Teaching Foreign Language in Elementary Schools

In the article “How to Create Powerful Press Releases,” by Judith Welsh several methods to create an effective press release are outlined and shown through press release examples.    Welsh begins the article by giving her reasons for publishing a book on writing press releases.  She explains how little attention has been given to this matter, since press releases are short texts, but how important it is to create a solid message that focuses on the key point for which the press release is written.  Next she provides ten reasons for making press releases. 

                When I asked myself, in imagining that I was writing a press release, “ ‘why am I writing this?’ “ (Welsh 9) I was able to pick out certain possible reasons from the list given by Welsh.  Regarding my topic, three situations in which I might publish a press release include 1) To inform the public, 2) To attract an audience, and 3) To educate a specific group.  In the case of informing the public, I would be calling to attention the need for local schools to create elementary school foreign language programs.  In the case of attracting an audience, I would focus on the benefits associated with children starting to learn a foreign language at a young age.  In the case of educating a specific group, I would focus on the scientific findings that support the idea of beginning foreign language programs early.

                In this type of rhetorical situation, I will need to appeal to the audience in concise terms that focus their attention on the message I am intending to get across.  For this reason, I need to make sure to write clearly and correctly to make for smooth and easy reading for the audience.  This way they are more open to the message because it is well written. I will also need to make sure that I make the topic interesting so that it grabs attention, but not so that it overstates the message to the point where the audience questions the validity of it.  

“A BUT B statements ” of a problem:

In chapter 10 of Having Your Say, the authors address the topic of   “A BUT B statements.”  “A BUT B” statements clearly identify a problem by showing a clash between a statement expressing an important goal, desired state, or value and a condition that prevents the thing of importance from being achieved.   This sense of tension is what manifests as the problem of a situation.  Here is an “A BUT B statement” that I can apply to my topic: 

(A)  To learn a foreign language to the extent of being highly competent in the understanding and usage of the language, it is necessary that individuals be exposed to language education at a very early age when they are most capable of acquiring languages; but since foreign language programs in the US are typically only introduced after elementary school, students cannot develop the essential abilities for language comprehension and usage since the innate factors which enable young children to acquire languages easily and efficiently have disappeared to a considerable extent. 

The article “Risk Communication, the West Nile Virus Epidemic, and Bioterrorism:  Responding to the Communication Challenges Posed by the Intentional or Unintentional Release of a Pathogen in an Urban Setting” focuses on the problem of the obstacles that hinder communication efforts in major risk situations.  The cases that this article uses to illustrate this problem are the West Nile Virus Epidemic in New York in 1999 and 2000 and the existing threat of bioterrorism attacks. 

Reading the article “Introduction:  Examining the Blog-Media Relationship” by Mark Tremayne brought several things to my attention.  There were numerous instances that this article applied to issues which could be translated over to my topic.  For instance the article addressed the types of blogs that exist.  From this information, I was able to identify my blog as a filter blog, because it has the outward focus of bringing information to the readers’ attention and directing them to other useful information relating to the topic, via links, which serve to further inform my audience on the importance of beginning foreign language education early at the elementary levels.  Another thing that this article addressed was the role blogs play in the accumulation of ideas through a social network.  These social ties are created by using links.  Links allow information to make its way to a greater audience, therefore having more feedback which provides other areas to be explored.  When trying to get an audience to see the importance of the issue you are addressing, in my case the need from elementary school foreign language instruction, it is essential for you to provide adequate information supporting your reasons.  In addition, I found it useful to note that identifying other related blog posts to link to is also very essential because it is important to have additional ideas to go along with the ones that you are trying to assert since they provide backup to your ideas. Others who address your topic or one similar to it are important for this reason.   Posted comments received as a response to a particular blog are also useful in that it allows the readers input to your topic.  Perhaps they know something particularly recent that has just come out about your topic.  By posting such information, the readers help to keep you informed of new angles taken on your topic, which is useful to further developing it.

Response to "Introduction: Examining the Blog-Media Relationship"
 
This article provided a strong sense of how powerful blogs are. With the example of the young individual 
who wrote his feelings in a blog, an action that he thought would only be translated to a few but that ended 
up in a short period of time becoming a story covered locally, nationally, and internationally, I started to 
understand the capablities of blogs.  Such an example really makes someone put a good bit of 
consideration in regards to what they should choose to put on a blog and what is best to leave out.  The
article particularly focused on the influence that blogs have on the media. I had no idea it had such an 
immense effect.
 
Response to "Blogging for Better Health:  Putting the "Public" Back in
Public Health:
 
 
I was glad to have read this article, because I know that blogs are very useful sources for finding out up 
to date information about a certain area. The description of health blogs drove this idea home to me 
because there are many situations in life when you are faced with a medical choice, but are unable to judge
what are the best actions to take.  Reading entries on the blog about such topics gives valuable advice and
instruction from those who had dealt with the issue also.  Especially when a serious health issue develops,
such as the occurrence of cancer in your or someone else you love's life, blogs can provide essential 
information along the lines of someones concerns.  In addition, blogs provide support by those who have
been in the same situation and advice from their own experiences.