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Melisa “Misha” Cahnman-Taylor (standing, center) leads a recent workshop for teachers of students who speak Spanish

Two one-day workshops—the first designed to enhance a teacher’s ability to comprehend and to work effectively with Spanish-speaking students and their families, and the second on learning Spanish by reading children’s books—will be hosted by the University of Georgia College of Education on April 26 and 29.

Both workshops will be led by Melisa “Misha” Cahnmann-Taylor, an associate professor of language and literacy education in the College of Education and a featured speaker at the 2012 Georgia Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Conference.

Spanish for Non-Spanish Speakers: What Every Georgia Educator Should Know

No prior knowledge of Spanish is necessary for the first workshop titled, “Spanish for Non-Spanish Speakers: What Every Georgia Educator Should Know,”  which will be held from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday, April 26 at the Georgia Museum of Art, 90 Carlton St., Athens, Ga.

Workshop topics include greetings, authentic conversational practice, home-school communication with and without an interpreter, and language learning strategies for all ages. The afternoon is filled with engaging small group workshops where participants acquire Spanish through folk art-making, Mexican bingo, compete in fun rounds of “Latino USA” trivia, and salsa dance.

Registration cost before April 5 is $200 and includes workshop materials, parking pass, certificate of completion and refreshment breaks.  Registration after April 5 is $250. Attendees should bring $10 cash for lunch for the Spanish Emersion luncheon to be held at an authentic restaurant.

Learn Spanish through Reading Children’s Books

The second workshop titled, “Learn Spanish Through Reading Children’s Books,” will be held from 1-4 p.m. on Monday, April 29 in Aderhold Hall. Cahnmann-Taylor will work with participants on reading and writing in Spanish using authentic, inspiring children’s literature.

The workshop is designed for those that want to improve their Spanish abilities but are stuck in a limited vocabulary range. Participants will learn to use second-language (L2) reading and writing strategies to enhance Spanish language acquisition and how to access and use high-interest Spanish language literacy materials. From nursery rhymes to illustrated books for young children, participants in this course will learn how to use children’s materials to enhance their own Spanish language and support K-12 ESOL students’ emerging (bi) literacy. This workshop assumes participants have some novice-intermediate Spanish knowledge.

Registration cost is $100 and includes workshop materials, parking pass, certificate of completion and refreshment break.

For more information or to register online, visit:
www.coe.uga.edu/events/