K-12 Gateway to the Less Commonly Taught Languages

[Francis Hult]

Via ILR-INFO...

 

The UCLA Language Materials Project announces the new


 


K-12 Gateway 


to the Less Commonly Taught Languages


 

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

 

 

The UCLA Language Materials Project (LMP) has launched an abundant new site for elementary and secondary foreign language teachers, the K-12 Gateway to the Less Commonly Taught Languages.

The core of the site is a complete set of downloadable lesson plans and supplementary materials for teaching a first year language class. 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. Pilot-tested by K-12 teachers from Anchorage to Virginia, the site offer easy navigation to a wealth of information.

 

In addition to the lessons, there is a section on curriculum design, standards, and proficiency-based teaching. A resource section offers links to national Language Resource Centers, language teachers associations, teachers' forums, assessment guides, and professional development opportunities.

 

The K-12 Gateway resides within the larger 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 LMP has augmented the bibliography 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 less-commonly taught languages such as Arabic, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, and Russian, even in the primary grades, has increased substantially. But there are a limited number of textbooks and classroom materials available for learners below college level. Likewise there are seldom curricula or state standards for teachers to follow. The LMP's new 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 try out the Gateway at www.lmp.ucla.edu/K-12 

 

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