Stacy Lyon, a mentor teacher for TCLP participant Munir Gomaa at Renaissance Academy in Lehi, UT received a CLP grant to host a Bedouin Fair for the school community to kick off their annual “World Language Week” for 2013. Through the support of the grant, the school set up a fair with a live camel, Arabic music, potted palms, bread baking, belly dancing, and booths with activities led in Arabic.
TCLP Arabic teacher Abir Hassan at Siletz Valley Early College Academy in Siletz Valley, OR organized a Culture Night performance and Fashion Show. Both activities provided an opportunity for her Arabic students to interact with one another and perform for the school and great community, furthering awareness of Arabic culture and language. Ms. Hassan’s Arabic skit was included during the Siletz Culture Night to over 350 community members, and a DVD was created to be used as a learning resource for future Arabic students.
Mentor teacher Amy Sanders at Yarmouth High School in Yarmouth, ME applied for a CLP grant with TCLP Chinese teacher Xiao Chunzhi to organize a field trip to the Peabody Essex Museum and Boston’s Chinatown. Nineteen students in grades 8 through 12 and their family members expanded their understanding of Chinese culture during a guided tour of the museum, and Chinese language students learned new vocabulary they could practice in real-world settings as they ate lunch at a busy Chinese restaurant and explored the shops in Boston’s Chinatown.
At Provo High School in Salt Lake City, Utah, TCLP Arabic teacher Mohammed El Naggar and mentor teacher Audrey Bastian proposed an Arabic Day Camp. More than 270 students from 9 different schools throughout Utah attended this Day Camp during which six different aspects of Arabic language and culture were highlighted. Students in Provo’s Arabic program practiced their language skills with fellow student and teacher visitors.
Mentor teacher Claudine Clark at Madison East High School in Madison, WI organized an Arabic Language and Culture Fair with TCLP Arabic teacher Khaled Kenawi. The Fair, held during school hours, tried to recreate the atmosphere of a Middle Eastern marketplace. There were five areas with different interactive activities representing different aspects of Arabic culture: food, clothing, music and dance, culture and geography, and writing. Each area not only taught about culture, but also introduced some language and vocabulary.
• TCLP Arabic teacher Ibrahim Elkadi will design a project titled “Around the Arabic Nation in Two Days” with support from teachers and students at Scott’s Branch High School in Summerton, South Carolina. This two-day celebration will expose 300 high school students, 100 middle school students, 70 primary students, 6 administrators and 40 teachers to the diversity of 22 Arabic-speaking countries. Local groups and neighboring schools will also be invited to attend this unique event.
TCLP Chinese teacher Cao Yanna will organize project at Indian River Charter School in Vero Beach, Florida with the support of the Indian River students and faculty. This Spring Festival Event includes multiple components aimed at providing students with an opportunity to practice their Chinese skills in real-life language situations and share what they have learned with their families, teachers, and classmates while also exposing other community members to Chinese culture and increasing interest in the Chinese program at Indian River Charter School.
TCLP Egyptian exchange teacher Abla Rasslan was approved for a 3-part Arabic cultural project. The first part consisted of current H.L. Harshman Middle School students teaching other feeder school students about Arabic language and culture. The second part was the creation of an “Encyclopedia Arabia” in which 15 schools contributed projects for inclusion on topics ranging from tourist attractions, to the economy and government of the Arab world. The final part was a culminating Arabic fair, which showcased student work in Arabic class and a fashion show.
TCLP Egyptian exchange teacher Ahmed Mohamed at Renaissance High School was awarded a grant to shed the light on many aspects of the Arab language and culture though an Arabic Night. Current Arabic students gave participants an in-depth look at the Arab world through performances, songs, fashion shows, and games. In the audience were current 8th grade students who will be attending RHS next fall, as well as community members, school district officials, and current RHS students.
At Plymouth High School, mentor teacher Laura Koebel and exchange teacher Ez Eldin Salem designed a project in which 30 Arabic students at Plymouth High School participated in an all day event centered around Arabic studies. First, the students attended 1st and 4th semester Arabic courses at the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee. Afterwards, the students discussed language learning at the college level and practiced their Arabic with the university Arabic students.
