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 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)