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STARTALK Workshops 2014

As part of the University of Washington's STARTALK grant for the Student Program in Russian Language, the proposal included offering a series of workshops for the Russian STARTALK team -- but open to any language teachers -- on using the STARTALK Curriculum Development Guide for "backwards design," aligning curriculum to world language standards, and assessing proficiency.

Who should attend: Anyone interested in learning more about the STARTALK "best practices" in language teaching. STARTALK is creating state-of-the-art resources for language teaching and learning K-16. (If you would envision applying for a STARTALK grant in the future, you may find this beneficial.)

Check out the STARTALK Online Curriculum Development Guide:
STARTALK Online Curriculum Development Guide
We'll be using the STARTALK Online Curriculum Development Guide in the workshops, as well as the new ACTFL publication, The Keys to Planning for Learning. Check out our curriculum planning resources from the WAFLT Spring Conference Keys to Planning for Learning sessions.

Location: University of Washington Denny Hall Room 123
Cosponsored by UW Language Learning Center and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction otmWorld Languages Program.

Teachers can earn 4.5 free clock hours from OSPI by attending all 3 sessions or 3 clock hours by attending 2 of the sessions.

Workshop #1: Beginning with the End in Mind. May 14, 2014 4:00-5:30 pm

Outcomes: Instructors familiar with the STARTALK Curriculum Template, backwards design, and have first draft of planned themes and unit subthemes.

Workshop #2: Aligning Curriculum to World Language and Common Core State Standards. May 21, 2014 4:00-5:30 pm


Outcomes: Instructors familiar with World Language Standards and prepared to align their curriculum plans with the standards; instructors aware of three modes of communication, ACTFL proficiency guidelines, and LinguaFolio online, and prepared to think about how to focus on helping students achieve and demonstrate proficiency.

Workshop #3: Assessing Proficiency. May 28, 2014 4:00-5:30 pm


Outcomes: Teachers learn to assess student evidence posted on LinguaFolio online.

Workshop #4: TPEP (Teacher and Principal Evaluation Project) and World Languages (presented by Lynn Johnston). July 16, 2014 1:00 - 4:00 pm, Denny 123


Outcomes: Teachers are familiarized with the eight criteria in the new Washington Teacher Evaluation process. Ideas, activities, and projects will be presented for each of the eight criteria. Critical attributes for each of the criterion will be discussed, collection of evidence and artifacts will be demonstrated, and examples of how to move from a 3 (proficient) to a 4 (distinguished) will be provided.

For more information and resources from previous years, visit STARTALK Workshops 2013.

For More Information and Resources About Previous Workshops: