StarTalk Arabic Camp is Underway: Language, Culture, and Connections
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StarTalk Arabic camp started Monday, June 6 and every day is filled with langauge learning, culture, and connections. Students new to learning Arabic are working on culturally appropriate ways to do introductions, celebrations, and communicate key information to others. They are starting to learn written Arabic. Heritage students are working on understanding word choice, accents, the diversity within countries in the Arabic-speaking world, and building their writing skills. Our community partner, CultureAll, has been a wonderful partner in helping us make connections between language, culture, and usefulness.
Students learned about: regional dances and performed debke, Moroccan mosaics and practiced masonary skills, Egyptian food and tourism, henna practices, ancient Egypt myths and ledgends, storys from the Jordinian desert, and about studying abroad during college. |
STARTALK Arabic Summer Camp: June 6-17
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Current DMPS students in grades 6-12 can join a free, two-week summer camp! Students will have transportation, daily lunch, field trips, and cultural experiences all while learning Arabic as a new language or as an exiting language. Students interested joing the armed forces after high school or are in ROTC are encouraged to attend!
Central Academy June 6-17: M-F 9 am to 3 pm daily |
DMPS Arabic Program Partners with STARTALK Grant: Photos + Story
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Excerpt taken from the DMPS Blog found here.
DMPS is being awarded a grant of more than $112,000 from the U.S. Department of Defense STARTALK program in support our Arabic language program. Arabic is an important language for a growing population within the Des Moines community as well as the growing importance of Arab-speaking nations in the world economy. “Our local Arabic-speaking community is growing, and this particular grant allows DMPS to expand our reach and highlight our inclusion and value of our multilingual families,” said Samantha Finneseth, World Language Curriculum & Seal of Biliteracy Coordinator at DMPS. “In order to support our School Board goals, heritage world language courses are a great way to support literacy development and critical thinking skills in our students who come from multilingual homes.” One new initiative the grant will support is a two-week, full-day Arabic camp at no cost for students in 6-11 grade. Students from families with military service and students from homes speaking Arabic will have priority enrollment. Transportation, meals, and field trips will all be part of this free camp. The grant will also help raise awareness of the school district’s Arabic program to increase overall enrollment in courses, including the number of students studying Arabic at Intermediate to Advanced levels. |
To see all the photos, visit https://www.flickr.com/photos/dmps/albums/72157719980807344/with/51566464668/
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Community Event 1: October 24
A small group braved the rain to enjoy an Arabic language lesson and a cultural presentation. Thank you to Hummus for catering wonderful meals for attendees. Hummus is located on University Ave across from Drake University. Open Monday-Saturday.
