 Photo borrowed from https://english.khamenei.ir/ The Coquitlam School District is the first to approve a new Farsi curriculum for students as a local developed course. The new Farsi curriculum was developed by teachers from Coquitlam and Surrey, with help from a Simon Fraser University professor. The curriculum is currently under review by the Ministry to determine if it meets all the requirements to become an authorized ministerial language course..
Currently, the Ministry has nine additional languages curricula for French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Punjabi, Spanish, and American Sign Language. The BC Association of Teachers of Modern Languages (BCATML) helped to co-write most of these curricula when the Ministry overhauled and redesigned the second languages curricula between 2014 and 2018. BCATML was also at the Ministry table rewriting the Languages Template in 2018-19 in order to support other language groups seeking a ministerial status for their curriculum, thus paving the way for teachers of Arabic, Croatian, Russian and other languages to get ministerial status using the Languages Template. In a recent interview, BCATML president, Rome Lavrencic, and treasurer, Wendy Yamazaki, spoke with Vancouver Sun reporter Lori Culbert about the changing landscape and the need to expand Ministry curricula for other minority languages across BC, including the 18 Indigenous languages which currently hold ministerial status. Read the full Vancouver Sun article by clicking here. [https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/tsekene-farsi-punjabi-tagalog-the-push-to-diversify-languages-in-schools] ^RL
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In the face of Russia’s war and genocide against Ukraine and Ukrainians, CASLT wishes to support Ukrainian language teachers and learners in Canada.
CASLT believes in the power of language learning to build community and intercultural connections. CASLT knows that learning a language also involves learning about the cultures and histories of its speakers. In the face of Russia’s war and genocide against Ukraine and Ukrainians, CASLT wishes to support Ukrainian language teachers and learners in Canada. In addition to teaching the Ukrainian language, their work is crucial to promoting knowledge and understanding of Ukrainian history, culture, and values. CASLT will therefore offer free CASLT memberships to Ukrainian language teachers in Canada. Claiming a Free Membership:To claim their free membership, Ukrainian language teachers should email CASLT’s Communications Coordinator, Solomiya Ostapyk, at communications@caslt.org. Solomiya will provide a free discount code and registration instructions. CASLT sincerely hopes Ukrainian language teachers will consider accepting this offer of free CASLT membership. Please share this message with any Ukrainian language teachers in Canada you may know. ^RL  Tuesday, February 1st, marks the first day of the year of the Tiger, according to the traditional Chinese calendar. Furthermore, according to Chinese astrology, the Year of the Tiger bodes well for those born under its banner in the years of 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, and 2022 - but that fierce feline energy will also influence the other signs in the zodiac. What do the fates have in store, you many wonder? Here are some predictions you can share with your students: People born in the Year of the Tiger are brave, competitive, unpredictable, and confident. Confident, charming and well liked, they sometimes possess a stubborn personality too. The Tiger sign is known to be the king of all beasts in China. In 2022, the people with strong self-confidence who easily overcome their fear zone and naturally take risks will only have to gain. The year of the Tiger 2022 is under the influence of the water element, which means that it will be a year in which we must make all kinds of changes in our lives. At the same time, the Water element represents wealth, so the new Chinese year will definitely bring abundance and prosperity. Water amplifies the vital force, health, and essence of the Tiger's spirit. Just in time for the big day, your French students can learn and discuss the cultural similarities and differences with these activity worksheets we have created. Gong hei fat choy! 
Congraulations to Adam Barron of School District 68: winner of the Centro Mundo Lengua scholarship that is awarded to a BCATML member to attend teacher training in Cadiz, Spain. ¡Felicitaciones!  Call For Proposals for CAJLE 2022 Annual Conference CAJLE (Canadian Association for Japanese Language Education) holds an annual conference which includes lectures and workshops by guest speakers, as well as presentations and a general meeting. The conference provides a great opportunity for participants to exchange information and opinions on Japanese language education and Japanese linguistics. The CAJLE 2022 Annual Conference will take place online. More information will be posted on CAJLE website www.cajle.info/ New Draft K-12 Reporting OrderMany members of the BCATML have expressed their concerns, questions and shared their comments about the Ministry of Education’s Draft K-12 Reporting order, specifically in relation to language teachers and the challenges they face. Your BCATML Executive Committee has collected this information and created a document outlining these concerns that was sent to the Ministry on November 5th, 2021. Below is the document containing both the BCATML's concerns and recommendations for the Ministry. 
  
 Photo credit: https://treatypeople.weebly.com/residential-schools.html Many of us in British Columbia and across Canada have joined with the Tk'emlúps te Secwe̓pemc and other First Nations communities in mourning the 215 children found in the mass grave at the Kamloops Residential School. Since this discovery, educators have engaged in meaningful dialogue and activities with their students about the atrocities committed, needlessly. We all have a role in implementing the Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report.
Educating our students about these Calls to Action is an excellent beginning. Political action is also needed, and many language teachers have been working with their students to urge government to implement the Calls to Action through letter writing campaigns and having discussions about the next steps. Some are also initiating fund raising campaigns to support the Tk'emlúps te Secwe̓pemc who oversaw the costs of the ground-penetrating radar technology to locate the remains of the lost children. Below are a number of links you may wish to explore with your students which may even spark your students' imagination to develop other recommendations to pursue; either as a year-end activity or something to prepare for during Orange Shirt Day on September 30th. If there are activities or other ideas you would like to share and help inspire other langauge teachers in our province, BCATML would be more than happy to share your activity in an article in our next edition of Lingo, our newsletter. Please email us at psac51@bctf.ca along with any photos you are able to share. Links:
 https://www.chinatravel.com/focus/chinese-new-year/  Friday, February 12th, marks the first day of the year of the Ox, according to the traditional Chinese calendar. Furthermore, according to Chinese astrology, 2021 is going to be lucky and also the perfect year to focus on relationships, whether those relating to friendships or more romantic ones. In the Chinese zodiac, the Ox is very hardworking and methodical. 2021 is going to be a year when work will get rewarded. Success will come to those who work hard. Those zodiac signs who are lucky in terms of money this year will be the ones who will make a considerable effort to do so. Just in time for the big day, your French students can learn and discuss the cultural similarities and differences with these activity worksheets we have created. Gong hei fat choy!
 There is still time to register for BCAMTL's Celebrating Languages Without Borders Conference if you haven't done so already. It will be held virtually this PSA day on Friday, October 23 and 24, using easyREG and Zoom. Click here to register today or visit https://www.bcatml.org/registration.html.
We have an amazing line up of keynote and feature speakers, including Dr. Katy Arnett and BC's own Kaleb Child (Musgamdzi), as well as Martina Bex, Luisa Canuto, Denis Cousineau, Angelica Galante, Catherine Ousselin, and Maria Del Carmen Rodriguez de France. With over 100 workshops from which to choose, you will undoubtedly find many inspiring and motivating sessions. As well, we have BCATML's Annual General Meeting being held Friday, October 23 beginning at 11:30 am (Pacific). Why not join us and learn about the advocacy and projects your Executive have undertaken this past year and vote in next year's Executive committee. We have several door prizes for those in attendance! Lastly, we have arranged for some incredible uplifting and informative cultural performances for you to watch and even participate in. Learn basic Cuban salsa right from the comfort of your own home, or perhaps sit back and listen to the passionate vibes and music of Calle Verde, Chibi Taiko, and M'Girl. We are also fortunate to have Prince Rupert's very own Indigenous artist and Ts'msyen language teacher Kelli Clifton share her journey as an artist to honour her coastal upbringing and her experiences as an Indigenous woman. We believe you will be impressed by these cultural performances. Registraiton is still open, but hurry as spaces are filling up incredibly fast! We look forward to having you join in the magic that is Celebrating Langauges Without Borders 2020.  Hello BCATML Members & Visitors! Perhaps you are raring to go for this new remote model of education, or perhaps like myself, you are feeling some trepidation over how to approach your assignment or professional activities. I hope you will therefore find some comfort in knowing that some things never change - well, except for the title of our Newsletter! But all the valuable information inside is still the usual. Read about what's going on in language education and find some uplifting stories and teaching ideas. Antonella Garcia BCATML Newsletter Editor
Revisions to the BC Languages Template are finally complete and the Ministry of Education has posted this important document on the Ministry's curriculum website. BCATML worked with the Ministry of Education in March 2019 to update and align the template to BC’s second languages curricula. This streamlined document is now available for all teachers and school districts who offer a locally developed language program which does not already have a provincial curriculum. This will be an invaluable tool for teachers who currently offer Arabic, Croatian, Russian and even Gaelic to their students. We encourage you to use this tool and have your language program earn a Ministry-approved curriculum. For full details, information, and the template document, please visit the Ministry's website at https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/content/languages-template.
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How to post:BCATML's Executive members can add news items here. Please email BCATML president at psac51@bctf.ca or your Language Rep with a news item or pro-d opportunity that you would like to share. Archives
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BCATML is the BC Association of Teachers of Modern Languages, a Provincial Specialist Association of the BC Teachers' Federation.
Website last updated March 6th, 2023 |
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