In a completely rational society, the best of us would be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something less.--Lee Iacocca

There's no word in the language I revere more than 'teacher.' My heart sings when a kid refers to me as his teacher, and it always has. I've honored myself and the entire family of man by becoming a teacher.--Pat Conroy, Prince of Tides

By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection which is noblest second, by imitation, which is the easiest and third, by experience, which is the bitterest.--Confucius

Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer. Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance and a lack of harmony and proportion is more readily seen. --Leonardo da Vinci

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed from the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. --Mark Twain

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year.--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap ... but by the seeds you plant! --Robert Louis Stevenson

Live as if your were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever! --Mohandis K. Gandhi

Life is not important except for the impact it has on other’s lives. --Epitaph on Jackie Robinson's headstone

When one teaches, two learn.--Robert Half

FUEL

Although we all learn from experience, more and more experience does not guarantee more and more learning. Twenty years of teaching may not equate to

twenty years of learning about teaching but may be

only one year repeated twenty times.

Beaty L (1997) Developing your teaching through reflective practice (Birmingham: SEDA)

FIVE FACTORS THAT CAN HELP BOOST MOTIVATION

I must credit Ellen Shraeger and Laurie Clarq for the inspiration behind most of the ideas listed below. Their posts on FLTeach are the ones that most get to the heart of language teaching.

1. Do I share the purpose of every activity with students? Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2001 06:36:11 EDTReply-To: Foreign Language Teaching ForumFrom: Ellen Shrager Subject: Ellen's thoughts

I do link everything we do to its purpose. This will help you to get to know new friends better, this will help you to express what you need in a restaurant, this will help you or someone else is lost, this will help you to recall the vocabulary better, etc. After I greet the class each period we go over what we are doing today. The students have a weekly assignment sheet that also tells what we are doing in class, the purpose of the class and homework. I also make sure that most of the ctivities appeal to their self-centeredness and self-absorption. They want to learnabout one another and tell others about themselves.

I work really hard to ___not____ say "You need to listen to this because it will be on Friday's test". Well that kind of logic leads them down the path that this is just a useless activity to keep students busy so I can have a teaching job.

When a student asks if its counts, I look them in the eye and tell them "absolutely."

At the beginning of the year, if someone does press as to how it counts, I tell them that it will make them the best and smartest possible, it will help them to be able to date and marry millions of more people who speak another language, it will help them to help others if they are in the medical field, it will help them to take control of business negotiations, it will help them to understand that their perspective of natural language order is just an accident of their birth, some claim it will help them to acquire another soul, it will help them to enjoy more songs, poems, books, and movies in another language, it will help them to feel a part of this planet and not just of this country…and on and on. Points seem pretty puny and insignificant after that talk!

Ok, off to teach the kids some new house vocabulary cuz when they are rich and famous athletes and they want to buy their old profe who believed in them a fabulous summer house on the coast in Spain, I want to make sure they get my room requirements right.

PeaceEllen Shrager

2. How do I start and end the class?Start each day consistently.

How can students show mastery of the lesson’s take-aways?

End in a calm, controlled way…this tone will carry over to the next lesson.

3. How well do I know my students? How well do they know each other?

Ice Breakers / Classbuilders / Teambuilders

4. What kinds of homework and activities are parts of my class?

Evaluate the value of the activity or assignment

Variety of ways to present and practice a skill

Personalize, Personalize, Personalize

5. How do I communicate high standards and expectations for my students?

Model high standards through thorough lesson planning, selection and

Development of quality materials, follow-through on responsibilities

Participation system clearly explained in writing

Share positive daily messages

Sincere Praise

I don't give candy and prizes. I give hi fives...whoo hoos...and MAN THE BLUE TEAM KNOWS HOW TO ROCK AND ROLL!! (I give fun!) --Laurie Clarq, FLTeach ListServ

Where everybody knows your name: Too often the teacher is the only one who can name all the students in the class. The following techniques call for students to learn each other’s names and perhaps a bit more.

Name Quiz: A respected colleague, Lois Stewart, told her classes they would have a quiz over the students’ names in the class as soon as she learned them. This encouraged students to learn each other’s names quickly and before the teacher did. As for the quiz, you can have them fill in a copy of the seating chart or randomly pick out and give numbers to ten students in the class and have students write those names on their quiz paper. Don’t count off for spelling—this is an excellent way to build rapport and good will in the class.

Name Game: Have five to ten kids each day introduce themselves or have another student introduce them. Then ask the class to identify these students and information learned about each one. Review the next day and continue with another five to ten students. Continue until the entire class has been introduced and students can identify all students and at least one fact about each one. Randomly at different points in the lesson ask students the name of one of the selected students. Continue throughout the semester to lend an element of surprise to a lesson.

Name Game #2: Students say their first name along with a target language word that begins with the same letter. For example: William - Willkommen; Mark- montaña; or Lisa - livre.

Student I.D. cards: Let students make their own versions of a student I.D. card, passport or driver’s license. Each should have a photo, their name, likes and dislikes, and one or two items of information that they can express in the target license. Display in the classroom.

How well do you know the teacher? (Dave’s ESL Café Cookbook)Check out the first website listed below for detailed instructions to this cute game that could be played with upper-level students. Students write 3-5 questions about things they would like to know about the teacher. Write all students names on the board or on an overhead transparency. Have one student come forward to answer the questions of another student as he thinks the teacher would. Mark an X for any answer they get wrong but give one point for each correct or “pretty close” answer. Proceed by having another volunteer come up to answer the questions of another student. This is a clever way to build rapport and use lots of the target language.

Get more ideas at:

CAPTURING AND PROMOTING STUDENT INTEREST IN CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

http://www.eslcafe.com/ideas/sefer.cgi?display:1017801461-20825.txthttp://teachers.net/gazette/AUG02/page2.htmlhttp://www.understandingprejudice.org/teach/activity/icebreak.htm

CUESTIONARIOFirst and last names (English):________________________________________________Birthdate:______________________Age: _________ Class in School: Fr So Jr Sr

I live with: Mother Father Both Parents Other(specify)_________________________Address: ___________________________________________________________________Phone Number: __________________ Parent phone number during the day:_____________

Brothers and Sisters: (Put a check by those who have had Señora Lilley in the past.)Name__________________________________Age__________ ____Name__________________________________Age__________ ____Name__________________________________Age__________ ____Name__________________________________Age__________ ____

Friends in this class: ________________________________________________________

Pets: give name, age, and specify what kind of animal_________________________________________________________________________

The kind of music that I most like to listen to is…

My favorite sport is…

The best thing I did during summer or winter break was (List something besides sleeping or doing nothing!):

I think that three adjectives that best describe me as a student are:

Three adjectives that I think my friends would use to describe me are:

My mother or father would say that I am:

I would describe myself as:

I have a job: Yes No If yes, where?______________________Hours per week?______

Extra-curricular or non-school related activities I participate in are:

Something you should know about me is:

I need to sit close to the board or overhead screen: YES NO

Who have been your previous Spanish teachers? Spanish I— Spanish II— Spanish III—

What are your reasons for taking Spanish 4? (check all that apply)___To gain entrance into a college or university ___Spanish will be beneficial in getting a good job___My parents made me ___I like learning about another language and cultures___My friends are taking it ___I should be able to make a good grade in the class___It makes me more interesting ___Spanish will be useful to me to travel to other countries___I am interested in using Spanish to do charitable and/or missions workOther (please describe):

10 GOOD READS ABOUT GOOD TEACHINGHarry Wong The First Days of SchoolWong, H.K. & Wong R.T. (1998). The first days of school: How to be an effective teacher. Mountain View, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications This is a must-have for every teacher to review before the start of each school year.

Fred Jones Tools for TeachingJones, F. H. (2000). Tools for Teaching. Santa Cruz, CA: Fred H. Jones & Associates, Inc. This book goes beyond the content of the Wong book to help you with the day in and day out situations that one encounters as a teacher.

Deb Blaz Foreign Language Teacher ’ s Guide to Active Learning Blaz, D. (1999). Foreign Language Teacher’s Guide to Active Learning. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.This book shows how to create a classroom in which students can actively experience, experiment and discover a foreign language.

Timesavers: Ideas prácticas para la clase de españolEMC/Paradigm PublishingThis book can save you lots of your time. Inside you’ll find 120 copy masters, from a map of a city metro system, hotel reservations, menus, calendar, recipe sheets, schedule sheets, weather charts, certificates & more.

“What Makes a Good Teacher?” by Marie F. Hassett, Ph.D. http://www.sabes.org/resources/publications/adventures/vol12/12hassett.htmThe author explains eight traits commonly found in good teachers.

“Motivating Students” by Barbara Gross Davieshttp://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/motiv.htmSome very practical ideas to implement to build student interest in the course.

Competitive Edgehttp://www.competitivedge.com/ppg/ppg07.htmlCompetitive Edge is a website geared principally to coaches and athletes but there are many articles in the archived newsletter section that are applicable to all teachers.

Teacher’s Networkhttp://teachersnetwork.org/ntol/howto/adjust/

There are many good articles of interest to teachers wanting to adjust their teaching style to meet the needs and abilities of their students.

Education World Teacher Diary: Reflections on Teaching and Learninghttp://www.education-world.com/a_curr/profdev033.shtmlRead diaries of three different teachers as they reflect on their classroom practices

The Myth of the Silent Teacher (Robert O’Neill IATEFL April, 1994)http://www.vu.union.edu/~melnicki/wget/www.btinternet.com/~ted.power/esl0420.htmlArticle on the effective use of “teacher-talk” in the language classroom.

A man who is "of sound mind" is one who keeps the inner madman under lock and key... ---Paul Valdry

1. Make a notebook for your own things: Get a big 3” three-ring binder plus dividers to organize your own things. Inside you can have a section for To-Do lists, staff and departmental meetings, professional development, memos, committees, etc. Whenever you go to a meeting, grab your notebook and you’ll have everything you need. Keep a pen inside.

2. Eliminate nameless papers: Next to the spot where you have students turn in papers, keep a few highlighter pens. Students must highlight their names before the paper goes in the box. Another option is to use the target language to have the kids draw a shape or object around their name. Ex.: Put your name inside an apple, a triangle, a car, etc.”

3. Classroom Inventory: In light of recent natural disasters and vandalism to school sites, this may be the most prudent tip of all. Make a list of what items you have in your classroom or take photos with a digital camera. Open up desk drawers and closets to photograph what is inside. Keep a copy of your supply order sheet, lists and photos at home. Hopefully you’ll never need to refer to this information, but think of the time and confusion it could save if it ever was needed.

4. Don’t let those great ideas escape! Keep a notepad in the same place on your desk. As you work on lesson plans or while you are teaching and some thought comes to you, jot it down. Review your notes each day. File ideas for future lessons in the appropriate notebook or folder so that you’ll have it later.

5. Don’t lose your originals: Use a yellow highlighter to make a small mark or even write “original” in the upper corner of a handout. The mark won’t show on the copies that you make. That way you won’t give out the original by mistake.

6. Label away: To designate the items you bought out of your own funds vs. those that are school property, use the free labels you receive from charities to label personal items.

7. Baby Wipes: Keep a set near your overhead projector to clean transparencies quickly or to blot off an error. You can also laminate a bathroom pass and fill in the name and

25 TIPS FOR 25 TIPS FOR ORGANIZATIONORGANIZATION

date with an overhead marker. Use the Baby Wipes to erase the info. when the student returns. Place a copy of your seating chart into plastic page projector and track participation by marking when a student contributes something to the lesson. Wipe off after you have recorded points and you’re ready for the next time.

8. Students track their grades. Give students a grid that allows them to track their grade in your class. As each graded assignment is returned, they are to record their score vs. the possible points and keep an ongoing total. Students and parents can know what the student’s grade is at any moment. A sample is included in this handout.

9. Check out www.teach-nology.com/ You’ll find rubrics, lesson plans, worksheet tools, generators for all kinds of forms, calendars, and much, much more!

10. Student numbers: Speed up alphabetizing papers by assigning students a number that they must write above their name. You or a student assistant can easily put them in order before you begin entering grades into the gradebook or computer program. This method also quickly allows you to spot if someone failed to turn in a paper. You can also keep a baggie containing slips of papers with all of the numbers on them. Draw a number to determine who does a particular task in the class or the order of presentations.

11. Immediately evaluate your lesson plans. After you finish a lesson, make notes on your lesson plan regarding what worked well and what would need to happen to make something work better. Note where extra copies or materials are stored because you’re sure to forget before you teach the lesson again.

12. Substitute Folders: Plan for those unexpected absences. Have a folder with your class roster and seating chart marked with names of helpful students. Leave instructions for operation of the DVD/VCR and TV. Make viewing sheets for a couple of videos that can be used whenever and note where the video/DVDs are stored. Include the names and room numbers of teachers who can help with questions. Include the schedule, a school map and detail any extra duties you have been assigned.

13. Keep extras on hand. You know that bulb on that overhead projector will go out right in the middle of a lesson. If you can’t get an extra bulb, keep the box on hand so that you’ll know the bulb type needed when it is time to replace it. Keep a file with copies of the forms that you use frequently.

14. Kill clutter before it starts. Commit yourself to spend a few minutes each day to do some quickly filing or pitching. Once a pile of paper gets started it tends to grow higher and dustier!

15. Give away the stuff you don’t use. World language teachers are notorious for having lots of “stuff”. After a while, there tends to be an accumulation of things we don’t use. Share the wealth with new teachers. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.

16. Class Lists & Seating Charts: Make a few extra copies of your class roster and seating charts. These are especially good at the beginning of the course when class numbers fluctuate but can serve for other purposes. You often must keep track of who has brought in a permission slip, paid for a event, turned in paperwork, etc.

17. Supply Orders: Keep a sheet inside your grade book or lesson plans notebook on which to jot down items that you’ll need to reorder. If you just opened the last bottle of White Out or glue, jot it down on the list so you won’t forget it when it comes time to order supplies.

18. Give yourself a schedule. Designate different nights of the week for different types of grading and planning. Monday and Wednesday are for grading; Tuesday and Thursday for planning upcoming lessons. Decide in advance if you will work on Saturday or Sunday and designates when. No work is to be done on Friday. 19. After school appointments: Announce a schedule of two days a week that you generally will be available to students for make-up tests and extra help. Have students sign make an appointment for these times by signing their name in a binder, calendar or dry erase board. The formality impresses upon them that this is important plus you have a written record of those who came to you for help.

20. Homework Box: This method places the burden for finding out about missed work on the student. Designate a file box for each of your classes. Inside each box, place a hanging file that is labeled in the target language for each day of the week. At the end of each day, place extra copies of worksheets and your transparencies. Also place a form that tells what we did that day plus if any tests/quizzes or projects were announced. You may choose to have the student’s partner fill out the form for them or designate a student to take on this duty each week. When a student returns, they are to first check the Homework Box and then with their classmate if they don’t understand anything on the form. If they still don’t understand, they can then ask you but they have learned to be proactive in finding out about their missed work. Each week you will clean out the previous week’s work as you place new work in the files.

21. Bulletin Boards: Measure your bulletin boards and then head to a discount store for inexpensive fabrics to cover that space. At the end of the year, take it down, wash it and reuse. As you rotate bulletin board material, place all contents in a file folder so that they can easily be reused. Staple a photo of the bulletin board to the envelope so that it can be recreated quickly.

22. New Student Packet: You’ll often have a new student join your class and it is helpful to both of you if you are prepared for it. Have a file with a welcome letter, class expectations and rules; syllabus, questionnaire, etc. ready to go. The new student will more easily feel the warmth of your welcome thanks in part to your preparedness.

23. Classroom Budget: Most of us have a classroom budget that fails to cover everything we need. Remember that you can claim $250 in deductions on your taxes. Keep a file in which you deposit all receipts for classroom purchases. By tracking your purchases you can see how much of the items were consumed and be able to more effectively supplement your classroom budget.

24. Become a FLY Lady: The flylady.com website offers lots of good ideas to help you become more organized in small sequential steps. You can become a subscriber and receive daily FLYing tips to aid you in setting up routines, getting rid of your clutter, and putting your home and life in order.

25. For more organizational tips check out these online resources:www.atozteacherstuff.com www.teachnet.com

www.inspiringteachers.com www.nea.org/tips/library.html

www.members.aol.com/sskufca/teachtps.htm

A LA CART OR TEACHERS ON A ROLLA LA CART OR TEACHERS ON A ROLLIDEAS FOR TEACHERS WHO DON’T HAVE THEIR OWN CLASSROOMS

• Keep a sense of humor. Name your cart of have the kids help you name it. Decorate it for the holidays and cultural events. Celebrate the fact that this type of teaching forces you to be more organized yet also more spontaneous than other teachers.

• Share your schedule with students and parents so they know where they can find you and when.

• Ask the teachers whose rooms you are using not to change seating arrangements without letting you know a day or two in advance.

• Board space is often a point of contention between the traveling teacher and those whose rooms are used. A few options:

Negotiate to have a portion of the board that will always be free for your use.

If the board is magnetic, laminate signs that you will often use and place magnetic tape or heavy duty clip magnets on the back of each. When you enter the room, hang the sign. An example is a neon pink sign to announce an upcoming quiz. Write the date and other info. on the board underneath the sign or leave room on the sign where you can write on it and clean it off later. One sign could have the name of what you call your bell ringer activities.

Prepare transparencies to use on the overhead projector. Place a clean trans-parency over it when you write answers to preserve the original for use with the next class. The transparencies allow you to not have to worry about finding a board with “Do not erase” on it plus you can have bell ringer activities up and ready when kids walk into the room.

• Without a classroom, you and your program can sometimes feel invisible. Don’t let that happen! Publicize your class via letters to parents, provide articles and photos for the school’s website, newsletter, etc. Have students do a skit in an assembly. Make signs in your language to hang up throughout the school.

• Make your own desk drawer. In a clear plastic box with a snap on lid, place a stapler, a box of staples, paper clips, Kleenex and handiwipes plus extra dry erase markers and pens.

• Insist upon having a locking file cabinet where you can store tests, answer keys and other sensitive information as well as your CDs, videos and other items you don’t need for that day.

• Color-code your classes and keep handouts, lesson plans, etc. for each one in its separate folder.

• Maintain a file for absent students i.e. worksheets, returned work they weren’t there to pick up, etc. Create a plan for what to do about make-up tests. Can you arrange for students to take these in another teacher’s room or in the library?

• Develop a couple of back-up activities to have on hand when a planned activity can’t be done for unforeseen reasons.

• A source to order carts and other organization materials is http://www.usmarkerboard.com/ STEPS FOR CREATING THEMATIC UNITS

that utilize your current textbook

Thematic teaching encourages one to look for ways to turn an adequate but thin, one-dimensional lesson that focuses on very superficial aspects of the language and culture into a rich, dense, heavily layered, multi-dimensional lesson that helps students make connections (and therefore anchors their knowledge) to a variety of other related areas.--Cherice Montgomery

1. Look through the chapter for the topics, vocabulary, grammar and cultural information that are presented.

2. Consider what deeper understanding of culture, society, history or self can be explored. Think about what students are learning in other courses and look for ways to link the content. This “big idea” will be developed into the organizing theme for the unit.

3. Develop the essential questions that will be answered by students during the unit.

4. Look for authentic materials that can be incorporated into the unit. These materials will contain the vocabulary and grammar that are at the core of the textbook unit. Culture will become an integral part of the lesson instead of an extra to be shared on “culture day”.

5. Create lessons by utilizing various activities that will appeal to different learning styles. Keep the end in mind by focusing on what they will need to do in the culminating activity and making sure that the lessons and their activities meet its requirements.

6. Design a culminating activity that allows students to show that they have processed the big idea and the essential questions.

Chapter 6, Ven Conmigo III, El arte y la música

Vocabulary: Introducing and changing a topic of conversation; expressing an opinionGrammar: Subjunctive after expressions of need and with recommendationsCultural content: the murals of Orozco; Botero paintings; life and art of Frida Kahlo

Big idea: What ideas are expressed through art?

Essential questions: What is the background of the artist? How could his background influence the artist’s work? What symbols are used in the painting? What is my personal reaction to a painting? Is my view altered as I learn more about an artist’s work?

Lessons & Activities:Match students by giving them half of a picture. Find the person with the other half and sit down together to write opinions of the painting. Students share with the class.

Museum tour: I always review commands before we begin the study of the subjunctive. I give a small PowerPoint presentation about the three main museums of Madrid (the Prado, Thyssen, and the Reina Sofía). Using this cultural information, students imagine they are taking a group of tourists for their first visit ever to an art museum and write commands about what they should/should not do.

Veo Veo Game: (from Realidades 3 Teacher’s edition p. 62-b) A name is drawn from a paper bag that contains the names of all students written on scraps of paper. The chosen student comes to the front of the class. Students take turns asking the volunteer questions in an attempt to guess an object from the painting that he has chosen. When a student correctly guesses the object in the painting, he or she becomes the new volunteer. This game could also be played in small groups or with partners.

Overhead art transparencies: Students will use Chapter 6 vocabulary to write comments about Diego Rivera’s Sueño de los Pobres and Picasso’s La Familia.

Botero gallery tour: After a presentation in Spanish with PowerPoint about the art and sculpture of Fernando Botero, students will create a Play-Dough sculpture in the style of Botero. Students form small groups and will view the sculptures while using Chapter 6 vocabulary to present their opinions about the works.

Frida Kahlo biography: Students will read biography in text and will answer questions about her life and painting while viewing the video Frida Kahlo Portrait of an Artist.

Students will work with a partner or small group to place cut-up sections of her biography in the correct order.

Goya subjunctive bubbles: Students will apply the use of the subjunctive to write expressions of hope, want, need, or suggestions and recommendations to write captions for the subjects in the paintings.

Culminating Activity: As part of the unit test, students will answer cultural questions in Spanish about the artists studied. They will explain the use of symbolism in the paintings of Frida Kahlo. They will choose from several paintings presented in the course and write their opinions about them using new vocabulary and grammatical structures from this unit.

Unit plans developed by Lisa Lilley, Glendale High School, Springfield, Missouri.

Resources to help in the creation of Thematic Units:

General information on thematic unit design and materials:

For a very informative explanation of thematic teaching with lots of examples, visit the FLTeach Archives to read Cherice Montgomery’s January 26, 2000 posting on thematic units. http://listserv.buffalo.edu/archives/flteach.html

http://www.nflrc.iastate.edu/news/200502/homepage.htmlhttp://www.nflrc.iastate.edu/news/200504/homepage.htmlhttp://www.nflrc.iastate.edu/news/200505/homepage.htmlEstablishing a Context for Learning: Culturally Authentic, Standards-based, Content-based Thematic Units; Resources for Student Learning: Finding, Evaluating, and Using Culturally Authentic Materials – Part I and Part IIThese three sites offer excellent overviews of thematic unit design and where to access thematic materials.

http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/interdisciplinary/Here you will find a very good tutorial on developing interdisciplinary unit. It features video segments of teachers explaining how they develop and use interdisciplinary units.

http://www.cdli.ca/CITE/themes.html There are many thematic lessons at this site for Canadian school children. They may give you some ideas of how to develop a unit for your language class.

http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/lote/pub/modernl.pdf New York State syllabus for modern languages lists 15 topics and what students will be able to do with each

http://www.ubdexchange.org/resources/templates.htmlhttp://www.ubdexchange.org/resources/news-articles/article4.htmlTemplates for lesson development following the Understanding by Design concepts and lesson design.

http://www.wga.hu/index.htmlExcellent resource on European art

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/themes/This is a K-3 site but many of the items can be used in upper grades or simply give you ideas to develop into themes. There are many coloring book pages that can appeal to kinesthetic learners. Scroll down to look for activities for Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Russian (Russia), Japanese (Japan) , Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish.

http://www.languagesonline.org.uk/A variety of grammar and topical units in French, German, Italian, Spanish.

French:http://www.cortland.edu/flteach/civ/Marie Ponterio’s webpage with many thematic activities

http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/index.shtmlOodles of good stuff here!

German:http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/germ/workshops/scenario3.htmlThe author has constructed a thematic unit on the German family.

http://www.frauzinswelt.com/This is the web page for Highlands High School in Kentucky. There are terrific links that will allow one to find authentic materials.

Italian:http://www.cloudnet.com/~edrbsass/edwor.htm#italianMany links including one to a very good site: Mrs. O. D’Aponte’s webpage for her Italian classes in New York City.

Japanese:http://japanese.about.com/Links to a variety of lessons

Latin:http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_latinmap.htm?terms=latinMany links to all sorts of topics related to Latin and ancient history.

Spanish:http://www.colby.edu/~bknelson/exercises/ This site features several thematic lessons on topics such as Pamplona & San Fermín, Ofrendas for Día de los Muertos, and the Borges poem Instantes among others.

http://virtual-spain.com/Good source for lots of current information about Spain.

http://www.biografiasyvidas.com/Thousands of biographies in Spanish are found at this site.

http://www.cortland.edu/flteach/lessons/pace.htmlThere are a couple of good lessons on the music of Luis Miguel and Miguel Bose that incorporate the subjunctive.