This was an interesting article I found on the most spoken languages in California.  It was shared at our last CLTA meeting. California is a state in the United States located on the Pacific coast. California has a population of around 37 million people. California’s population is 12% of the entire US population. According to a study done by American Community Survey, 42.6% of people in California above the age of 5 spoke a language other than English at home. 

California has over 200 languages spoken in the state. English is the most spoken language with Spanish being the second most spoken. In California there are over 100 indigenous languages which make the state one of the most linguistically diverse regions on the globe.

View the link below for more:

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-most-spoken-languages-in-california.html#:~:text=California%20has%20over%20200%20languages,diverse%20regions%20on%20the%20globe

Spanish Mama from www.spanishmama.com shared an interesting article on this music event. For those who don't know, the term “Locura de Marzo” or “March Madness” in Spanish (AKA "Manie Musical" or "Music Mania" in French),  is named after the college basketball tournament that takes place in March in the U.S.  Basketball March Madness is a big deal all over the U.S., so Spanish and French teachers have been using that energy to drum up interest in authentic Spanish and French music. 

Teachers across the world coordinate to pick 16 songs. Throughout March, students listen to the songs and vote between two of them. The winning song advances, and the losing song is eliminated.

Click below to learn more: 

https://spanishmama.com/locura-de-marzo/

Competition for Spanish classes starts Feb. 23, get your classes involved today!  Below are this year's selections for Spanish:

1. "Bonita," Daddy Yankee

2. "Ojitos Rojos," Grupo Frontera

3. "Mejor Que Ayer," Diego Torres

4. "Acróstico," Shakira

5. "La Vida Es Una," Karol G

6. "Ojos Marrones," Lasso, Sebastián Yatra

7. "Levanta Tu Bandera," Ale Mendoza, Tayl G, Sartiboy

8. "Somos," Gente De Zona

9. "Mañana es Too Late," Jesse y Joy, J. Balvin

10. ​"Contento," Jorge Luis Chacín

11. "Volvió A Latir," Milena Warthon

12. "Cuando Te Besé," Becky G, Paolo Londra

13. "Para Vivirla," Alvaro Soler

14. "La América Que Se Olvida," Renata Flores

15. "Mambo 23," Juan Luis Guerra

16. "Amor Con Hielo," Morat

Click to enter for Spanish classes: 

https://www.senorashby.com/locura-de-marzo-2024.html

Competition for Spanish classes starts March 6, get your classes involved today!  Below are this year's selections for French:

1. "Dépassé," Nuit Incolore

2. "Matin midi soir," Missy D

3. "Horizon," Gims

4. "Level Up," Le Florfranco

5. "C’est la vie," Mika

6. "La musique," Lékho

7. "Je suis fou," Vianney, Girac, Soprano

8. "T’as le temps," Julien Canaby

9. "Akwaba," Magic System

10. "Tu es là," Les Maryann

11. "Les choses qu’on fait," Vitaa

12. "Rêver éveille," Bégin & Bouvette

13. "Grandir," Black M & Amir

14. "Travailler," Baladji Kwata

15. "Casa," Ouidad

16. "Tu rayones," Anisha Jo

Click to enter for French classes:

https://www.maniemusicale.info/bienvenue

Uno de muchos de los símbolos culturales más representativos de México es la Piñata. No nos podríamos imaginar una posada o una fiesta infantil sin romperla. Algunas hechas de barro, otras hechas con periódico pero todas siempre están rellenas de coloridos dulces, deliciosos cacahuates y jugosas frutas de temporada como mandarina, naranja, caña de azúcar, tejocote o jícama.

Continúa con la lectura aquí:

https://sipuebla.com/spanishreader/piniatas.html

Nathalie Marsh's book was just printed last month and is now available in French and in Spanish at TPRS Publishing. Here is the link to Spanish and French versions. Get your copies today! https://www.tprsbooks.com/shop/drame-au-lycee-novel/

This book is designed for level 3 students, and it deals with real life dilemmas of high school students where Chantal is finding it difficult to balance competing priorities such as a boyfriend, demanding advanced placement classes, and varsity water polo. She must choose.

Nathalie is an Inland Empire teacher who teaches French at Don Lugo High School in Chino.

It sells for $8/copy with discounts on 20 or more copies. Get a class set.

Going to have some free time over Winter Break? Don't forget to fill out the application for Summer 2024!

After a long-awaited return to Guanajuato this past summer, we're enjoying the fall weather in Ashland and preparing for next year's SLI program. Thinking about starting the MA program or joining us for graduate credit next year? Visit our website to apply, and feel free to contact us with any questions you may have!

In the picture on the right is our Inland Empire teacher Abraham Garcia of Chino Hills High School. Abraham did his master’s in three summers in Guanajuato. If you have any questions, contact him at Abraham_Garcia@chino.k12.ca.us

Apply now:

https://inside.sou.edu/summerlanguageinstitute/application.html

Flangoo is a subscription-based service for digital World Language readers available in Spanish, French, and German!! A sister company of Teacher’s Discovery®, Flangoo creates an affordable solution for World Language teachers who want to offer students a wide range of readers. One Flangoo account gives you and up to 150 students access to an entire virtual Free Voluntary Reading (FVR) library. Try it out! 

How about some quick, fun activities to do with your students in the target language! Let’s start with...

Who's telling the truth?

Have them fill out a survey telling something strange they did as a child. Choose several of those answers and display them on your board or presentation.

This can be played online. Call on 4 people in the class, including the person who wrote the sentence, to read the sentence as if they wrote it.

You ask each person two questions, and they answer, acting as if they wrote it. Then the students type in the chat who they think is telling the truth, but the students wait to send until you say, "Send".

After they send, you ask each actor if they wrote the sentence to reveal the truth-teller. The actor with the most votes gets extra credit. The students who got it right get extra credit.

This is a great game to play with your upper levels, especially now with the fun Among Us game, students have to try to figure out who the imposter is! Here’s an example:

Example: When I was little, I used to hide in the kitchen cupboards.
Questions: Why did you hide in the cupboards? (asked to all actors)
or How old were you when you hid in the cupboards? (asked to all actors)

Who knows you best?

Choose a volunteer and have them select a question to answer (#1-12).

The teacher asks the question, then all of the other students guess what the interviewee's answer is.

They type it in the chat but don't send it. When the teacher says "send", they send it.

The teacher then asks the interviewee to send their answer. Everyone who gets it right gets a point.

Here are some sample questions. You can adapt them to any level, any unit:

• What are you afraid of?

• Where do you like to go on vacation?

• What is it that makes you angry?

• What are you laughing at?

• Do you prefer to cycle, ride a horse, or drive?

• What do you prefer: doing the dishes, mowing the lawn, cleaning the bathroom, or vacuuming?

• At night, do you prefer to play a game, visit a relative, watch a movie, or read?

• Who would you like to be lost with on a desert island?

• Approximately how many pairs of shoes do you have?

• Which public transport do you prefer (plane, boat, train, bus, metro, etc.)?

• What is your favorite zoo animal?

• What is your favorite holiday: Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year's Eve, Valentine's Day, Halloween, Easter, July 4th

Scavenger Hunt:

If you're online, ask students to find something that makes people happy/sad/frustrated etc and show it to the camera. Ask students to find something hard/soft/wet/round/square etc and show it to the camera. Great for all levels and another great way to start some fun, personalized discussions!