figment of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s imagination, it is also true that one of the basic themes of the poem was real enough. Families were indeed separated, and for some thirty years after the “Grand Dérangement,” Acadians were still wandering, trying to locate members of their family and yearning to return to their homeland. Many were able to return homeward, although they were not able to take possession of their original lands, which were now in the hands of English colonists.
And so, it was the towns and cities of these modern Acadians that the summer institute participants visited. There, we learned about the life they have carved out for themselves. Ray Pelletier and Lise Pelletier brought Antonine Maillet’s “Sagouine” to life for us; then we visited La Sagouine’s dream house in Bouctouche. André Senécal from the University of Vermont and Peter Houle from The University of Maine helped us to understand the poetry of Herménégilde Chiasson, a modern Acadian writer and artist. From Mary Domareki we learned about the French presence in Castine, Maine—as early as 1604 when Champlain visited. And we met some “real” Acadians too. France Daigle, an Acadian writer, invited us to a presentation of her minimalist play “En pelletant de la neige.” None of us will ever view snow shoveling in quite the same light again!
This was an absolutely magnificent institute. The professors and their staff are incredibly knowledgeable and eager to share. One strong indicator of this: I came back with a curiosity to learn more. Right away, I read Pélagie-la-Charrette (another novel by Antonine Maillet) which Ray Pelletier describes as a sort of a reverse Evangeline; a courageous Acadian woman leads a group of fellow Acadians through adverse conditions from Georgia back to the homeland. Finally, the opportunity to bond with the institute participants, a group of amazing teachers, was an experience I’ll treasure for a long time to come. If Professors Pelletier and Senécal decide to organize another summer institute, I heartily recommend that you consider taking advantage of it—but leave room for me!
Ann Sullivan
AATF Fall Conference
Forty-one AATF members participated in a very successful fall conference at Bates College on Oct. 16. The topic “Acadie” was inspired by last summer’s institute led by Professors Ray Pelletier and André Senécal.
Priscille Michaud and Kathy Yates began the conference with a brief overview of Acadian history and geography. Peter Nutting went into more depth on this topic with his PowerPoint presentation on Acadian history. One of the high points of Peter’s presentation was his focus on the Maine-Acadia connection. For example, he pointed out that in 1670 Castine (then Pentagoët) was the capital of Acadia. He also showed photos of Saint Sauveur, the site of an Acadian colony on Mount Desert Island. He mentioned that John Winslow (who was responsible for the construction of Fort Halifax, and for whom Winslow was named) was in charge of the deportation of the Acadians. And, of course, he showed photos of Saint Croix Island, on the border between Maine and New Brunswick, where continuous French presence in the New World began in 1604. Finally, it was Maine’s own Henry Wadsworth Longfellow who publicized the tragic fate of the Acadians in his poem Evangeline.
Kathy Yates explained how she uses what she learned over the course of the summer institute in her French IV class. Ray Pelletier also contributed to this theme by suggesting the use of songs whose lyrics are clear enough for students to understand—“Évangéline” by Marie-Jo Therio and "Grand Pré" by Angèle Arsenault being two excellent examples. (You can hear the latter at http://www.walnet.org/explosure/montcarmel/grand-pre.html) And Peter Nutting treated us to some Acadian songs. If you’d like to hear the theme song of the World Acadian Congress (“Je retourne au berceau de l’Acadie”), go to this site: http://www.cma2004.com/En/themesong.cfm (site no longer available--FLAME webmaster 7/10/2005).
Lise Pelletier spoke to us of the reasons for the deportation of the Acadian people. Although much is often made of the Acadians’ refusal to sign an oath of allegiance to the British throne, citations that Lise showed us make it clear that the goal of the English was, in fact, to gain control of the entire North American continent and, more specifically in this instance, they wished to obtain for themselves the very fertile lands owned by the Acadians. Lise detailed the miserable conditions that the Acadians endured, but, as she pointed out, many Acadians did not simply passively submit to the British attacks and later mistreatment. Joseph Broussard—known as Beausoleil—is remembered as a national hero because of his resistance and leadership. Acadians were better educated than is sometimes imagined, and there are many examples of petitions they wrote to those in power, pleading with them to ease the difficult circumstances of the Acadian people. After the publication of Evangeline in 1847, people throughout the world became aware of the Acadian diaspora, and the Acadians themselves soon began to organize, planning to improve the lot of the Acadian population which by now had a high degree of illiteracy and virtually no political power. In the 1960s and 1970s this political activism finally brought about some important results. Acadian children in New Brunwick can finally go to school in French, and Acadian literature is an important force. Acadians are proud of their vital literature, and, perhaps, especially proud of Antonine Maillet who, in 1979, was awarded the Prix Goncourt, the most prestigious French literary prize. Incidentally, she was the first non-native to achieve this honor. Lise regaled us with a reading from Maillet's La Saguoine.
Professor George Criner spoke to the assembled teachers about a new program offered by the Department of Resource Economics and Policy at the University of Maine. This new international concentration is “part of a B.S. degree that combines foreign language training with coursework in applied business and economics, resource economics, as well as international, cultural and environmental subjects.” For more information about this program that may interest students of all languages, go to: http://www.umaine.edu/crossborder/studentsite.htm .
Ann Sullivan
AATG National German Exam and
Blaine House Awards Tea
Seven German teachers in Maine prepared their students for participation in the National German Exam. 31 of those students were recognized with certificates and book prizes at the Awards Tea at the Blaine House in Augusta, with Governor Baldacci present. Stephen Powell, a sophomore at Skowhegan Area High School, was one of forty-six students in the U.S. to win a study trip to Germany for his performance in the AATG National German Exam. There was a front page article about Stephen in the Morning Sentinel of May 7, 2004.
We hope that more German teachers in Maine will have their students participate in the AATG National German Exam this year. If you have questions about the procedures, please check the AATG web site http://www.aatg.org or contact Carol Ladd, Testing Chair, at (207) 685-4504 or Deutsch54@aol.com.
Maine German Student–of-the-Year
Lorin Stanley, a senior from Deering High School in Portland, received the 2004 award for “Maine Student-of-the-Year” at the Awards Ceremony in the Blaine House.
To nominate your outstanding student for the 2005 award please print out the nomination form at www.colby.edu/german/aatg_maine/news (site no longer available-FLAME webmaster 7/10/2005). A reminder will be sent out early next year via our e-mail list.
Maine Outstanding German Educator Award
Anne Lambert, Mt. View High School, Thorndike, was the recipient of the 2004 Outstanding German Educator Award for her dedicated service to students, her school and the profession. Anne and Principal Barbara Adams were both present at the Awards Tea.
Blaine Ray Comes to Kingfield!
Blaine Ray, the inventor of Total Physical Response with Storytelling (TPRS), is coming to Kingfield. TPRS is a creative and effective way of learning a foreign language. This approach applies the latest brain research specifically to language acquisition. TPRS has been sweeping the country for several years.
The MSAD #58 Foreign Language Department has been using TPRS and wanted to go to a training workshop out of state. Instead they decided to bring Blaine Ray here to Kingfield. The one-day workshop was held at The Inn on Winter’s Hill on Thursday, Oct. 14. Foreign Language teachers came from around the state, excited to have this opportunity to train in a small group setting with Mr. Ray. He demonstrated the techniques involved in this interactive teaching method and coached the participants as well.
We had a spectacular day. Twenty-seven of us practiced “Circling” the vocabulary with a partner in English, using a rotation of questioning in a variety of ways to achieve maximum repetitions for the vocabulary. Blaine Ray also showed us how to “Circle” after reading a paragraph in a book or an extended reading. We heard about classroom management, storytelling, and simplifying the story line while enriching the details for the faster learners and teaching to the speed of the “barometer” student.
Blaine and the rest of us discussed the need for ongoing training; he’s had some teachers come for more than 12 training sessions. The continual research into TPRS means updating our techniques. We are planning to do this workshop again next year. The dates, tentatively, will be Oct. 13 & 14, 2005. More information will be available.
Submitted by Alice Yates, Mt. Abram High School, SAD #58
MAINE-MADE AWARD WINNING WEBSITE!
National Semiconductor recently awarded Jeremy Willette its Internet Innovator Award for "inspiring students with technology" with his website project www.trilingualdictionary.org. Over the past three years Willette's 6th grade students at Mount Ararat Middle School have created a website of over 2,600 words in five languages (French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, and Vietnamese). "At this point every student in the building has taken part in the website. Most middle school students love technology and, since these students were involved in the creation of this site, they are motivated to use it frequently!" explains Willette.
Students chose which words they wanted for the web site, then translated and depicted them. They wrote persuasive introductory paragraphs, in their language of study, explaining the importance of their chosen words, and also providing mnemonic tips. Finally, the students designed an assessment piece (either a game or a quiz), which helped connect the link in the students' minds between instruction and assessment. Each word is also pronounced on the web site. There are also links to maps of countries where the different languages are spoken, and to sites where it is possible to connect with students from around the world. There is also a requirements checklist, a project overview, and a scoring rubric. Teachers can also find useful information, including connection to the Maine Learning Results and a time line in case they would like to create a similar web site for their schools. The students add to the dictionary each year and this year Willette hopes to add Latin and Japanese to the expanding list of languages. It is the students' hope that other schools will use this web site as a resource.
Willette first got the idea for creating this website when he worked in Winthrop. When hired, he discovered that the school had not blocked foreign languages into the schedule! Optimistic and creative, he found that he could teach half of the foreign language classes in the computer lab and half in a more "traditional" setting. Since the school community did not want the students to miss their computer skill classes Willette suggested that he teach foreign language through computer skills and vice versa. It was a complete success. Willette taught keyboarding using accent marks, used CD-Rom programs, encouraged Internet exploration, and more, all in the foreign language. When Willette moved to Mount Ararat he decided to try an online talking multilingual picture dictionary and the result is www.trilingualdictionary.org.
Willette received $10,000 prize money from National Semiconductor. Mount Ararat Middle School received $4,000 in technology training. For more information on the National Semiconductor Internet Innovator Award can be found at www.nsawards.com
Anyone wanting more information on the site and/or on Willette's future dictionary projects can contact Jeremy Willette at willettej@link75.org
By Catherine Hobby with Jeremy Willette
DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that in 2003-2004 Chinese, Japanese, Latin, Greek (ancient), Passamaquoddy, French, German, Spanish, Italian, American Sign Language, Swedish, Hebrew, Gaelic, Russian, Danish, and Arabic were all taught in Maine schools to Maine students?!
In some instances, instruction in a particular language may involve no more than 1-2 students and may be offered through a distance-learning program.
NATIONAL JUNIOR CLASSICAL LEAGUE CONVENTION 2004
Two Maine Latin teachers were honored recently at the National Junior Classical League convention at the University of Richmond, Virginia. Teachers Meg Cook of Winthrop High School and Marilee Osier of Sacopee Valley High School were joint recipients of the Ed Phinney book award. The award, named for a long-time Classics professor at the University of Massachusetts, was presented to Cook and Osier for their service to the National Junior Classical League.
Thirty-six students and six adults from Maine attended this year's convention, representing the following schools: Bonny Eagle High School (1), Hampden Academy (22), John Bapst Memorial High School (5), Sacopee Valley High School (3) and Winthrop High School (11). The students competed in a variety of academic, artistic and athletic contests for individual and state awards.
Maine received 5th place in the publicity contest and 10th place in publications. Individual school awards follow.
| John Bapst: | ||
| Genna Duplisea | 5th, Modern Myth, upper division, 9th, photography: computer | |
| Jessi Trafton | 10th, black pencil, grades 11-12 | |
| Hampden Academy: | ||
| Hannah Thieme | 8th, Local Scrapbook | |
| Jen Swalec, 1st VP | 1st, most original publicity (for Harry Potter Night), 15th, publicity | |
| Nate Brown | 2nd, 400 meter junior boys track | |
| Tim Henderson | 5th, Marathon junior boys | |
| Chris Peverada | 8th, Latin Derivatives, level 3, 3rd, 400 meter senior boys track, 3rd,chess upper division, 4th, Marathon senior boys | |
| Molly Peverada | 1st, Marathon junior girls, 2nd, 200 meter junior girls track,3rd, 100 meter junior girls track, 4th, 400 meter junior girls track, 11th, Olympika sweeps | |
| Sacopee Valley High School | ||
| Publicity | 10th place | |
| Lauren Lazarus | 8th, charts grade 10, 8th games grade 10 | |
| Winthrop High School | ||
| Beth Grimmig | 4th, mixed media grades 11-12, 4th, colored pencil grades 11-12 | |
| Steve Thompson | 5th, 100 meter senior boys track |
The Maine students were accompanied by teachers Brenda LoPotro (John Bapst), Ben Johnson (Hampden), Seth Knowles (Bonny Eagle), and Meg Cook (Winthrop).
NATIONAL BOARD
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards "is rooted in the belief that the single most important action that this country can take to improve schools and student learning is to strengthen teaching." Here are FLAME members who are newly National Board Certified Teachers in World Languages other than English:
2003- Catherine Hobby, Lunt School in Falmouth, French
2004- Pam Davis, Auburn High School, Spanish
2004- Candace Myers, Mt. Ararat High School, Spanish
2004- Jeremy Willette, Mt Ararat Middle School- Spanish
For more information on the National Board visit their website at www.nbpts.org
Rebirth of Regional Collaboratives
Recognizing a renewed and increased role for networking as school systems expand their programs in Modern and Classical Languages, FLAME leadership has set a goal to encourage regional collaboratives. To that end, the FLAME board agreed to provide financial support to leaders of collaboratives. As there has been more awareness of the role of modern and classical languages in the curriculum, collaboratives that have stayed active, have increased membership and collaboratives that had lapsed have reorganized.
Regional collaboratives have been in existence for about 25 years. Their initial objective was to provide language teachers, who often taught alone in far flung rural districts, a format for meeting colleagues and sharing strategies and experiences. As language departments in high schools have grown, language instructors at that level became busier and benefited from sharing within their own schools.
In recent years, and as the state has developed the Maine Learning Results, through which school departments have initiated language programs at the elementary and middle school levels, language instructors at these levels have found themselves in the same situation as their high school colleagues in years past. Instructors at the lower levels also faced the problem of having to create their own programs and even their own materials. The collaboratives that remained active found themselves a forum for sharing ideas, strategies, resources and materials that could be adapted to younger learners. As middle school instructors began to work with laptops issued to their schools, and then adapted their curriculum to devise learning and assessment strategies to incorporate the available technology, they became a resource of information for instructors at other levels.
As alignment of curriculum with Maine Learning Results in modern and classical languages proceeds, regional collaboratives become a forum for helping instructors in individual schools meet the requirements of the state and their own school districts. With full implementation of all the content areas, with its need for local assessment, approaches in 2010, regional collaboratives have an opportunity to play yet another important role, that of helping with scoring of assessments.
Listed below are the active regional collaboratives and contact information.
Foreign Language Association of Somerset and Kennebec Counties (FLASK) – Martha Brooks (marthatbrooks@yahoo.com)
Foreign Language Organization of Western Maine (FLOW)- Sylvie Charron (scharron@maine.maine.edu)
Penobscot Foreign Language Collaborative- Janice Clain (Janice_Clain@hermon.net)
Southern Maine Collaborative- Catherine Hobby (rhobby1@maine.rr.com)
Regional Foreign Language Enthusiasts Coming Together (REFLECT)- Marcia Lord (lordm@sad1.org)
Language educators who would like more information about collaboratives in their area, or who would be interested in starting a collaborative, should contact FLAME president Laurie Littlefield or one of the facilitators of the above listed regional groups.
by Janice Clain
RESOURCES on the WEB
Classroom management resources:
http://anacleta.homestead.com/classroommanagement.html
http://anacleta.homestead.com/disciplineandstructure.html
Puzzles: www.puzzlemaker.com/
Resources for families: http://www.globalteachinglearning.com/home/home.shtml
Resources for teachers:
http://www.madameshackelford.com/methods.html
Learning disabilities : http://www.fln.vcu.edu/ld/ld.html
FRENCH IMMERSION at USM
The French Department at USM is pleased to announce an immersion weekend april 8 and 9, 2005.
This immersion (1credit or CEU) will be led by the visiting professor from the Université de Bretagne occidentale, Jean-Marc Serme. The theme: La Bretagne. Jean-Marc Serme writes, "Take an imaginary voyage to Brittany. Learn about its customs, its traditions, its art, and its music. There will be bagpipe playing, cooking sessions, videos, and discussions on the similarities between Maine and Brittany."
For more information contact Arlene Michael at amichael@usm.maine.edu or by calling (207) 780 4290.
L’Ecole Française du Maine
40 Main Street Freeport, Maine, 04032 www.efdm.org (207) 865-3308
Immersion Saturdays for Adults
Join our faculty for 6 hours of French Conversation from 10:00AM to 4:00 PM
January 22, 2005; February 5, 2005; March 5, 2005
Call to register
University Credit, CEU available
Adult Conversational French Classes
Refresh and develop your speaking skills with us!!
Mondays, from 6:30PM to 7:30PM Beginners
Tuesdays, from 6:30PM to 7:30PM Advanced
Private Lessons are also available.
Call to register
AATG
Sprachfest
The annual German language festival is scheduled for Thursday, March 10, 2005. Colby College will be the host again. The theme and activities for 2005 will be announced via our e-mail list and on our website www.colby.edu/german/aatg_maine. The Sprachfest Coordinator is Linda Libby at (207) 666-3322 or libbyli@link75.org
Our last Sprachfest at Bates College in March of this year had a record number of participants. 150 students and their German teachers from nine Maine high schools competed in activities that tested students' language skills, creativity, and cultural knowledge of the German speaking countries. Cony HS, Augusta (Debra Orth), won first place, Maranacook HS, Readfield (Ryan Meserve), second, and Mt. Ararat, Topsham (Linda Libby), third. Other participating schools were Boothbay Regional HS (Ragnhild Baade), Carrabec HS, North Anson (Chris Gram), Deering HS, Portland (Marlies Reppenhagen), Lawrence HS, Fairfield (Amy Bongard), Mt. View HS, Thorndike (Anne Lambert), and York HS (Patti Chappell).
Annual Meeting
March 3-4, 2005 at the Holiday Inn-at-the Bay in Portland. As in previous years, the annual meeting of the AATG Maine Chapter will take place at the annual conference of the Foreign Language Association Maine (FLAME). Organizational issues, election of officers, reports and planning for the next year is on the agenda at this chapter meeting.
Maine Classical Association
Saturday, April 30, 2005 at Messalonskee High School in Oakland, ME. 8:30a.m. to 1:00 p.m. annual spring meeting and officer elections. CEU's will be available.
A mid-winter lecture and book-signing event is also being planned. More information TBA.
Groupes qui bavardent ensemble!
Are you looking for a place where you can get together with others to speak French? Well, there exist several in full swing from which to choose:
South Portland
A relaxed group meets Wednesday evenings from 5:30 to 6:30 at the South Portland Public Library. They speak on various subjects of interest to the group-- no homework, no stress. For more information contact Claire Chase at ChaseCl@spsd.org
Waterville
"Les Bavards" is a weekly gathering of Francophone and Franco-Americans at Jorgensen's on Main St. in Waterville from 9am to 10am. No formality here, you just buy a cuppa and listen for the rowdy Frenchmen and say "bonjour" and you're pulled in to join. For more info contact Sylvane at nitnop@gwi.net
Lewiston
In Lewiston, there is a French lunch on the first Friday of every month at the Franco-American Center. For more information contact the Director Rita Dube at ritapauldube@hotmail.com
Bangor
"Le Rendez-vous," meets in Bangor, at Borders, the first and third Wednesday of the month, from 5:30 to 7:00. For more information, contact Borders.
Rockland
Penobscot School in Rockland has the following conversation groups:
"Le Café Français" is on Mondays from 12:15 to 1:15 at the Pitts House, 18 Gay Street, in Rockland. The facilitator is the French Exchange Teacher. This year it is Sarah Gourdel from Toulouse. Admission is free and participants bring their own lunch. The only rule is that the conversation is entirely in French.
" La Petite Soirée Française" is on the third Friday of the month, from 5:30 to 7:30 at Penobscot School, 28 Gay Street. Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres style "pot-luck." Denis Healy is the facilitator. Free admission. For more information contact Dennis at healyd1@aol.com .
Charlas en Español
Brunswick
The first Friday of every month at 4:00 at Pedro O'Hara's in Brunswick. If you are interested in attending simply email Jeremy Willette at willettej@link75.org .
This will ensure that you will be notified of any change to due to bad weather or if the group is planning on trying a new Mexican place some month!
More fun Websites!!
Mexico: http://www.elbalero.gob.mx/index_esp.html
Faux amis Acadiens: http://www.artsci.lsu.edu/fai/Cajun/falsecognates.html
FLAME New Teacher Scholarship
FLAME is pleased to announce its first annual New Teacher Scholarship to support and recognize the hard work that modern and classical language teachers are doing in the classroom. This scholarship was developed to financially support new teachers in their endeavors in professional development.
FLAME will award two scholarships of up to $500 to teachers with fewer than 5 years experience teaching a modern or classical language.
One of the scholarships will be used to help a beginning teacher attend a regional or national conference such as:
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Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, March 31 to April 3, 2005, New York City |
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American Association of Teachers of French, July 7-10, Quebec City |
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American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, July 28 to August 1, New York City |
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Classical Association of New England, April 1 and 2, St. Joseph’s College, Standish, Maine |
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In future years, teachers may also apply to attend conferences such as ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) and American Association of Teachers of German; these are held in November. |
The second scholarship is not earmarked for a particular purpose, and it may be used for a wide variety of professional development activities such as courses, summer institutes, immersion experiences, etc. Check the website (http://www.umaine.edu/flame/) and the newsletter for possibilities!
Criteria for Selection:
The candidate must:
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Be a member of FLAME; |
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Be a classroom teacher at any grade level from kindergarten through university level; |
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Currently have a teaching responsibility with at least 3/5 of a schedule in modern or classical languages at a public or private institution; |
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Submit, as a part of the application process, a statement from an immediate supervisor certifying current teaching responsibilities; |
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Write an article detailing the professional development experience for the FLAME newsletter or make a presentation at a FLAME conference. |
The committee will consider the following:
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Merit, as evidenced by professional commitment to and involvement in the teaching of modern and classical languages |
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Need for an immersion experience or professional development experience in the target language |
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The candidate’s explanation of how the experience will enhance his/her teaching |
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Evidence of institutional support in the form of a letter of recommendation from the applicant's department chair, principal or dean |
FLAME New Teacher Scholarship
Application Form
Please supply the following information and submit this application to the address listed below in a dossier that includes:
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A résumé listing your educational degrees, professional activities, and any other information you think would help the committee in evaluating your application |
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A letter of recommendation in a signed and sealed envelope from your school principal, department chair or dean |
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A 200-word statement (in the target language for applicants who teach modern languages) describing what you expect to gain from this professional development experience. (Clearly detail this endeavor and explain why FLAME should support you.) |
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The estimated cost for this professional development experience |
Name:_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Mailing address:____________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Work phone: _______________________________ Home phone:____________________________________
Fax: _________________________________________ Email:______________________________________
Place of Employment:____________________________________________________________________________________
Address:__________________________________________________________________________________
Classes you currently teach:__________________________________________________________________
Number of years in teaching modern/classical languages :___________________
Immersion or travel experiences in U.S. or foreign country (personal, professional, school-affiliated travel)
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Reference: _______________________________________________ Phone:__________________________
Applications must be postmarked by Feb. 1, 2005.
Submit application materials to: Chris Gram, Carrabec High School, P.O. Box 220. North Anson. ME 04958 at 635-2296.
Moliere in English
Molière for the People
Fifteen
new versions of Molière plays now available for production. Bringing Molière
to a new generation.
Timothy Mooney presents a whirlwind, 90-minute performance, and is also available for workshops on classical performance and class visits. (A 50-minute version of the play is also available to fit into a single class period.)
Molière Than Thou finds Molière left without a cast, when all of his fellow performers happen to consume "the same sort of shell fish" at one of the local public inns that the company tends to frequent. Rather than actually refund the precious box office income, Molière offers to perform a "greatest hits" of sorts, and leads the audience (which occasionally participates) through a hilarious succession of favorite speeches that trace his illustrious career.
Mooney, himself, plays Molière, who performs routines from Tartuffe, Don Juan, The Doctor In Spite of Himself, The Precious Young Maidens, The Misanthrope and The School For Wives among others. “This gives Molière the perfect opportunity to explain his process, while managing to take a few deft stabs at some of his enemies: the doctors, the lawyers, and the sanctimonious hypocrites who would attack him throughout the years.”
For more information visit the website http://www.moliere-in-english.com/
or email info@moliere-in-english.com
WEBSITES your students might try!
French speaking celebrities:
http://www.geocities.com/mmesaam/
Three little pigs in French:
http://membres.lycos.fr/museecochon/index.html
Langue française TV5 -jeux et dictionnaires
http://www.tv5.org/TV5Site/lf/langue_francaise.php
Lexique FLE:
http://lexiquefle.free.fr/
Maps of Paris in 1760 and in1771:
http://pdg.beziaud.org/paris1760.htm
TFO (télévision
de l'Ontario française)
http://www2.tfo.org/tfocfmx/tfoorg/tfo/
TéléQuébec:
http://www.telequebec.tv/
Great link from Spain: http://www.doslourdes.net/
Waterville's Museum in the Streets
The Franco-American Heritage Society of Kennebec Valley, Lisa Tessier Marraché, President, announces the Grand Opening of Waterville's new Museum in the Streets. The Heritage Society spent more than a year researching the documentation illustrating the contribution made by Franco-Americans to the Waterville area for the Museum in the Streets. A concept created by French-American Patrick Cardon, Waterville's version is one of many such installations in France and one of only three in Maine, along with Thomaston and Belfast. The exhibit consists of a series of permanent plaques displaying old photographs and descriptions in French and English, placed on or near the site of the story depicted in the plaque. Kim Hallee, for the South End Neighborhood Association stated, "The Museum in the Streets makes history come alive for residents and visitors alike, so we can understand what happened right here and the important contribution the French-Canadian immigrants have made."
The ten plaques, first displayed at Waterville's second-annual Franco-American Festival in mid-September, are now in place, principally along Water Street. The large introductory plaque, funded by the City of Waterville, is located in front of City Hall. Other sponsors of and contributors to the Museum in the Streets include the Fairfield Economic Development Corporation and a grant from the Maine Community Foundation and Maine Humanities Council. Individuals also sponsored panels in memory of loved ones.
The Museum in the Streets is the result of hard work from many volunteers including: Lisa T. Marraché, Roger Hallée, Sylvanne Pontin, Alice and Pearley Lachance, Bob Chenard, Pat Gauer, and Artie Greenspan, Professor of French at Colby College. Many others donated pictures, scanned documents free of charge, and finished the posts for the plaques.
A great place to take students!
Besides enhancing the appearance of Waterville and providing cultural enrichment, the Museum in the Streets is also a great learning tool, according to Lachance and retired French teacher Gauer. They envision teams of students taking time with their teachers or local guides to read and discuss the plaques, then follow up with oral history projects to deepen their understanding of Waterville's history.
Music from the World’s Great Cathedrals
KOTZSCHMAR ORGAN
The Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ cordially invite you to visit Portland's
Merrill Auditorium to hear Olivier Latry, Organist of Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris.
Tuesday, April 19, 2005 7:30 pm
Admission: $15.00 suggested at the door
For more information visit www.foko.org or email Ray Cornils at
Student Work
On-the-spot Conversation
The students were given five minutes to write a conversation using at least four vocabulary words from a given list. The following was written by Sam Hutton & Rose Buonaiuto, two students in Kathy Yates's French III class.