Spring 2007 Edition

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Breaking the Barrier Quarterly

Viva la primavera, vive le printemps, and welcome to the third issue of the Breaking the Barrier Quarterly. This spring we'll continue to enlighten and entertain you with innovative ideas and timely resources for the study of Spanish and French.

Here's a taste of what's on our plate for spring:

• a copy of one of John Conner's articles from Think Spanish Magazine
• in-depth information about one of our favorite assignments, in-class writing. We've freshened up this classic.
• an interview with Derrick Gay, the voice of El Tigre on our Spanish CDs and Le Tigre on the French. The multi-talented Derrick is both professional singer and Spanish teacher at the Nightingale Bamford School in New York City.
• a detour into Cindy "Conchita" Beams' Kitchen. We couldn't resist this expression of spring that's as tasty as it is beautiful. Furthermore, our Avocado Cucumber Soup is bursting with delicious infinitives and colorful culinary vocabulary.

John Conner and Cindy Beams

Teaching Tips and Timely Resources Guaranteed to Enlighten and Entertain Learning to write well in a new language is important. But, should class time ever be spent on such a "quiet" activity? Absolutely! Here's the best way to have your students get started.

Click on the first link for an in-depth discussion. Short on time? Click on the second link for the "Executive Summary."

John Conner Tackles his Favorite Subject Each month I write a column for Think Spanish magazine. This wonderful publication has articles of great cultural significance to students studying Spanish. Each month, Think Spanish also features an absolutely stunning cover page, beautifully photographed in color, highlighting a place of interest in the Hispanic world.

I enclose for you here an article that I wrote exactly one year ago, for last April's issue. It highlights the progressive, a construction used to emphasize actions in progress. After reading the article, test yourself with the enclosed exercises. The answers are hidden at the bottom of the page. For further practice, the other link connects you to a terrific site developed by Colby College professor, Barbara Nelson. ¡Buena suerte!

Breaking News on NYC Spanish Teacher and Opera Singer, Derrick Gay Get to know Derrick Gay, the multi-talented voice of "The Tiger" on both our Spanish and French CDs. Derrick shares some of his personal and professional history, in addition to his views on language teaching, classroom learning, and professional singing. A former teaching colleague of John Conner at Groton School in Groton, Massachusetts, Derrick has used the Breaking the Barrier series in his classroom and in his work as a private tutor for the last eight years. If you plan to attend the Northeast Conference this weekend in New York City, Derrick will be joining us in the Exhibit Hall on both Friday and Saturday, April 13 and 14. Meeting "The Tiger" is a real treat. Guaranteed.

We'll attend three conferences in the coming weeks: The Northeast Conference in New York City and Southwest COLT in Las Vegas, both April 12 - 14, followed by our colleague, Barbara Peterson's travels to four cities in Alaska to meet members of the home schooling distance and education communities there. We're finalizing edits for the 2007-08 editions of our texts, and plan to send them, as well as our new audio release, Breaking the French Barrier, Level II/Intermediate, to press in late May. With summer right around the corner, we're also gearing up for a couple of new projects.

There's a Place at Every Table for Breaking the Barrier Because cooking and language learning have many things in common, it's no surprise that I love them both. When you master their underlying structures, you're rewarded - at your fingertips or right on the tip of your tongue - with boundless freedom to explore and express yourself. As you head for the kitchen, try to keep these things in mind:

• don't worry about making mistakes
• don't be afraid to experiment
• remember to have fun all along the way

Inspired by the best guacamole I've ever eaten, served on earthenware plates at a family restaurant overlooking the town square of Taxco, Mexico, I developed this Avocado Cucumber Soup. You can whip it up in about 15 minutes. All you need are fresh ingredients - the timeless essential of all good food - and a blender or Cuisinart. Serve it chilled or at room temperature if you simply cannot wait! I think this soup reaches it prime after 24 hours in the refrigerator. The flavors ripen as they mingle together and "cook" in the lime juice. It's guaranteed to invoke images, past and future, of the first buds of spring. ¡Buen provecho! Bon appétit!