NEW HAVEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

FOREIGN LANGUAGE VISION STATEMENT

The ability to communicate is of primary importance in the human experience. Students must be prepared to communicate in a pluralistic American society and in a shrinking world. New Haven's Foreign Language Program is committed to the ideal of preparing citizens who are proficient in at least one language besides English. We believe that competence in more than one language and culture will enable people to participate in the global community and marketplace, to communicate with a greater variety of people, and to gain access to new bodies of knowledge. Further, familiarity with another language and culture helps one to re-examine one's own language and culture with new eyes. It makes one focus on language as language, with increased awareness. Students who study languages learn the ways in which language itself is a manifestation of culture.

All students can achieve success and multiple benefits from the study of other languages and cultures, if they are given the opportunity as an integrated part of their school experience. Language and culture education is a central part of the core curriculum, ideally beginning as early as possible, in pre-K or Kindergarten. Students will, however, acquire proficiency at varied rates, and with varied responses to different approaches and settings.

Students who pursue another language gain not only access to the new language and related cultures, but also enhanced basic communication skills in their first language, improved higher-order thinking skills, and the habit of discipline which is necessary for learning. Research studies indicate that the very process of studying another language may give students a cognitive boost which enables them to perform at higher levels in other subjects. Students whose native language is not English deserve to build upon their proficiency in that language, in classes geared to the native speaker. Similarly, a strong English curriculum and program for native speakers of English will enhance their foreign language study. In the brain, there is a strong connection across languages, and between language and thought.

New Haven's Foreign Language Program endorses the "5 C's" of the Major Goals in the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning. They 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 the Nature of Language and Culture
• Communities--Participate in Multilingual Communities at Home and Around the World

To achieve these goals, both instruction and assessment in the foreign language classroom should be linked, to the extent possible, to real world meaning and communication. Grammar and textbooks are part of the Foreign Language curriculum, but should not drive the whole program. Students who complete a multi-year sequence of Foreign Language study should graduate from high school with communication skills and cultural attitudes that enhance their personal, academic and professional lives.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE INTRODUCTION

Like the state and national frameworks, the following performance standards are based on an ideal progression of second language learning from preschool through grade 12. However, since language is acquired through experience, the level of language performance for an individual may not always correlate to age or grade level. There are many exceptions. Some students may not begin learning a second language until middle school or high school. Some may enter elementary school as speakers of a language other than English. Others may lack literacy skills in the language, although they speak it fluently. Home experience, travel, cultural exposure, the length and frequency of language classes -- all are variables which influence performance standards at any given level.

For this reason, the New Haven Foreign Language Standards are sequenced not only by grade level, but also by proficiency level. In each section of this document, standards for Pre-K - 4 correspond roughly to a beginning level of second language proficiency; grades 5- 8 correspond roughly to an intermediate level; and grades 9-12 correspond to an advanced or -- ideally--native speaker level. Although grade level and proficiency clearly do not always correlate, the two systems are parallel in this document for the sake of design.

Another modification of the state frameworks made in this document is the regrouping of performance standards according to language skills--listening, speaking, reading and writing. These regrouped standards are listed under subheadings for easy reference, Skills within performance standards may overlap in some instances, as when students work together in groups (listening to each other, responding, writing down ideas), but whenever possible listening and speaking skills are listed first, with reading and writing standards following.

Lastly, the New Haven Foreign Language Standards have sought to minimize areas of duplication by condensing lengthy performance standards and highlighting the key words in each list. (i.e. Standard 1.1 C for grades 5-8: Students will express opinions about people, activities and events in their personal lives or communities.) In other aspects, the New Haven Standards adhere to the general format of goals and standards set forth in the Connecticut World Languages Curriculum Framework.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE STANDARDS

The New Haven Foreign Language Standards are based the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning, and the Connecticut World Languages Curriculum Framework.

Students will engage in conversation, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions and exchange opinions; they will understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics. They will present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics.

a. Students will exchange personal feelings and ideas with members of the target culture.

b. Students will exchange information about current and past events as well as aspirations in their personal lives, and about the lives

c. Students will exchange opinions and individual perspectives on a variety of topics, including issues of contemporary and historical

d. Students will work in groups to develop and propose solutions to problems that are of contemporary and historic interest.

e. Students will demonstrate awareness of social amenities -- e.g. expressions of gratitude, invitations, apologies, and preferences. f. Students will converse about international events based on articles from newspapers, magazines, television, radio and video; they

g. Students will employ rephrasing to communicate their messages imaginatively.

h. Students will share personal reactions to authentic literary texts such as poems, plays, short stories and novels.

a. Students will comprehend the main ideas, themes, and relevant details of live and recorded presentations such as songs, stories,

b. Students will understand the main ideas and relevant details of extended discussions, lectures, and formal presentations on

c. Students will understand the main idea, plot, subplot and relevant details when listening to radio, television, movies or other

FOREIGN LANGUAGE STANDARDS

e. Students will comprehend the principal elements of full-length feature articles in newspapers and magazines on topics of current

f. Students will read stories, plays, poems and other literature, view films or sing songs in the target language for personal enjoyment.

a. Students will perform scenes from plays and/or recite poems or excerpts from short stories from the target culture.

b. Students will write letters to peers in the target culture describing and analyzing current events of mutual interest.

c. Students will prepare oral presentations or written summaries on topics of current or historical interest to members of the target

d. Students will prepare written or oral analyses of literary elements such as plot, theme, character description, and character

e. Students will describe, critique and analyze literature as well as other media, such as radio, television, music and film.

f. Students will use a dictionary or thesaurus written entirely in the target language as a reference when writing or speaking.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE STANDARDS

Students will demonstrate an understanding of the traditions, practices and perspectives of the culture studied and of the relationship between that culture and what it produces.

a. Students will interact in a variety of cultural contexts with both peers and adults, responding to verbal and non-verbal cues.

b. Students will observe, identify, discuss and analyze lifestyles and behaviors that are typical in the target culture.

c. Students will identify, discuss, analyze and evaluate aspects of the target culture, such as social, economic, political and legal

d. Students will observe, identify, discuss and analyze art forms in the target culture such as film, literature, visual arts and performing

arts.

a. Students will identify, critically analyze and evaluate functions, themes, ideas and historical perspectives that are related to the

b. Students will experience, discuss and analyze expressive aspects of the culture, including selections from various literary genres

c. Students will create written research projects related to tangible products of the culture.

d. Students will analyze the influence of geography and climate on cultural products.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE STANDARDS

MAKE CONNECTIONS WITH OTHER DISCIPLINES AND ACQUIRE INFORMATION:

Students will integrate foreign language study with other disciplines and will use various sources -- print, technology, audiovisual materials, media, data services, and human resources -- to connect the classroom to the outside world.

a. Students will use information acquired from other school subjects to complete activities in the foreign language classroom.

b. Students will acquire information from a variety of authentic sources in the foreign language classroom and integrate it with other

c. Students will analyze the similarities and differences among the sources and select the most appropriate information for their

a. Students will use multimedia to analyze aspects of the cultures being studied and apply their knowledge to new situations.

b. Students will research and analyze various sources of information for use in original work.

c. Students will analyze the similarities and differences among the sources and select the most appropriate information for their

FOREIGN LANGUAGE STANDARDS

Students will demonstrate understanding of the nature of language and the concept of culture through comparisons of the language and cultures studied and their own.

a. Students will use knowledge of derivatives and cognates to comprehend and produce vocabulary.

b. Students will analyze linguistic elements (such as tense and word order) and compare and contrast them with English.

c. Students will understand how idiomatic expressions affect communication and reflect culture.

a. Students will use new information and perspectives gained through foreign language study to expand their personal knowledge of

b. Students will use new information and perspectives to compare and contrast their experiences with those of their peers in the

c. Students will use new information and perspectives to internalize the differences between other cultures and their own.

d. Students will analyze the role of different countries in the world arena -- politically, culturally and economically.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE STANDARDS

Students will use the language both within and beyond the school setting; they will show evidence of becoming life-long learners by using the language for personal enjoyment and enrichment.

a. Students will communicate with members of the target culture and interpret information regarding topics of personal,

b. Students will use their target language skills and demonstrate cultural understanding while participating in various activities,

a. Students will use various media in the language studied for entertainment and personal growth.

b. Students will establish and / or maintain personal relationships with native speakers of the language.