2015 WLF breakout sessions part 3

Breton Dancing: Celtic Traditions in France

Join us for some spirited, traditional dances originating in Brittany, the Celtic region of France! A brief introduction to some aspects of Breton culture will be followed by energetic dances which are accessible to all levels! Come and join the fun as we enjoy this festive folk tradition!

Italian: Learning Through Taste and Smell

"The presenter will guide the audience through a sequenced language learning unit for vocabulary related to food and taste. Purpose of the exercise is to learn/review vocabulary through real bodily experience that requires the use of taste and smell. The presenter guides learners to develop their ability to taste up to the point of being able to recall it and live it without actual food in their mouth. "

Instructor | Letizia Montroni, lmontron@indiana.edu

Bonjour! Bonnes fêtes! Je t’aime! Everything sounds better in French!

In this session, participants will make their own personalized French greeting cards to communicate just the right message to friends and family in one of the world’s most chic and sophistiqué languages! Decorator paper, scissors, glue and pre-printed seasonal greetings as well as famous love quotes and philosophical sayings in FRENCH will be supplied. You bring the creativity!

Instructor | Kelly Sax, ksax@indiana.edu

Pizza, Pasta and …? What Do Italians Really Eat?

Italy is well known for its culinary traditions. Italian food is well known all over the world, but is Pasta Alfredo really Italian? In this presentation, the students will go beyond the stereotypes and discover the regional varieties of Italian food. They will be engaged in a series of hands-on activities allowing them to connect Italian cuisine to the geography, history and culture of Italy. At the end of the presentation the students will get a chance to make their own real Italian pizza dough.

Instructors | Lino Mioni, lmioni@indiana.edu; Karolina Serafin, kserafin@indiana.edu

Do You Speak Français: French in the United States

You probably know that you can find French in France and Canada, but did you know that French is spoken all over the United States?  Come learn about the varieties of French spoken in New England, Missouri, and Louisiana!  Students will learn about French as part of American culture  – its history in the U.S., its various distinct regional features (pronunciation, vocabulary, etc.), and its role in various regions across the country.  Discovering the language’s nearby roots will help students connect with French in an immediate and real way.

Instructor | Laura Demsey, ldemsey@indiana.edu; Kelly Kasper-Cushman, kmkasper@indiana.edu; Renata Uzzell, rcuzzell@indiana.edu

Learn to Draw Monsters in German

Learn how to count to five in German and the 5 most important body parts. We will have a "monster" drawing session to practice our new vocabulary and have a little fun, too.

Instructor | Anita Lukic, alukic@indiana.edu; Ekaterina Cervantes, edcervan@indiana.edu

Germanic Studies Showcase Room

Join us in our showcase room to view cultural realia, displays, and interactive exercises. Mini lessons in German, Norwegian, and Dutch will take place throughout the day.

Instructors | Troy Byler, tbyler@indiana.edu; Gergan May, ggmay@indiana.edu; Esther Ham, eham@indiana.edu; Bieneke Haitjema, jhaitjem@indiana.edu

Norwegian Christmas

Submerge yourself in the enchanting world of the traditional Norwegian Christmas Eve celebration! Come meet the little gnomes who protect the farm from evil spirits. Learn how to make "heart baskets" - colorful traditional Christmas tree decorations. Listen to Norwegian Christmas carols and learn about the traditional food the former Vikings enjoy during Christmas time.

Instructor | Gergana May, ggmay@indiana.edu

Norwegian Lesson

Learn a little Norwegian and engage in some cultural activities.

Instructor | Gergana May, ggmay@indiana.edu

Dutch Bingo

Come and test how much you already know about Dutch, the language and the culture. By playing Dutch bingo, you will find out that you already know much more about the language, the countries where it is spoken and the culture than you realized. Nice prize for the winner!

Instructor | Esther Ham / eham@indiana.edu

A Crash Course in Russian

A highly interactive, fun introduction to basic Russian phrases and the Cyrillic alphabet! In this session, you will learn a full series of Russian conversation exchanges for making new acquaintances, as well as about half of the Cyrillic alphabet. By the end of the session conducted only in Russian, you will be able to introduce yourself, as well as read a variety of words. See how quickly our students overcome the hurdle of a different alphabet, and leave being able to make new friends in one of the world's great languages!

Instructor | Dr. Jeffrey D. Holdeman

Czech Micro Lesson

A brief introduction to the language and culture of the Czech Republic.

Instructor | Craig Cravens, cracrave@indiana.edu

History of the Balkans through Popular Music [Bosnian, Serbian, Croatian]

History of the Balkans can be an intimidating subject: centuries of religious and cultural differences, long history of occupying empires, and the modern period fraught with national conflict. This presentation is designed to showcase the variety of cultures and traditions in this fascinating region of the world through an approachable subject of popular music. Surveying the musical heritage of the countries of former Yugoslavia, the presentation covers the medieval Christian period in Catholic, Byzantine, and Heretic traditions; introduces the less familiar Ottoman heritage through both religious and secular music stemming from it; moves into the modern era of national awakening and folklore; covers the post-war period, including examples of rock n' roll and punk; and takes students up to the present with most recent hip hop and ethno-beat variations of popular music from the region. Coupled with images of cultures and traditions representative of this period!

Instructor | Marina Antic, mantic@indiana.edu

Get to know Small Part of the Balkan [Bosnian, Serbian, Croatian]

Learn about the historical, cultural and language differences between Bosnia, Serbia, and Croatia. Although they are close in geographic region, we will uncover some unique features of all.

Instructor | Teuta Ismaili, tismaili@indiana.edu

Learn Ukranian With Us!

A micro-lesson that includes a five-minute presentation about Ukraine and a language lesson that introduces alphabet and basic phrases. If the time permits, the lesson will be concluded by singing in Ukrainian.

Instructor | Svitlana Melnyk, smelnyk@indiana.edu & Sofiya Asher, soasher@indiana.edu

Russian Traditions Through Cartoons

When does school start in Russia? What’s the name of the Russian Santa Claus? What do Russians sing on your birthday? Come and watch excerpts from the Russian cartoons to learn more about Russian holidays and traditions. 

Instructor | Elena Dulodenko, elendolu@indiana.edu

Polish Folk Dances

Come and discover the exciting world of Polish folklore. This interactive session will focus on traditional Polish dances. Students will hear some interesting facts about Polish national and regional dances, and they will learn how to dance the polonaise (one of the most popular national dances of Poland).

Instructor | Natalie Misteravich, nmistera@imail.iu.edu; Lukasz Sicinski, lsicinsk@indiana.edu

Practical Ideas for Homeschooling Foreign Languages

Come hear a mother who homeschooled her seven children for nearly 20 years and who is currently studying for a PhD in Second Language Acquisition, share concrete, practical ways to homeschool foreign languages effectively.

Instructor | Jeanne Gilbert

World Language Bingo

Play a friendly game of bingo and learn about all the languages and courses offered through the Summer Language workshop. Prizes will be awarded!

Instructor | Amy Richardson

How Can We Help Students to be Successful in an Online Language Course?

In the recent years online learning has been gaining popularity among language instructors and students. However, many are still questioning the possibility of communicating in an online environment, and thus we often believe that language learning cannot occur online. In this presentation we will demonstrate what we can do to help students to learn and communicate in an online language course and how we can prepare them to be successful in an online environment. Teachers and parents will discover that success in distance learning helps the students to become independent and motivated lifelong learners.

Instructor | Karolina Serafin

The Matching Language Game

This activity, designed for domestic high schools students draws attention to the over 75 languages that are taught at IU and challenges students to match each language with the country or countries where the language is spoken. Students receive a numbered list of languages and a world map. When students make correct matches they receive a prize.

Instructor | Janusz Solarz; Linda Abe

Flip Cup Frenzy: Verb Conjugation Competition in the Any Language

Supplies You will need:

• 12 or more plastic cups
• Small strips of paper a different verb (in the infinitive form) written on each
• A long table

Set-up:
On each side of the table, the instructor sets up 6 cups face up. Each cup in filled with a strip of paper with a verb written on it (in the infinitive form). (Typically, I use 6 cups on each side because these reflect the 6 subject pronouns in Italian. You can certainly add more or less depending on class size and how you decide to set-up this activity).

The activity:
The class is divided into 2 teams. This is a competition activity based on speed and accuracy. A member of each team approaches the first cup. He/she creates a complete sentence, conjugating the verb according to a specific subject pronoun. (I ask students to incorporate new vocabulary related to the current theme being covered in class in their sentences).

The first cup could represent "I," the second "you" singular and so forth. Subject pronouns can also be arranged in random order. Once the student successfully creates a sentence, he/ she must flip the cup until it lands face down on the table. The successful flipping of the cup will prompt the next team member to perform the same activity with a different verb. The team that successfully conjugates all of their verbs and flips all of their cups first wins.

Purpose: This activity can be used as a warm up, wake up, or a wrap up. I have used this activity to focus on irregular verbs. I have also used it to review for an exam.

Instructor |Lisa Dolasinski