Standard 3.1: Students apply the language of study to discuss other content areas of study.

Omaha North High School French Teacher Margarita Fernandez de Blas shares an art project based on painter Robert Delaunay who assisted with the construction of the Eiffel Tower. Delaunay reproduced many paintings of the Eiffel Tower using techniques based Impressionism, Cubism, Fauvism, and Pointillism. The artist and his wife also created a style called “orphism” which uses the circle as a base of painting. In Fernandez de Blas’ classroom, students create a painting of the Eiffel Tower, cut it into five or six pieces, and then rebuild it in a free form. Then, using circles of various sizes, they create the background. Student artwork is displayed with a mural of the Eiffel Tower and artwork by the painter.

Standard 3.1 states that students will apply the language to discuss other content areas of study. According to the indicators, novice low learners can label colors and shapes. Intermediate low students begin to describe the painter and his influences. Skillfully using vocabulary specific to the subject, such as “orphism”, is exactly the use of language to reinforce and expand knowledge in all content areas.

The 30^th annual Nebraska Paraeducator Conference was held in Kearney November 18 & 19. This year’s theme was “Paraeducators, the Link to Meaningful Connections.” Paraeducators are invaluable in building positive relationships with students at every level. They help teachers with prevention, responses, and effective strategies in building positive interactions throughout the day. In response to students challenging social and emotional needs, the conference focused on information and strategies for Paras to use to create success for students. NDE Commissioner Matthew Blomstedt presented awards to the paraeducators of the year. Congratulations to Deanna Bird, Beth Johnson, Gabby Precibio, Katie Lewis and Carol McClain for receiving these awards.

In celebration of October as National Farm to School Month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food & Nutrition Service, Mountain Plains Regional Office worked with States in the Region to host a “Crunch Off!” The event was a friendly competition to see which State could pledge the most celebratory bites into crunchy, local food per capita during the month of October.

The goal was to promote the purchase and consumption of local produce as well as celebrate Farm to School Month in a fun, creative way. The States had tremendous success in spreading the word about Farm to School Month and encouraging folks across their States to purchase and crunch into local produce. This year Nebraska is crowned the Crunch Champion!

Congratulations go out to our Commissioner of Education, Matthew Blomstedt, for being chosen as the president-elect for the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). CCSSO is a nonpartisan, nationwide organization of public education officials who provide leadership, advocacy, and technical assistance on major educational issues. For the full press release: https://www.education.ne.gov/…/nebraska-commissioner-chose…/

Step Up to Quality is celebrating its five-year anniversary this year, a milestone in Nebraska’s commitment to quality early childhood education. High-quality child care and early childhood education is important for our state’s future. As Nebraska’s QRIS (Quality Rating and Improvement System), Step Up to Quality supports early child care and education programs that go beyond state licensing requirements to better serve the needs of young children and their families, and to prepare them for success in kindergarten and beyond.

https://www.education.ne.gov/…/step-up-to-quality-celebrat…/

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Selena Tribute Party
UNK
Kearney
October 29
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Día de los Muertos 2019
Nebraska History Museum
Lincoln
November 3
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Curry Clash
Asian Community & Cultural Center
Lincoln
November 7
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Paraeducator Conference
Younes Conference Center
Kearney
November 19
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National Council of State Supervisors of Foreign Languages Annual Meeting
November 19-21
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ACTFL Convention
Washington DC
November 22-24
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Christmas in Greece
St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church
Omaha
November 23
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An Irish Christmas
Midwest Theater
Scottsbluff
December 17
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Mariachi Herencia de México
Orpheum Theater
Omaha
December 20
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In a unit on body parts and health, students were asked to complete a KWL. These “know, want to know, and learned” activities work well with approaching content outside of strongly familiar topics. Students respond with words, phrases, or sentences about what they already know, what they would like to know, and what they learned. How would you make this look in the target language? Share your ideas.

Standard 5.1 Students self-assess growth in language learning, practice, and understanding.
Standard 5.2 Students set language learning goals and organize priorities.

Replicating success is easier when the pathway to success is clearly understood. Nebraska World Language Standards 5.1 and 5.2 focus on the cognition of second language learning. By learning the cognition and metacognition of language study, students will be better able to engage in and take responsibility for their own learning. O’Malley (1985) clarifies the difference between cognition and metacognition. Cognition refers to the strategies used for specific learning tasks. Metacognition references the executive functions of planning for learning, evaluating progress, correcting mistakes, and forming a new plan responsive to needs.

Directly addressing cognitive and metacognitive strategies can increase student effectiveness in all three modes of communication. Henner Stanchina (1987) demonstrated that effective listeners improve interpretation by maintaining a constant inner dialogue to elaborate and transform what they hear. These listeners also recognize failure in comprehension and activate appropriate knowledge to repair the failure. Anderson (2002) suggests that students “may be taught that an effective writing strategy involves thinking about their audience and their purpose in writing.” By practicing cognitive strategies used in the presentational and interpretive mode, students become better prepared to use them during the dynamic interpersonal mode.

Practical examples of cognitive and metacognitive teaching are easy to find. Products like LinguaFolio, LinguaFolio Nebraska, and LinguaFolio Junior, have established a foundation of self-assessment, goal setting, and prioritization. However, Nebraska’s challenge is to encourage the function of these activities in the language of study. By creating these models in the target language, at an appropriate level and with scaffolding, we provide greater relevance and context to the language. Consider the following. Routine classroom management tasks, when accomplished in the target language, become acquired language. Students understand the intent of commands without knowing the conjugation structure. At novice levels, cognition and metacognition can be approached through isolated words or short phrases such as “I understand a little, a lot, not at all” or “I think, I read, I write, I speak”.

The “Nebraska C”, cognition, is merely a defined approach to best practice and research. Taking an active role in planning for language study, establishing processes and connections, and evaluating progress creates a partnership between the student and teacher that promotes more successful language learning.

References
Anderson, N. J., & Eric Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics, Washington, Dc. (2002). The Role of Metacognition in Second Language Teaching and Learning. Eric Digest. ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics.

Henner Stanchina, Carolyn. 1987. “Autonomy as Metacognitive Awareness: Suggestions for Training Self-Monitoring of Listening Comprehension.” Méanges Pédagogiques, 69-84.

O’Malley, J. M., Chamot, A. U., Stewner-Manzanares, G., Kupper, L.J. & Russo, R.P. (1985). Learning strategies used by beginning and intermediate ESL students. Language Learning, 35(1): 21-46.

The following positions were confirmed or elected at the NILA Annual Conference. For more information about each individual, visit the NILA website.

Past President:  
Alicia Dallman Shoemaker (Elkhorn)
President:  
Dr. Janet Eckerson (Lincoln)
President Elect:  
Katy Cattlett (Omaha)
Vice President: 
Liliana Velasco (Columbus)
Secretary:
Dr. Jonathan Dettman (UNK)
Treasurer:
Dr. Jami Holbein Swanson (Lincoln)
Exhibit and Vendor Chair:
Cara Heminger (Lincoln)
Communications Chair:
Will West (Lincoln)
President, NATG:
Pat Branson (UNO)
President, NATF:
Cara Heminger (Lincoln)
President, NATSP:
Angie Wagoner (Crete)

Wendy Brennan
German Teacher, Millard North High School
Past President, American Association of Teachers of German (Nebraska)
wmbrennan@mpsomaha.org

What was your motivation to become a language teacher?
I always wanted to be a teacher, and I loved learning German, so it seemed like a logical fit for me. Since becoming a German teacher, I’ve learned so much from my colleagues and peers through professional organizations. The relationships I’ve built through NILA and AATG are so motivating and inspiring; I will never be done learning!
Describe your classroom approach in five words or less.
“There’s method to my madness!”
How do you feel Nebraska is raising the standards for world language education?
As someone who attends regional and national conferences, and as someone who has been closely involved with the NILA conference in several different roles over the years, I can say with some authority that the sessions we offer through NILA are consistently top-notch. Nebraska’s best world language education resources are its teachers, and the networks we build through face-to-face collaboration at workshops and conferences enable us bring the very best practice to our classrooms.
What would you recommend to educators to build their pedagogy and practice?
Our profession is tough. Teachers need each other for support and fresh ideas. Go to the conference, attend the workshop, email the presenter who inspired you – build those networks! If you seek out both formal and informal learning opportunities and try to apply what you learn to your instruction, you will grow as an educator, and your students will benefit from your lifelong-learner mentality.

Cara Heminger (left) presents the NATF TOY Award to Sasha Van Zandt (right).

Alicia Dallman Shoemaker (left) and Angie Wagoner (right) present the award to Jami Holbein Swanson (center).

Alicia Dallman Shoemaker (right) presents the New Teacher award to Kelleen Browning (left).

NATF Teacher of the Year Sasha Van Zandt
Nebraska Association of Teachers of French (NATF) President Cara Heminger (Lincoln North Star) awarded Sasha Van Zandt of Lincoln Southwest High School the NATF Teacher of the Year. Van Zandt has been actively involved in French activities at Southwest and around the state. Last year Van Zandt traveled to France with colleagues Will West and Kristen Tangen and 22 students. Van Zandt has also presented at NILA conferences.

NATSP Teacher of the Year Dr. Jami Holbein Swanson
Nebraska Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (NATSP) President Angie Wagoner awarded North Star High School Spanish teacher Dr. Jami Holbein Swanson the NATSP Teacher of the Year. Holbein Swanson has worked with Lincoln Public Schools for 23 years. Holbein Swanson, a long-term advocate for world language learning, is now working directly with heritage and native speakers of Spanish to promote first language literacy.

NILA New Teacher of the Year Kelleen Browning
NILA President Alicia Dallman Shoemaker awarded Lincoln Southeast High School German teacher Kelleen Browning the NILA New Teacher of the Year. Browning completed a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Germany during 2014-2015. She also studied in Germany for six months with UNL’s Deutsch in Deutschland program. Browning is the incoming President of the Nebraska Association of Teachers of German and hosted the 2019 Wunderbar Together German Students’ Convention.

Jesus Jurado Mendoza (right) presents the MESTER scholarship to teacher Theresa Jensen (left).

Millard North Spanish Teacher Theresa Jensen won a prize drawing award of a lifetime. Jesus Jurado Mendoza, Education Advisor for the Spanish Embassy Ministry of Education, presented Jensen with the MESTER Scholarship. The scholarship will allow Jensen two weeks of study, lodging included, in Salamanca, Spain. The Spanish Embassy Ministry of Education supports Nebraska teachers of Spanish with many programs including materials, scholarships, and language assistants. Find out more at: https://cehs.unl.edu/tlte/spanish-studies-institute/

Alicia Dallman Shoemaker (L) and Janet Eckerson (R) present Ralston Spanish Teacher Jamie Honke (center) with the Best of Nebraska Session 2018. Honke will present at Central States Conference in Minneapolis March 12-14, 2020.

The 2019 Nebraska International Languages Association Annual Conference convened Friday and Saturday October 11 and 12 at the University of Nebraska Kearney. Over 150 participants filled the Nebraskan Student Union during the two-day event.

Friday began with a workshop presentation, “Raising the Bar: Nebraska’s World Language Stanards”. Stephanie Call, Nebraska Department of Education World Language Specialist led the participants through a foundational discussion regarding the essential ingredients of language learning before presenting the 2019 standards. Discussion then turned to how the standards are reflected in current practice.

Saturday was a full day of sessions, vendors, and networking. Twenty-five presentations included student involvement, promoting proficiency, technology integration, and advocating for world languages. Saturday’s keynote was presented by Stephanie Call who shared her understanding of the standards through her professional experience as a 7-12 Spanish educator. During lunch, the NILA Board of Directors, the American Association of Teachers of German (Nebraska), the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (Nebraska) and the American Association of Teachers of French recognized their teachers of the year.

The 2020 NILA Annual Conference will be at Omaha South High School in October 2020.

NILA Past President Alicia Dallman Shoemaker (left) presents the award to World Language Teacher of the Year Cathy Demoude (right).

The Nebraska International Language Association recognized Hershey Spanish Teacher Cathy Demoude as the 2019 World Language Teacher of the Year at the NILA Annual Conference at the University of Nebraska Kearney October 12. Demoude has taught in Hershey Public Schools for 29 years. Principal Jeff Steinbeck commented, “Her enthusiasm for the content and her love for speaking another language shows every day. She is one of the most positive people I have ever been around.” Mr. Steinbeck shared Demoude’s emphasis on language use, “Cathy’s classes are conversational. When you walk into her room, all students are speaking back and forth in conversation.” Demoude’s longevity in the district has provided stability for a strong program that is evidenced through results. Mr. Steinbeck shared that numerous students have returned to share college success, new hirings, and promotions due to language learned in her class.

The Nebraska State Charitable Giving Campaign is the State’s official workplace giving campaign that provides teammates a meaningful opportunity to give back to their local communities.

Nebraska Department of Education was recognized as one of the Most Valuable Champion of Dollars Awards winners at this year’s Nebraska State Employees Charitable Giving Awards Picnic hosted by Governor Pete Ricketts at the Governor’s Residence. NDE had a 96% increase in giving. NDE’s Team also won Team Trophies for Champion of New Dollars & Champion of New Givers. #CharitableGiving #GiveBack