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-Mid Learner Range

According to ACTFL, students beginning the study of a second language in kindergarten, in a program that meets a minimum of 3 times a week for thirty minutes, should meet the following cumulative progress indicators by the end of Grade 2.

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

1. Demonstrate comprehension of simple, 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 familiar people, places, and objects based on oral and/or simple written descriptions.

4. Comprehend brief oral exchanges on familiar topics.

● Grade level appropriate health topics (e.g., wellness, feelings and emotions)

● Grade level appropriate science topics (e.g., weather and seasons)

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

● Grade level appropriate mathematics concepts (e.g., use of numbers to count, measure, label, or locate)

● Grade level appropriate health topics (e.g., nutrition and food groups)

6. Listen to simple passages from age-appropriate, culturally authentic selections for enjoyment and information.

● Recognition of key words

● Main idea

B. Interpersonal Mode (direct oral or written communication)

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

2. Imitate appropriate gestures and intonation of the target culture during greetings, leave-takings, and daily interactions.

3. Ask and respond to simple questions, make requests, and express preferences using memorized words and phrases.

4. Exchange information using words, phrases, and short sentences practiced in class on familiar topics or topics studied in other core content areas.

● Grade level appropriate social studies topics (e.g., symbols of American and target culture: flags, famous places, regions, and monuments)

● Grade level appropriate mathematics concepts (e.g., numerical operations: addition/subtraction of 2-digit numbers; counting and performing simple computations with coins)

● Grade level appropriate science topics (e.g., plant and animal characteristics)

5. Exchange basic information about the main characters, main idea, and setting from age-appropriate, culturally authentic selections.

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

1. Imitate, recite, and/or dramatize simple poetry, rhymes, songs, and skits.

2. Copy/write words, phrases, or simple guided texts on familiar topics.

● Grade level appropriate mathematics concepts (e.g., calendar/time; color/shape/size of objects)

● Grade level appropriate science concepts (e.g., comparing and contrasting living and nonliving things)

3. Present orally or in writing information from age-appropriate, culturally authentic selections.

● Grade level appropriate language arts literacy activities (e.g., contributing to teacher-directed shared writing activities; illustrating stories, or drawing and labeling pictures, charts, or diagrams)

4. Name and label tangible products and imitate practices from the target culture.

● Grade level appropriate visual and performing arts activities (e.g., song, dance, and drama of the target culture)

● Grade level appropriate social studies activities (e.g., participation in culturally authentic experiences such as preparing and eating meals and snacks, playing authentic games, holiday celebrations)

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-Mid Learner Range

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

1. Identify daily practices of people in the target culture(s).

2. Identify basic geographical features and some common landmarks in countries where the target language is spoken.

3. Identify aspects of the target culture(s) presented in photographs, children’s books, and plays.

4. Identify distinctive cultural products of the target culture(s).

B. Interpersonal Mode (direct spoken and written communication)

1. Imitate culturally appropriate etiquette in verbal and nonverbal communication during greetings, leave-takings, and daily classroom interactions.

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

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

1. Reproduce a variety of tangible products typical of the target culture(s).

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

3. Participate in age-appropriate activities related to special events celebrated in the target culture(s).

Link to Standard 7 Novice-High Learner

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