News and Announcements

Minnesota Department of Education:
     World Languages Quality Teaching Network

A special session for Chinese Language Teachers

Assessing What Counts:
Incorporating Assessment into Your Units

Using group discussion, examples, and hands-on activities, renowned workshop leader Donna Clementi will guide Chinese language teachers through the process of designing their own standards-based performance task. Each task integrates the interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational modes of the Communication Standard.

Then using Backwards Design as a tool, participants will look at implications for instruction in a standards-based classroom and design scoring guides and rubrics for their performance task. Teachers love this approach to assessment because the tasks can be used right away in their classes and students respond positively to the interactive nature of the task.

Key Workshop Topics

• Matching Purpose to Assessment Types
• Meeting the National Standards
• Checklists, Rubrics and Scales
• Exploring Backwards Design and What it Means for Your Curriculum
• Creating Templates for Developing Assessments
• Developing Your Own Integrated Assessment Unit

Workshop Leader: Donna Clementi is now the Director of Education and Research for Concordia Language Villages, after spending 33 years teaching French in the Appleton Area School District. She was a member of the ACTFL Performance Assessment Unit Pilot Project and was on the Wisconsin Guide to Curriculum Planning team.

AN EXTRA BONUS! Teachers will be encouraged to submit their own integrated assessment unit for inclusion in the Virtual Assessment Center on the CARLA website AND will be eligible to earn a $150 stipend!

Two Sessions Offered:

Friday, June 8, 2007 • 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Saturday, June 9, 2007 • 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. 

McNamara Alumni Center, Minnesota Room
300 So. Oak Street

Registration Information: This workshop is free, though you must be pre-registered. Registration forms can be found on the CARLA website at: http://www.carla.umn.edu/conferences/.

— submitted by Ursula Lentz, MDE World Language Quality Teaching Network Coordinator

Minnesota Council on the Teaching of Languages and Cultures (MCTLC)

MCLTC Membership

MCTLC is in full swing this spring!  Read the Minnesota New Visions article in the recent newsletter for an update on our advocacy work with the Minnesota Legislature.  If you are not an MCTLC member, please consider becoming a part of the only professional organization in Minnesota that advocates and serves all languages and all program models at every level of instruction.  MCTLC membership dues are needed to support the advocacy work that benefits us all. Download a membership form at http://www.mctlc.org.  

Professional Awards

MCTLC is accepting nominations for several professional awards that are presented during the Fall Conference. Nomination deadlines are June 1. Check the MCTLC website for criteria and nomination procedures. Keep an eye out for the Spring issue of the Minnesota Language Review for complete details and forms.

Fall Conference Proposals Due May 15

The Board and committees are busy preparing for our annual fall conference. Mark your calendars October 18-19, 2007 to attend “Bond with World Languages in ‘007:  License to thrill!” There will be three organizing strands to the program:

• Bond languages and cultures: Teaching knowledge and skills for global literacy
• Bond languages and content: Making connections to other disciplines
• Bond languages and communities: Learning and using languages beyond the classroom

Proposals are now being accepted and the deadline is May 15. Download the form at http://www.mctlc.org and go to the fall conference page. We are looking for a variety of sessions from all languages and all levels. We especially encourage proposals from K-8, Less Commonly Taught Languages and Immersion Teachers, groups that have been underrepresented in past conferences. Every session room now has free wireless Internet! Share your ideas or encourage a colleague to present a session.

MCTLC Back-to-School Retreat and Workshop

Linguafolios: Helping Students Take Responsibility for Their Own Learning

Saturday, September 15, 2007
Concordia Russian Language Village, Bemidji, MN

Mark your calendar now and plan to kick-off your school year with inspiration from birch trees and collegial networking. Spend the night at Concordia’s newest Language Village without chaperoning students! Learn how to guide student reflection and engage them in setting their own goals for language learning. Read more about the Linguafolio national initiative at: http://www.ncssfl.org/links/index.php?linguafolio.

Presenter: Donna Clementi, Director of Education and Research, Concordia Language Villages

Watch the Summer MLR and MCTLC website for registration information.

— submitted by Ursula Lentz, MDE World Language Quality Teaching Network Coordinator

Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA)

Starting A Chinese Language Program:
A Seminar For K-12 Administrators

Monday, June 4, 2007
8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Mississippi Room, Coffman Memorial Union, U of M

This program is designed for administrators who have an interest in offering Mandarin Chinese in their schools.  Participants will have the opportunity to explore basic program design, including learning outcomes, evaluating teacher qualifications and basic licensure issues. The workshop features experts from the Asia Society, the University of Minnesota and the MN Department of Education.  

Presenters: Dr. Shuhan Wang, Executive Director for Chinese Language Initiatives for the Asia Society, Ms. Margaret Wong, Ralph and Peggy Burnet Family Breck Faculty Chair, The Breck School, Ms. Ursula Lentz, Coordinator, Minnesota Language Proficiency Assessments at CARLA; and  Coordinator, Quality Teaching Network, Academic Standards and Professional Development for the Minnesota Department of Education, Dr. Tara Fortune is an Immersion Teaching Specialist and Coordinator of the Immersion Research and Professional Development Project at the University of Minnesota Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA), Dr. Diane J. Tedick is an Associate Professor in Second Languages and Cultures Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Minnesota and Mr. John Melick, Interim Director of Educator Licensing, Minnesota Department of Education.   

Cost: $75. Registration includes lunch, a copy of Creating a Chinese Language Program in Your School, Asia Society, and a copy of the Chinese Language Program: Curriculum Development Project, Minnesota Department of Education

This program is sponsored by the China Center at the University of Minnesota in collaboration with CARLA and the MN Department of Education.

For more information see: http://www.chinacenter.umn.edu/

Early Bird Registration for CARLA summer institutes ends on May 31!

Register now for the CARLA summer institutes. These internationally-known institutes are highly interactive and include discussion, theory-building, hands-on activities, and plenty of networking opportunities. Join the over 2,000 language educators who have come from all over the world for some of the best professional development opportunities anywhere. Several of the institutes have already filled, so don't delay!

The cost of each of the CARLA summer institutes is $300 if registration is received by May 31, 2007 and $350 after that date. More information and registration forms are available on the CARLA website at: http://www.carla.umn.edu/institutes.

The summer institutes were developed and are supported, in part, by the U.S. Department of Education's Title VI Language Resource Center program and by the University of Minnesota's College of Education and Human Development and College of Liberal Arts.

— Submitted by Karin Larson, CARLA Coordinator

Minnesota New Visions in Action (MnNVIA)

Legislative Update on World Languages

The news from MnNVIA is tied to the Minnesota Legislature this month. The
Legislative K-12 Omnibus Bill, which will determine the funding for our
schools for the next two years and will set many policy directions, is now being
worked on by the K-12 Education Conference Committee. At this moment they
do not have their target amount of spending money determined. The committee is not meeting formally until they have that amount set; however it must be determined within the next week so the committee and legislature can finish their work by May 20. We will know the outcome of our work in a couple weeks.

What is in this bill for world languages? The bills change as they make
their way through the legislative process. Currently, the House (HF006)
version provides for a full time world languages coordinator within the MN
Department of Education plus funding for 5 model world languages programs in
fiscal years 2008 and 2009, for a total of $500,000. The model programs are
for various languages and aimed at the elementary level. The five programs
must include one for Mandarin Chinese and one for indigenous Native
American languages. The Senate bill (SF 2095) provides $500,000 for model
Mandarin Chinese language programs for 2008 and 2009 and nothing else. The
conference committee must decide which version they will take, or even if
they want to take either one.

We, MnNVIA in partnership with MCTLC, are encouraging people to contact the
legislators on this conference committee, asking them to include world
languages in the final bill and support the House language here. More information plus the text of the bills can be found at: http://www.leg.state.mn.us.

Looking toward the future, MnNVIA wants to re-identify the needs of the
profession and how it will respond to them. If you want to be part of that
conversation and planning, please contact Anita Ratwik at ratwi001@umn.edu.

— submitted by Anita Ratwik, MN New Visions coordinator

Minnesota Advocates for Immersion Network (MAIN)

MAIN Receives Non-Profit Status

The Minnesota Advocates for Immersion Network (MAIN) is now a registered
Minnesota non-profit corporation. With the adoption of new bylaws, MAIN
will now focus its support of immersion programs on four fronts:

• Communication, Culture and Community
• Language Immersion Advocacy
• Personnel, Program Design and Development
• Teaching & Learning

For additional information on the work of these four MAIN committees or
if you're interested in joining MAIN, please contact Isabelle Punchard
at isapunchard@edina.k12.mn.us.

2nd Annual Immersion Celebration!

MAIN member schools have once again joined forces to bring immersion students from Minnesota's immersion programs together for the 2nd Annual Immersion Celebration! Planning group members have chosen "Immersion Anniversaries" as this year's theme. The celebration will take place on the morning of Thursday, May 10th, 2007, and be held in the auditorium of St. Louis Park Sr. High School. Last year's immersion event included K-12 performances of music, song, theater and dance in Spanish and French. We look forward to this year's gathering and the participation of Minnesota's newest immersion school languages, German and Mandarin Chinese!

Hopkins School District Sponsors International Spanish Language Academy (ISLA)

The Minnesota Department of Education recently approved the International Spanish Language Academy (ISLA), a K-6 Spanish immersion elementary charter school following the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IBPYP). Located within the boundaries of the Hopkins school district, ISLA will be opening in the fall of 2007 to students in grades K-4. ISLA will add a grade each year until a K-6 configuration is achieved. In an effort to accommodate families, ISLA will offer grades 3 and 4 this first year. Children in these grade levels will receive a FLES Spanish experience. All students beginning with a full immersion experience will have full immersion through sixth grade. As a charter school, enrollment is open to students from any district in Minnesota.

The school mission is to empower the whole child by nurturing the development of personal growth, strong character, academic excellence, and global vision. The combination of Spanish immersion and the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme will allow us to achieve this mission. The IB website, (http://www.ibo.org/pyp/) describes the principles that form the foundation of a PYP curriculum.

In the fall of 2004, a group of parents and educators began researching the charter school movement and the process for becoming a charter school in Minnesota. Aware of the large and growing demand for immersion education, the ISLA Board chose the west metro area as a location, in an effort to address this demand.

For more information contact Karen Terhaar, Board Chair at kterhaar@qwest.net or (763) 537-3922.

— Submitted by Tara Fortune, Immersion Projects Coordinator

Other Announcements

Institute for Global Studies Programs for Teachers

Chinese Classroom Strategies:
Effective Chinese Language Instruction

July 23 – 24, 2007

Teachers of Chinese language are invited to attend this seminar to learn new teaching techniques and share their own curricular tools with their peers. The two-day seminar will allow teachers to observe beginning and intermediate Chinese language courses at the University of Minnesota, followed by a “best practices” session, and an introduction to useful internet resources for Chinese language instruction led by Zhen Zou, Associate Education Specialist in Chinese language and Ling Wang, Lecturer in Chinese language.

Presenters: Zhen Zou and Ling Wang, University of Minnesota

Registration Fee: $35

For more information see: http://igs.cla.umn.edu/outreach/profdev.html

To register go to: http://igs.cla.umn.edu/outreach

K-12 Teacher Summer Institutes offered by IGS

One-week Teacher Summer Institutes challenge teachers to combine experience in applying critical thinking and problem-solving skills to international issues with the knowledge and materials needed to engage their students. To prepare our students for global citizenship in the 21st Century, the Institute for Global Studies and the European Studies Consortium are working to strengthen international studies in K-16 education. The Teacher Summer Institutes combine lectures by University of Minnesota faculty and guest speakers, small group discussions, course readings, and teaching resources to explore international issues and learn strategies for integrating global topics into existing curriculum. The Summer Institutes are funded by a Title VI grant from US Department of Education. 

Human Rights, Genocide, and the Holocaust
June 18 – 22, 2007

Improvisations, Masks, Movement and Gesture: Exploring the Practices of European Theatre Masters
June 25 – 29, 2007

Transitional Justice: Seeking Truth and Accountability for Systematic Human Rights Violations
July 9 – 13, 2007

Teaching Ethnic Studies
July 30 – August 3, 2007

Teaching Asia through Film
July 30 – August 3, 2007

For more information see: http://igs.cla.umn.edu/outreach/teacher.html

Online ESL Technology Course at Hamline

June 04 - July 16, 2007

Integrating Computer-Assisted Language Learning into the ESL/EFL Curriculum
Develop an understanding of how to effectively integrate computer activities such as websites, software, blogs, and podcasts into the communicative ESL classroom. Spend each week reading and analyzing best practices, and viewing sample lessons. Create lessons and projects with user-friendly educational technology. This course is geared toward all ESL/EFL educators, higher ed, K-12, and adult educators.

Instructors: Nima Salehi and Karin Goettsch.

Cost: $440.00

For more information see: http://www.hamline.edu/gseonline or call 651-523-2600 for more information.

Step-by-Step TPR & Storytelling Teacher Training

June 20-21, 2007
St. Paul location

This two-day workshop for World Language and ELL teachers features how to teach culture-based stories and nonfiction culture lessons while staying in the target language. Teachers learn how students can understand new language and learn content at the same time by participating in a Swedish lesson. Learn the rationale and steps for creating similar lessons. Enrollment is limited. Early registration recommended: http://www.EducatorInService.com (Special Events link) or call (612) 201-2788.

Minnesota Humanities Commission Programs

American Crossings: The Social, Cultural and Political Implications of 20th & 21st Century Latino Immigration

Monday and Tuesday, June 25-26, 2007 (Rescheduled from March due to snow)
Monday: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. and Tuesday: 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Humanities Education Center, 987 Ivy Ave E., St. Paul

This seminar will examine the impact of Latino immigration on U.S. society. We will use an interdisciplinary approach to examine historical, social, and cultural consequences of this phenomenon on “our” sense of self. Recent demographic trends have been the cause of alarm for some parts of the country that were once relatively homogenous or whose regional identity primarily conceived of race in a Black-White Paradigm. We will look at “push-pull’ social and economic factors, as well as U.S. foreign policies that have contributed to this demographic shift. Through a blend of social science and humanities texts, including film, we will gain a deeper understanding of how mass immigration changes not just the host society, but the identity of the home country and immigrants who relocate to the United States, often at great peril to their lives. Presenters will discuss how Latino immigrants from Mexico, Ecuador, the Caribbean, and Central America have changed, contributed to, and challenged the nation, the Midwest, and Minnesota as workers, as Spanish speakers, as Americanos.

This seminar will be led by Dr. Louis Mendoza, Department Chair and Associate Professor, Department of Chicano Studies, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. This seminar is cosponsored by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese-MN and the Minnesota Council for the Teaching of Languages and Cultures.

Fee: $135. Fees include materials, continental breakfasts, lunches and Monday overnight lodging. Because of limited availability, lodging is reserved for those traveling from outside the Twin Cities metro area. Register now at https://secure.minnesotahumanities.org/secure/tiregister.phtml.

Graduate Credit: One semester credit from Hamline University is available for an additional fee of $106. Participants should register for credit at the seminar and payment must be made separately from the general seminar registration fees.

Minnesota ABE: Building Bridges for Student Success

Literacy Minnesota and the Minnesota Community Education Association are now seeking presentation proposals for the 2007 ABE Statewide Summer Institute, Minnesota ABE: Building Bridges for Student Success, which will be held on August 8-10 at St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN. Presentations will focus on the following broad areas: ABE Program Management and Coordination, Promising Practices in Curriculum and Instruction, Accountability, and Community Education. We strongly encourage new and experienced ABE staff to consider sharing their ideas and expertise with their colleagues at this statewide conference.

For more information see: http://www.literacyminnesota.org/Summer_Institute.html

Improving Practice, Improving Learner Progress

May 21-22, 2007

This workshop for ESL teachers of adults is sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Education and Hamline University. For more information see: http://mnabe.themlc.org/ABEcalendar.html.

Department of Education's Teacher-to-Teacher Workshops
Focus on Foreign Languages

July 26-27, 2007
San Diego State University

San Diego State University and the US Department of Education's Title VI office join the Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative to offer a free, two-day workshop on the University's campus. Foreign Language teachers in grades K-12 are invited to come and learn from some of the nation’s best teachers as they share strategies for raising student achievement in the classroom. Teachers may be able to earn professional development credit through their district or state for participating.

For more information see: https://www.t2tweb.us/Workshops/EventInfo.asp?EventID=68

STARTALK Opportunities for Students and Teachers of Arabic and Chinese

STARTALK is one of the projects of the National Security Language Initiative, a multi-agency effort to expand foreign language education - particularly in under-taught critical languages -- by funding new and existing programs throughout students' learning careers, kindergarten through university; and to provide incentives and rewards for foreign language learning and use in the work force. (See the Interagency Language Roundtable homepage: http://www.govtilr.org/). For information about the Initiative, see http://www.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/competitiveness/nsli/nsli.pdf.

In the summer of 2007, the STARTALK project will provide funding for programs to offer Arabic and Chinese language study for high school students AND professional development opportunities for teachers of Arabic and Chinese.

Over 400 students and teachers will enroll in STARTALK Arabic programs this summer. See the programs available: http://www.nflc.org/projects/current_projects/startalk/Arabic.php

Over 1350 students and teachers will enroll in STARTALK Chinese programs this summer. See the programs available: http://www.nflc.org/projects/current_projects/startalk/chinese.php

STARTALK opportunity in Minnesota

Concordia Language Villages has STARTALK scholarship money available for teachers who are currently teaching or who are planning to teach Arabic or Chinese. Teacher seminars are two-week graduate courses in second language and immersion methodologies. 

Scholarships are also available for high school-aged (rising freshman through rising seniors) students who wish to study either of these languages.  Students may select a two- or four-week residential experience. 

Both programs take place in northern Minnesota in the Bemidji area. No previous language experience is necessary for high school students.
Concordia Language Villages has a proven track record in language and culture immersion education for over 50 years. 

For more information see: http://www.ConcordiaLanguageVillages.org/educators/teacher_seminar.asp 

or call 218-299-3735.

Dual U (Dual Language Instruction) Training of Trainers

June 20-22, 2007
Santa Fe, New Mexico

Participate in a comprehensive, three day training of trainers for staff developers in beautiful Santa Fe, New Mexico led by Else Hamayan, Fred Genesee, and Nancy Cloud, the authors of Dual Language Instruction: A Handbook for Enriched Education. This training is based on Dual U's eight module curriculum designed to assist elementary and secondary teachers and administrators in developing, implementing, and assessing dual language programs.

Download a registration form at http://www.thecenterweb.org/irc/pdf/dualu-sum07.pdf.

Registration deadline is June 1, 2007.

Goldman Sachs Foundation Youth Prize

Five Prizes of $10,000 Each to Be Awarded to High School Students
Asia Society and The Goldman Sachs Foundation are pleased to announce the 2007 Goldman Sachs Foundation Youth Prize for Excellence in International Education. The 2007 competition asks students to select a problem or challenge that affects their local community as well as a community outside the United States; to create an in-depth written, audio, video, or animated feature that compares and contrasts how these two communities have addressed the issue; and to explain why these approaches reflect the different cultural backgrounds of those involved, and what lessons the different communities could learn from each other. Five winners will be selected and will receive up to $10,000 each.

For more information see: http://askasia.org/students/gsfprizes.html

The deadline for applications is June 11, 2007.

FYI — For Your Information

All English primary schools to teach foreign languages by 2010

The government in England announced in March that every child in England will start learning a modern foreign language in primary school from the age of seven. From 2010, it will be a compulsory part of the national curriculum for children from the age of seven to 14 to study a modern foreign language, as the government attempts "to put languages at the heart of learning," said the education secretary, Alan Johnson.

The recommendation to put modern foreign languages on the primary school timetable was made by Lord Dearing today in his final report which followed his comprehensive review of school languages policy.  Modern languages were dropped as a compulsory subject for 14 to 16-year-olds in 2002, despite protests from teachers and other organizations with an interest in promoting language.
Results of this years' General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) reflected a fall in the number of teenagers choosing to study a modern language. The number of candidates studying French fell by 13.2% compared with last year, while those teenagers opting for German fell by 14.2%. There was also a small fall in students choosing GCSE Spanish.

Of the new policy Education Secretary Johnson said: "We are about to embark on a renaissance in languages in schools and beyond."  He said: "I want languages to be at the heart of learning. The earlier you start learning a language the better. Making language study compulsory from seven to 14 will give pupils seven years to build their knowledge, confidence and experience."

Lord Dearing said:  "We learnt from pupils during the consultation that one menu does not fit all. We want to see pupils, whatever their backgrounds, achieve at levels appropriate to them - recognising their achievements and providing greater choice."

Note: The excerpt above is based on an article written by Debbie Andalo, published in the Education Guardian on 3/12/2007.  See: http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,,2032012,00.html

Census Data on Foreign-Born People by State

The Migration Policy Institute has released a new research tool that provides information on the foreign born workforce in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The tool provides detailed information on the top occupations and industries of native-born and foreign-born people; growth in foreign-born workers between 2000 and 2005; workers' English-proficiency levels and languages they speak at home; and the percentage of the state workforce that is foreign born compared to other states.

Some of the facts about foreign-born people in Minnesota include:

The foreign-born population of Minnesota changed by 25.8 percent between 2000 and 2005.
Between 2000 and 2005, the foreign-born population in Minnesota changed from 251,718 to 316,716, representing a change of 25.8 percent. In comparison, the foreign-born population changed from 109,212 to 251,718 between 1990 and 2000, a difference of 130.5 percent.

Of the total foreign-born population in Minnesota, 38.7 percent entered during the 1990s, and 28.0 percent entered in 2000 or later.
Of the foreign-born population resident in Minnesota in 2005, 13.9 percent entered the country prior to 1980, 19.4 percent between 1980 and 1989, 38.7 percent between 1990 and 1999, and 28.0 percent in 2000 or later. Nationally, 24.1 percent of the foreign-born population entered the country before 1980, 22.2 percent during the 1980s, 31.5 percent during the 1990s, and 22.2 percent in 2000 or later.

The largest share of the foreign-born population in Minnesota were from Asia.
Of the total foreign-born population in Minnesota in 2005, 15.7 percent were from Africa, 39.2 percent from Asia, 13.9 percent from Europe, 27.4 percent from Latin America (South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean), 3.4 percent from Northern America (Canada, Bermuda, Greenland, and St. Pierre and Miquelon), and 0.3 percent from Oceania.

The top three countries of birth of the foreign born in Minnesota were Mexico, Laos, and India.
Of the total foreign-born population in Minnesota in 2005, 18.1 percent were born in Mexico, 7.5 percent in Laos, and 5.6 percent in India.

At the national level, the top three countries of birth were Mexico (30.7 percent), China (4.9 percent), and the Philippines (4.5 percent).
In Minnesota, 40.2 percent of the foreign-born were citizens in 2005.
The 2005 American Community Survey reported that 127,243, or 40.2 percent, of the foreign-born population in Minnesota were citizens, compared to 94,092, or 37.4 percent, in 2000. This represents a change of 35.2 percent in the size of the foreign-born citizen population between 2000 and 2005.

The foreign-born LEP population age 5 and older in Minnesota increased by 24.9 percent between 2000 and 2005.
Between 2000 and 2005, the number of foreign-born persons age 5 and older in Minnesota who were LEP increased from 113,036 to 141,138, representing a change of 24.9 percent. In comparison, the size of the foreign-born LEP population grew from 40,358 to 113,036 between 1990 and 2000, a difference of 180.1 percent.

In 2005, 30.2 percent of foreign-born persons in Minnesota had a college degree, while 28.9 percent never completed high school.
In 2005, 30.2 percent of Minnesota's foreign-born population age 25 and older had a bachelor's or higher degree, while 28.9 percent lacked a high school diploma. In comparison, 30.7 percent of native-born persons above the age of 25 had a bachelor's or higher degree in 2005, and 7.5 percent lacked a high school diploma. In 2000, 29.9 percent of the foreign born in Minnesota had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 30.3 percent had less than a high school diploma. In 1990, 28.9 percent had a college degree and 30.1 percent lacked a high school diploma.

Rankings

The following shows Minnesota's rankings in several categories. All rankings include the 50 states and the District of Columbia and are ranked highest to lowest.

For more facts and data on foreign-born people in the U.S. and Minnesota see: http://www.migrationinformation.org/Datahub/acscensus.cfm

Resources for Teachers

Peace Corps World Wise Schools

Spotlight on Foreign Languages

One of the main components of Peace Corps service is learning another language. Peace Corps Volunteers learn local languages such as Paraguay's Guaraní and widely used languages such as Mandarin Chinese. To prepare them for this challenge, the Peace Corps has prepared foreign language podcasts for its trainees. World Wise Schools is making these available to you so you can learn like a Peace Corps Volunteer.

These audios provide a window to the world for your students. Each audio is approximately 20 minutes long. Subscribe and listen to language lessons from around the world. Click on a language lesson in order to listen to the lesson in your default media player. Or you can subscribe to the lessons as podcasts. Learn more about podcasts. Currently, we offer:

• Mandarin Chinese
• Jordanian Arabic
• Malian French
• Kazakh Russian

Find out more at: http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/multimedia/language/index.cfm

Forum on ASIA in the Curriculum

This discussion board was created by a group of undergraduate and secondary school educators who teach about Asia. It includes discussions on teaching methods and tips, study tours and exchanges, and more. The Forum on Asia in the Curriculum is jointly supported by: the ASIANetwork; the Committee on Teaching about Asia (CTA) of the Association for Asian Studies (AAS); the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA); the Asian Studies Development Program (ASDP); the Council of Conferences (COC) of the Association for Asian Studies (AAS); the Chinese Language Association of Secondary-Elementary Schools (CLASS) and the National Council of Japanese Language Teachers (NCJLT).

Join the discussion and check out the resources at: http://asiainthecurriculum.org/eve/forums

New Book on Content-Based Language Instruction

Learning and Teaching Languages Through Content
A counterbalanced approach

This new book by Roy Lyster at McGill University presents an updated perspective on integrating language and content in ways that engage second language learners with language across the curriculum. A range of instructional practices observed in immersion and content-based classrooms is highlighted to set the stage for justifying a counterbalanced approach that integrates both content-based and form-focused instructional options as complementary ways of intervening to develop a learner’s interlanguage system. A counterbalanced approach is outlined as an array of opportunities for learners to process language through content by means of comprehension, awareness, and production mechanisms, and to negotiate language through content by means of
interactional strategies involving teacher scaffolding and feedback.

For more information or to order see: http:// www.benjamins.com

Education Resources Information Center (ERIC)

The Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) is an internet-based digital library of education research and information sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education. Its re-designed website has a more powerful search engine, faster-loading pages, and an updated home page design including up-front links to ERIC features and information. A great place to look for research information and resources on any educational topic.

See: http://www.eric.ed.gov/