Discover Languages, Discover the World
As a national public outreach campaign sponsored by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, the Discover Languages campaign depends on grassroots activities occuring all over the country. In our region, we have done the following as part of the campaign:
- rally at the state capitol
- rally at the Downtown Plaza shopping center
- student work in world languages displayed and judged at the Sacramento County Fair (the only fair in the country to have a specific category for judging world language student projects)
- an annual event at the California State Fair
- two language pop quizzes (Sacramento and San Francisco)
- Read Around the World at various branches of the Sacramento Public Library system
- 24-hour live streaming webcast hosted by students
Return to this page to find out about additional events planned for the Discover Languages Campaign. If you would like to get involved, contact Nicole Naditz.
Use the power of Discover Languages at your school
Are you interested in spreading the word about the importance and benefits of multi-lingualism? There are many ways to get the word out, and most of them are easy and require little extra time or materials. Here's a short list to get you started at school, but there are many more ways to publicize at school and in the community:
- Post student work in the front office display case
- Put language trivia questions in the daily announcements
- Post "help wanted" ads for jobs requiring language speakers on your windows--make sure to face the ads to the outside so all passers-by can see them!
- Include some Discover Languages talking points in your back-to-school night presentations
- Sign up to have a table or booth at your high school's 8th-grade parents' night (or equivalent event designed to attract incoming freshmen to your school). Stock the table with the authentic materials you use for teaching and, of course, a one-page flyer on the benefits of language study in general and of your language in particular.
- Have students create posters about the benefits of language learning (have them research first, and check their facts). Then let student government hang the posters around campus. You may want to do this during Discover Languages month (February) or during the weeks when students are choosing their schedules for the next year.
Check back here regularly for Discover Languages events or go to the Discover Languages Web site .