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Communicative EnglishThis program is composed of Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate and Upper-Intermediate and Advanced courses taught in twelve levels through which students are expected to develop the four abilities of the English Language:

Listening comprehension, oral communication, reading comprehension and written expression.

The program is based on a communicative approach of learning a second language. Each course presents topics of great interest to students creating opportunities to generate discussion and promote the development of linguistic and communicative abilities.

Cool gusts of wind lift the brown and orange leaves of autumn to announce this month in the northern hemisphere. In tropical Nicaragua marching bands with students in uniform musicalize all cities and villages as they practice for the big patriotic parade.

The newest National Holiday is also in September and coincidentally called Patriot’s Day, to honor and commemorate the lives lost in the terrorist attack of 2001.

September’s birthstone is the sapphire and it symbolizes clear thinking. Sometimes life has senseless circumstances that challenge our core beliefs and force a person or nation to decide on a future that has revealed itself to be uncertain. These crossroads either make us better or worse; good decisions depend on taking the time to sit down and reflect.

Patriot’s Day is the choice of remembering the beauty of living in a thriving and free society rather than dwelling on loss or anger. Four days after Patriot’s Day is when Hispanic Heritage Month begins. I guess its symbolic to an immenent present and future of a nation who’s history has always been about growth.

On the second week of this month in 1821, all of Central America decided to put an end to Spanish colonialism in the region. Another American melting pot continued to boil and to define new cultures, States and identities as it joined its sisters from the North and South in forging intertwined histories.

Nowadays people are closer together than they have ever been, to the extent that afrodescendants in Latin America proudly identify themselves with the achievement of a President Obama and at the same time the US expresses a deep appreciation of its Latin-American ingredients.

The Editor.

September:a time for Patriots

www.ccnn.org.ni September 2009

Centro Cultural Nicaragüense Norteamericano

Graduates from the Communicative English program in Esteli received their diplomas on September 5th from their professor, Edson Rodriguez, Jorge Moreno (Academic Director) and Mary Helen Espinosa (Executive Director).

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the Binational Center Directors’ ConferenceKathleen Boyle, Counselor for Public Affairs at the US Embassy in Managua, and Mary Helen Espinosa, new Executive Director of the CCNN, attended the Binational Center Directors’ Conference on August 11th and 12th in Washington, DC.

More than 50 Directors of Binational Centers (BNC) from 18 countries in Latin America also attended the exciting conference called “Relaunching the Partnership;” a celebration of BNC´s contributions to public diplomacy and a new emphasis on the ties that allow for the

www.ccnn.org.ni September 2009

continued promotion of mutual understanding between Latin America and the United States.

Special speakers included Judith McHale, new Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy, and Craig Kelly, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs. The message of renewed partnerships and strengthening relationships was a recurrent theme that left the participants enthusiastic and energized to return to their home countries and continue the excellent work being done by BNC´s.

Celebrate Holidays in the USA

On August, 22 CCNN faculty attended a workshop on celebrating US holidays with the purpose of focusing on new activities that teach about American culture.

Teachers found the workshop materials to be flexible. A critique that they made was that there was a lack of exercises for the vocabulary section.

One of the favorite sections is Extension Activities. An idea they greatly appreciated was to provide teachers with very useful online resources.

“A letter from the the USA” was cosidered a great exercise in which students get to practice their speaking, writing and listening skills.

Another great way to encourage more participation is to contrast American holidays with Nicaraguan celebrations.

The teachers are specially excited about the ¨Celebrate¨ book and CDs

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Children learn through their own curiosity

CCNN’s prep programs for children have been developed with the main goal of setting a strong foundation in the student’s learning process. This will be the base of understanding more, at a greater pace, in the more demanding levels.

Programs in CCNN have been carefully designed with the purpose of integrating activities that encourage and make the learning of a new language an entertaining experience.

Students are instructed through methods based on experimentalism and an integral approach to the English language through reading, listening, speaking and writing.

The Experimental Method encourages children to make their own discoveries and to advance at an individual pace, through fun class projects.

Children’s Prep Programs

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SETI Alumnus Trains Nicaraguan ESL Teachers

On August 28, 2009, Franklin Tellez, CCNN adult program coordinator and an alumnus recently returned from a Summer Institute program in Hawaii, they delivered a presentation to a group of 20 English teachers in the city of Leon, Nicaragua.

Tellez has been conducting training and workshop for his colleagues since 2007 as part of a joint effort of the members of the CCNN faculty, American Corner, and the Information Resource Center (IRC) in Managua to provide local English teachers with new tools and updated information to improve their language and teaching skills. In the recent session, Tellez chose the topic “Teaching U.S. Culture in the English Classroom” and talked about his experience and lessons learned while attending his training at the Hawaii Pacific University this summer.

Tellez also discussed the new teaching materials developed by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural

Affairs (ECA) and English teachers themselves. He also talked about the use of internet to conduct research, and he encouraged his colleagues to apply to the various programs and academic opportunities for teachers and students offered by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua. The program also included presentations by the American Corner coodinator and the IRC director.

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MARK TWAINThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is widely considered one of the greatest American novels ever written it follows on Mark Twain’s earlier novel The Adventures fo Tom Sawyer. This book inspired controversy with its rich local color and often scathing examinations of racism. The story of Huckleberry Finn abounds with enduring lessons and images and is one of Twain’s greatest novels.

American Masterpiece Recommendation

UNI-IES STUDENT’S FINAL POSTER PRESENTATIONS

The Emily Dickinson Library

from: http://www.americanliterature.com

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EducationUSA On September 3rd EducationUSA made a one-hour presentation to seniors at Colegio Alemàn Nicaraguense, coordinated with school counselor John Brown. Presentation was conducted by AC Coordinator and EducationUSA adviser fully in English. Students learned about Opportunity Grant and services that American Corner and EducationUSA provide in Nicaragua. Also, tips and questions about TOEFL and SAT were answered. Materials samples of EducationUSA were given to students, such as brochures and Study in the USA magazines.

EducationUSA Adviser and ANS ELI director, Mr. Hennigston Hammond, visited the ANS ELI branch in Leòn, on Saturday morning session. The English language courses are taught at the location of bilingual school Mi Mundo. Three presentations were conducted fully in English to the following levels: 10, 11 and 12 together, level 13 and level 14, in three different classrooms. Each presentation lasted approximately 20 minutes including questions and answers.

Adviser talked about Youth Ambassadors, UGRAD, English Intensive program, Opportunity Grant and Fulbright programs. Mr. Hammond talked about his experience as a former Fulbright scholar and encouraged students to visit the US embassy website and learn about the opportunities available.

CCNN’s NewsletterExecutive Director................Mary Helen EspinosaAcademic Director............................Jorge MorenoChildren’s Program........................Asdrúbal CaneloAdult’s Program................................Franklin TèllezLibrarian............................Maria Victoria MendietaAcademic Registry..........................Yadira CalderónAmerican Corner.........................Nubia ManzanaresEducationUSA Adviser..........Ana Alejandra Alemán

Comments: AlvaroAVergara@gmail.com

www.ccnn.org.ni September 2009

American Corner

AMERICAN CORNER has a small collection of audiovisual resources on topics like: American Music, American History, and Biographies, as well as three computers with Internet access. It is located on the second floor in the Library’s reading area. AMERICAN CORNER schedules movie presentations every week or by visitor’s request. All services are free of charge.

Visit Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Tel. 255-7171 ext 238

americancorner@cablenet.com.niSecond Floor Biblioteca Roberto Incer BarqueroCentral Bank of Nicaragua LibraryBy Pass 7 sur, Managua, Nicaragua