Tesol Activities: Children Education in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia

ACTIVITY 2.2* 
Note that this is an asterisked activity and must therefore be submitted in your module portfolio. 
In about 150 words, write a letter to a parent in your community telling them what choices you would advise them to make regarding the language education of their daughter/son (say, from the age of 3 to the age of 20). Explain to the parent why you are advocating each choice. 
ACTIVITY 4.1* 
Note that this is an asterisked activity and must therefore be submitted in your module portfolio. 
Consider a stigmatised variety (accent, dialect or language) in your own sociolinguistic situation and, taking account of Smitherman and Cunningham, say what can be done to challenge such stigmatisation. 
Whatever variety you chose to consider, you will have noted on p210 the three solutions that Smitherman and Cunningham propose to resolve the stigmatisation of ebonics and you will have applied those three solutions to your own situation. 
ACTIVITY 5.2* 
Note that this is an asterisked activity and must therefore be submitted in your module portfolio. 
Taking into account what Hornberger writes in reading 5.3 about “language as resource”, briefly state what micro-interventionist approaches you might advise the Insulan government to adopt in order to achieve use of the Taoni language by Insulans. 
1. You should take account of both bilingualism and biliteracy. 
2. You should note the examples that Hornberger takes from the New Zealand, the Native 
American and the Puno contexts. 
3. You should take account of Hornberger‟s statement that efforts to revitalise a language 
„...are not about bringing the language back, but rather about bringing it forward...‟ 
These are the questions that need to be answered. They are 3 activities and 180 words for each activity making it 550 words total.
I have included a sample activities that were answered already.
Sample Answered activities:
Please make it like this.
Activity 2.2
Dear Parent/Guardian:
There are two options available for your child’s education in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Option #1 
The English as a Foreign Language course is offered in the private and public Arabic medium schools in Jeddah. English is taught from the first grade in the private schools and from the sixth grade in the government schools. Your child will be given the opportunity to study the language from a relatively young age for forty-five minutes per day (one period) with qualified teachers that usually use Arabic to explain grammar and vocabulary. Upon graduation, your child will not be at a native level in English but should have a foundation in the language that will enable him/her to continue studying in one of the preparatory year programs or language centers. Studying abroad might prove difficult because your child will not be exempt from the ‘TOEFL’ or ‘EILTS’.
Option# 2
The English medium of Instruction schools which are also known as International schools offer all courses except Arabic in English. Your child should have a native like command of the language by the time he/she graduates. Some of the benefits of taking this option are: Exemption from ‘TOEFL’ and ‘EILTS’ if planning to study abroad, better job opportunities locally and abroad, knowing the language of business.
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
My Name
Work Place 
My Coutry and city
My email adress
My phone number
Activity 4.1
In Saudi Arabia where I have been living for the past five years, the official language is Arabic. There are two forms of Arabic ‘Fusha’ which is classical or colloquial Arabic and ‘Amiyya’ which is the modern standard Arabic (MSA). Fusha is used in the newspapers, education, news media, and all religious sermons and books. The native population usually speaks in MSA and usually stigmatizes the classical dialect when used in daily conversations. As a foreigner in Saudi Arabia, I learned the classical form of the language because I was interested in reading books and understanding news. But whenever I began to speak with the natives, I would usually receive strange looks or be laughed at due to the use of the classical dialect. I discovered that the majority of the native population have been losing their command of the spoken form of the classical Arabic due to the stigma associated with using it in social settings. 
We can apply the same three solutions for the stigmatization of spoken classical Arabic that Smitherman and Cunningham have proposed to tackle the stigmatisation of ebonics in the United States.
1. There should be a push for valuing the importance of ‘Fusha’ especially amongst the younger generation because of the connection between language and culture. They can be at risk of losing aspects of their culture. 
2. They should be encouraged to speak it in the homes and schools and this should be connected to modern Arab culture by the government policies and parents.
3. Government institutions should look closely at studying the lack of use of ‘Fusha’ in terms of its sociolinguistic, historical, and socio-political use and construction in Saudi Arabia.
Activity 5.2
The government should also make the Toani language the official language of the country thus paving the way for its use in the education system and media. The successful case of the introduction of Maori-medium (immersion) education in New Zealand can be used to introduce Taoni-medium education in the educational system. All community stakeholders should play a role in this initiative. 
The Insulan government should put aside a specific budget to be spent in media campaigns and awareness programs promoting the linguistic heritage and culture of the Taoni language. Furthermore, the government should also fund media channels and programs that only use the Taoni language as a means of communication.