Across the country, teachers are finding meaningful ways to take learning beyond the textbook and anchor it in real-world experiences. From art and music to food, movement, travel, and storytelling, these projects show how language instruction can build confidence, curiosity, and connection. Together, they paint a vivid picture of classrooms where students don’t just learn another language—they use it, understand it, and see themselves reflected in it.
This latest round of ACTFL/Vista classroom microgrants has been such a joy to read. Every application feels like an invitation into your classrooms, showing how you bring language and literacy to life for students with creativity, care, and very real impact. The microgrants offer a powerful reminder of what happens when educators are encouraged to dream big. Each application is more than a proposal—it’s an invitation into a classroom where language and literacy are lived experiences, shaped by creativity, care, and deep respect for cultures and communities.
Celebrating Chinese and Korean Culture
Learning Chinese Calligraphy Through Touch, Patience, and Meaning
(Sunrise Christian Academy, KS)
In Kansas, Jean (Jing) Chen at Sunrise Christian Academy is introducing PreK–5 students to Chinese calligraphy so they can feel each stroke of a character instead of only seeing it on a screen. Her project slows students down in the best way, helping them notice how form and meaning come together as they write.
Bringing Lunar New Year to Life Through Dance and Community
(Global Ambassadors Language Academy, OH)
At Global Ambassadors Language Academy in Ohio, Hsing Mei Dreyer is turning Lunar New Year into a schoolwide celebration with fan, umbrella, and chopsticks dances that put her youngest Mandarin immersion students center stage. Families are invited in, creating a powerful moment of community pride around bilingualism.
Experiencing Traditional Chinese Painting Beyond the Screen
(Moanalua High School, HI)
On Oʻahu, Mei Yee Cheng at Moanalua High School in Hawai‘i is equipping students with brushes, Xuan paper, and palettes so they can explore traditional Chinese painting and gain a deeper appreciation of its cultural roots. Her goal is to help students experience the beauty of traditional art, not just see it in a slideshow.
Making Kimchi Together: Connecting Families to Korean Culture
(United Seattle Bellevue Korean School, WA)
In Washington state, Yumi Choi at United Seattle-Bellevue Korean School is leading a kimchi-making day where students and parents prepare and taste this iconic Korean dish together. Many families are second generation and have never had the chance to make kimchi at home, so this open class becomes a meaningful way to connect with Korean culture and reduce the “spicy food” intimidation factor for kids and adults alike.
Real-Life Speaking and Writing Practice
So many projects in this round are about getting students out into the world and giving them real reasons to use the language they are learning.
Exploring French History Through Local Artifacts and Museums
(Southeast Middle School, IA)
In Iowa City, French teacher Eric Dugdale at Southeast Middle School is partnering with the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium on a custom program about French voyageurs in Iowa. Students will explore primary sources and artifacts, then come back to class to discuss and write about what they learned in French.
Building Literacy and Empathy Through a Cross-Border Letter Exchange
(Jefferson School District, ID)
In Idaho’s Jefferson School District, Spanish teacher Itzell Vega Morales is launching a cross-border letter exchange with peers in Mexico so students can build literacy, empathy, and curiosity through real pen pal relationships. Each letter becomes a window into another teenager’s daily life, traditions, and perspectives—all while strengthening students’ writing skills in Spanish.
Using Arabic in the Real World: Learning Beyond the Classroom Walls
(St. Augustine Preparatory School, NJ)
At St. Augustine Preparatory School in New Jersey, Arabic teacher Abdulrahman Atta is taking students by bus to Bay Ridge in Brooklyn, a vibrant Arab American neighborhood. There, students will order food, shop, and talk with community members in Arabic, experiencing firsthand how the language they learn in class is used in everyday interactions.
Sustaining Global Connections Through Handwritten Letters
(Andover Central High School, KS)
In Kansas, French teacher Leah Ward at Andover Central High School is using her grant to cover postage for monthly letters with a partner school in Orléans, France. Until now, she has been paying out of pocket to keep the exchange going; with this support, her students can continue building long-term relationships, mailing and receiving real letters that keep their French in motion all year long.
Experiencing Culture Through Theatre, Art, and Music
Many educators in this cohort are leaning into theatre, art, and music as powerful entry points into culture.
Learning Spanish Through Food, History, and Shared Traditions
(J. Campbell High School, HI)
In Hawai‘i, Melisange Robinson at J. Campbell High School is closing the semester by having students grind masa, press tortillas, and cook tacos and quesadillas while learning about the cultural importance of corn in Mesoamerica. For a lot of learners, it is their first time making tortillas from scratch, and the experience turns Spanish class into a place of shared food, stories, and community.
Connecting Haitian Art, French Language, and Local Community
(Iowa City High School, IA)
In Iowa City, Iowa, French teacher Jaclyn Ceurvorst at Iowa City High School is taking students to the Waterloo Center for the Arts to see the largest collection of Haitian art outside Haiti. Students will tour the collection, participate in an interactive art history session, create a hands-on project, and then write bilingual thank you notes, connecting Haitian culture, French language, and their own local community.
Turning Chinese Characters Into Works of Art
(Moanalua High School, HI)
On Oʻahu again, Mei Yee Cheng at Moanalua High School in Hawai‘i is using her calligraphy and brush painting project to give students another artistic doorway into Chinese culture. With brushes, ink, and traditional materials, students move from simply recognizing characters to creating them as works of art, deepening both cultural and linguistic understanding.
Opening Access to Iconic Cultural Performances Through Language Study
(Staten Island Technical High School, NY)
In Staten Island, New York, first-year Russian teacher Leighton Suen at Staten Island Technical High School is preparing to take students to see The Nutcracker performed by the Grand Kyiv Ballet at the Oceana Theater in Brooklyn. The grant will help subsidize tickets so all students can attend, making this iconic cultural experience available to everyone—not just those who can pay full price.
Stepping Into German Tradition Through Story, Song, and Light
(Discovery Middle School, AL)
Eva Clifton at Discovery Middle School in Alabama is planning a Martinstag celebration where students will learn the story behind the holiday, sing songs, and make paper lanterns. For her German students, it is a chance to move beyond vocabulary lists and step into a beloved tradition from the German speaking world.
Why Multilingualism Matters
Threaded through all of these stories is a shared belief that multilingualism changes lives.
Creating a Literacy-Rich Classroom Where Every Language Belongs
(Wellstone Elementary, MN)
In Saint Paul, Minnesota, ESL teacher Dolly Mariucci at Wellstone Elementary is building a literacy-rich environment for her third-grade newcomers and emerging bilinguals. With multilingual picture books, visual supports, vocabulary games, and interactive tools, she is creating a classroom where students’ home languages are assets and where they can grow in confidence as readers and speakers.
Making the Ancient World Feel Alive Through Art and Exploration
(Bristol Central & Eastern High Schools, CT)
In Connecticut, Latin teacher Kelly Monahan DiNoia at Bristol Central High School and Bristol Eastern High School is taking 70 Latin students to Yale Art Gallery. There, they will see Roman artifacts, create presentations, and deepen their understanding of the ancient world—an experience that makes Latin feel alive and relevant, especially for students who might never have visited a university museum before.
Extending the Impact of One Classroom to an Entire School Community
(George Westinghouse College Prep, IL)
In Chicago, Illinois, Mandarin teacher Yen-I Lai at George Westinghouse College Prep is using microgrant support to attend and present at the 2026 Central States Conference. Her session, “Teaching Language, Building Belonging: A Path to Schoolwide Inclusion,” shares schoolwide strategies that help multilingual learners feel seen and supported. By investing in her professional learning, this grant extends its impact from one classroom to an entire school community and the educators she will reach at the conference.
An Invitation to Share and Apply
Taken together, these projects show exactly what happens when world language and literacy teachers are trusted with the resources to try something new. Students are traveling to museums and performances, cooking and creating, writing to peers across borders, and proudly sharing their languages and cultures with their school communities.
If these stories sound like the kinds of experiences you want for your students, consider sharing this post with colleagues in your department, district, or professional network. And when you are ready to turn your own idea into reality, visit ACTFL’s Classroom Microgrants for Language Educators page to learn more about eligibility, timelines, and how to apply for the next round of ACTFL/Vista micro‑grants. Vista is honored to be your partner in this work and can’t wait to see where your ideas take your learners next.
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Also read:
Bringing Language Learning to Life: Apply for ACTFL–Vista Classroom Micro-Grants
