Video: El Reino Del Revés

Hello everyone,
A nice way to get younger learners interested in languages is with songs and videos. I will start posting Spanish songs for children which you can use with adults as well.
The first song will be El Reino Del Revés. One thing you can do with this song is ask your students to make a list of all the 'backwards' things in the song. Enjoy!

El Reino del Revés

Me dijeron que en el reino del revés

nada el pato y vuela el pez.

Que los gatos no hacen miau y dicen yes

porque estudian mucho inglés.

Vamos a ver como es el reino del revés

vamos a ver como es el reino del revés

Me dijeron que en el reino del revés

nadie baila con los pies.

Que un ladrón es vigilante y otro es juez

y que dos y dos son tres.

Vamos a ver como es el reino del revés

vamos a ver como es el reino del revés

Me dijeron que en el reino del revés

cabe un oso en una nuez.

Que usan barbas y bigotes los bebés

y que un año dura un mes.

Vamos a ver como es el reino del revés

vamos a ver como es el reino del revés

Me dijeron que en el reino del revés

hay un perro pequinés

que se cae para arriba y una vez

no pudo bajar después.

Vamos a ver como es el reino del revés

vamos a ver como es el reino del revés

Me dijeron que en el reino del revés

un señor llamado Andrés

tiene 1.530 chimpancés

que si miras no los ves.

Vamos a ver como es el reino del revés

vamos a ver como es el reino del revés

Me dijeron que en el reino del revés

una araña y un ciempiés

van montados al palacio del marqués

en caballos de ajedrez.

Vamos a ver como es el reino del revés

vamos a ver como es el reino del revés

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Ed-Tech: Educreations app

Greetings WL friends! Wishing you all a Happy Easter, and a restful Spring Break!

This morning, I want to share this post with you about Educreations:

Educreations: Adding Value to the Classroom

Mr Renfro, our colleague, has several terrific ideas to consider how to use this excellent FREE tool, and how to curate engaging content. He also, very rightfully, encourages us to share what we create with others. I also want to encourage us all to do this – with all the amazing things each one seeks to do for our students, if we share our creative and engaging activities with each other, we all benefit, as do our students! I would also like to encourage you to share here what you might like to create and share! Got an idea? Want some reflective coaching from colleagues? Let's start a conversation! I hope to see some posts from you soon.

Best wishes,
Don
@dr_dmd / Twitter


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Napa, CA, USA

Video: La hoja de coca en Bolivia

Hello all,
Here is another video activity I prepared for my class. I hope you find it useful!

La hoja de coca en Bolivia

Vocabulario – completar con un sinónimo o la traducción en inglés.

• Patrimonio cultural:  cultural heritage
• Pachamama:  Madre Tierra
• Estupefaciente:  ____________________
• Panetón:  _________________________
• Hígado:  __________________________
• Riñón:  ___________________________
• Vesícula:  _________________________
• Estimulante:  ________________________
• Anestesiante:  _______________________
• Hechizo:  ___________________________
• Jarabe:  _____________________________
• Hoja de coca: ________________________

Preguntas

1. 1.       ¿Qué establece la constitución boliviana acerca de la hoja de coca? ___________________
2. 2.       El ritual convoca mantener_____________________________________
3. 3.       Van a orillas del lago ______________ a compartir un ____________________
4. 4.      ¿Qué dice el hombre sobre alimentar a los niños con coca? __________________
5. 5.       La hoja de coca contiene ____________________ esenciales para la __________
6. 6.       ¿Cuántos medicamentos se están produciendo a base de la hoja de coca y otras plantas?  ___________
7. 7.       ¿Qué pretende el consejo de los comerciantes y productores de coca? ___________________________________
8. 8.       Para los pueblos  indígenas de las regiones andinas la hoja de coca es parte de la ________________________________________
9. 9.       ¿Por qué dicen que la coca no es cocaína? ___________________________
10. 1.    ¿Cuál es tu opinión acerca de este tema? ___________

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Jobs: Adjunct Position, Ft. Myers, FL

The Department of Language and Literature at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Florida is seeking an Adjunct Instructor of German to teach two beginning German courses per semester during the 2013-2014 academic year – one section of  German I and German II in both the Fall and Spring semesters. Classes meet twice a week, both on Monday and Wednesday.  Qualifications are a Master's Degree in German or minimum of 18 hours graduate credit in German and near native language skills in both German and English. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position has been filled. To submit an application (cover letter, curriculum vitae, and statement of teaching philosophy) or for more information contact Dr. Thomas Stefaniuk at tstefaniuk@fgcu.edu or 239-207-5915.

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Jobs: Saturday School position in New Jersey

Teachers needed!

The Deutsche Sprachschule Inc. a non-profit German Language School, located in Winfield, New Jersey has been providing high quality, affordable instruction in the German language to thousands of students for more than 75 years.

We are currently looking for a qualified early childhood teacher (Kindergarten), as well teachers at the elementary to middle school level.

You should be

- A qualified language teacher

- Experienced in teaching German language classes

- Able to work independently

- Able to identify and work effectively toward your students' language learning goals

- Be available Saturday morning September through mid-May, for a total of 30 3-hour sessions.

For more information and to join our team of experienced teachers, please email your resume and a cover letter to: amaier9330@aol.com

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Jobs: Maternity leave position, Montrose, CO

I am a full time German teacher in Montrose, CO and I am looking for someone to cover my position for maternity leave from October 2013- February 2014. Currently I teach 2 German I classes, 2 German II classes and a combo III/IV class. The level IV class is considered AP.

Interested candidates can either contact me, Michelle Peelo, at mpeelo@mcsd.k12.co.us or 970-249-6639, or my principal, Jim Barnhill, at jbarnhill@mcsd.k12.co.us or 970-249-6636.

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Jobs: Part-time German position, New Hampshire

Plymouth State University, New Hampshire

Instructor needed to teach Fundamentals of German I (four-skill elementary-level class for students with little or no German language ability), with possibility of upper-level German classes as well. Four-credit class pays approx. $3100 for an instructor with an MA. Classes meet twice a week, 75-minute class period. Exact times/days of the classes are flexible, if instructor is hired by mid-April. Requirements: Bilingual and bi-literate in German and English. Experience teaching German to non-native speakers. BA required; Masters preferred. Experience teaching at college level preferred.

Please send electronic copy of CV and letter of interest. Email all questions to: James Whiting, Chair, Department of Languages and Linguistics jcwhiting@plymouth.edu.

Plymouth State University is about 45 minutes north of Concord, NH off I-93.



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ESL Speaker Series 3/27

German: MIA - Uhlala (song)

Here is Christina with more German music!
Today I would like to share with you a beautiful love song by the German band MIA:
"Uhlala (Damit du fühlst)"




The song text is full of metaphorical images that are open for interpretation. Thus, the lyrics give this happy song a fascinating poetic depth. See for yourself what they mean to you:

Uhlala - DEUTSCH Der Himmel, der war immer da, werden’s die Wolken auch sein? Ich glaube ja, wie jedes Kind, die Dinger sind aus Zucker. Unsichtbare Finger zausen mir durch Kopf und Haar. Was immer auch mit mir geschieht, geschieht zum ersten Mal. Soweit ich weiß,  teilen wir dieselbe Zeit. Ich stell mir vor, ich wär ein schöner Augenblick. Somit schick ich mich dir  in dieser Sekunde, damit du fühlst wie ich,  damit du fühlst uhuhuhuhu, damit du fühlst ahahaha, damit du fühlst Die Erde, die das Leben bringt, wie lang noch wird die sein? Ich pflanze voller Zuversicht ein Stück von mir hinein. Ich schüttle Sand von meiner Hand in eine Sanduhr rein. Die Sehnsucht nach Unsterblichkeit hängt noch an jedem Stein. Somit schick ich mich dir  in dieser Sekunde, damit du fühlst wie ich,  damit du fühlst uhuhuhuhu, damit du fühlst ahahaha, damit du fühlst

Oooh la la - ENGLISH The sky, it was always there, Will the clouds be there, too? I just think, like every kid, That things are made of sugar. Invisible fingers dishevel my hair Whatever happens to me, Happens for the first time. As far as I know,  we share this time, I imagine, I were a beautiful moment I send myself to you  this second So that you feel like me,  so that you feel. Oooh oooh oooh so that you feel Aah aah aah so that you feel The earth which brings us life, How much longer will it be? Confidently I plant a bit of myself I pour sand by hand into the egg timer The desire for immortality clings to every stone. So I send myself to you  in this second So that you feel like me,  so that you feel. Oooh oooh oooh so that you feel Aah aah aah so that you feel

The members of the Berlin rock/pop band are Mieze Katz (lead singer), Gunnar Spies (drums), Robert Schütze (bass), and Andy Penn (guitar).

If you like their style, you should check out their website:
http://www.miarockt.de

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German: Verb of the Week - gehen (03/25/2013)

Hallo alle zusammen! Here is Christina with your weekly German verb.
This time: gehen / to go


Principal parts: gehen / ging / gegangen
Helping verb: sein
Type: irregular verb


Examples:

Hast du Lust mit mir ins Kino zu gehen? / Would you like to go to the cinema with me?
Ich bin gestern schon gegangen. / I already went yesterday.

Präsens

ich gehe
du gehst

er geht

wir gehen
ihr geht

sie gehen

Perfekt

ich bin gegangen
du bist gegangen

er ist gegangen

wir sind gegangen
ihr seid gegangen

sie sind gegangen

Präteritum

ich ging
du gingst

er ging

wir gingen
ihr gingt

sie gingen

Plusquamperfekt

ich war gegangen
du warst gegangen

er war gegangen

wir waren gegangen
ihr wart gegangen

sie waren gegangen

Futur I

ich werde gehen
du wirst gehen

er wird gehen

wir werden gehen
ihr werdet gehen

sie werden gehen

Futur II

ich werde gegangen sein
du wirst gegangen sein

er wird gegangen sein

wir werden gegangen sein
ihr werdet gegangen sein

sie werden gegangen sein

Präsens Konditional

ich würde gehen
du würdest gehen

er würde gehen

wir würden gehen
ihr würdet gehen

sie würden gehen

Perfekt Konditional

ich würde gegangen sein
du würdest gegangen sein

er würde gegangen sein

wir würden gegangen sein
ihr würdet gegangen sein

sie würden gegangen sein

Präsens Konjunktiv

ich gehe
du gehest

er gehe

wir gehen
ihr gehet

sie gehen

Perfekt Konjunktiv

ich sei gegangen
du seist gegangen

er sei gegangen

wir seien gegangen
ihr seiet gegangen

sie seien gegangen

Präteritum Konjunktiv

ich ginge
du gingest

er ginge

wir gingen
ihr ginget

sie gingen

Plusquamperfekt Konjunktiv

ich wäre gegangen
du wärst gegangen

er wäre gegangen

wir wären gegangen
ihr wäret gegangen

sie wären gegangen

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Jobs: Middle School Opening, New Jersey

Hopewell Valley Regional School District will have a full-time position for a German teacher at the middle school, grades 6-8 effective Septemer 2013. The school is located in an affluent area, with supportive parents. The German program is growing. We have an active German club at the high school and a GAPP exchange. We have a National German Honor Society at the High School and a Junior National German Honor Society in the Middle School. If you are interested in applying for the position, please send resumes to:

Rafael Meulener

Supervisor of World Language

Timberlane Middle School

51 South Timberlane Drive

Pennington, NJ 08534

rmeulener@hvrsd.org


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German: Ein Stein

 
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Conferences: Keynote by Dr. Evelyn Blackwood

Chris here again with more coverage from the recent graduate symposium at Purdue. This is Dr. Evelyn Blackwood's presentation entitled Constructing Sexual Subjects: Folktales, Popular 
Media and Shifting Gender Gender Discourses in Indonesia. Enjoy!



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News: Is technology forcing out traditional teaching methods?

Is technology forcing out traditional teaching methods? Addressing this question is the focus of a recent article by Matthew Lynch, chairman of the department of elementary and special education and an associate professor of education at Langston University, in Langston, Okla. In the article, Lynch suggests that the use of technology in the classroom may be having some unintended consequences for students and teachers. He writes that with students accustomed the instant gratification provided by technology, teachers "must find ways to keep students interested, but not completely abandon tried-and-true methodology." However, he cautions that it remains unclear which traditional teaching methods should remain. 

You can view the full article here.

How do you see technology affecting traditional teaching methods? How do you incorporate technology into your classroom?

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German: Ferien Activity

Chris here again. Today I have a fun activity to share with fellow German teachers. This is a two-part activity that I recently used in a second semester class on the first day back from Spring Break. I first had students get into groups of 4-5 and they then proceeded to interview each other about their Spring Break activities. Students were required to take notes on their partners' information. I then collected all of this material and created several cards with each containing one (hopefully unique) piece of information from each student. These were then randomly distributed back to the students, hopefully avoiding someone getting their own information. Once all the students had a card they were then required to change these statements into questions and begin the search for the classmate whose information matched the card. This allowed the entire class to participate and presented several opportunities to practice asking questions.

Students really enjoyed the activity and were free to subsequently form small groups in order to continue discussing what they did over Spring Break. Feel free to give the activity a try and let me know what worked and didn't, and what you would do differently.

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News: When the economy sinks, the Irish turn to German

In a recent op-ed, writer Derek Scally describes his observations on how the European economy tends to dictate people's attitudes toward languages. When Ireland experiences a downturn, people on the Emerald Isle will scramble to learn German to work in its more prosperous economy. 

As Scally notes, Germany, Austria and Switzerland have started a campaign to promote the benefits of learning the most-spoken language in Europe -- germanconnects.ie --no matter the economic environment. You can read more about this development via the articled linked here. The article and campaign site contains useful information for German teachers interested in promoting their programs to potential students. 

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Conferences: Keynote presentation by Dr. Raúl Coronado

Chris here again with a video from our recent graduate symposium at Purdue. This video features the full keynote presentation by Dr. Raúl Coronado from the University of Chicago. Enjoy!



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Video: La Isla de Pascua

Hello everyone,
I have been working on a few activities for videos you can show your students. This year I'm covering culture from several countries in South America so I have been showing my students some interesting videos that I will be sharing with you all.

To start I would like to share an activity I made for this video on La Isla de Pascua in Chile.

1. ¿Cuál es el nombre indígena de la Isla de Pascua?..............................................................
2. ¿A qué distancia se encuentra de la costa americana?.........................................................
3. ¿De qué están hechos los moai?....................................................................................
4. Los moai tienen una altura media de……………. y……………. de peso. El mayor pesa………...
5. ¿Cuántas hipótesis recuerdas sobre el transporte de los moai?

§  Thor Heyerdahl………………………………………………………………

§  Mulloy……………………………………………………………………….....

§  Pavel……………………………………………………………………………..

§  Love……………………………………………………………………………..

§  Van Tilburg……………………………………………………………………

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German: Schnappi, das kleine Krokodil (song)

Here is Christina with another fun German song: "Schnappi, das kleine Krokodil"
It is one of my all-time favorite songs! Enjoy!



Believe it or not, Schnappi, the little crocodile, reached № 1 on the German charts in 2005, and it also topped the singles charts in Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. Everybody seems to love this cute little guy and the song is a real "Ohrwurm!" - You and your students will not be able to get it our of your head!

Schnappi, das kleine Krokodil Ich bin Schnappi, das kleine Krokodil. Komm aus Ägypten, das liegt direkt am Nil. Zuerst lag ich in einem Ei, Dann schni-schna-schnappte  ich mich frei. Schni schna schnappi Schnappi schnappi schnapp Schni schna schnappi Schnappi schnappi schnapp Ich bin Schnappi, das kleine Krokodil, Hab scharfe Zähne, und davon ganz schön viel. Ich schnapp mir was ich schnappen kann, Ja schnapp zu, weil ich das so gut kann. Schni schna schnappi Schnappi schnappi schnapp Schni schna schnappi Schnappi schnappi schnapp Ich bin Schnappi, das kleine Krokodil, Ich schnappe gern, das ist mein Lieblingsspiel. Ich schleich mich an die Mama ran, Und zeig ihr wie ich schnappen  kann. Schni schna schnappi Schnappi schnappi schnapp Schni schna schnappi Schnappi schnappi schnapp Ich bin Schnappi, das kleine Krokodil, Und vom Schnappen, da krieg ich nicht zu viel. Ich beiß dem Papi kurz ins Bein, Und dann, dann schlaf ich einfach ein. Schni schna schnappi Schnappi schnappi schnapp Schni schna schnappi Schnappi schnappi schnapp

Schnappi, the Little Crocodile I am Schnappi, the little crocodile I come from Egypt, that's situated right on the Nile First I layed in an egg Then I sna-sna-snapped  my way to freedom. Schni Schna Schnappi Schnappi Schnappi Schnapp Schni Schna Schnappi Schnappi Schnappi Schnapp I am Schnappi, the little crocodile I have sharp teeth, and many of them I snap and snatch everything I can reach And I snap because that's what I do best. Schni Schna Schnappi Schnappi Schnappi Schnapp Schni Schna Schnappi Schnappi Schnappi Schnapp I am Schnappi, the little crocodile I like to snap, it's my favourite game I sneak up to my mom And show her how good I can snap. Schni Schna Schnappi Schnappi Schnappi Schnapp Schni Schna Schnappi Schnappi Schnappi Schnapp I am Schnappi, the little crocodile And I never get enough of snapping I bite my dad's leg And then I just fall asleep. Schni Schna Schnappi Schnappi Schnappi Schnapp Schni Schna Schnappi Schnappi Schnappi Schnapp

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