The Department of English and Modern Languages at Missouri Western State University will host high school students from across the region for competition, education and fun during the annual Modern Language Day on Thursday, April 9.
The schedule includes:
8-8:30 a.m.: Registration and Welcome, Spratt Hall Atrium and Kemper Recital Hall (Spratt 101)
8:30-9:10 a.m.: Spelling Bee, Blum Union. Students are asked to orally spell words in the foreign language they are studying (Chinese, French, German or Spanish).
9:15-10 a.m.: Poetry Recitation and Poetry Slam, Blum Union.
10:10-10:40 a.m.: Sell It! Impromptu Skits, Blum Union. Teams of two or three students are given an item with no obvious purpose. The team determines its purpose and then attempts to “sell it” to a panel of judges by demonstrating its use, using as much of the target language as possible.
10:45-11:45 a.m.: Quiz Bowls, Blum Union. Separate quiz bowls pertaining to culture, politics, geography, history and vocabulary for Chinese, French, German and Spanish-speaking cultures.
11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.: Lunch
12:45-2:30 p.m.: Lip Sync, Great Moments in History, Videotaped Commercials and Awards Ceremony, Kemper Recital Hall (Spratt 101). The day’s finale includes students lip syncing to music in another language, reenacting great moments in the history of their target language’s culture, and showing prerecorded commercials illustrating the theme “Foreign Languages: They Nourish the Brain,” followed by the presentation of awards.
Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.