Language & Cultural Services
LCS Bulletin - May 8, 2017
When Elmo and Big Bird Talk to Refugees
by Elizabeth Blair
Elmo and Big Bird have lots of experience teaching children everything from the ABCs to autism. Soon, they could be bringing smiles — and education — to millions of refugee children forced from their homes in Syria, Iraq and other war-torn countries.
But first, Sesame Workshop is doing its homework. In partnership with the International Rescue Committee, Sesame producers and early-childhood experts are soliciting guidance and feedback from relief organizations, trauma experts, academics and others who have worked with refugees. They'll also be making research visits to refugee camps in Jordan.
According to the IRC, of the 65 million people displaced from their homes worldwide, more than half are children.
"And certainly I think it's fair to say there are no more vulnerable people in the world than these refugee families and kids," Jeff Dunn, the CEO of Sesame Workshop, told a small crowd at the nonprofit company's New York headquarters recently.
Sesame's goal is to develop new content — adapted for a variety of platforms — that will "bolster children's resiliency" as well as improve their language, math and early reading skills. The target age group is children ages 3 to 6 and their caregivers.
You can already see Sesame Street in more than 150 countries. Locally adapted versions are broadcast around the world, including in the Middle East. Sesame Workshop plans to draw on its foreign production partners for support in developing content for refugees.
Language facts from around the World
Yes, it’s hard work learning a language that’s not your own, but it also opens up a whole world of opportunities. In the US, for example, demand for bilingual candidates more than doubled between 2010 and 2015.
Which is probably why billions of people are trying to learn a second language. Of those, around 150 million are using the free language-learning app Duolingo. The app only covers 23 languages, but this map provides a snapshot of the most popular.
Check out this infograph and more about learning languages around the world here.
We Want to Hear from You!
This brief survey should take less than 10 minutes to complete. We value our partnerships with you and look forward to receiving your feedback to inform our planning for the new year!
SIOP Spotlight: Word Generation
WHAT IS IT AND HOW CAN IT HELP?
Word Generation is a fun activity that uses what students already know to help them understand how words work in English. Watch as SIOP® author MaryEllen Vogt explains how to use this activity to help students build capacity to learn new words on their own.
This month's resource: Word Generation
Lead with Languages features podcast about bilingualism in America
posted by Desa Dawson, OSDE
America the Bilingual -- a podcast for Americans who are learning their second language or who want to begin -- is now featured on leadwithlanguages.org, with new episodes appearing every two weeks. The podcast explores our national journey toward a future in which everyone speaks English and nearly everyone speaks another language, too -- including inspiring stories from successful adult learners, heritage speakers and teachers. Learn more.
Summer resources for newcomer ELs
As testing ended and I began to see my newcomer kids again the realization set in that our time together for this school year was quickly coming to a close. I began to think about what that meant to their continued language acquisition. They would most likely lose their consistent exposure to English. We talk a lot about the summer slide as it pertains to core curriculum, but what about newcomer students who had just began learning a new language. What if when I was small my parents had spoken to me for several months and then abruptly stopped for the next three months. Surely that would have delayed my language acquisition drastically. The other reality that occurred to me was that many of my kids wouldn’t have access to computers, tablets, or wifi to stay connected.
I put this summer packet together with these things in mind. I reached out to the local library for assistance with information for my newcomer students and families regarding resources that they provide over the summer months. I found and created a listing of the sight words that includes the phonetic spelling and Spanish translation to provide students context for when they practice these common words. (Side note: sight words without context is useless - without context the student doesn’t understand or ‘own’ the new word.) Knowing each of my students and their interest I included additional materials like worksheets, puzzles, and games that matched their need and interests.
I am excited to share these resources with my newcomer students and families. I hope you find the packet helpful too and add to it for your students. Together we can create great things to support our students!
Language Revitalization in Oklahoma
Recent research focusing on Native American languages and how they are taught is helping revitalize the Cherokee language, in part, through online courses and modern textbooks developed by the Cherokee Nation.
Using these updated methods, the Cherokee Nation’s Cherokee Language Program continues to have a far-reaching impact, with up to 3,000 students taking online courses and around 400 taking community classes each year. Participating students are from all ages and all corners of the world.
“There are so many people interested in preserving the language,” said Ed Fields, an online instructor with the Cherokee Language Program who has taught courses for more than a decade.
Read more about this successful language revitalization here.
Tulsa Public Schools Immigration Frequently Asked Questions
Missed a Department Meeting?
Elementary ELD Department Meetings
Language & Cultural Services Events
Week of May 8:
May 8, 9:00am - Skill building for Interpreters (Edivate)
May 9, 3:45pm - ESL Certification Study Group (Elementary)
May 9, 4:45pm - ESL Certification Study Group (Secondary)
May 11, 3:45pm - ELD Department Meeting (Elementary)
May 11, 4:45pm - ELD Department Meeting (Secondary)
Week of May 15:
May 17, 4:00pm - Spanish for Educators (Edivate)
All events are listed in MyLearningPlan unless otherwise noted. Please pre-register and verify session location in MLP.
Check out the Language & Cultural Services events calendar for future events.
LCS Bulletins for SY 2016-2017
May 1, 2017 April 24, 2017 April 17, 2017 April 10, 2017 April 3, 2017 March 27, 2017 March 20, 2017 March 6, 2017 February 27, 2017 February 13, 2017 February 6, 2017 January 30, 2017 January 23, 2017 January 16, 2017 January 9, 2017 December 12, 2016 November 28, 2016 November 21, 2016 November 14, 2016 November 7, 2016 October 31, 2016 October 24, 2016 October 17, 2016 October 10, 2016 October 3, 2016 September 27, 2016 September 19, 2016 September 12, 2016 September 4, 2016