Traveling World Languages Fair
The four Area Studies Centers at the University of Kansas are thrilled to offer traveling world language fairs to high schools and middle schools in Kansas! Language experts from KU will travel to your school and give introductory lessons in four critical languages. Students will attend a lesson on each of the four languages.
In addition to introductory lessons in four world languages, the fair includes an information session about language fellowships, study abroad, and the importance and use of studying another language and culture.
The World Languages Fair is designed to inform students about several global opportunities at KU (or ways that they can make a global impact) as well as introduce them to some exciting languages from around the world.
Students will leave the fair knowing that fluency in more than one language and an understanding of cultural contexts will prepare them to become global citizens. Studying a language will sharpen their communication skills and enrich their critical understanding of the world.
Scroll down to see a sample schedule of a language fair.
So far, the KU Area Studies Centers have conducted world language fairs at high schools in Topeka, Wichita, and Dodge City.
23 Languages to Choose From
Each Area Studies Center offers a variety of critical languages which can be taught at a language fair. Choose from Arabic, BCMS (Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian), Chinese, Czech, Guarani, Haitian Creole, Japanese, Kaqchikel, Kiswahili, Korean, Miskitu, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Quechua, Russian, Tibetan, Turkish, Ukrainian, Uyghur, Wolof, Yoruba, and Yucatec Maya.
Which languages interest you?
Students who are interested in taking French, German, Spanish in high school are quite often interested in many other languages besides these. The KU World Language Fairs give students the opportunity to explore other languages and cultures they rarely have the opportunity to learn in high school. They also awaken students' imaginations to the possibility of pursuing language study in college by giving them someone they can talk to about the FLAS scholarships. And these world language fairs help us create globally-minded learners and citizens.
I really enjoyed [the language fair] and I’m very thankful for the opportunity to learn about how other cultures live and communicate every day…I learned something new in every presentation.
KU Area Studies Centers
Learn more about the four Area Studies Centers at the University of Kansas. Each is a Title VI funded national resource center.
Sample Schedule of a Traveling World Language Fair
During each session, students will attend a lesson in a language taught by experts from each of the KU Area Studies Centers. At the end of the session, students will move to the next session and repeat until they have attended lessons in all four of the languages offered.
9:30-9:35 Give students their schedules and send them to their 1st session.
Students will be directed by our FL teachers team to find their first session.
9:35-9:55 Session 1
10:00-10:20 Session 2
10:25-10:45 Session 3
10:50-11:10 Session 4
11:10-11:30 Session 5 (FLAS Scholarships, Study Abroad, Importance and use of studying language and culture).
To keep class sizes small, if your school will have more than 80 participants, there is the option to have a morning and an afternoon session. One group of students would participate in the morning, another group in the afternoon. Both groups would attend a join session to learn about language study funding opportunities, study abroad, and why studying another language and culture is useful and important.
Sample Schedule for morning and afternoon session Language Fair
Morning Session (Student group 1)
9:30-9:50 Session 1
10:00-10:20 Session 2
10:30-10:50 Session 3
11:00:00-11:20 Session 4
Joint Session (Student Group 1 and 2) 11:30-11:45 FLAS/Study Abroad/Why study a language
Break for lunch
Afternoon Session (student group 2)
12:30-12:50 Session 1
1:00-1:20 Session 2
1:30-1:50 Session 3
2:00-2:20 Session 4
Free Language Classes for High School Students
Each Area Studies Center offers a free language classes for high school students during the academic year and/or summer.
Languages Offered
