Standard 7: World Languages

STANDARD 7.1 (COMMUNICATION) ALL STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE IN AT LEAST ONE WORLD LANGUAGE IN ADDITION TO ENGLISH. THEY WILL USE LANGUAGE TO ENGAGE IN CONVERSATION, UNDERSTAND AND INTERPRET SPOKEN AND WRITTEN LANGUAGE, PRESENT INFORMATION, CONCEPTS, AND IDEAS WHILE MAKING CONNECTIONS WITH OTHER DISCIPLINES, AND COMPARE THE LANGUAGE/CULTURE STUDIED WITH THEIR OWN.

Descriptive Statement: The ability to communicate is at the heart of knowing another language. Communication can be characterized in many different ways. The approach used within the New Jersey and national standards is to recognize three communicative modes that place primary emphasis on the context and purpose of the communication. The three modes are:

The Interpretive Mode. Students understand and interpret within the appropriate cultural context spoken and written communication. Examples of “one-way” reading or listening include the cultural interpretation of texts, movies, radio and television broadcasts, and speeches. Interpretation differs from comprehension because it implies the ability to read or listen “between the lines.”

The Interpersonal Mode. Students engage in direct oral and/or written communication. Examples involving “two-way”, interactive communication are conversing face-to-face, or exchanging personal letters or e-mail messages.

The Presentational Mode. Students present, through oral and/or written communications, information, concepts and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers with whom there is no immediate personal contact. Examples of this “one-to-many” mode of communication are making a presentation to a group or writing an article for the school newspaper.

The Communicative Modes and the Study of Classical Languages. Students and teachers of classical languages, such as Latin and ancient Greek, are primarily concerned with the interpretation of texts and historical/cultural understanding and therefore concentrate their study in the interpretive mode. They may occasionally give some attention to the oral dimensions of the classical languages, or may ask students to make presentations in the language they study as a way of strengthening language knowledge and use.

The Communicative Modes and the Study of Non-European Languages. Students engaging in conversations and negotiations (interpersonal mode), interpreting speeches, texts or films (interpretive mode), or making oral and written presentations (presentational mode) in non-European languages must incorporate a high degree of cultural knowledge to achieve the modes of communication in the communication standard. The amount of cultural knowledge required thus presents a stronger challenge for these students than for English speakers who study European languages.

The Communicative Modes and Heritage Language Speakers. Heritage language students may be newly-arrived immigrants to the United States, first-generation students whose home language is not English and who have been schooled primarily in the United States, or second- or third- generation students who have learned some aspects of the heritage language at home. These students have varying abilities and proficiencies in their heritage language; often they can carry on fluent and idiomatic conversation (interpersonal mode), but require instruction that will allow them to develop strengths in reading (interpretive mode) and formal speaking and writing (presentational mode). These students are held to the same standards for world languages as their English speaking peers and should be provided with opportunities for developing skills in their native language that are both developmentally supportive and rigorous. Designing curriculum to maintain and further develop native-language skills ensures that such skills will not erode over time as English becomes the dominant language for these students.

Novice-High Learner Range

According to ACTFL, students who have begun the study of a second language in kindergarten in a program that meets a minimum of 3 times a week for thirty minutes, and continue the study of that language in subsequent grades in a program that meets for the same time allocations, should meet the following cumulative progress indicators by the end of Grade 4.

A. Interpretive Mode (understanding and interpretation of spoken or written communication)

1. Demonstrate comprehension of a series of oral directions, commands, and requests through appropriate physical response.

2. Recognize common gestures, intonation, and other visual or auditory cues of the target-culture.

3. Identify people, places, objects, and activities in daily life based on oral or written descriptions.

4. Comprehend short conversations and brief written messages on familiar topics.

● Messages contained in media (e.g., illustrated texts, posters or advertisements)

5. Connect the learning of the target language to information studied in other core content areas.

● Grade level appropriate visual and performing arts topics (e.g., famous artists and works of art)

● Grade level appropriate mathematics concepts (e.g., symbols for currency and appropriate place value as used in the target culture)

● Grade level appropriate science topics (e.g., life cycle of plants and animals)

6. Demonstrate comprehension of the main idea, and identify the principal characters in readings from age-appropriate, culturally authentic selections.

B. Interpersonal Mode (direct oral or written communication)

1. Give and follow a series of oral directions, commands, and requests for participating in age-appropriate classroom and cultural activities.

2. Imitate appropriate gestures, intonation, and common idiomatic expressions of the target culture during daily interactions.

3. Ask and respond to questions, make requests, and express preferences in various social situations using learned expressions and strings of sentences.

4. Participate in guided conversations on a variety of familiar topics and/or topics studied in other core content areas.

● Grade level appropriate math concepts (e.g., buying/selling transactions)

● Grade level appropriate health topics (e.g., basic human needs such as food, shelter, and clothing)

● Grade level appropriate social studies topics (e.g., geographical landmarks in home and target culture)

● Grade level science topics (e.g., scientists/inventors from the target culture(s) and their contributions)

5. Identify the main characters, main idea, setting, and important events found in age-appropriate, culturally authentic texts.

C. Presentational Mode (spoken or written communication for an audience)

1. Create and present orally or in writing brief messages, poems, rhymes, songs, short plays, or role-plays using familiar vocabulary in a guided format.

2. Describe in writing using a guided format people and things from the home/school environment.

3. Tell or retell stories using a guided format from age-appropriate, culturally authentic selections orally or in writing.

4. Tell or write about products of the target culture and simulate common cultural practices.

● Grade level appropriate social studies topics (e.g., culinary contributions, crafts, or artifacts from the target cultures)

STANDARD 7.2 (CULTURE) ALL STUDENTS WILL DEMONSTRATE AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE PERSPECTIVES OF A CULTURE(S) THROUGH EXPERIENCES WITH ITS PRODUCTS AND PRACTICES.

Descriptive Statement: With the adoption of national and state standards, a new way of conceptualizing the study of culture has been introduced into the world languages classroom. In addition to the traditional ways of learning about culture (i.e., studying the facts, events, famous people, and monuments), standards-based language instruction encompasses a fuller, more comprehensive view of culture. The anthropological concept of cultural products, practices, and perspectives provides a relatively new framework for the studying and experiencing of culture for most teachers and students, and forms the foundation for student achievement of the culture standard in this document.

Cultural Products. The products of a culture may be tangible (e.g., a painting, wedding veils, boiled peanuts, a pair of chopsticks) or intangible (e.g., street raps, a system of education, graveside eulogies). The culture standard focuses on how these cultural products reflect the perspectives (attitudes, values and beliefs) of the culture studied.

Cultural Practices. The practices of a culture refer to patterns of acceptable behaviors for interacting with members of other cultures. Two examples from the American culture of the practice of expressing congratulations would be slapping a teammate on the back after a winning touchdown, but shaking the presenter’s hand after an excellent speech. The culture standard focuses on practices derived from the perspectives (traditional ideas, attitudes, and values) of the culture studied.

Cultural Perspectives. As defined by the standards, the perspectives of a culture would include the popular beliefs, the commonly held values, the folk ideas, the shared values, and the assumptions widely held by members of a culture. The perspectives of a culture sanction the cultural practices and create a need for the products. The perspectives provide the reason for “why they do it that way” and the explanation for “how can they possibly think that?” Since practices and products not only derive from perspectives, but sometimes interact to change perspectives, this fundamental component of culture must be incorporated to meet the culture standard.

Language, as a key to culture, can tell us what is important to a group of people, what they do for work and play, what their social values are, what level of technology they enjoy, where they come from, and much more. Language and culture as such, are inseparable.

The following cumulative progress indicators for the culture standard are organized according to the three modes of communication: interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational.

Novice-High Learner Range

A. Interpretive Mode (understanding and interpretation of spoken or written communication)

1. Compare daily practices of people in the target culture(s) with their own.

2. Describe the geographical features, types and effects of climate in countries where the target language is spoken.

3. Identify aspects of culture presented in photographs, plays, or films.

4. Identify common tangible and intangible cultural products of the target culture(s).

B. Interpersonal Mode (direct spoken and written communication)

1. Imitate culturally appropriate etiquette in verbal and non-verbal communication during greetings, leave-takings, and common social situations.

2. Participate in a variety of oral and/or written activities after listening to and/or reading age-appropriate, culturally authentic selections.

C. Presentational Mode (spoken and written communication for an audience)

1. Compare and contrast similarities and differences between tangible products of the target culture(s) and their own.

2. Describe and reproduce expressive products of the target culture(s).

3. Participate in activities related to special events celebrated in the target culture(s) and make comparisons with the U.S.

Link to Standard 7 Novice-Mid Learner

Link to Standard 7 Low-Intermediate Learner

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