“From Input to Output”

This session is designed to help teachers understand how to use Movie Talk effectively in the classroom . Also,  I will provide teachers with a lot of unique activities, games and brain breaks that can be implemented in the classroom immediately with little to no prep work. Each resource will be shared with the intent to improve and promote student engagement and use of the target language in the classroom. These strategies can be used for any level from beginner to advanced and by any language teacher. 

Fadi Abughoush has worked in the field of public education at Chicago Public Schools (CPS) for the past 16 years. He played a vital role in creating, managing and expanding the World Language curriculum at CPS, and currently serves as the department chair, at Lindblom Math & Science Academy, overseeing the Arabic and Chinese language program. Fadi Abughoush is a leader in World Language Education, spearheading Comprehensible Input and sharing his passion for teaching at conferences across the country several times each year.  

Since 2008, Fadi Abughoush has taught Arabic as a foreign language to students from grades 8 through 12. In his role at Lindblom, he developed and implemented an Arabic language curriculum and also takes pride in incorporating aspects of Arab culture (including music, art, film, poetry, literature, and cuisine) throughout his teaching and work with students. At Lindblom, he helped establish Chicago’s first Arabic V course during the 2014-15 school year.  

In addition to his work as a teacher, presenting at conferences and serving as department chair at Lindblom, Mr. Abughoush is heavily involved in several other programs. He is founder of #arabiclangchat on Twitter.  He is a board member of the Chicago Arabic Teacher’s Council, and is the past Chair for the Arabic Special Interest Group at ACTFL. Previously, he was part of a team who created the WL Guidance Document for all Chicago Public Schools and created the official Arabic lessons plans for the 2022 World Cup. 

Mr. Abughoush, has traveled with students several times over the course of his career. In March 2014, and 2016 he led Lindblom’s Arabic debate team to the International schools Arabic Debate Championship Competition in Doha, Qatar. In 2017 and 2018, he traveled with students to Amman, Jordan for the annual Arab Youth Congress. He received a grant in 2019 to travel with students over Spring Break to Morocco on a week-long cultural excursion. Most recently, Mr. Abughoush took a group of students to participate in the TED in Arabic conference in Doha, Qatar.  

“Fostering Collaboration in the Arabic Classroom”

Eman Saadah is the Director of the Less Commonly Taught Languages Program, the Arabic Language Program, and the Summer Institute for the Languages of the Muslim World (SILMW) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Dr. Saadah is a Teaching Associate Professor who earned a Ph.D. in Linguistics from UIUC. She has received many departmental and campus level awards, attesting to her outstanding teaching record. As part of SILMW, Dr. Saadah founded and directs a summer Arabic program for high school students on UIUC’s campus. Along with teaching and administrating, Dr. Saadah’s research informs Arabic practitioners about the best teaching practices. Her studies have depth and breadth, and her empirical findings are presented in conferences and published in prestigious journals. 

“Using Authentic Content in the Classroom: An Example of Developing Activities within a Thematic Unit”

Mohamed Amira is an Arabic Language Teacher at St. Louis University High in St. Louis, Missouri. In the past, he served as the coordinator of the Arabic Language program at Ohio University. Dr. Amira earned his PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from Ohio University, MA in Linguistics from the same University, and BA in Simultaneous Interpreting from Al-Azhar University, Egypt. He is interested in Arabic teaching pedagogy and curriculum design.