The Language Bank
Introduction
The study of foreign languages has long
been the traditional means for crossing borders between cultures,
and for foreign language teachers, the Internet represents an
unparalleled opportunity to energize this tradition anew. Bilingual
and foreign language websites are well established in cyberspace,
and well stocked with electronic publications ranging from classic
works of literature to the latest sports scores. Borders virtually
disappear at these websites, enabling students to live within
the discourse of another language and even sample its special
variations in the cultures of many lands.
Learning Objectives
To provide practice in reading, listening
to, and writing in a foreign language; to expand vocabulary
and command of idiom in a foreign language; to gain greater
understanding of a foreign culture; to raise awareness of
the practical importance of foreign language skills in a global
society.
1
EDSITEment can provide a jumping off point for making Internet
excursions a regular part of your foreign language curriculum.
Students learning Spanish can be directed to the LANIC
website where they can browse through virtual
libraries, read news
and sports reports, or find an e-mail pen pal. LANIC also holds
resources for students learning French, who can gain a fresh
perspective on the language through links to Haiti
and other French-speaking countries of the Caribbean.
These students will also find useful links to Francophone
culture at African
Studies, which holds links
to countries such as Algeria and Morocco. Even more extensive
resources for French language instruction are available at
the website maintained by the American
Association of Teachers of French, which will be featured
in a future
learning guide.
2
Depending on your curriculum, you might
have students simply browse the Internet in the language they
are studying, keeping a weekly journal of the sites they visit
and the learning experiences they have. You might also require
students to keep up a regular correspondence with an e-mail
pen-pal who is a native speaker of the language they are learning,
or organize an intramural e-mail exchange through which students
correspond with one another, sending clips of their discoveries
on the 'Net.
3 For a more tightly focused learning
experience, have students collect examples of humor from various
countries that speak the language they are studying. They
can look for political cartoons, jokes, examples of irony
and sarcasm in journalism, and comical tales in literature
and folktale collections. Have each student deliver one example
of humor to the class for experience in controlling tone and
nuance in the language. Then discuss as a class some of the
similarities and differences between humor in the cultures
they have sampled and American culture. Some points for comparison:
Do all cultures find humor in attacks on authority? Do all
cultures engage in wordplay and punning? How do other cultures
signal the difference between a comical put-down and a genuine
insult? What sorts of American humor -- for example, in stand-up
comedy routines or in advertising -- would fall flat in other
cultures? On each of these points, help students probe for
some reasons why humor has specific characteristics in different
cultures.
Extending the Lesson
Encourage students to explore beyond
the websites gathered at EDSITEment for foreign language resources
on the Internet, particularly resources that tap into foreign
language-speaking communities within the United States. Students
for whom a foreign language is part of their heritage might
also be encouraged to maintain that heritage through an e-mail
exchange with family members, both in the United States and
in their homeland. Finally, you might invite the guidance
counselor in your school to collaborate in an Internet project
to highlight the career benefits of learning a foreign language,
particularly in finance, engineering and trade.
Standards Alignment
View your state’s standards
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