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A blog post by Comprehensible Novel author A.C. Quintero "We've included here more resources for teachers to dive deeper into Black History Month, but encourage all teachers to use these resources and books to weave Afro-Latino and Afro-Franco culture, history and representation into lessons year-round."
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Throughout the year as a business Command Performance is actively working to include new titles by new voices, not just one month a year. That is reflected in our broadening selection of comprehensible readers (featured below). We've included here more resources for teachers to dive deeper into Black History Month, but encourage all teachers to use these resources and books to weave Afro-Latino and Afro-Franco culture, history and representation into lessons year-round.
One way to support Black History Month is financially. Dollars spent in your local black community work to build the financial power of that community or with businesses online. Money spent at local bookstores, local restaurants, local printers or local graphic designers is an important way to consciously re-direct wealth. If you know of an author or content-creator we should be amplifying, let us know and we'll add them to this blog.
This year Command Performance will continue to seek out black-owned businesses, Latino-owned businesses, Women-owned businesses, LGBTQ owned businesses and environmentally conscious and sustainable businesses to collaborate with and patronize as we also continuously build our diverse selection of readers. Dollars you spent with Command Performance are re-invested in finding and promoting new authors. We are always looking for strong writers and a diverse array of perspectives.
This year, I'm collaborating with Command Performance to curate a calendar to further amplify black voices, content creators, authors, and materials that speak to the black experience. Whether novels that highlight characters of color, biographies of unsung heroes, we want to make sure you have comprehensible, engaging, and uplifting materials at your fingertips.
I am a fierce proponent of making sure as teachers we include content that does not disproportionately focus on the pain and struggles of Afro-descendants but rather spark joy in our shared humanity. We understand that the human experience is multifaceted and multidimensional, and this is the message we want to convey to our students. We also believe in the notion of constructing as many mirrors and windows as possible to promote a robust, balanced, and culturally responsive program. That said, please join us as we celebrate Black History Month, and Aspiring Black Futures. We hope the carefully crafted content calendar provides you with insightful resources you can use all year around. Check our Command Performance Books Facebook page where we'll share information about an author, or resource you can add to your teaching repertoire.
Check out all of these Afro-Latino and Afro-Franco Comprehension-Based readers, resources and amazing webinars! Find something you like? Share the blog on your social media and help us amplify these great resources.
These have been recommended and curated by A.C. Quintero. Link to her website here for updates throughout the month and to her Facebook Group, Teaching from the Trenches.
Check out my video invite!
Black History Month29 Days of Black Authors and Black-centered storiesLinks: Add free book stickers to your order See all books on this curated list |
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Have you read these Afro-latino, African-descent characters / authors Spanish books?
10% off 25 or more books
The first week of February is "Children's Authors and Illustrators Week".
February 1:
CJ Charles, the newest addition to the Command Performance collection
February 2:
It’s a good day for good trouble.
A.C. Quintero has bundled together 4 readers in Spanish for levels 1 and 2.
Take Your Child to the Library Day, February 3 (first Saturday in February)
Have you read anything by Jade Greene?
El duende de Salento and Sueño Hecho Realidad
Incorporating Black/Afro- Latinx History in the WL Classroom, from A.C. Quintero
Theme| #3 Celebrations
Jade Greene has created this amazing calendar to help us celebrate Black History in its many forms. Jade is a content creator and CI author. She’s authored two books: “Sueños” and “El duende Salento” both which feature characters of color.
February 4, Rosa Parks Day
From A.C. Quintero:
It’s all Karen Rowan’s fault! She texted me this morning asking if I had something planned for Rosa Parks Day; which I don’t. She reminded me that Carla Tarini has a resource that features prominent figures for Black History month.
My ideas are swirling already with how to implement in class this week. Since I didn’t have it planned, I may use the riddled as bellringers or even charades (90-minute class!). This Carla and Dahiana Castro collaboration can be found accessing the link below.
Add free book stickers to your order of Carla Tarini's books in February.
Carla Tarini En qué estoy pensando, 1, 2 and 3
February 5
From author A.C. Quintero's Teaching from the Trenches page:
This week, the theme is celebration! We'll featuring resources that celebrate identity, culture, and traditions in the WL classroom.
And speaking of celebration, make sure you check out my sister from another mister Jenniffer Saldaña Whyte 's group Incorporating Afro-Latino Culture in Spanish Classrooms.
This month, she will be share LOTS of resources of Afro-Latino inspired dishes. She is so excited to share with the community. You don't want to miss it!
February 6:
QUI PARLE FRANCAIS? BOOKS 1-10 BY CARLA TARINI
Download the list of all of the people in Qui Parle Francais? by country.
Add free book stickers to your order of Carla Tarini's books in February.
One-page first-person biographies of 100 historical figures from France, Syrie, Pologne, Nouvelle-Calédonie, Louisiane, Belgique, Sénégal, Les Seychelles, Mauritanie, Algérie, Tchad, Togo,
Guadeloupe, Guyane, Île Maurice, Djibouti, Mayotte, Burkina Faso, Tunisie, Niger,
Canada, Pondichéry, Suisse, Gabon, Monaco, Saint-Domingue, le Maroc, République du Congo, le Maroc, Autriche, Rwanda, Mali, Tchad, Cambodge, Polynésie Française and les États Unis.
Watch Carla's webinar on how to teach with Qui Parle Francais?
Carla Tarini's French books "Qui Parle Francais" celebrate 100 Francophones (full list uploaded here: https://fluencyfast.teachable.com/.../lectures/35035045 )
Add free "book stickers" to your order, while supplies last.
How many of these places are already represented in your French curriculum? How many of them are you familiar with if you are a French learner? Each book has 10 one-page biographies with an illustration. Fluency Fast French classes use them as the basis for map talks and delving into the cuisine and music and art of a country along with teaching the people highlighted in the QPF biographies. (Next French class starts Sunday. https://fluencyfast.com/.../french-for-adults-february-2024/ )
Carla's webinar on how to teach with QPF is free this week.
February 7
In 2018 my (Karen Rowan) friends in Costa Rica started posting that the President was visiting the U.S, making the vice-President the “Acting President” — which made Etsy Campbell Barr the first Costa Rican President of African descent — for a minute.
Costa Rican voting is very different from voting in the US.
First — it’s on a Sunday
Second, it’s mandatory
Celebrating the Diaspora in Spanish Class
Theme: Joy #1
Many of the traditions celebrated by people of African descent in the Americas stem from a longing to connect with their African roots, to create a bond that transcends community, and to repurpose the pain that has stained the human soul.
This Teachers Pay Teachers resource is about the joy found when people come together and celebrate each other!
February 8
Incorporating Black/Afro- Latinx History in the WL Classroom
Theme| #2 Celebrations
Did you know that a predominately Afro-Colombian town celebrates Christmas in February? This celebration and tradition has a long history, undergirded by many factors. It fascinated me when I researched it because it's a testimony to how culture and traditions develop over time, and the factors shape it.
Research it for yourselves online or grab a copy of "Voces diversas de la diáspora" for a comprehensive view, and comprehensible text around the topic. -- A.C. Quintero
February 9, Read in the Bathtub Day
Today is Friday, February 9th. Are you a teacher? Check out Rachel Lucas. Her webinars are free live and part of her membership afterward. (Here's how to become a member: https://worldlanguageteacheracademy.teachable.com/... )
She saved all of our careers in March 2020 when we needed as much support as possible to transition to online teaching quickly, and she continues to help teachers merge comprehension-based language teaching with time-saving tech tools. Check it out and let us know what you think! Did it save you time?
Join the group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/tech4wordlanguageteachers
Back by popular demand, we're bringing you our Must-Have AI Tech Tools for World Language Teachers Workshop. The workshop will be on Saturday, 2/24/24 at 10 AM ET. This workshop is all about showing you how AI Tech Tools can be your superhero, saving you a whopping 10+ hours every single week as a language teacher. Yep, you read that right! 
Now, here's the deal – space for this workshop is limited, so if you're keen to jump on board, make sure you snag your spot ASAP. Just head over here to register. And guess what? The best part – it's going to be live and recorded, so even if you can't make it in real-time, you won't miss out. The replay will be up for grabs for a limited time, absolutely free. 
Know someone who could totally rock this workshop? Invite them to join in on the fun! Just share this link with them: link. 
- Rachel
- Rachel
Today is Saturday, February 10th. Chinese New Year, Year of the Dragon
Don't forget that Frederick Douglass was born on February 14th, 1818 and he is one of the biographies in these books by Carla Tarini in French and Spanish.
From author A.C. Quintero (If you are in the IFLT/TPRS/ CI Teaching Facebook group, A.C. Quintero also uploaded a 2 minute video of herself teaching this lesson)
I put a little twist on Carla Tarini ‘s resource “En que estoy pensando” and my kids loved it!!! I combined reading descriptions with the high energy competiton game of “slap it”; it was SOOO worth it! See my flow and activity board below.
1. I wrote the names of several prominent African-Americans on the board and had students brainstorm 2 characteristics and something that the person does for each of them. This is aomething they can do independently now in Spanish.
As I walked around the class, I heard a words such as activista, derechos civiles, & vicepresidenta. I allow them to use Wordreference.com
2. After writing the short descriptions, they shared verbally with several other students in class. This activity was more for promoting movement. However, I do dole out a few points for speaking and guess what- EVERYONE SPEAKS
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.3. I distributed the activity board which corresponds with descriptions across books 1-2.
Students had to listen to my description (which probably had some of the words they had written in the frontloading activity) and choose the person being described when I yelled: “Pégalo.”
4. I didn’t say the “palabra clave” right away because I wanted to make sure students had enough processing time. From the video, you can tell I love to stall.
As you can see, it was a hit!
Tomorrow, we’ll do a gallery walk activity for all the Famous Afrolatino celebs my level 4 students wrote about the previous year.
This one was “dificil” because we were down to two women: Serena and Kamala.
Join Kia London's Facebook Culturally Diverse Equitable Curriculum to see a follow up Gallery Walk Activity in which students match descriptions of people with photos on the walls.
Sunday, February 11, International Day of Women and Girls in Science, El Portal by A.C. Quintero
Add free book stickers to your order of A.C. Quintero's books in February.
The laws of physics are no match for two strong Venezuelan women. The lives of astrophysicist Dr. Alejandra López and journalist Carmen Elena Rodríguez García become interconnected as a prized possession of Alejandra’s father leads both women on a quest for truth and a journey of danger and discovery, a journey that the oppressive Venezuelan regime most certainly would not support. As the threat level rises, will the women discover the secrets of the mysterious planetary model? Will their worlds collide? Will they live to tell the story?
Monday, February 12
Incorporating Black/Afro- Latinx History in the WL Classroom
Theme| #4 Celebrations
Years ago when I (A.C. Quintero) was doing my Master's in Latin American Literature and Cultures, I set out to study the African Diaspora in the Americas. I was reading a lot of books, creating activities for my students. I spoke to a dear co-worker at the time to inquire about the diaspora in Bolivia, and she shared that there were no Africans in Bolivia because they couldn't survive the high altitudes.
Well, I'm glad I did my research anyway! Although a relatively small community, it is a tight-knit one.
This text goes into detail about their existence, customs, celebrations, and a bit of history. It also outlines how both indigenous and Afro-latino leaders fought to have their presence recognized.
Learn about the thriving Afro-Bolivian community with this edition of Ponte al Día, Teacher's Pay Teachers, $3
February 13, Carnival (Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras)
Jennifer Saldaña Whyte. - A History of Soul Food
Backward Planning a CI Novel with Dahiana Castro $10.00
In German:
Interesting finds in English:
In English, by Reinaldo Whyte (married to Jenniffer Saldaña Whyte. Want this book in Spanish? Let Jenniffer know!) |
In English by Terrilyn Moore |
Have you read these French books with Afro-Franco characters?
10% off 25 or more books
Add free book stickers to your order of A.C. Quintero books in February.
QUI PARLE FRANCAIS? BOOKS 1-10 BY CARLA TARINI
Download the list of all of the people in Qui Parle Francais? by country.
Add free book stickers to your order of Carla Tarini's books in February.
One-page first-person biographies of 100 historical figures from France, Syrie, Pologne, Nouvelle-Calédonie, Louisiane, Belgique, Sénégal, Les Seychelles, Mauritanie, Algérie, Tchad, Togo,
Guadeloupe, Guyane, Île Maurice, Djibouti, Mayotte, Burkina Faso, Tunisie, Niger,
Canada, Pondichéry, Suisse, Gabon, Monaco, Saint-Domingue, le Maroc, République du Congo, le Maroc, Autriche, Rwanda, Mali, Tchad, Cambodge, Polynésie Française and les États Unis.
Carla Tarini's new books En quoi je pense, 1, 2 and 3
Add free book stickers to your order of Carla Tarini's books in February.
French webinar teacher training series
$19.00
Benjamin Tinsley, Incorporating AfroFranco Culture in the French Classroom from Level 1,
Abdel Khila and Dahiana Castro Francophone Products & Practices through CI : Le caftan marocain
Carla Tarini Teaching Qui Parle Francais?, with demo by Daniel Kline Dubois and Sabrina Sebba
French teachers: Are you in the Afro-Franco Book Club?
Check out Benjamin Tinsley's website:
Spanish teachers:
Check out these Afro-Latino Authors from the Diaspora recommended by A.C. Quintero:
Hija del camino, Lucía Asué Mbomío Rubio (Spain/Guinea Equatorial)
Ser mujer negra en España , Desirée Bela-Lobedde (Spain/Guinea Equatorial)
Indómita , Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa (Spain/Guinea Equatorial)
