Second Language and Curriculum

Goals

Knowing how,when,

and why

to say what

to whom.

Successful Communication:

Formerly, most teaching in second language

was grammar based.

• The current organizing principle for second

language study is communication, highlighting

the why, the whom, and the when.

• So, while grammar and vocabulary are essential tools for communication, it is the ability to communicate with users of other languages that is the ultimate goal of today’s second language instruction.

(Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st century, ACTFL, et al, Allen Press, Inc., 1999).

Correlation Between Length of Study and Proficiency

There are various approaches to language instruction in Oregon. A student who begins second language study in the early elementary grades and continues an uninterrupted sequence of instruction will advance further than a student who does not begin language study until high school. However, student proficiency in a second language may be achieved over different periods of time depending on such factors as:

• Age of the learner• Varying learning speeds and learning styles of students• Teaching methodologies• Abilities and interests of the instructor• Scheduling patterns of the language program• Scope and sequence of the language program• Authenticity of the cultural environment and materials

(Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century, ACTFL, et al, Allen Press, Inc., 1999)

You live a new life for every new language you speak. If you know only one language, you live only once.

Connecting Oregon Content Standards to the “Five C’s of Standards for

Foreign Language Learning”The reasons for studying foreign languages

are as diverse as the students themselves. Regardless of the reason, foreign languages have something to offer everyone. It is with this philosophy in mind that the National Standards Task Force identified five goal areas that encompass all of these reasons: Communication, Cultures, Connections,Comparisons, and Communities – the five C’s of foreign language education.

Communication: Communicate in Languages Other Than English

1.1 Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.

1.2 Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics.

1.3 Students present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics.

Cultures: Gain Knowledge and Understanding of Other Cultures

2.1 Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of the culture studied.

2.2 Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products and perspectives of the culture studied.

Connections: Connect with Other Disciplines and Acquire Information

3.1 Students reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through the second language.

3.2 Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the second language and its cultures.

Comparisons: Develop Insight into the Nature of Language and Culture

4.1 Students demonstrate understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of the language studied and their own.

4.2 Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the cultures studied and their own.

Communities: Participate in Multilingual Communities at Home and Around the World

5.1 Students use the language both within and beyond the school setting.

5.2 Students show evidence of becoming life-long learners by using the language for personal enjoyment and enrichment.

The Five C’s of Standards for Foreign Language Learning are embedded in the Oregon Second Language Standards.

(Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century, ACTFL, et al, Allen Press, Inc., 1999)

Framework of Communicative Modes

InterpersonalDirect oral and or written communicationProductive abilities: speaking, writingReceptive abilities: listening, readingKnowledge of cultural perspectivesRecognize different practices in

communicationRealize cultures use different patterns of

interaction

Framework of Communicative Modes

InterpretiveListener,viewer, reader works with visual,

printed or recorded materialsReceptive abilities: listening, reading, viewingKnowledge of the relationship between

cultural perspectives and it’s products and encoded meaning

Ability to analyze, compare and interpret content in language and culture in both the target and U.S. culture

Framework of Communicative Modes

PresentationalProductive communication using oral or

written languageProductive abilities: speaking, writing, showingKnowledge of cultural perspectives governing

interactionsAble to present cross-cultural informationRecognize that cultures use different patters pf

interaction

Development of cultural understanding includes developing an awareness of other

people’s world views, of their unique way of life, and of the patterns of behavior that

order their world.

What is Culture?“Big C” Culture

Formal CultureRequires knowledge of social, political, and

economic institutions, great figures of history, literary and artistic works

“little c” cultureaspects of daily livinghousing, clothing, food, patterns of

daily behavior

The true content of the foreign language course is not the

grammar and the vocabulary of the language, but the cultures

expressed through the language.

Knowing how,when,

and why

to say what

to whom.

Successful Communication:

March 2011

This presentation was created for Oregon Second Language Standards by Jody Soberón

Brookings Harbor High SchoolBrookings, Oregon

http://www.ode.state.or.us/teachlearn/subjects/secondlanguages/standards/standards.pdf