K-12 Gateway to the Less Commonly Taught Languages

[Francis Hult]

Via ILR-INFO...



The UCLA Language Materials Project announces the completion of the


 


K-12 Gateway 


to the Less Commonly Taught Languages


 

http://www.lmp.ucla.edu/k-12

 

 

The UCLA Language Materials Project (LMP) is proud to announce the completion of the lesson plan component of its stimulating new site for elementary and secondary foreign language teachers, the K-12 Gateway to the Less Commonly Taught Languages.

The core of the Gateway is a complete set of downloadable lesson plans and supplementary materials for teaching a first year language course. Written in English, the plans can be adapted to any language and grade level.       

 

The lessons were created by Florence Martin of California State University Long Beach, who has taught languages at all levels from kindergarten through college, and speaks two Less Commonly Taught Languages. Over 100 lessons are grouped into 20 thematic units packed with stimulating activities for communicative learning.

 

Pilot-tested by K-12 teachers from Anchorage to Virginia, the Gateway offers easy navigation to a wealth of information. Beyond the lessons, there is a component on curriculum design, standards, and proficiency-based teaching. A resource section offers links to Language Resource Centers, teachers' associations and forums, curriculum and assessment guides, journals, and professional development opportunities.

 

The K-12 Gateway resides within the established Language Materials Project website. Gateway visitors are only a click away from the language profiles and authoritative bibliography of teaching materials for which the LMP has been known since 1992. The bibliography has been augmented with detailed citations of several hundred items for younger audiences.

 

The recent increase of federal interest in foreign languages has kindled a language renaissance in K-12 schools across the nation. The number of classes for such less-commonly taught languages as Arabic, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, and Russian has increased substantially even in the primary grades. But the range of textbooks and classroom materials available for learners below college level is limited. Teachers are also confronted by a lack of curricula or state standards to follow. The K-12 Gateway responds to those needs.

 

The Gateway was created with support from the US Department of Education's Title VI, International Research and Studies program.

 

We invite you to visit the K-12 Gateway at www.lmp.ucla.edu/K-12 and send us your suggestions for enhancing the site.

 

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