1. Gentle Reminder

NATE Organizing Committee encourages you to check their website regularly http://www.kazannate2009.ru
New information has just been posted on
- extension for submission of Speaker Proposal Forms till April 15
- deadline for EV (electronic Village) submission is June 8th, 2009
- hosts and sponsors
- small grant opportunities
The organizers ask you not procrastinate till maximum as they need to secure equipment and space, workforce and volunteers, tickets and catering services.

1. First Impressions of TESOL
Judith Elliott, our former Fellow in Vladivostok, is sharing her impressions of TESOL’2009:
“Here are some of the web page addresses that I picked up at the convention that
I thought Russian teachers would find useful:
A useful site on the requirements for TESOL proposals is:
http://www.fiu.edu/~dwyere/tesol2009prez.ppt.
It's a power point presentation about how to write a proposal.” (Note the deadline for the proposals for TESOL’ 2010 in Boston is June 2nd)
I went to a workshop by Kate Kinsella which was spectacular.  She has some very helpful ideas about modeling accurate oral fluency in the classroom speech to improve oral speech and raise the level of vocabulary, which also leads to better writing.     Her classroom video clips are right on target.  Just check out her sites.
Also for examples of presentations, with video inserts of classroom performances, go to:
  http://www.sccoe.org/depts/ell/kinsella.asp
  http://www.corelearn.com  

2. Small Grants to Support Summer Schools

If you plan to organize a Summer School (English Language Camp) for kids from low-income families this summer, you could apply for a small grant from the English Language Office (ELO). Please submit your request to Nataliya Fomenko fomenkonv@state.gov 
Here are the tips that will help you in preparing a request:
Read through the online handbooks
Refer to the Ufa and Kazan English Language Summer Camps for Youth Handbooks that can be found on our website http://usembassy.ru/english or
http://russian.moscow.usembassy.gov/elo-programs.html
Please use both of these handbooks as guides, NOT as programs that you need to follow step by step.  Please also check recommendation at http://www.eltrussia.ru/articles_21_19.html  (point D)
Include a teacher training component
While we understand the goal of the camp is to work with students, we especially appreciate camps that incorporate a professional development opportunity for teachers. 
Develop strong cross-cultural and civic education strands
During the camps students should learn about cross-cultural issues, including those that involve Russian, U.S., local and other cultures.  You are welcome to introduce original approaches and themes (combine with IT, theme such as 'conflict resolution' and 'leadership studies').
Make the camps active, student-centered, project-based events
Students should be exposed to sports, drama, music and arts and craft activities.  Fluency-focused instruction, activity- and task-based approaches should be highlighted.
Use alumni of USG programs as teachers and camp counselors
USG program alumni bring an important element to camp: first-hand knowledge of Russian and American culture.   Our experience shows that inclusion of USG programs alumni (FLEX, TEA, PiE, LTMS, Open World, etc) contributes considerably to the success of summer camps, developing students’ language and leadership skills.

In anticipation of funding for your camp, please submit a brief proposal that discusses how you might incorporate the five recommendations above.  Also, please provide a budget between 1000 and 3000 USD per grant that could cover student tuition, travel to/from summer school, other student-related costs (materials, food, etc.). 
 We would like to have this proposal by Wednesday, April 15. 

3. VisualThesaurus.com
VisualThesaurus.com uses mindmap concept to display dictionary entries and their relations to other words. Although the service requires a subscription, there is a demo mode that will allow you to assess its functionality.

Try this link below. Check out the mindmap that will display on the right – it’s really cool.
http://www.visualthesaurus.com/landing/?word=kerfuffle&ad=mwcom.dict.txt1

ELO announces a competition for ideas on how to use this in the class.  Reward: some new books from our office! Deadline – July 15th, please send your ideas to lubninaen@state.gov
Below is a link to their Spelling Bee program that uses same mindmap concept and doesn’t require $$.
http://www.visualthesaurus.com/bee/play

4. Educator Calendar

5. April 22 is Earth Day
This is a great opportunity to promote an ecological conscience in our students and in ourselves. Below find some materials that may prove useful for your classes.

http://www.earthday.gov/ - A site with Earth Day history, tips to take action at home, at school, and at work, as well as related links especially developed for kids. 

http://www.epa.gov/earthday/ - A site with information on what Earth Day is, and simple tips to be environment-friendly at home, at school and in the community. Podcasts are available too.

http://www.america.gov/publications/ejournalusa.html#0308 – An issue of E-Journal USA on The Greening of US Corporations. Can be downloaded in PDF to bind and have in booklet format, or viewed in html.
http://www.america.gov/publications/ejournalusa.html#0706 – An issue of E-Journal USA on Clean Energy Solutions. Can be downloaded in PDF to bind and have in booklet format, or viewed in html.

http://www.america.gov/oceans.html – An electronic publication of E-Journal USA on Protecting the World’s Ocean from Commercial Fishing and Environmental Damage.
http://www.america.gov/endangered-species.html – An electronic publication of E-Journal USA on Endangered Species.

http://holidays.kaboose.com/earth-day/ - A site with ideas for crafts, activities, and more.

6. Deadline for TEA is April 27th

Have a look at this link to TEA video that has been recently posted on YouTube. It gives a brief overview of what the TEA program is and how it works. Try your hand and submit your supplication!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouM2ZdPwl08&feature=channel_page

7. IV Group is Learning how to Create Tests in the USA
Eleven Russian experts from various cities of Russia are participating in the International Visitor (IV) Program.  They were nominated by their EFL Teachers' Associations. They are expected to share knowledge which they have gained during the Program with their local communities upon return. Please have a look at the link below on YouTube -  it is a story about their visit to VoA.
http://www.voanews.com/russian/2009-03-31-voa17.cfm
8. Splendid Speaking
To help you plan your speaking lessons and to make sure you get the most from the free materials at Splendid Speaking, I'd like to give you an update on what's available and offer some suggested steps to help you use the resources effectively.

If you have any questions about anything we haven't covered please get in touch.

Step 1: Remind your students of our daily Splendid Expressions quiz. They'll be able to use our three-stage approach to help them learn these colloquial expressions in bite-sized chunks each day:
http://www.splendid-speaking.com/products/wotd/index.html

Step 2: Invite your students to follow us on Twitter to see these and other colloquial expressions used in context. They may even choose to take the Twitter Challenge! Learn more about Twitter and English Phrases here:
http://www.splendid-speaking.com/learn/english_phrases.html

Step 3: Remind your students to tune in to our weekly featured recording of a student carrying out exam style speaking tasks.
Alternatively, you can download the recording for use offline in
class:
http://www.splendid-speaking.com/teachers/featured.html
Subscribers to the Splendid Speaking newsletter can download the
transcripts:
http://www.splendid-speaking.com/products/listen.html

Step 4: Download and print the accompanying 'Get Speaking' Task Sheet - a ready-made speaking lesson including 2 speaking activities, tips on carrying out the task successfully and a useful vocabulary list. There's even a link to the featured recording to offer students a model answer:
http://www.splendid-speaking.com/teachers/tasksheet.html

Step 5: If your students are preparing for an exam send them along to our Speaking Exam guides for advice and guidance.
http://www.splendid-speaking.com/exams/index.html
And if they'd like to meet up with other students to practise for the Speaking paper invite them to join Splendid Speaking on Facebook, now with over 800 members:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2265574420
A guide to signing up is available here:
http://www.splendid-speaking.com/extras/facebook.html

Finally, if you're interested in getting help with some of the exciting technology available to language teachers, there's some reading matter for you too:
http://www.splendid-speaking.com/teachers/articles/index.html

Best wishes

Pete Travis
Splendid Speaking