World Languages

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World Languages

World Languages Facebook Group

Standards and Guidance

Iowa Department of Education 

National Standards

Other Resources

American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)

Cinco de Mayo
 
DAVE’S ESL CAFÉ
Teachers and students will find countless lesson plans and other activities to support and enrich the learning of English. Includes sections on slang, pronunciation, and idioms.
 
Internet Picture Dictionary, The
This site contains numerous images in categories such as animals, body parts, school, etc. The noteworthy feature of this site is the ability to set up online flashcards, word scrambles and other activities based on specific topics. The languages include: French, English, Spanish, German, and Italian

Spanish

CNN News in Spanish
 
List of Spanish – English Cognates
This online dictionary will eventually present about 4,000 words. The English word is presented first with the Spanish word second. Simply click on the letter of the alphabet to locate the list of words beginning with the particular letter.
 
Madrid
 
One Semester of Spanish Love Song
This hilarious music video shows a linguistically challenged young man serenading a beautiful woman with his limited Spanish. Check it out to give your students some proof of why they should continue their language studies – or if you just want a good laugh.
 
Online Spanish Resource: El Castellano
Resources on this website include an e-mailed word of the day, articles, dictionaries, online Spanish forums, grammar explanations, a history of the Spanish language, and links to online literature resources.
 
Primary Spanish Online Resources from the BBC
Hosted by the BBC, Primary Spanish is divided into Start Here (5 units), Learn More (10 units), and there is also a Festivals unit. Top Tips gives general advice on language teaching. The focus is on elementary-age children.
 
Source for News from Latin America
This site features news from Latin America, updated at least every 24 hours.  While some of the news stories may work as teaching tools, other may be too disturbing for teachers to use with younger students.  The site does have other resources that may be useful, including a Spanish word of the day, Spanish grammar and cognates dictionary, and Spanish lessons.

French

Chauvet-Pont-d’Arc Cave
 
Cool French
Want to keep up on the latest French slang?  Here is BBC Languages’ essential guide to young French people’s slang, divided into different categories such as Argument, Going Out, Money, Moods, and Politics.
 
French Songs and Other Resources
This site has activities and projects,, as well as songs, that French language educators might use in their teaching.
 
Info Junior:  A French Journal for Kids
This French language online journal by kids for kids contains jokes, games, stories, and topically arranged informational pages.

Paris
 
Paris Tours
 
The World Speaks French
The site has downloadable print ads, posters, online banner ads, brochures, and postcards; news on French language instruction; and a forum where teachers, parents, and students can share ideas and ask questions.

German

Berlin Tour
 
German Games and Quizzes for Beginners
This web page contains links to the following types of games and quizzes for beginners:

  • German Grammar
  • Online Word Games – Fun Java games
  • Vocabulary – Games and quizzes for German
  • Review Tests (German for Beginners)
  • History and Culture Quizzes


German Grammar Podcasts
These English language podcasts explain different topics in German grammar.  Topics have included: Haben, Liegen or Legen, Indirect Speech and Subjunctive One, Overview of the Subjunctive Mood, Commands and Requests, Uses of Lassen, Possession and the Genitive Case, Participles as Adverbs, and Agent Nouns.
 
German Language Newspapers/Magazines
 
German Website about Everyday Life
KALEIDOSKOP wants to talk about the things in everyday life that people take for granted.  Topics include: Everyday life in brief, Rituals and festivals, What youngsters like, Places, People, Getting around, Opinions, First impressions, and Web-cams and City-Infos.
 
Goethe Institute

Sites for Internet Exchanges

ePals
 
Edublogs
Edublogs hosts hundreds of thousands of blogs for teachers, students, researchers, professors, librarians, administrators and anyone and everyone else involved in education. Edublogs are completely free, without any advertising.
 
Blogs-Exchange
Blogs-Exchange is the first community of blogs dedicated to the learning and interchange of languages (Spanish and English so far). Give feedback and write on your own blog as a teacher or student, in tandem, in a group or by yourself.
 
Internet TESL Journal
An online journal for teachers of English as a Second Language, this site includes articles, strategies and ideas for effective language teaching. The archived issues are excellent sources of lesson plans.
 
Language Games in Italian, Spanish, French, German and English
This website contains free online resources for Italian, Spanish, French, German, and English including educational games, online dictionaries, pen pals, language level tests, and language-specific forums. The site is available in English, Italian, French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese.
 
Learning Languages through Technology
This site includes standards, ideas, projects, tutorials, and software reviews. The goal is to encourage foreign language and ESL educators to learn and experiment with technology and at the same time become comfortable enough to expand their teaching methodology to include different kinds of technologies into their classrooms.
 
Lesson Plans
 
Little Explorers Picture Dictionary
 
National Geographic Traveler
 
Podcasting Resources for Language Teachers
This is a page on podcasting for foreign language educators. It includes links to general information about podcasting, locating foreign language podcasts, some language-specific podcasting resources, and some projects involving podcasts.
 
Teaching with Internet Picture Super Language Sites
 
Translating Foreign Newspapers With Word
This Education World lesson plan for foreign language classes gives easy-to-follow steps for copying foreign language newspaper articles from the Internet, pasting them into Word, then converting the passage into a table format to help with translation.