STANDARD 7: World Languages

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.

Pre-Advanced 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 in the elementary school and 5 times a week for forty minutes in the middle school and high school should meet the following cumulative progress indicators by the end of Grade 12.

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

1. Demonstrate an understanding of spoken and written language, as expressed by speakers of the target language in formal and informal settings through appropriate responses.

2. Compare and contrast the use of verbal and non-verbal etiquette in the target culture with their own culture to perform a variety of functions.

● Persuading, negotiating, offering advice

3. Analyze the historical and political contexts that connect/have connected famous people, places and events from the target culture with the U.S.

4. Synthesize information from oral and written discourse dealing with a variety of topics.

● Television and cinema presentations

● Teen and adult social interactions

● Trends in education and business

5. Apply knowledge and skills gained in other core content areas to interpret information on topics related to the study of the target language and culture.

● Grade level appropriate social studies topics and career education and consumer, family and life skills (e.g., drawing conclusions about political, economic and societal patterns in the target culture country through the use of technological data obtained using authentic sources in the target language)

6. Analyze and critique readings from authentic texts and/or from a variety of art genres.

● Main ideas, theme and supportive details

● Roles and significance of main characters

● Use of figurative language (e.g., symbolism, connotation and denotation)

7. Analyze elements of the target language and comparable linguistic elements in English.

● Influence of languages on each other

● Syntax and morphology

B. Interpersonal Mode (direct spoken and written communication)

1. Give, respond, and ask for clarification on detailed oral and written directions, commands, and requests.

2. Interact in a variety of situations using culturally appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication strategies.

3. Ask and respond to questions as part of group discussion on topics of personal, academic or social nature.

● Grade level appropriate health topics (e.g., explaining and supporting an opinion on a societal issue such as violence or driving under the influence of controlled substances; participating in a panel or debate on a school-wide problem such as harassment due to gender or sexual orientation)

4. Engage in oral and/or written discourse in a variety of time frames on topics of personal or social interest, or on topics studied in other core content areas.

● Grade level appropriate career education and consumer, family and life skills activities (e.g., college and job interviews; transactions and negotiations: filling out a business form in the target culture, asking for telephone service to be connected, demonstrating the ability to seek and apply for a job, compromising with a parent over a weekend curfew)

● Grade level appropriate health topics (e.g., social issues: dating, behavior at school and non-school events)

● Grade level appropriate social studies topics (e.g., analysis of the economic, scientific and political factors that led to the age of European exploration and the commercial revolution)

5. Analyze and critique a variety of culturally authentic selections.

● Reflection of target culture in text

● Purpose, message and style of the author

● Use of figurative language

● Political or social impact and relevance to self

6. Use language in a variety of settings to further personal and/or career goals.

● Grade level appropriate career education and consumer, family, and life skills activities (e.g., participation in career exploration, competitive events in the target language, community service, or school-to-work projects that use the target language and knowledge of its culture)

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

1. Create and perform stories, poems, short plays, or oral reports based on personal experiences and/or exposure to perspectives from the target culture.

● Grade level appropriate health topics (e.g., problems and issues encountered in late adolescence)

● Grade level appropriate language arts literacy topics (e.g., themes found in fiction and nonfiction such as hope, death, love, loyalty, honor, courage)

● Grade level appropriate career education and consumer, family, and life skills activities (e.g., media presentation to “teach a class” about a specific topic related to other core content areas and/or the target culture)

2. Use language creatively in writing for a variety of purposes.

● Grade level appropriate language arts literacy activities (e.g., writing a letter to the editor, an editorial or an op-ed piece in the target language for a newspaper or magazine; writing a research paper using target language sources)

3. Explain the structural elements and/or cultural perspectives of authentic selections.

● Grade level appropriate language arts literacy activities (e.g., summary or retelling the selection with substantive description and detail; analysis of character, theme and setting and how it reflects the target culture)

4. Explain the perspectives of the target culture(s) as evidenced by their products and practices and compare those with home cultural perspectives.

● Grade level appropriate social studies topics (e.g., attitudes and beliefs of the culture that influenced the development of its products or practices: esthetics, concept of time, sex roles, rights and duties, etc.; how a particular product or practice of the target culture compares with a similar product or practice in the U.S.)

● Grade level appropriate science topics (e.g., impact of the environment and natural resources on the development of the products and practices of the target culture)

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.

Pre-Advanced Learner Range

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

1. Analyze how the changing economic and political environment influences the development of new products and contemporary practices in the target culture.

2. Compare and contrast how the target country(ies) and the U.S. deal with current environmental issues.

3. Compare and contrast varying perspectives that exist in different target cultures as seen in television, film and other forms of the media.

4. Compare and contrast tangible products of the target culture(s) to their own culture and formulate a rationale about why people produce and use them.

B. Interpersonal Mode (direct spoken and written communication)

1. Interact in a wide range of social and professional contexts that reflect both peer-group and adult activities within the culture studied, using appropriate etiquette in verbal or non-verbal communication.

2. Discuss culturally authentic selections listened to, read, or viewed to demonstrate insights gained into the products, practices and perspectives of the target culture(s).

3. Compare and contrast for discussion common social practices in the U.S. and target culture(s) related to universal life events, such as birth, marriage, and death.

4. Analyze for discussion observable patterns of behavior and social conventions of various age groups in the target culture(s) and compare them with the U.S.

5. Analyze for discussion relationships among past and current economic and political structures and their impact on the perspectives of the culture(s) studied.