Freshen up your curriculum with new OER resources this spring
This month we are featuring a Chinese and French activity, an inclusive and interactive French textbook series, and four digital humanities sites to explore!
As the chill of winter fades away and the warmth of spring settles in, the season of renewal and growth is upon us. It's a perfect opportunity to invigorate your classroom with some fresh and innovative ideas. We are thrilled to feature a Chinese and French OER activity created by teachers from our Fall Pathways Project Research Cohort, along with an interactive French textbook series that is inclusive and engaging. Additionally, we are featuring four digital humanities sites for you to explore.
Speaking of freshening up—We are excited to introduce a new platform for the Pathways Post: Substack. You will still receive our monthly newsletter in your inbox each month and can now easily access newsletter archives here.
— The Pathways Project Team
Last fall, a group of six Southern Idaho K-12 world language teachers completed the first Pathways Project Research Cohort. We’re excited to introduce you to two more of these teachers and showcase the amazing activities they revised, remixed, and redistributed back to the Pathways Project Community!
Below, we’re featuring a Level 4 French activity by Andrea Blythe and a Level 1 Chinese activity by Adam Li.
Andrea Blythe is the 11th-12th grade IB French teacher at Sage International School, where she has been teaching since her family moved to Idaho in 2017. Andrea graduated with a MA in Education from Stanford (1998!) and a BA in French from UC Santa Barbara (1995). The mother of three teens and one adorable little puppy, she loves to spend her free time outdoors in nature, skiing, hiking, camping, biking, or walking along the river. When she's not outdoors or teaching, you can most likely find Andrea at a yoga studio or a concert venue somewhere!
Adam Li was born and raised in China, and he completed his college education as a teacher in the early 90’s. He has taught high school English for 16 years in China before moving to Idaho in 2006. In 2009, He started teaching Mandarin Chinese in West Ada School district. He is the first Mandarin Chinese teacher in the district and the only high school Mandarin teacher at Renaissance high school. Adam is currently teaching Mandarin 1, Boise State Concurrent Enrollment Mandarin 101 and 102, IB Mandarin Ab initio. Adam was also part of the Boise State World Language Pathways Project in 2022 and was actively involved in the cohort projects. Adam’s passion in teaching Mandarin is to incorporate authentic materials in his daily teaching practices. Besides teaching, Adam enjoys the outdoor events that Idaho offers, like camping, hiking, and fishing. He loves family and often cooks Chinese food as a relaxing hobby after school.
Français inclusif:
Looking for inclusive and interactive textbooks for first-year French? Look no further! Created by a K-16 team of French instructors and an instructional designer, Français inclusif is available as a complete curriculum for first-year French. The team not only revised and remixed an existing OER text, but also created significant ancillary materials including assessments, task-based activities, cultural reflections, slide decks, and embedded authentic materials. Materials for second-year French will be released during the summer and winter of 2023.
Featured Digital Humanities Sites:
The Bookcase for Tolerance (English)
‘‘Let me be myself’, Anne Frank wrote in her diary on 11 April 1944. On that same day, she added: ‘One day this terrible war will be over. The time will come when we’ll be people again and not just Jews!’ The bookcase, which hides the entrance to the Secret Annex where Anne Frank spent over two years in hiding, reminds us of the damage that prejudice and discrimination can do. Many young people today are dealing with these same issues. The Bookcase for Tolerance tells their stories. We want to use the impact of their personal testimonies to challenge and counter intolerance and discrimination.’
— Ronald Leopold, executive director Anne Frank House
Using augmented reality, step into Anne Frank’s room and learn more about her story and several modern-day, personal stories from others facing discrimination.
Memoria Chilena (Spanish)
A "comprehensive collections of digitized content" and "materials that 'reflect the diversity and richness of Chilean culture, facilitates access to information, and stimulates the production of knowledge.'"
Dame Tholose, the Artifical Intelligence Chatbot of the musée des Augustins (French)
While the museum is closed for renovation works, a clever chatbot named Dame Tholose helps bring the museum’s content to life for website visitors.
Nach der Flucht: wie wir leben wollen
Learn the stories of four families of refugees who relocated to Berlin, Germany. They discuss learning the language, looking for a place to live and work, and creating a new home for themselves, and their goals for the future.