Arkansas Foreign Language Teacher’s Association Foreign Language Festival

An event sponsored by AFLTA in which students who are enrolled in Spanish, French, German, and Latin can compete against other students in their level and participate in enrichment activities.

2011 Festivals “Building a Better World with Language” District I – District II - District III – Rogers High School 2/19/11 District IV – Central High School 2/12/11 District V – University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM), February 2011

Foreign Language Festival Tiered competition – Five District Festivals – State Festival Student recognition – Trophies, plaques, medallions, ribbons, or certificates – Distinguished, Advanced, Proficient, Honorable Mention – To Qualify for state festival, students must score 15/20 on the 2010 revised rubrics

Individual Events Poetry Recitation Extemporaneous Reading Extemporaneous Speaking Art Culture Bowl Vocabulary Bee

Poetry Recitation This competition will judge students on their ability to interpret the poem that corresponds to their particular level. They will be critiqued on: – memorization/preparedness, – pace/fluency, – confidence/poise, – pronunciation/accuracy, – intonation/expression.

EXTEMPORANEOUS READING: This competition will require students to read aloud a short passage in the target language. The student will be judged on: – comprehensibility, – pace/fluency, – confidence/poise, – pronunciation/accuracy, – intonation/expression.

EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING This event will require students to talk about a picture or series of pictures. If needed, the judge may prompt the students or ask them questions. Judging criteria will be: – content, – embellishment (range of vocabulary), – pronunciation/accuracy, – presentation/expression, – response to questions by judges.

Art This competition will require students to create a piece of art which follows the festival theme. Entries may be up to 28X22” (standard poster sized) and can be be in color or black and white. Entries using paint, markers, pen, pencil, chalk, pastels, or crayons are acceptable. Art entries must be student made and not computer generated. Collages and 3-D entries are also not acceptable.

Art Evaluation criteria will be: – Theme (adherence to theme, ability to communicate theme), – Originality/creativity, – Artistic merit (quality of artistry), – Artistic appeal (audience appeal), – Cultural connections.

Culture Bowl To qualify at the district level, a student will take a test at the beginning of the Festival. Culture Bowl is an event modeled after Quiz Bowl, with the questions being about the French, Spanish or Latin American Cultures. The top ten students will be randomly placed on two teams with the final event taking place on stage. The winning team of five students will be eligible to participate in the State Festival.

Vocabulary Bee This competition will be a test of students’ ability and mastery of general vocabulary. The words for the Spanish Vocabulary Bee are taken from the AATSP NSE and are available on the AFLTA Website. New rules for the Vocabulary bee can be found in the “Festival Handbook.”

Performance Events Drama Talent Students should make a short introduction to their performance in English stating the cultural connection and context, as necessary.

Drama A creative and fun student-centered activity Students, performing alone or with a group, present a skit to judges and an audience. Skits are to be performed in the target language should not exceed 5 minutes. Skits are limited to one (1) skit per teacher and do NOT have to be student written.

Drama Evaluation is based on the following criteria: – originality (creative flair), – memorization/preparedness, – stage presence (poise/confidence), – cultural appropriateness, and – audience appeal. Skits from all levels of each language are judged together.

Drama Skits (including costumes & props) should be appropriate for ALL audiences and therefore should be in good taste. Participants are responsible for keeping up with their props. – Festival organizers and the school will not be responsible for unclaimed props.

Talent Students will perform a vocal, instrumental, and/or dance number individually or in groups. Talent entries are limited to one (1) entry per teacher. The performance should not exceed 5 minutes and should include appropriate connections to the target foreign language culture (French or Spanish).

Talent Performances will be judged on: – originality (creative flair), – technical skill (memorization/polish), – stage presence (poise/confidence), – cultural connections – (appropriate links to target culture), and audience appeal.

Student Participation There is not a limit to the number of events in which students may participate, but they must be flexible and understand that in the event of schedule conflicts, they may not be able to participate in every event in which they prepared.

Recommendations for district festivals Districts are encouraged to give awards to students using the following scale in order to recognize more students at that level: – Distinguished – Advanced – Proficient – Honorable Mention 12-13

“Building a Better World with Language ” 2011 AFLTA Foreign language Festival

2011 State Festival Saturday April 2, 2011 Harding University, Searcy Registration Deadline March 15 th