FRESNO UNIFIED SCHOOL
DISTRICT
FOREIGN LANGUAGE
DRAFT STANDARDS
GRADE
LEVEL 7-12
I. THE FIVE GOALS FOR
FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING ARE:
- COMMUNICATION -
COMMUNICATE IN LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH
- CULTURES - GAIN
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF OTHER CULTURES
- CONNECTIONS - CONNECT
WITH OTHER DISCIPLINES AND ACQUIRE INFORMATION
- COMPARISONS - DEVELOP INSIGHT INTO OWN LANGUAGE AND
CULTURE
- COMMUNITIES - PARTICIPATE IN MULTILINGUAL COMMUNITIES AT HOME
AND AROUND THE WORLD
II. STANDARDS AND GOALS
Goal:
COMMUNICATION. COMMUNICATE IN LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH.
STANDARD 1: Students engage in
conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and
emotions, and exchange opinions.
STANDARD 2: Students understand and interpret written and spoken
language on a variety of topics.
STANDARD 3: Students present information, concepts, and ideas to
audience of listeners or readers on a vareity of topics.
Goal:
CULTURES. GAIN KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF OTHER CULTURES.
STANDARD 4:
Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the
practices and perspectives of the cultures studied.
STANDARD 5: Students
demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products
and perspectives of the cultures studied.
Goal:
CONNECTIONS. CONNECT WITH OTHER DISCIPLINES AND ACQUIRE
INFORMATION.
STANDARD 6: Students reinforce and further their knowledge of other
disciplines through the foreign language.
STANDARD 7: Students acquire information and recognize the
distinctive viewpoints that are available only through the foreign
language and its cultures.
Goal:
COMPARISON. DEVELOP INSIGHT INTO OWN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE.
STANDARD 8: Students demonstrate an understanding of the nature of
language through comparisons of the language studied and their
own.
STANDARD 9: Students demonstrate an understanding of the concept of
culture through comparisons of the cultures studied and their
own.
Goal:
PARTICIPATE IN MULTILINGUAL COMMUNITIES AT HOME AND AROUND THE
WORLD.
STANDARD 10: Students use the language both within and beyond the
school setting.
STANDARD 11: Students show evidence of
becoming life-long learners by using the language for personal
enjoyment and enrichment.
STANDARD 12: Students engage in the
activities which prepare them to use the target language to achieve
career goals.
III. TARGETED
STANDARDS AND SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES
INTRODUCTION
The following is a description of the
progression of foreign language acquisition in Fresno Unified School
District by levels. A set of standards has been selected to be
targeted or Levels 1-3 of foreign language instruction, accompanied
by a compendium of suggested activities and portfolio artifacts. By
Level IV and above, all standards are addressed with a listing of
suggested activities and accompanying artifacts. The expectation
remains that all 12 standards will be infused throughout our Foreign
Language program.
LEVEL I
Standard 1: Students engage in conversations, provide and
obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange
opinions.
Suggested Activities:
- Students ask and answer questions about topics such as
family, school events, and celebrations in person or via letters,
e-mail, audio, or videotapes.
- Students exchange descriptions of people and tangible
products of the culture such as free-time activities, dress, types
of dwellings, and foods with each other and member of the
class.
Standard 2: Students understand, interpret
written and spoken language on a variety of topics.
- Students demonstrate an understanding of and interpret
written and spoken language on a variety of topics.
Suggested Activities:
- Students demonstrate comprehension of brief written
messages and short personal notes on familiar topics such as
family, school events, and celebrations.
- Students demonstrate comprehension of main ideas in
developmentally appropriate oral narratives such as personal
anecdotes, familiar fairy tales, and other narratives based on
familiar themes.
Standard 3: Students demonstrate an
understanding of the relationship between the practices and
perspectives of the cultures needed.
Suggested Activities:
- Students use appropriate verbal and nonverbal behavior
for daily activities among peers and adults.
- Students learn about the participate in
age-appropriate cultural practices such as games (role of leader,
taking turns, etc.), sports and entertainment (e.g., music, dance,
drama).
Standard 4: Students demonstrate an
understanding of the relationship between the products and
perspectives of the cultures studied.
Suggested Activities:
- Students identify, experience, or read about
expressive products of the culture, such as songs, sections from
literature, and types of artwork enjoyed or produced by their peer
group in the cultures studied.
- Students identify, discuss, and produce types of
artwork, crafts, or graphic representations enjoyed or made by
their peer group within the cultures studied.
Standard 5: Students demonstrate an
understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the
cultures studied and their own.
Suggested Activities:
- Students compare patterns of behavior or interaction
in various cultural settings.
- Students demonstrate an awareness that gestures are an
important part of communication and that gestures may differ among
cultures.
LEVEL I PORTFOLIO ARTIFACTS
- A self-picture with accompanying oral and written
description of 25-75 words.
- Audiotape of passage read.
- A family tree.
- Pen pal letter.
- A home plan and/or favorite room.
- Time line.
- Story book/autobiography.
LEVEL II
Standard 1: Students understand and interpret
written and spoken language on a variety of topics.
Suggested Activities:
- Students demonstrate understanding of announcements
and announcements and messages connected to daily activities in
the target culture.
- Students demonstrate understanding of the main themes
and significant details on topics from other subjects and products
of the cultures as found in newspapers, magazines, e-mail, or
other printed sources used by speakers of the target
language.
- Students use knowledge acquired in other settings and
from other subject areas to demonstrate comprehension of spoken
and written message in the target languages.
Standard 2: Students present information,
concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a
variety of topics.
Suggested Activities:
- Students prepare illustrated stories about activities
or events in their environment and share with an audience such as
the class.
- Students dramatize songs, short anecdotes, or poetry
commonly known by peers in the target culture for members of
another elementary class.
- Students give short oral notes and messages, or write
reports about people and things in their school environment and
exchange the information with another language class either
locally or via e-mail.
- Students tell or retell stories orally or in
writing.
Standard 3: Students acquire information and
recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through
the foreign language and its cultures.
Suggested Activities:
- Students read, listen to, and talk about
age-appropriate school content, folk tales, short stories, poems,
and songs written for native speakers of the target
language.
Standard 4: Students show evidence of becoming
life-long learners by using the language for personal enjoyment and
enrichment.
Suggested Activities:
- Students read materials and/or use media from the
language and culture enjoyment.
- Students exchange information about topics of personal
interest.
- Students plan real or imaginary travel.
- Students attend or view cultural events and social
activities.
- Students listen to music, sing songs, or play musical
instruments from target culture.
LEVEL II PORTFOLIO ARTIFACTS
- Print out of earlier e-mail exchange
- Photo album of personal events and memorable
experiences.
- Time line (part-future).
- Story book/children's book.
- Travel brochure for a chosen city, county
- A written ad for a cruise, a meal, a book, movie, home
or clothing.
- Written report.
- Audiotape/videotape of interview/skit.
LEVEL III
Standard 1: Students engage in conversations,
provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and
exchange opinions.
Suggested Activities:
- Students follow and give directions for participating
in age-appropriate culture activities and investigating the
function of products of the foreign culture. They ask and respond
to questions for clarification.
- Students exchange information about personal events,
memorable experiences, and other school subjects with peers and/or
members of the foreign culture.
Standard 2: Students demonstrate an
understanding of and interpret written and spoken language on a
variety of topics.
Suggested Activities:
- Students demonstrate understanding of the main themes
and significant details on topics from other subjects and products
of the cultures as found in newspapers, magazines, e-mail, or
other printed sources used by speakers of the target
language.
- Students use knowledge acquired in other settings and
from other subject areas to demonstrate comprehension of spoken
and written messages in the target languages.
Standard 3: Students present information,
concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a
variety of topics.
Suggested Activities:
- Students present short plays and skits, recite
selected poems and anecdotes, and perform songs in the language
for a school-related event such as a board meeting or PTA
meeting.
- Students prepare audio or video recorded messages to
share locally or with school peers and/or members of the target
cultures on topics of personal interest.
- Students prepare stories or brief written reports
about personal experiences, brief personal events or other school
subjects to share with classmates and/or members of the target
cultures.
- Students prepare an oral or written summary of the
plot and characters in selected pieces of age- appropriate
literature.
Standard 4: Students demonstrate an
understanding of the relationship between the practices and
perspectives of the cultures studied.
Suggested Activities:
- Students observe, analyze, describe, and discuss
patterns of behavior typical of their peer group.
Standard 5: Students demonstrate an
understanding of the relationship between the products and
perspectives of the cultures studied.
Suggested Activities:
- Students experience (read, listen to, observe,
perform, respond creatively to) expressive products of the culture
(e.g., stories, poetry, music, paintings, dance, and drama) and
then explore the effects of these products on the large
community.
- Students search for, identify, and investigate the
function of utilitarian products (e.g., sports equipment,
household items, tools, foods, and clothing) of the culture
studied as found within their homes and community.
- Students identify, discuss, and analyze themes, ideas,
and perspectives related to the cultural products being
studied.
Standard 6: Students demonstrate an
understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of the
language studied and their own.
Suggested Activities:
- Students realize that cognates enhance comprehension
of spoken and written language and demonstrate their awareness by
identifying commonly occurring cognates in the language they are
learning.
- Students are aware of the existence of idiomatic
expressions in both their native language and the language being
learned and talk about how idiomatic expressions work in
general.
- Students demonstrate an awareness that there are
varieties of ways to express ideas both in their own language and
the language being learned.Students recognize the category of
grammatical gender in languages, and their spoken and written
language reflects that awareness.
LEVEL III PORTFOLIO
ARTIFACTS
- A travel brochure for a tour
- A collage showing cultural similarities and
differences and/or personal relationships
- Interview a native speaker and report the interview to
class. Artifact may be an audio recording or oral report and/or a
written report of an interview
- An informational packet concerning a social problem to
be presented to an audience
- Participate in a play production
- A story board book reflecting a piece of
literature
- A speculative time line from the present to age
65
- A series of letters exchanged by key pals
LEVEL IV
Standard 1: Students engage in conversations,
provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and
exchange opinions.
Suggested Activities:
- Students discuss, orally or in writing, current or
past events that are of significance in the target culture or that
are being studied in another subject.
- Students develop and propose solutions to issues and
problems that are of concern to members of their own and to the
target cultures through group work.
- Students explain their analyses and their personal
reactions to expository and literary texts with peers and/or
speakers of the target language.
- Students exchange, support and discuss their opinions
and individual perspectives with peers and/or speakers of the
target language on a variety of topics dealing with contemporary
and historical issues.
Standard 2: Students understand and interpret
written and spoken language on a variety of topics.
Suggested Activities:
- Students demonstrate an understanding of the main
ideas and significant details of live and recorded discussions,
lectures, and presentations on current or past events from target
culture and/or that are being studied in another class.
- Students demonstrate an understanding of the principal
elements of nonfiction articles in newspapers, magazines, and
e-mail on topics of current and historical importance to members
of the culture.
- Students analyze the main plot, subplot, and
characters of authentic literary texts, as well as the characters'
descriptions, roles, and significance.
- Students demonstrate an increasing understanding of
the cultural nuances of meaning in written and spoken language as
expressed by speakers of the target language in formal and
informal settings.
- Students demonstrate an increasing understanding of
the cultural nuances of meaning in expressive products of the
culture, including selections from various literary genres and the
visual arts.
Standard 3: Students present information,
concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a
variety of topics.
Suggested Activities:
- Students perform scenes and/or recite poems or
excerpts from short stories connected to a topic from other
disciplines such as world history, geography, the arts, or
mathematics.
- Students perform scenes and/or recite poems or
excerpts from short stories commonly read by speakers of the
target language.
- Students create stories and poems, short plays, or
skits based on personal experiences and exposure to themes, ideas,
and perspectives from the target culture.
- Students select and analyze expressive products of the
culture, from literary genres or the fine arts.
- Students summarize the content of an article or
documentary intended for native speakers in order to discuss the
topics via e-mail with other users or speakers of the
language.
- Students prepare a research-based analysis of a
current event from the perspective of both the United States and
the target cultures.
Standard 4: Students demonstrate an
understanding of the relationship between the practices and
perspectives of the cultures studied.
Suggested Activities:
- Students interact in a variety of cultural contexts
that reflect both peer-group and adult activities within the
culture studied, using the appropriate verbal and non-verbal
cues.
- Students learn about and participate in
age-appropriate culture practices, such as games, sports and
entertainment.
- Students identify, analyze and discuss various
patterns of behavior or interaction typical of the culture
studied.
- Students identify, examine, and discuss connections
between cultural perspectives and socially approved behavioral
patterns.
Standard 5: Students demonstrate an
understanding of the relationship between the products and
perspectives of the cultures studied.
Suggested Activities:
- Students identify, discuss, and analyze such
intangible products of the target culture as social, economic, and
political institutions, and explore relationships among these
institutions and the perspectives of the culture.
- Students experience, discuss, and analyze expressive
products of the culture, including selections from various
literary genres and the visual arts.
- Students identify, analyze and evaluate themes, ideas,
and perspectives related to the cultural products being
studied.
- Students explore and describe the relationships among
the products, practices, and perspectives of the culture.
Standard 6: Students reinforce and further their
knowledge of other disciplines through the foreign language.
Suggested Activities:
- Students discuss topics from other school subjects in
the target language, including political and historical concepts,
world-wide health issues, and environmental concerns to
demonstrate understanding of the topics.
- Students acquire information from a variety of sources
written in the target language about a topic being studied in
other school subjects.
- Students combine information from other school
subjects with information available in the foreign language in
order to complete activities in the foreign language
classroom.
Standard 7: Students acquire information and
recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are available only through
the foreign language and its cultures.
Suggested Activities:
- Students use a variety of sources intended for
same-age speakers of the target language to prepare reports on
topics of personal interest, or with which they have limited
previous experience, and compare these to information obtained on
the same topics written in English.
Standard 8: Students demonstrate an
understanding of the nature of language comparisons of the language
studied and their own.
Suggested Activities:
- Students recognize that cognates have the same as well
as different meanings among languages and speculate about the
evolution of language.
- Students demonstrate an awareness that some phases and
idioms do not translate directly from one language to
another.
- Students analyze elements of the target language, such
as time and tense, and comparable linguistic elements in English
and conjecture about how languages use forms to express time and
tense relationships.
- Students report on the relationship between word order
and meaning and hypothesize on how this may or may not reflect the
way in which cultures organize information and view the
world.
- Students compare the writing system of the target
language and their own. They also examine other writing systems
and report about the nature of those writing systems (e.g.,
logographic, syllabic, alphabetic).
Standard 9: Students demonstrate an
understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the
cultures studied and their own.
Suggested Activities:
- Students hypothesize about the origins of idioms as
reflections of culture, citing examples from the language and
cultures being studied and their own.
- Students compare nuances of meanings of words, idioms,
and vocal inflections in the target language and their
own.
- Students analyze the relationship of perspectives and
practices in the target culture and compare and contrast these
with their own.
- Students analyze the relationship between the products
and perspectives in the cultures studied and compare and contrast
these with their own.
- Students identify and analyze cultural perspectives as
reflected in a variety of literary genres.
Standard 10: Students use the language both
within and beyond the school setting.
Suggested Activities:
- Students communicate orally or in writing with members
of the other culture regarding topics of personal interest or
community or world concern.
- Students participate in a career-exploration or
school-to-work project which requires proficiency in the language
and culture.
- Students use community resources to research a topic
related to culture and/or language study.
- Students present information about the language and
cultures to others.
- Students participate in club activities which benefit
the school or community.
- Students write and illustrate stories to present to
others.
- Students perform for a school or community
celebration.
Standard 11: Students show evidence of becoming
life-long learners by using the language for personal enjoyment and
enrichment.
Suggested Activities:
- Students consult various sources in the language to
obtain information on topics of personal interest.
- Students play sports or games from the
culture.
- Students read and/or use various media from the
language and culture for entertainment or personal
growth.
- Students establish and/or maintain interpersonal
relations with speakers of the language.
- Students attend or view via media cultural events and
social activities.
- Students listen to music, sing songs, or play musical
instruments from the target culture.
Standard 12: Students engage in the activities
which prepare them to use the target language to achieve career
goals.
Suggested Activities:
- Students choose a career objective and outline a plan
of language study to enhance the achievement of that
objective.
- Students render service in a community organization in
which the clientele speak the target language.
- Students participate in appropriate career internships
in which language use contributes to a successful
experience.
LEVEL IV PORTFOLIO ARTIFACTS
- Create and present a video scenario, skit, puppet play
or one-act play.
- Prepare and present a reader's theater version of a
literary piece.
- Write an essay response of 200-250 words to a writing
prompt.
- Engage in cultural participation research and report
both orally and in writing,
- Create original poems, fables, and short
stories.
- Samples of A.P. language and literature exams taken
for practice.
- Develop a "road map: of central ideas formed in a
literary work.
- Prepare an advertisement (cultural, literary,
political, etc.) complete with both oral and written
narrative.