Middle school is a conflict-ridden stage, particularly for our emerging bilingual students, who are normally known as ELLs. Not only do they have to overcome numerous problems of linguistic and cultural adaptation, but they also have to face challenges such as family or economic instability and moves, often cross-border. Indeed, it is not uncommon to meet Hispanic students: Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Salvadorans, etc. who travel to their countries of origin, or to the countries of origin of their parents for seasons, sometimes even to stay and live there, despite having been born in the United States and having lived here all their schooling until that moment. It is also quite common to see students who migrate with their families to the United States when they are already 11 or 12 years old and who, as we mentioned, not only have to learn the language, but adapt to a new life, culture and traditions.In this lesson plan we propose to use these personal experiences to introduce basic conversational vocabulary. It is designed for both dual immersion programs and English development classes.

Anthropologists attempt to answer the question of what it means to be human. In a sense, we all –do” anthropology because it is rooted in a universal human characteristic, curiosity. We are curious about ourselves and other people_ including the living and the dead. This course provides an introduction to the anthropological approach to the study of humans. It is a survey course that introduces anthropology as a four-field discipline, encompassing biological anthropology, archaeology, linguistics, and cultural anthropology. Aspiring to a holistic understanding of what it means to be human, anthropology is at the intersection of the humanities and the sciences, the most scientific of the humanities and the most humanistic of the sciences.The course begins with a basis in evolutionary theory and human variation. With this foundation, we will explore primate behavior and the fossil record to develop a better understanding of human evolution. We will discuss the archaeological record of early civilizations, the origins and use of language, and the concept of culture in the development of human societies, both extinct and extant. This class will also highlight the epistemological development of the field of anthropology and how religion, culture, and the scientific process pertains to the discipline of anthropology.

This meticulously crafted series of Pashto textbooks is designed for adult learners ranging from novice to advanced levels, as defined by the ACTFL 2017 guidelines. The textbooks offer an in-depth exploration of the Pashto language and its cultural context, also referred to as Pashtunwali or the Pashtun codes of honor. They are tailored to foster genuine conversations with native speakers, enhancing cultural understanding and linguistic proficiency. The series includes versions for both students and educators, with the latter equipped with detailed instructions and answers to exercises for a thorough learning experience.
Emphasizing critical thinking and transformative learning, the curriculum targets ACTFL advanced level or ILR level 2 proficiency. It integrates sophisticated educational methodologies, including Bloom's Taxonomy and Mezirow’s transformative learning theories, to foster an environment that encourages intellectual growth and innovation. The textbooks are available in PDF and EPUB formats on the Language Mentors Initiative (LMI) website Pashto course (languagementors.org), featuring interactive activities that make learning dynamic and engaging.
This initiative significantly contributes to filling the gap in high-quality Pashto language resources, substantially improving learners' abilities to understand and engage with the language and culture.

Conversation Activities | The Pathways Project

Short Description:
Let’s Chat! Korean features a collection of over 55 classroom-ready interpersonal speaking activities for novice and intermediate learners. Touching on a range of thematic topics such as greetings, travel, daily routines, health, and so much more, Korean teachers are sure to find an activity to use in their courses. These activities may be used as is or can easily be revised and remixed to fit the unique needs of individual classrooms.

Long Description:
Let’s Chat! Korean features a collection of over 55 classroom-ready interpersonal speaking activities for novice and intermediate learners. Touching on a range of thematic topics such as greetings, travel, daily routines, health, and so much more, Korean teachers are sure to find an activity to use in their courses. These activities may be used as is or can easily be revised and remixed to fit the unique needs of individual classrooms.

Are you a language instructor using Pathways Project Activities? We would love to hear from you. CLICK HERE to provide your feedback and share back activities you revised with the Pathways Community.

The Pathways Project, an initiative from the Department of World Languages at Boise State University, is a collaborative network of open educational resources (OER) including instructional language teaching materials and professional development created by and uniquely for Idaho’s K-16 language teachers and students.

Teachers and students participating in the Pathways Project come from different fields of study and schools across Idaho to create open (i.e., free), digital activities that support the teaching and learning of foreign languages and promote intercultural competence. We hope to impact the opportunities learners have to connect to the global world!

Visit the Pathways Project Website to learn more.

Word Count: 39136

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)

Dr Vanessa Pupavac defines a political concept in 60 seconds for those with a spare minute to learn something new. This videocast focuses on disaster politics as a political concept.

Warning: video does contain bloopers and out takes.

May 2010

Suitable for Undergraduate study and Community education

Dr Vanessa Pupavac, School of Politics and International Relations

Dr Vanessa Pupavac is a lecturer in International Relations at the University of Nottingham. She has previously worked for the UN Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia and other international organisations. Dr Vanessa Pupavac's research encompasses international human rights, children's rights, linguistic rights, humanitarian and development politics. In recent years she has been examining the international politics of trauma, that is, the influence of Western therapy culture on international aid policy and the rise of international psychosocial programmes. She is also currently examining international language rights and language politics. Her research is underpinned by an interest in contemporary subjectivity and the crisis of meaning in international politics.

Dr Vanessa Pupavac defines a political concept in 60 seconds for those with a spare minute to learn something new. This videocast focuses on disaster politics as a political concept.

Warning: video does contain bloopers and out takes.

May 2010

Suitable for Undergraduate study and Community education

Dr Vanessa Pupavac, School of Politics and International Relations

Dr Vanessa Pupavac is a lecturer in International Relations at the University of Nottingham. She has previously worked for the UN Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia and other international organisations. Dr Vanessa Pupavac's research encompasses international human rights, children's rights, linguistic rights, humanitarian and development politics. In recent years she has been examining the international politics of trauma, that is, the influence of Western therapy culture on international aid policy and the rise of international psychosocial programmes. She is also currently examining international language rights and language politics. Her research is underpinned by an interest in contemporary subjectivity and the crisis of meaning in international politics.

Teach in Spanglish is founded on a simple idea: while just a small fraction of today’s college students will progress to the high-level, all-in-Spanish courses offered by language departments, more than two-thirds enter college with the ability to understand Spanish when given context in English, support from their instructor, and time.

Over nearly a decade in the classroom, our team has shown that students who took Spanish for at least two years in high school, at least one year in college, and/or who were raised in a bilingual environment (Spanish as a Heritage Language speakers, or SHL) can, with proper support, engage in high-level analysis of Spanish and Spanglish primary sources and original texts, utilizing insights from linguistics to both structure the classroom experience and guide students in their engagement.

The teach in Spanglish website links to a form that allows instructors to request access to a free Canvas site that contains instructor facing videos, quizzes, and other modules to help get started teaching in Spanglish.

A Google Drive of resources created by Donna Gillespie & Bonnie Loder for SPANI 2251-Conversation and Composition I and SPANI 2252-Conversation and Composition II at the College of DuPage. It presents a scaffolded approach to writing that includes helpful resources such as peer review exercises, grading rubrics, and instructor resources. A Blackboard shell for each course will be shared with all Language faculty on the shared team site.  These .zip files are also importable into Canvas and other open Learning Management Systems.

The online book project was one of two components of the Sharing the Bounty project, funded by the ACM-EMKE. This online learning/teaching material is designed for undergraduate and graduate students (and anyone in the general public wanting to retain and improve proficiency in the language) who have already acquired some knowledge and grammar of the language. The new learning/teaching online material is content-based and in line with the Communicative Teaching Approach, and effort was made to employ as many authentic materials as possible. The online book is designed for Hindi students at the Intermediate Mid/High or Advanced Low levels according to the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines. These materials were designed to improve all-around language skills, and also to incorporate various disciplines of the target country. Four developers (Lakhan Gusain, Rajiv Ranjan, Sunil Bhatt and Sungok Hong) worked on this project and produced 12 units that cover various aspects of India, such as the Indian diaspora, women’s empowerment, politics, pop culture, health, education, travel, and so on. Students will obtain linguistic and cultural proficiency by obtaining multilateral knowledge about the country through the online book.

Memory in Place brings together Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars and practitioners grappling with the continued potency of memories and experiences of colonialism. While many of these conversations have taken place on a national stage, this collection returns to the rich intimacy of the local. From Queensland’s sweeping Gulf Country, along the shelly beaches of south Sydney, Melbourne’s city gardens and the rugged hills of South Australia, through Central Australia’s dusty heart and up to the majestic Kimberley, the collection charts how interactions between Indigenous people, settlers and their descendants are both remembered and forgotten in social, political, and cultural spaces. It offers uniquely diverse perspectives from a range of disciplines including history, anthropology, memory studies, archaeology, and linguistics from both established and emerging scholars; from Indigenous and non-Indigenous contributors; and from academics as well as museum and cultural heritage practitioners. The collection locates some of the nation’s most pressing political issues with attention to the local, and the ethics of commemoration and relationships needed at this scale. It will be of interest to those who see the past as intimately connected to the future.

Untangling the various approaches to language teaching and their history, Gerdi Quist maps recent thinking in language studies at university. Using an interdisciplinary theoretical framework, drawn from educational philosophy, cultural studies, intercultural studies and language pedagogy, the author discusses the many tensions and currents in contemporary language teaching. The author puts forward an alternative pedagogy, that of a cultuurtekst-perspective, which engages learners at complex linguistic and cultural levels. In discussing the case study in which this approach is tested, the author develops her argument for embracing various critical perspectives through the personal engagement of students. From the start the author acknowledges her own engaged position as a language teacher in a liberal humanistic educational environment. She adopts a self -critical perspective through which her engagement with adverse student reaction leads to deepening insights both for the author and her students as part of the non-linear process of learning. Gerdi Quist teaches Dutch language and lectures on multiculturalism and intercultural communication. Recent publications included a book chapter and journal articles on language pedagogy and intercultural communication.

Short Description:
Return to milneopentextbooks.org to download PDF and other versions of this textNewParaChildren are inherently musical. They respond to music and learn through music. Music expresses children’s identity and heritage, teaches them to belong to a culture, and develops their cognitive well-being and inner self worth. As professional instructors, childcare workers, or students looking forward to a career working with children, we should continuously search for ways to tap into children’s natural reservoir of enthusiasm for singing, moving and experimenting with instruments. But how, you might ask? What music is appropriate for the children I’m working with? How can music help inspire a well-rounded child? How do I reach and teach children musically? Most importantly perhaps, how can I incorporate music into a curriculum that marginalizes the arts?NewParaThis book explores a holistic, artistic, and integrated approach to understanding the developmental connections between music and children. This book guides professionals to work through music, harnessing the processes that underlie music learning, and outlining developmentally appropriate methods to understand the role of music in children’s lives through play, games, creativity, and movement. Additionally, the book explores ways of applying music-making to benefit the whole child, i.e., socially, emotionally, physically, cognitively, and linguistically.

Long Description:
Children are inherently musical. They respond to music and learn through music. Music expresses children’s identity and heritage, teaches them to belong to a culture, and develops their cognitive well-being and inner self worth. As professional instructors, childcare workers, or students looking forward to a career working with children, we should continuously search for ways to tap into children’s natural reservoir of enthusiasm for singing, moving and experimenting with instruments. But how, you might ask? What music is appropriate for the children I’m working with? How can music help inspire a well-rounded child? How do I reach and teach children musically? Most importantly perhaps, how can I incorporate music into a curriculum that marginalizes the arts?

This book explores a holistic, artistic, and integrated approach to understanding the developmental connections between music and children. This book guides professionals to work through music, harnessing the processes that underlie music learning, and outlining developmentally appropriate methods to understand the role of music in children’s lives through play, games, creativity, and movement. Additionally, the book explores ways of applying music-making to benefit the whole child, i.e., socially, emotionally, physically, cognitively, and linguistically.

Word Count: 75231

ISBN: 9781942341208

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)

Conversation Activities | The Pathways Project

Short Description:
Let’s Chat! Spanish features a collection of over 100 interpersonal speaking activities for novice and intermediate learners. Touching on a range of thematic topics such as free time activities, travel, daily routines, health, the environment, art and so much more, Spanish teachers are sure to find an activity to use in their courses. These activities may be used as is or can easily be revised and remixed to fit the unique needs of individual classrooms.

Long Description:
Let’s Chat! Spanish features a collection of over 100 interpersonal speaking activities for novice and intermediate learners. Touching on a range of thematic topics such as free time activities, travel, daily routines, health, the environment, art and so much more, Spanish teachers are sure to find an activity to use in their courses. These activities may be used as is or can easily be revised and remixed to fit the unique needs of individual classrooms.

Are you a language instructor using Pathways Project Activities? We would love to hear from you. CLICK HERE to provide your feedback and share back activities you revised with the Pathways Community.

The Pathways Project, an initiative from the Department of World Languages at Boise State University, is a collaborative network of open educational resources (OER) including instructional language teaching materials and professional development created by and uniquely for Idaho’s K-16 language teachers and students.

Teachers and students participating in the Pathways Project come from different fields of study and schools across Idaho to create open (i.e., free), digital activities that support the teaching and learning of foreign languages and promote intercultural competence. We hope to impact the opportunities learners have to connect to the global world!

Visit the Pathways Project Website to learn more.

Word Count: 116579

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)

WIP: This text takes six important variables that go into the making of Gujarat as a region: political, social, cultural, religious, economic and linguistic. These six variables are taken as ‘frameworks’ to explore the uniqueness of Gujarat as a region. There are various ways of understanding and interpreting Gujarat. This text seeks to interpret Gujarat through the framework of the above six variables. Through these variables, we shall try to understand the unique features, dynamics and characteristics of a region called Gujarat. It must be noted that this text is not a straightforward history of Gujarat. Rather, it is a way of interpreting Gujarat, its past and present by exploring different variables that makes Gujarat a unique region. In these chapters you will find multiple voices history, silent voices of society, cultural dynamics which have shaped Gujarat, political configurations and its relation to identity. Here you will find the contribution of the dynamics of Gujarati language in shaping the regional and cultural identity of this region. Finally, you will find here how the economic history has given Gujarat a particular slant. The author of this book is Dr. Fr. Sebastian Vazhapilly, SJ.  

This series of proficiency-based Dari textbooks, meticulously crafted for adult learners from novice to advanced levels (ACTFL, 2017), dives deep into the nuances of both colloquial and formal Dari. It empowers learners to engage in authentic, culturally rich conversations with native speakers. Tailored editions for both students and teachers provide clear pathways for mastering speaking, writing, listening, and reading skills, while equipping educators with effective strategies to utilize these materials. The teacher's edition is packed with detailed instructions and answers to exercises, ensuring a comprehensive learning experience.

Targeting ACTFL advanced level or ILR level 2 proficiency, our series places a strong emphasis on critical thinking and transformative learning. Incorporating sophisticated methodologies such as Bloom's Taxonomy and Mezirow’s transformative models, it creates an environment conducive to intellectual growth and innovation. Available in PDF and EPUB formats through the LMI website Dari course (languagementors.org), the textbooks include interactive activities that make learning Dari a dynamic and engaging process.

This initiative directly addresses the urgent need for high-quality Dari language resources, greatly enhancing learners' linguistic abilities and cultural understanding.

Multilinguals, those of us who use more than one language in everyday life, are... gifted semilinguals who are dominant in no mother tongue, for example? Apparently so, judging by the ways people keep talking about them. This is the first book that discusses, in light-hearted lay terms, the reasons behind the beliefs and myths about multilinguals that allow you to fill the blank in its title with almost any label and get away with it. Drawing on solid academic research, the book provides keys to the origin and endurance of the many intriguing names that multilinguals have been called, starting with the master-key to them all. The conclusion is that any oddities assigned to multilinguals are due to the language that is used to talk about them, not to multilingual behaviour itself. The book is abundantly illustrated and includes many cartoons. It is written for the general public, families, teachers, policy-makers, clinicians, and anyone who ever wondered about multilingualism, but is targeted exclusively at multilingual or monolingual readers (of English).

This is a complete class on psycholinguistics. All the activities and content and instructions for conducting the class are available on my website, as well as in the attached .zip file. (If you download and unzip the file, and then just click on "index.html" in the top-level folder to open it in your browser, you should be able to view all the stuff just as if you were viewing it online.)

In this lesson students will read to understand how Black and Brown men are currently incarcerated in America at a much higher level than any other demographic. Students will evaluate the relationship between slavery and the current criminal-justice system. They will close read two anchor texts from the New York Times 's 1619 Project, i.e., an excerpt from the article “Slavery Gave America…” and an excerpt from the article "The Idea of America." Using these texts, other visuals, and a video as their background knowledge resource bank, students will write to make and support a claim about mass incarceration and the ways in which this practice, much like slavery, significantly conflicts with America’s foundational ideas such as “all men are created equal.”

In this lesson students will read to uncover hidden truths about the many contributions of enslaved Africans to the development of the United States. They will express their understanding by writing a text-based claim supported by evidence to show how African Americans paved the way for other marginalized communities to fight oppression, so the principles of American democracy apply to all people in America.