Latest News from NNELL

If you have not joined NNELL-make it your New Year's Resolution to do so!  As a holiday gift I cave my internship a membership(Yes-they have gift membership!).  Do you know someone with young children or a new teacher?  Consider giving the gift of language advocacy.  

The following are a couple of excerpts from the recent NNELL eNews:

2014 Illinois Foreign Language Teacher of the Year: NNELL Member, Kathleen A. Priceman

It is our pleasure to announce that NNELL Member Kathleen A. Priceman is the 2015 Illinois Foreign Language Teacher of the Year. She will compete this spring for the honor of 2015 Central Sates Foreign Language Teacher of the Year.In 1997 Kathleen began teaching at Oak Park Elementary District 97 as one of the original immersion teachers in the district. Mrs. Priceman is passionate about students’ learning the cultures and traditions of the Spanish-speaking countries around the world. She teaches students traditional Latin dances in preparation for the annual Gran Fandango performance. She exposes students to the many different foods in Spanish cultures. In addition, she coordinates all the immersion students and their parents in preparation for their participation and performances during the District 97 Ethnic Festival and Parade.

Congratulations Kathleen!

Generation Study Abroad

On behalf of Institute for International Education (IIE)'s Generation Study Abroad Team, I'd like to thank you for the amazing work you are doing with early language learners to open up the minds of students to the world beyond our borders. We would greatly appreciate it if you would "Take the Pledge" and share this initiative with fellow teachers and administrators in your town, across your state and the US. In addition to signing the pledge -- just a commitment to keep doing what you're doing -- you will find all kinds of great resources on the site that has been created for teachers. We recognize that teachers are busy, and would benefit from a centrally-located source of materials, so we've organized resources in the following categories: 1) ways to internationalize the classroom, 2) Study Abroad stories, 3) opportunities for professional development, 4) local, global connections, and 5) information on Generation Study Abroad.

Our goal is to double the number of students studying abroad while in college, and administrators like you can support your teachers as they open the world to students and help plant the seed for study abroad in college.

The official launch of the #I'mOnBoard campaign won't be until January, but we're trying to gin up support and pledges before then to announce! So please take the pledge and share the site with as many people as possible!

It's never too early to talk to our students about opportunities for study and travel abroad!

Thanks,
Stacie Berdan, author and parent
www.stacieberdan.com

A Bilingual Brain is a Smarter Brain

Looking for a good article to help you advocate for language learning? Click here to access the Medical Daily article.

Illinois at ACTFL

Both Kathleen and I are are so pleased to be able to network with other elementary teachers and our colleagues at NNELL here at the ACTFL Convention in San Antonio.  NNELL has just announced their summer workshop information and I will soon post that for you to be able to consider it in your summer plans.  We know for sure it will feature Helena Curtain. If you are on social media-check out NNELL's new hashtag: #EarlyLang to network with other early language teachers.

If you are not a member of NNELL-sign up!  Let's advocate for our early language programs!

 Pictured: New NNELL President, Nadine Jacobsen-McClean, Kathleen Priceman, Valerie Shull, Leann Wilcoxen

Teacher of the Year finalist Carrie Toth-from Illinois- at ACTFL Opening General Session

 The Illinois delegation at ACTFL Opening General Session

Recruiting new members for NNELL at the Exhibit Hall

Gearing up for ACTFL!

Are you headed to San Antonio for this year's ACTFL Convention? There's a lot happening for FLES teachers. Be sure to check out some of these sessions for FLES Teachers:


NNELL Sponsored Workshops 

• Multi-Dimensional Thematic Units with a Global Perspective # 162
• Connecting with the Common Core in the Early Language Learning #2259
• Common Core and FLES: Language Learning with Nonfiction Texts #1867

Illinois FLES teacher Valerie Shull 's workshop

•  Assessing and Developing Proficiency at the Elementary Level #112

NNELL ACTFL Activities:

• NNELL Networking Breakfast :The NNELL annual breakfast provides attendees an opportunity to network with other early language-learning professionals. Join us for conversation on the latest in early language learning from leading professionals in the field. Sponsored by ACTFL and Santillana USA. Admission is by ticket only. 

Location: Grand Ballroom C2 (Convention Center), Saturday, November 22, 7:30-9am. The keynote presentation for this event “ Reaching Our Littlest Ones From Day One” by Leslie Davison

Sign up for the NNELL Networking breakfast and you could win one of these great prizes:
-One NNELL membership ($30 value)
-One free NNELL webinar ($35 value)
-One Free Registration to the NNELL Summer Institute ($200 value)

• NNELL Membership Meeting       5:00 PM - 6:00 PM; at The Grand Hyatt Hotel

Great Blogs for FLES Teachers

What did we do before Pinterest?   There are some great blogs for FLES teachers out there that provide ideas, materials and news from the from lines of early language classrooms!  Here are some of my favorites-please add yours by clicking on the comments link below.

www.Spanishplayground.net
I cannot say enough about this blog and its author. This teacher/blogger is prolific(so much so that if you follow her on FB or Pinterest, you will have materials in your inbox daily). Perfect for teachers of preschool and elementary.

www.Spanishsimply.com
This blog is written by a PreK-early elementary FLES teacher. She shares her classroom practices and materials that she's using.

So, now it's your turn. What blogs are you following and using as a resource?

ACTFL's October/November Language Educator Focuses on Comprehensible Input/Output

This month's Language Educator published by ACTFL focuses on comprehensible input/output. Below is a link to an article that is relevant to those of us in FLES-trying to squeeze the most out of every minute with have with the children.

Maintaining an Immersion Setting in the Early Language Classroom

ICTFL Fall Conference

During this year's ICTFL conference, which was designed around the Danielson Framework, we were asked to reflect and make plans for how to implement the new learning in our classrooms.  What sorts of plans do you have for your classroom as inspired by the conference?  Share in the comments!

Couldn't make this year's conference?  Check out the uploaded presentations for FLES teachers:

Domain 2: Learning Environment

Domain 3: Instruction(Assessment/Lesson Planning)

Domain 4: Professionalism(OPI Training for Elementary Teachers)

NNELL News October 2014

Hi, It's Kathleen!   Below are two flyers  of interest to our community and that you can share.
Valerie and I are asking everyone to join NNELL!

One of the benefits of NNELL membership is more than a dozen prewritten letters to parents explaining early language learning and its  benefits.  Check them out and let us know how you're using them.  

Please share the brochure about NNELL and invite parents to join our organization.  We want to create  a system of early language learning in Illinois that supports each student in achieving the Seal of Biliteracy by high school graduation.  We believe that it is within reach of every child if we provide them the opportunity to have an early start!


NNELL Brochure
NNELL at ACTFL 2014

Welcome to Illinois FLES!

Welcome to our new information hub!

My name is Valerie Shull-a long time Spanish teacher in Chicago and member of ICTFL and NNELL.  My background is working in a Montessori environment teaching language for children ages six to fourteen-so FLES teachers are near and dear to my heart.  As a contributor to the FLES blog, I will post information that is important for  IL FLES teachers and help to connect our community. I hope you will sign up to follow and contribute comments!   Below is an introduction from our NNELL representative and Immediate Past President of ICTFL, Kathleen Priceman.  Welcome!

Hello and welcome!  I am Kathleen Priceman the NNELL State Representative for Illinois.  I have been a language teacher for decades and am as enthusiastic as ever about creating more opportunities for young children to begin their lifelong journey of learning about life through multiple language experiences.  For the past 16 years I have been a Spanish Immersion teacher in Oak Park. 

I am the Immediate Past President of ICTFL and the current chair of the FLES committee of that organization.  I am also a member of AATSP and ACTFL.  I am most excited to be the Illinois NNELL representative as I see this as a tremendous opportunity to open a new line of communication between the most ardent supporters of early language learning for children PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS, AND LANGUAGE TEACHERS, SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS and BUSINESS LEADERS.

Most elementary language teachers work in relative isolation and are constantly fighting to maintain funding for their programs.  Elementary school administrators  are concerned with diminishing resources and ever expanding demands to  meet new standards and mandated regulations.   One can hardly blame them for not being able to find the time or funding to provide instructional programs  which are not mandated.  We all know that early language programs have been proven through research to be integral to the cognitive development of youngsters. But how do we share that information with the people who are in the position to implement  programs that put that research into action?  Too often wonderful elementary programs are discontinued or never started in the first place.  Many excellent programs exist and should be duplicated, but are not. 

I have witnessed in my own community the rapid rise of preschool world language programs.  In fact there are few if any preschool programs in my town that do not offer some type of early language exposure for their students.  We have at least two immersion pre- school programs and countless bilingual or immersion in-home day care options.  

Most of the parents of these youngsters would like to see a continuation of the rich language learning environment into the elementary school.  We are very fortunate to have a Spanish FLES program, and one small immersion program.  But for many residents these programs are insufficient.  In other communities, there are no language opportunities in the local elementary schools, even though the children have had pre-school world language experience.  

When I explain to people my position as an immersion teacher, parents of young children usually comment that they wish that their children or grandchildren could benefit from early language learning.  They then tell me that unfortunately there are no programs in their community. I am very excited to report that I can now show those parents and grandparents a way for them to advocate for early language programs.

Imagine if all the teachers, parents and supporters of early language learning joined NNELL, and then used the wealth of advocacy information to inform school boards, school administrators of the advantages that early language acquisition provides for youngsters! 

If one parent in every preschool in Illinois joined NNELL and set up a coffee meet and greet to share the website……. What might happen?  

Let’s get started and see where we go!