October 7, 2009
Dear Fellow Language Teachers,
On behalf of the faculty, staff and students of the Department of Languages and Literatures of Idaho State University, we would like to invite you and your students to participate in the annual International Languages and Cultures Fair to be held from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Friday, November 20 in the Pond Student Union (Building 14) and the Business Administration Building (Building 05) at Idaho State University. (Map of ISU available at: http://www.isu.edu/isutour/isumap.html). The theme of this year’s fair is: “Languages: Windows to Other Cultures.” In order to participate in this year’s fair all participants must be high school students (grades 9 – 12). All teachers and students must be registered online no later than November 13, 2009. Each student who attends the fair will be charged a fee of $6.00 to cover the cost of the event. Among the materials to be distributed to all participants will be a passport on which student participation in the various sessions and events will be noted. We ask that you encourage your students to have the passport stamped at the entrance of each event or session and that you use the passport both to account for each student’s time on the day of the fair and as a way to encourage and reward participation. Students can redeem stamped passports for prizes at the fair kiosk located in the Ballroom Lounge of the Pond Student Union Bldg.
General Registration:
Registration for all fair activities must be completed online by November 13, 2009. The registration fee of $6.00 per student should be collected by teachers for each and every student who attends the fair. A check or money order made out to Idaho State University must be mailed by November 13, 2009 to Mrs. Donna Gilbert at the following address:
Mrs. Donna B. Gilbert Department of Languages and Literatures Idaho State University Mail Stop 8067 Pocatello, Idaho 83209
Please include a brief typed note with the check indicating your name, school and the number of students who plan to attend the fair. On the day of the fair, all teachers should report to the registration table in the foyer of the 8th Street entrance to the Student Union Building in order to receive an information packet before leading students to the Ballroom for the Opening Assembly.
**All students who attend the Language Fair must come accompanied by a teacher.
**There will be no refunds for those who do not come to ISU on the day of the fair.
Transportation
Buses should arrive between 8:30 and 9:15 a.m., at the 8th Street entrance to the Student Union Building, where teachers should be dropped off to pick up information packets, while students remain on their buses. Since there is no parking on 8th Street, buses hould proceed immediately around to the parking lot on the other side of the Student Union Building, near the Museum of Natural History, where teachers should then meet their students on their buses and lead them to the Ballroom located on the main floor (2nd floor). After dropping students off at the Student Union Building, buses must go to the outer areas of the Holt Arena parking lot to wait, making sure that they do not block traffic.
Opening Assembly:
The opening assembly, which must be attended by all fair participants, will begin in the Ballroom of the Student Union Building promptly at 9:30 a.m. The assembly will include a brief introduction from ISU faculty and administrators and live performances.
Registering Students for the Knowledge Bowl and Poster and Arts and Crafts Competitions
Since the lists of participants in the Knowledge Bowl, Talent, Poster and Arts and Crafts Competitions are generated from the information that you submit on the fair website, if you enter the information inaccurately, it is difficult for the ISU faculty members who judge the events to be accurate in assigning awards. Therefore, when registering your students for the various categories, please do not list all students who are participating in an event in a single entry. There are drop down boxes for registering your students that allow you to distinguish between individual and group participants in each category. If you are bringing 20 students all of whom want to enter one or more of the competitions, make sure that each student is entered either as an individual participant or as a member of a group of two or more students in the appropriate competition. For example, if three students submit a poster to be judged, each student’s name should be entered in the drop-down box on the fair website where there is space to enter the individual names of those who submit a group entry. Remember, also, that each poster must be labeled on the back with a registration form containing the following information: School’s Name, Teacher’s Name, Individual or Group Entry, and the Name(s) of Participant(s). A duplicate form will be stapled or attached to the entry that can be removed in order for the judges to assign an award. The duplicate registration form will then be turned in to the office of the Department of Languages and Literatures, so that certificates can be issued by name to the winners. The same principle applies to the Talent and Arts and Crafts competitions and to Knowledge Bowl. If you register the students as requested, it is much easier to issue awards. If more than one teacher from the same school plans to submit the names of student participants in any of the competitions, we ask that names of potential contestants be compared before they are entered to avoid duplications. Finally, after students names are entered online, we ask that each teacher print a hard copy of the list of student participants for your own records. There will be no substitutions or late entries on the day of the fair.
Knowledge Bowl
Each school in attendance may enter 4 (four) teams (two teams for each level of competition) for each language offered at the school (French, German, and Spanish), which will compete in responding to questions drawn from three broad categories: Geography, Culture, and Language. Questions will reflect information and topics contained in mainstream high school language texts. The levels of competition mentioned above are defined as follows: (Level I) will be comprised of first- and second-year students; (Level II) will be comprised of third- and fourth-year students and/or AP students. Students MAY NOT participate on more than one team. Each team may have up to 6 active members and 2 alternates. In the event that there are not enough students to constitute a team of six members, a team of a lesser number can participate in the Knowledge Bowl, as long as it has a minimum of two members. Alternates will participate only in the event a regular team member cannot be present. Each match will consist of 12 questions selected randomly from the 3 question categories, each of which will include 5 sub-topics, to be posted later on the Department of Languages and Literatures website.
Knowledge Bowl Rules and Information (Open link on website)
Poster Contest:
This year’s theme is: Languages: Windows to Other Cultures. Posters may be entered individually or by a group in any one of the following categories: French, German, or Spanish. Teachers are asked to conduct poster competitions in their respective classes prior to the fair, in order to select the best posters to enter in the ISU competition. All posters will be judged for their art-work, the use of the language in which the text is written, and on their pertinence to the announced theme. Please register all entries on the fair website. On the day of the fair, posters should be carried to the Wood River Room, where they will be displayed and judged. No unregistered posters will be accepted on the day of the fair. Please make sure that posters are labeled on the reverse side with the following information: 1) name(s) of student(s); 2) name of school; 3) name of teacher; 4) category; 5) group or individual. Those who would like posters returned must pick them up at the end of the day before leaving ISU. Unclaimed posters will be discarded at the end of the day.
Arts and Crafts Contest:
Again, the theme of this year’s fair is: Languages: Windows to Other Cultures. Submissions may include sculptures, paintings, piñatas, masks, rain sticks, papier mâché, origami, washi paper, or ikebana. Arts and crafts may be entered either by individuals or by groups in the following categories: French, German, or Spanish. Crafts will be judged on artistic skill and on their pertinence to language and culture. Crafts must be student-made. No purchased items will be eligible for judging. On the day of the fair, arts and crafts should be carried to the Wood River Room, where they will be displayed and judged. No unregistered submissions will be accepted on the day of the fair. Please make sure submissions are labeled with the following information: 1) name(s) of student(s); 2) name of school; 3) name of teacher; 4) category; 5) group or individual. Those who would like art work or crafts returned must pick them up at the end of the day. Unclaimed arts and crafts will be discarded at the end of the day.
Talent Presentations:
The talent presentations will take place in the Student Union Building at locations to be announced in the event schedule to be posted on the Language Fair Website. All contestants should be registered online before the November 13 deadline. There will be two categories in each language: individual and group. Presentations can vary in medium: poetry recitation (the texts will be provided by the fair organizers), dramatic recitations, skits, folkloric music and dance performance (no hip-hop), etc, but must have a definite spoken language or cultural component. Songs should be in a language other than English (no lip sync), and dances must be directly associated with the folkloric tradition of another culture. The time limit per entry is five minutes, including setup and clearing when props are used. All contestants must be high school students and must be registered online. All changes of costume must be done in the designated changing area only. Judging will he based on the level and quality of language usage, originality and execution. Please remove all props or equipment promptly from the performance site as quickly as possible.
Poems for Dramatic Recitation:
Mini-Language Sessions:
Again we will offer a number of mini-language classes, dealing with cultures and languages from around the world. Mini-language sessions will last approximately one half hour. Students should attend sessions in languages other than the ones they are currently studying. Each session will be capped at thirty participants, without exception. When a session is filled to capacity, students will be asked to attend another session taught at the same time that is not full. In each session students will receive a brief presentation about the culture(s) of one or more areas in which the language is spoken, they will hear the language spoken, and will be given the opportunity to learn phrases. The schedule of Mini-Language sessions will be posted on the Fair website.
Teacher's Luncheon:
Lunch will be provided to participating teachers between 12:30 and 1:00 in the Little Wood River Room of the Student Union Building.
Lunch for Students:
Students may either bring a sack lunch or purchase sandwiches or other entrees at the cafeteria of the Student Union or at eateries on 5th Street across from the University. Please remind students that if they do not intend to bring a sack lunch, they should bring enough money to purchase something to eat and to drink.
**For further information, please contact Mrs. Donna Gilbert at 282-3630; e-mail: gilbdonn@isu.edu
Foreign Language Fair Organizing Committee: •Sandra Dillon, Lecturer in German (co-organizer) •Sarah McCurry, Lecturer in Spanish and Lab Director (co-organizer) •Cathleen Tarp, Associate Professor of Spanish •Jim Fogelquist, Professor of Spanish and Department Chair •Marta Robredo, Lecturer in Spanish •Pamela Park, Professor of French •Valia Tatarova, Instructor of French Department of Languages and Literatures Business Administration Building, Room 338 Mail Stop 8067 Pocatello ID 83209 Tel: (208) 282-3630 Fax. (208) 282-3098
On-line Registration: http://www.isu.edu/foreign/language_fair.shtml
Available 2009 – October 30th, 2009
Cordially, Jim Fogelquist, Chair Department of Languages and Literatures Idaho State University