Doing Foreign Language Bringing Concordia Language Villages into Language Classrooms

INTRODUCTION Doing Foreign Language: Bringing Concordia Language Villages into Language Classroomsintroduces readers to the active and engaging language learning philosophy and practices of Concordia Language Villages, the oldest and most extensive live-in summer language camp program for elementary and secondary students in the United States. (Readers unfamiliar with Concordia Language Villages are encouraged to read the section entitled Background on pages xi-xii.) This text is organized around six principles that guide Concordia Language Villages curriculum and programming: Giving Learners Courage, Learner Investment, Linguistic and Cultural Authenticity, Creating a Need to Communicate, Experiencing the Language, and Learning within Extended Projects. Each principle is illuminated by representative best practices from the Villages that are ready to be brought to life within more traditional language classrooms. Doing Foreign Languageis intended for preservice and in-service language educators--including ESL educators--who teach or aspire to teach modern foreign languages to elementary and/or secondary students. Through its activities, teachers can offer their students authentic, invigorating, and challenging ways to make progress toward allNational Foreign Language Standardsas identified by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). These interconnected opportunities for language use serve as naturalactiveextensions of classroom textbooks, motivating teachers and students todoforeign language together in a wide variety of contexts. Throughout the book, verbal and visual images and guiding questions encourage readers to make connections between Concordia Language Villages principles and practices and the 5 C's (Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities) that form the backbone of the ACTFLNational Foreign Language Standards--as well as to envision a range of relevant learning theories and methodologiesin action. ORGANIZATION OF THE BOOK Chapter 1, Building a Language Learning Community, describes Concordia Language Villages, outlines the goals and principles that guide its curriculum and programming, and clarifies the connections between the practices of Concordia Language Villages and the ACTFL 5 Cs (Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities) mentioned above. Each of the following six chapters explores one of the six guiding principles in greater depth and illustrates it with ready-to-implement classroom activities. Readers with limited time--or those who are primarily interested in understanding the philosophical underpinnings of Concordia Language Villages--can focus their attention on Chapters 1 and 8, along with the brief introductions and It's Your Turn! sections of Chapters 2 through 7. Chapter 2, Giving Learners Courage, and Chapter 3, Learner Investment, offer teachers and their students long-term programs that set the tone of the classroom as an open, welcoming, comfortable place that both encourages and rewards active participation by all students. Activities outlined in Chapters 4 through 7 provide students with opportunities to develop their use of the target language within rich, intriguing contexts. As they move through the activities in Chapter 4, Linguistic and Cultural Authenticity, students are encouraged to reflect on similarities and differences between cultural products and practices in their target and home cultures. Activities in Chapter 5, Creating a Need to Communicate, gently prod students into using the target language by feeling a real need to communicate. Chapter 6, Experiencing the Language, offers activities that help students draw, on all of their senses--not just those of sight and hearing--to experience the target language more holistically. Chapter 7, Learning within Extended PrHamilton, Heidi Ehernberger is the author of 'Doing Foreign Language Bringing Concordia Language Villages into Language Classrooms', published 2004 under ISBN 9780131139688 and ISBN 0131139681.