Foreign Language Rationale
Foreign Language Standard 1
Foreign Language Standard 2

Foreign Language Standard 3

Foreign Language Standard 4

Foreign Language Standard 5

Foreign Language Standard 6
Foreign Language Standard 7

 

Arizona Standards

Foreign Language Standards
(Adopted 4/27/98)

Standard 1: Communication

Students understand and interpret written and spoken communication on a variety of topics in the target language.

Students know and are able to do the following:

READINESS (Kindergarten)

  • Respond to simple commands
  • Read and understand simple words and expressions
  • Comprehend short conversations/stories on familiar topics
  • Identify people and objects based on oral and written descriptions
  • Interpret gestures, intonation and other visual or auditory cues
  • Comprehend the main ideas and identify the principal characters of short stories or children's literature

FOUNDATIONS (Grades 1-3)

  • Comprehend and interpret a brief narrative or poem
  • Comprehend brief written messages and short personal notes
  • Comprehend simple recorded material
  • Follow simple written instructions
  • Identify parts of a short story, e.g., climax, main idea, conflict
  • Comprehend the main ideas or themes and identify and describe the main characters in selected literary texts

ESSENTIALS (Grades 4-8)

  • Comprehend the main idea in authentic oral and written materials on a familiar topic
  • Comprehend well-developed paragraphs containing complex sentences and idiomatic expressions
  • Comprehend, interpret and analyze the style of a short piece of fiction or essay on familiar topics
  • Identify characteristics of a variety of literary genres, e.g., short stories, plays, essays
  • Identify emotions and feelings from selected reading material
  • Read a poem and analyze its components

PROFICIENCY (Grades 9-12)

  • Comprehend the main ideas and significant details in both oral presentations and written text
  • Comprehend authentic newspapers and magazine articles
  • Identify characteristics of a variety of literary genres including poetry
  • Identify and comprehend cultural nuances, including humor, in written and spoken language
  • Analyze and determine the significance of the principal themes and characteristics of a major literary text
  • Analyze the styles of two or more authors within one genre

DISTINCTION (Honors) (Note: This level description applies to each of the three standards for the Communication Strand.)

  • Discuss ideas, events or texts successfully with native speakers in conversation or as a presentation to a group
  • Debate, argue and negotiate on a variety of issues
  • Write analyses of literary works, noting stylistic conventions and cultural nuances
  • Conduct a comparative analysis of two or more authentic written or recorded works in the target language
 

Standard 2: Communication

Students engage in oral and written exchanges which include providing and obtaining information, expressing feelings and preferences, and exchanging ideas and opinions in the target language.

Students know and are able to do the following:

READINESS (Kindergarten)

  • Greet people, make small talk and close conversations
  • Give and follow simple instructions and ask and answer questions
  • Express likes and dislikes
  • Describe people, places and things in their daily lives
  • Identify occupations in the target language

FOUNDATIONS (Grades 1-3)

  • Express feelings
  • Give and follow directions to carry out a specific task and ask questions for clarification
  • Exchange information about personal events and memorable experiences
  • State opinions about objects, people and events present in their everyday lives
  • Acquire goods or information through interaction

ESSENTIALS (Grades 4-8)

  • Express and react to a variety of feelings
  • Develop and propose solutions to issues and problems cooperatively with other students
  • Support opinions with factual information
  • Use idiomatic expressions in oral and written communication

PROFICIENCY (Grades 9-12)

  • Express and support opinions on a variety of topics, concepts and ideas
  • Use complex sentences with connective expressions and idioms in oral and written communication
  • Compare and contrast ideas, people, places and things
  • Narrate anecdotes and original stories

DISTINCTION (Honors)

(See Standard 1)

 

Standard 3: Communication

Students present information and ideas in the target language on a variety of topics to listeners and readers.

Students know and are able to do the following:

READINESS (Kindergarten)

  • Recite short and simple materials (i.e., stories, songs, poems, advertisements and popular sayings) with appropriate expression
  • Write or orally present short messages
  • Present descriptions of familiar people, places and things to a group
  • Read and recite short poems or stories with appropriate expression

FOUNDATIONS (Grades 1-3)

  • Perform short plays, poems and songs
  • Write or orally present brief messages which provide information
  • Present basic (biographical) information about self or others in front of a group
  • Read and recite short poems with appropriate expression and rhythm
  • Share their interpretations, reactions and feelings about a piece of literature

ESSENTIALS (Grades 4-8)

  • Present understandable written reports and summaries
  • Perform short, student-created skits and scenes
  • Present a brief speech (monologue)
  • Prepare tape- (audio) or video-recorded materials
  • Retell a story

PROFICIENCY (Grades 9-12)

  • Present persuasive arguments effectively on a range of topics
  • Present a research project orally or publish it in writing or in a video
  • Present a humorous story, anecdote or joke

DISTINCTION (Honors)

(See Standard 1)

 

Standard 4: Culture

Students know "what to do when" and "what to say while doing it" in the culture and use this knowledge to interact appropriately. They also understand the relationships between cultural perspectives, products and practices within cultures.

Students know and are able to do the following:

READINESS (Kindergarten)

  • Use appropriate gestures and oral expressions for greetings, leave-takings and courtesy phrases
  • Participate in age-appropriate cultural activities such as games, songs, celebrations and short dialogues
  • Identify and describe a variety of objects from the cultures, e.g., toys, dress, buildings, foods
  • Identifying parts of the world where the target language is spoken

FOUNDATIONS (Grades 1-3)

  • Identify and discuss (in English, if necessary) typical behaviors from the target culture in a variety of specific settings
  • Identify on a map the countries where the target language is spoken and the major cities and geographical features
  • Use culturally appropriate language and behaviors in basic school and social situations
  • Interpret cultural messages expressed in signs, symbols, advertisements, etc., in the target language

ESSENTIALS (Grades 4-8)

  • Investigate and participate in age-appropriate cultural practices related to business, sports and entertainment
  • Use and respond appropriately to idiomatic verbal and nonverbal expressions
  • Identify, experience or produce expressive products of the culture, e.g., advertisements, stories, poems
  • Recognize simple themes, ideas or perspectives of the culture and the relationships to socially acceptable behavior
  • Identify the areas in the U.S. where the target language is most commonly spoken, noting the impacts
  • Recognize how the target language and its culture add to the richness of our own cultural diversity
  • Recognize when to switch between formal and informal language

PROFICIENCY (Grades 9-12)

  • Explain how the target language and its culture add to the richness of our cultural diversity
  • Use formal and informal language appropriately in a variety of settings
  • Identify, analyze and discuss various patterns of behavior or interactions typical of the culture studied
  • Investigate and explain the function of products of the culture (e.g., institutions, crafts, laws, music) and their relationship to cultural perspectives
  • Identify the target language's literary masterpieces and their authors

DISTINCTION (Honors)

  • Identify, discuss and analyze products of the culture (e.g., social, economic and political institutions) and the relationships between these institutions and the perspectives of the culture
  • Experience, discuss and analyze expressive products of the culture including selections from various literary genres and the visual arts
  • Recognize the similarities and differences in literary style among well-known authors within the target language from one or more historical periods
 

Standard 5: Connections

Students use the target language and authentic sources to reinforce and/or learn other content from the other subject areas.

Students know and are able to do the following:

READINESS (Kindergarten)

  • Explore topics related to other school subjects in the target language including weather terms, math facts, measurements, animals or geographical concepts
  • Read or listen to and talk about age-appropriate folk tales, short stories, poems and songs that are written for native speakers

FOUNDATIONS (Grades 1-3)

  • Discuss topics in other school subjects in the target language including geographical terms, historical facts, mathematical terms and problems, and scientific information
  • Comprehend articles or short videos in the target language on topics being studied in other classes

ESSENTIALS (Grades 4-8)

  • Present reports in the target language orally and/or in writing on topics being studied in other classes
  • Generate reports for other content areas using information acquired through sources in the target language

PROFICIENCY (Grades 9-12)

  • Discuss topics from other school subjects or the workplace in the target language including political and historical concepts, world-wide health issues and environmental concerns
  • Acquire information from a variety of sources written in the target language about a topic being studied in other subjects
  • Use a variety of authentic sources in the target language to prepare reports for other content subject areas

DISTINCTION (Honors)

  • Study successfully one or more content areas in the target language
 

Standard 6: Comparisons

Students develop insights into their own language and their own culture through the study of the target language.

Students know and are able to do the following:

READINESS (Kindergarten)

  • Recognize that words are borrowed from one language by another
  • Make basic comparisons between the celebrations of the target culture and their own culture (e.g., Halloween and Dia de los Muertos; Bastille Day and Independence Day)
  • Recognize that cultures have artifacts, such as symbols, advertisements and songs, that serve similar purposes

FOUNDATIONS (Grades 1-3)

  • Identify and compare (in English, if necessary) cultural perspectives of people in both their own culture and the culture being studied relating to family, school, work and play
  • Recognize (in English, if necessary) the process of word/idea borrowing from one language by another
  • Distinguish between the sound system and the writing system of the target language and the same elements in their own language
  • Compare appropriate gestures in the target language and culture studied to their own

ESSENTIALS (Grades 4-8)

  • Understand how idiomatic expressions impact communication and reflect culture
  • Demonstrate an awareness that there is more than one way to express ideas across languages
  • Recognize that there are linguistic and cultural concepts that exist in one language and not in another
  • Compare and contrast a variety of art forms (e.g., music, dance, visual arts, drama) with their own culture through oral and/or written descriptions and/or performance

PROFICIENCY (Grades 9-12)

  • Compare and contrast various elements of the target language, such as time or tense, with parallel linguistic elements in English
  • Use idiomatic expressions in appropriate contexts
  • Compare and contrast the treatment of current issues in both the target culture and the student's culture by drawing on authentic texts

DISTINCTION (Honors)

  • Provide an in-depth analysis of another culture's perception of the United States within the world arena
  • Compare and contrast the use of English and the target language and culture to carry out specific communicative purposes (e.g., motivating others, telling a story, conducting business)
 

Standard 7: Communities

Students use the target language within and beyond the school setting.

Students know and are able to do the following:

READINESS (Kindergarten)

  • Participate in a school or community celebration
  • Perform a song or skit in the target language for an audience
  • Understand and listen to presentations about occupations and careers

FOUNDATIONS (Grades 1-3)

  • Use the library to select books, magazines, CDs, etc., in the target language; share their content with others
  • Identify people in the community who use the target language in their work; invite them to share information with the class and ask them questions
  • Create original materials (e.g., short stories, poems, crafts) to exchange with classes in other communities or countries
  • Present information to others (in English, if necessary) about the target language and culture

ESSENTIALS (Grades 4-8)

  • Research and present a topic related to the target language or culture, using resources available outside the classroom
  • Write letters or electronic messages to native speakers
  • Interview community members who speak the target language on topics of personal or professional interest; report the results orally or in writing
  • Write letters to U.S. communities and other countries where the target language is used to request information on topics of interest; report orally or in writing about the information received
  • Identify and select written or oral materials of individual interest; report on them to others

PROFICIENCY (Grades 9-12)

  • Research topics of personal, global or community interest, using resources produced for native speakers
  • Interview speakers of the target language on historical or current topics of cultural or professional interest
  • Produce written or oral materials that present American cultural topics; share them with students in other countries via technology or mail
  • Serve as a guide or informal interpreter for visitors from other countries
  • Perform a short play in the target language for parents, visitors or a community group

DISTINCTION (Honors)

  • Translate written materials for a local business, bank, school, etc.
  • Publish an original article or story
  • Serve as interpreter to assist native speakers who require help, such as the elderly or disabled
  • Tutor students from other countries who need help with school subjects in their native language while they are learning English
  • Co-host a cultural festival in conjunction with the community

 
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