EVIDENCE #1: Letter of recommendation from Michelle Steele, French teacher I interned with at Middlebury High School.

DESCRIPTION: This letter is from a teaching internship I arranged at Middlebury High School in the winter of 2019. It reflects a diversity of cross-cultural and linguistic competency building activities I implemented during my time there for learners per Madame Steele's comments. Additionally, it highlights communicative activities I provided for students.

ANALYSIS/REFLECTION: Working with Madame Steele at Middlebury High School was a wonderful learning opportunity for me as an educator and while going through the peer review process. At the high school level I was able to implement learning activities involving communication through highlighting several real world issues.

These issues included Fair Trade Chocolate and Conflict Minerals. In both classes, discussion was a component of the class, with a partner, small group and the whole class. As well, for another instructional activity I led on francophone geography, learners were drawing to show their knowledge and I created a game to engage all and reinforce thatcontent.

Much critical thinking ensued especially for the lesson on Fair Trade Chocolate as this led to a spontaneous discussion on globalization. Self-directed learning occurred as students discussed, with guidance and prompting, what exactly globalization is. Together, we unpacked the topic and looked further digitally for resources during the class.

This evidence reflects my competence in this standard because of the use of cross-cultural issues in French calling for critical thinking and communicative activities. To further develop in this area as a teacher, I would like to attend a Total Physical Response Strategies (TPRS) Workshop to gain skills for introducing current events for French learners at the more advanced levels. I also would like to create lessons and opportunities for students to research and present topics of interest to them in French.

EVIDENCE #2: Instructional activities about French food, numbers and greetings for 4th/5th grade class

DESCRIPTION: This lesson took place at The Sustainability Academy at Lawrence Barnes in Burlington, Vermont in May of 2019. I was a substitute teacher this day. This is a sustainability focused magnet elementary school that I have worked with for the past 10 years in a variety of capacities. On this day, I was a substitute teacher for Ms. Deidre Morris, whom I have worked with numerous times. I had the pleasure of just participating in their 10 Year Celebration with a station offering French, art and nature based activities for students, friends and family, on May 31, 2019.

ANALYSIS/REFLECTION: I began the lesson with a number of interactive, communicative activities involving singing, movement and then culminating in an activity station with a book about French food and materials to create art projects.

Linguistic competence in younger learners bubbles up as their oral skills often progress rapidly. I combine much physical movement with my lessons for this age group. Also, I do not teach grammar explicitly, as students learn phrases and words through movement, games, actions. According to Anne Guarnera's blog post Five Approaches to Teaching Foreign Languages, April 2018,

"the Total Physical Response approach is based on neuroscience research that demonstrates an intimate connection between physical movement and language acquisition. It has a heavy emphasis on teaching vocabulary, which kids acquire as they learn a physical movement to accompany each new word or phrase in the target language. For example, a teacher will instruct her student to “Sit down,” and then demonstrate the action; the student then repeats “Sit down” and completes the action himself—thus learning a new phrase. Grammar is not taught explicitly, but learned “inductively” through exposure to many different phrases."

Years ago, I created a "Welcome Song," in French that I use with many learners in this age group and beyond. Muscial rhythm, I have found also helps learners retain knowledge much as a song will get stuck in your head. For this class, our focus was on French food and I used a book with beautiful illustrations and maps to bring the cuisine of France to life. Often when substitute teaching here there will be an opportunity for me to offer a French lesson that is welcomed by the school.

This evidence shows my use of communicative instructional activities to engage learners in a 4th/5th grade mixed classroom. To grow this skill set at the elementary level, I hope to participate in the development of the French immersion program under development with the Burlington School District and French Embassy in Boston. The French Embassy has offered to cover training courses for teachers selected to participate. I have communicated with the BSD superintendent regarding this possibility and his response was they will be back in touch with further developments and good luck with my Peer Review.

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