#172
Do you have a World Language Honor Society in your school? Have you thought about bringing one to your school? In this episode, Regina Symonds, a French teacher in Massachusetts, joins me to talk about the benefits of having a language honor society in your school. She shares the details for starting and maintaining a chapter along with cultural, social and service activities that group members engage in. You might be thinking that these language honor societies are just for high school students. Not the case, there are also opportunities for middle schools to get involved.

Topics in this Episode:

• what World Language Honor Societies are
• the benefits for students who participate in World Language Honor Societies, both academically and personally
• success stories and examples of World Language Honor Societies have making a significant impact on students and the school community
• how schools can effectively promote and support World Language Honor Societies to encourage more student involvement
• practical steps and strategies teachers can take to establish and maintain a successful World Language Honor Society in their schools
• Honor Society websites:
  • French
  • Spanish
  • German
  • Chinese
  • Italian
  • Latin

Connect with Regina Symonds:

• Facebook
• Instagram

Connect with Joshua and the World Language Classroom Community:

• wlclassrom.com
• X (aka Twitter): @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom
• Instagram: @wlclassroom
• Facebook: /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

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Interested in having Joshua work directly with your department, school or district? Look at options for collaborating in person or remotely.
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Sign up for Talking Points to get tips, tools and resources for your language teaching.
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Join Joshua as a guest on the podcast.
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Join Joshua for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode on the podcast.

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

#171
How do your students engage with culture in your classroom? One way to approach cultural topics is to look specifically at Cultural Products, Practices and Perspectives. Focusing on these cultural aspects helps students develop intercultural competence, which will then make language learning more meaningful and relevant to them. It also allows students to see beyond language and understand the people who speak it. In this episode I share practical strategies to engage students in understanding Cultural Products Practices and Perspectives.

Topics in this Episode:

• High Leverage Teaching Practices from Enacting the Work of Language Instruction by Eileen Glisan and Richard Donato
  • Episode 160: Create a Classroom Where Students Use the Target Language Confidently
  • Episode 162: Facilitating Target Language Comprehensibility
  • Episode 164: Teach Grammar in a Communicative Context
  • Episode 167: Guiding Learners to Interpret and Discuss Authentic Texts
• Cultural Products: Tangible and intangible items created by a culture, such as art, literature, music, food and traditions.
• Cultural Practices: The patterns of behavior accepted by a society, including customs, rituals, and routines.
• Cultural Perspectives: The underlying values, beliefs, and attitudes that shape how a culture views the world.
• Cultural Value Dimensions
• 5 Strategies for engaging students in Cultural Products, Practices and Perspectives
  • Selecting Authentic Cultural Materials
  • Contextualizing Cultural Practices
  • Facilitating Communicative Interactions around Cultural Products, Practices and Perspectives
  • Reflecting on Cultural Perspectives
    
    
  • Integrating Cultural Learning with Language Skills

**Be sure to download the The CI Toolbox. 15 Comprehensible Input (CI) activities for your language classroom to support comprehension and authentic engagement. These suggestions are a compilation of ideas shared on the World Language Classroom Podcast by me and many guests.

Connect with Joshua and the World Language Classroom Community:

• wlclassrom.com
• X (aka Twitter): @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom
• Instagram: @wlclassroom
• Facebook: /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

__________________________
Interested in having Joshua work directly with your department, school or district? Look at options for collaborating in person or remotely.
______________________________
Sign up for Talking Points to get tips, tools and resources for your language teaching.
______________________________
Join Joshua as a guest on the podcast.
______________________________
Join Joshua for a Leveling Up C

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.

#170
What do you know about calendar talks? Maybe you have tried them yourself and maybe you’re hearing about them for the first time. In today’s episode I speak with John Sifert, a Spanish teacher in Iowa. John, aka Padre de Cinco, walks us through the many benefits of using calendar talk activities, along with actionable suggestions for engaging students in speaking about a variety of topics that go beyond simply saying the date. Whether calendar talks are new to you, or if you're looking for some ways to enhance how you are already doing it , you will walk from this episode with actionable tips and suggestions.

Topics in this Episode:

• what Calendar Talk is and how it goes beyond just discussing the calendar
• how Calendar Talk can be adapted to suit different proficiency levels and keep all students engaged
• specific topics and activities that teachers can incorporate into Calendar Talk to make it more interactive and meaningful for students
• examples where Calendar Talk has significantly enhanced students' language learning and classroom interaction in John classroom
• practical steps and strategies that can teachers take to implement Calendar Talk in their classrooms to maximize its effectiveness and student participation

Connect with John Sifert:

• YouTube
• Facebook
• Website
• Newsletter
• Email: john@padredecinco.com
• Instagram

Connect with Joshua and the World Language Classroom Community:

• wlclassrom.com
• X (aka Twitter): @wlclassroom
• Threads: @wlclassroom
• Instagram: @wlclassroom
• Facebook: /wlclassroom
• WLClassroom Facebook Group

__________________________
Interested in having Joshua work directly with your department, school or district? Look at options for collaborating in person or remotely.
______________________________
Sign up for Talking Points to get tips, tools and resources for your language teaching.
______________________________
Join Joshua as a guest on the podcast.
______________________________
Join Joshua for a Leveling Up Coaching Episode on the podcast.

Send me a text and let me know your thoughts on this episode or the podcast.