ForReal 
What is ForReal?
The Web Site
Why is it?
Who has participated?
Classroom activities using WWW
realia
Workshop: resources for developing
new activities
Contact us
What is ForReal?
ForReal is an on-going collective project whose goal is to help language
teachers utilise foreign language "realia" ? authentic target-language
materials which are rich in linguistic and cultural content. These materials
have all been produced by teachers. Our commitment is to incorporate
"realia" into the foreign language curriculum to assist students
in developing a functional knowledge of target language vocabulary,
structures, and culture.
The Web Site
The Worldwide web provides a rich and ever-growing source of foreign language
realia that can be exploited in the classroom. This web site provides
classroom activities built around such realia. Our chief offering is a
collection of WWW-based activities for Spanish, French and German students.
The activities are targeted to different levels of language learners in
K-12 classrooms, and they address the standards established in the State
of Oregon's Foreign Language Proficiency Benchmarks. As such, they can
be of use to Oregon teachers preparing students for the CIM (Certificate
of Initial Mastery), CAM (Certificate of Advanced Mastery) and PASS requirements.
The materials are in Adobe Acrobat "portable document format" (".pdf").
Unlike an ordinary web-page, these digital files retain their original
fonts and formatting and can be viewed on-screen and printed as hard copy
by teachers and students, on either Macintosh or PC. They also can
be downloaded from this site and stored on your own computer.
Why is it?
This site is one of several projects intended to redesign the K-16 curriculum
in the state of Oregon (USA). In that curriculum, which is standards-based,
second languages are considered one of the six "core" subject areas. The
language component is proficiency-oriented, with "proficiency" understood
very much in the ACTFL sense.
The site and the workshops which created its contents were intially
funded by a US government Eisenhower Grant, awarded through the Oregon
Department of Education in 1997. The site subsequently has benefited
from funds provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Portland State University, through the Department of Foreign Languages
and Literatures and the Office of Information Technology, provides the
network and the technical expertise that keep it going.
Who has participated?
The producers of ForReal are a team of language teachers coordinated by
members of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature of Portland
State University. Click here to see a full list of participants.
William B. Fischer - Gina Greco - Stephen Walton
Members of the 1997 summer workshop group include:
Marisela Nyoka, Instructor
Madeline Bishop, McMinnville High School
Beverlee Byers, PSU
Kim Deen, Banks High School
Eleanor Flores, Gresham High School
Micheline Ghattas, Oregon Episcopal School
Linda J. Hansen, Stayton High School
Larry J. Hauth, PSU
Linda Kreis, Sunset High School
Martha Jo Muncie, Wilson High School
Doris Rademacher-Dramov, Marshall High School
Betty Siebenmorgen, Wilson High School
Michele L. Stemler, Jefferson High School
Carrie Taylor, Wilson High School
Benigna Tekorius, Marshall High School
Marsha A. Tisdale, Jewell School (Seaside)
Nancy Vandervelde, Roosevelt High School
Lucy Willard, Lincoln High School
Contact us:
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