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 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