Saint John's Prep Student Chosen as National AATG Trip Award Winner 2013



Dear Zoe Novak,

Congratulations! You have been selected as a recipient of the AATG / Pädagogischer Austauschdienst Senior Study Trip to Germany! Your application stood out among the many strong applications from across the nation. The selection committee found your achievements quite outstanding and was particularly impressed with your enthusiasm for German. 

As part of this award, you will receive round-trip air transportation from Newark or JFK airport to Germany, In addition to a two-week school and homestay program, you will also attend a special international seminar for two weeks, and participate in excursions to places of cultural and historical significance. Tentative travel dates are July 2–August 2, 2013. Your travel to and from your home to the departure airport is at your own expense.

Keith Cothrun
Executive Director
American Association of Teachers of German
112 Haddontowne Court #104
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034
(856) 795-5553

Editor's note:  We are proud of you, Zoe -- and your teacher, Emmy Sack.

The MCTLC 2013 Fall Conference theme is "The 21st Century Classroom: Communication, Collaboration, & Technology."

Language educators from across Minnesota and beyond will meet October 17-18, 2013 at the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center to share and learn about all the exciting things going on in world language education.  
Come to the conference and network with your colleagues. Share your best practices by presenting a session. What communicative strategies are you using to move your students toward proficiency? Are there effective ways you have collaborated for curriculum change, advocacy, and instructional strategies?  Are you using technology in an innovative new way?  Encourage your colleagues to present with you for a 50 minute session on Friday, or a three-hour pre-conference workshop on Thursday.
Please submit your proposal here: PROPOSAL SUBMISSION FORM

You may also go to http://www.mctlc.org to submit your proposal by May 1st.
We can’t wait to see you in October!

Donna LeGrand
MCTLC President
Fall Conference Chairperson

Marjie Hay
MCTLC President-Elect
Conference Program Chair

Professional Development Opportunity for MN Language Teachers!

Submitted by Beth Kautz:

Teacher Tools for Second Language Acquisition:
Developing Learner Language in the Classroom

Saturday, April 27, 2013
9 a.m. - noon
University International Center
331 17th Ave S.E., Minneapolis
Are you ever frustrated that your students aren't learning what you are teaching?
Do you wish you had more tools to boost your students' second language acquisition?


In this fun workshop, you will find out how focusing on 'learner language' can get your students to do more with their second language that you might have thought possible. You will look at three key dimensions of learner language development in the classroom: accuracy, complexity and fluency.  Then you'll explore ways to nurture the development of all three dimensions using activities that encourage students to use their language spontaneously to solve problems interactively.

Presenter: Elaine Tarone is Professor of Second Language Studies at the University of Minnesota and is the director of the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition. She is internationally known for her research on the impact of social context on learner language and second language acquisition and is a member of the University's Academy of Distinguished Teachers.

This workshop is primarily targeted at foreign language and ESL teachers who work with students at advanced novice through intermediate levels.
This professional development opportunity is sponsored by the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) at the University of Minnesota in collaboration with Concordia Language Villages, Minnesota Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, and the Minnesota Department of Education. It is the first in an upcoming series of collaborative workshops designed to support the work of foreign language and ESL language teachers in the state of Minnesota.

Summer Institute for Middle and HS Teachers

Davidson College Summer Institute
For Middle and High School Teachers
July 21-27, 2013
http://www3.davidson.edu/cms/x17348.xml

Sponsored by the Goethe Institute, the Davidson College Summer Institute for German Teachers offers a convenient, affordable, and intellectually stimulating summer format for German teachers to increase their mastery of German and knowledge of Germanic literatures and cultures while earning teaching certificate renewal credits (one Davidson course credit, equivalent to four semester hours).

All participants are enrolled in three mini-seminars, each meeting one and one-half hours daily for one week. The 2013 topics are:
  1.  "Der Blog für den Deutschunterricht"  (Dr. Burkhard Henke, Davidson College)
  2.  "Was war die DDR und wo ist sie jetzt? Die DDR in Film und Text"  (Dr. Anabel Aliaga-Buchenau, University of North Carolina, Charlotte)
  3.  "Mythen und Legenden aus Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz" (Dr. Tina Boyer, Wake Forest University)

Lunches are treated as German Tables, with the Institute faculty joining the participants for meals and conversation in German. Evenings will feature German films related to the seminar themes. Since all participants are expected to commit to speaking German only, the Institute is a weeklong Sprachbad.
For more information, see www3.davidson.edu/cms/x17348.xml<http://www3.davidson.edu/cms/x17348.xml> or contact the director, Burkhard Henke, at buhenke@davidson.edu<mailto:buhenke@davidson.edu>.

Nominations for Teacher of the Year Now Open

We are currently accepting nominations for German Teacher of the Year!  If you know a deserving teacher, please nominate him/her.  We will consider:

1. Your nomination letter
2. Letters of support from students, former students, colleagues, parents, etc.
3. CV
4. News releases indicating success in the program

Please submit any relevant materials to Jae Cody, MNAATG president (codyx027@umn.edu), by March 31.  

Special Opportunity for Hispanic
or African-American Student of German 
The AATG is offering one full need-based scholarship to an African-America n or Hispanic student of German to participate in the AATG German Summer-Study Program for High School Students. This scholarship covers all program costs, domestic airfare, and some spending money. This scholarship is provided through a generous contribution of the Szombathy-Toth family.
   
The AATG German Summer-Study Program for High School Students offers students the opportunity to spend 3 weeks in Germany improving their language proficiency and experiencing the culture! The AATG program includes a home stay, study at a German Gymnasium, and excursions that allow students to experience language and culture firsthand. Students are chaperoned by AATG members.

Learn more about the program and how students can apply for the Szombathy-Toth Scholarship.

Encourage African-American or Hispanic students to apply for this exciting scholarship!
Greetings,

Keith Cothrun
Executive Director