(a) General requirements.
(1) Level II can be offered in elementary, middle,
or high school. At the high school level, students shall be awarded
one credit for successful completion of this course. Successful completion
of Level I, achieving a Novice Mid to Novice High proficiency level,
or demonstrated equivalent proficiency as determined by the district
is a prerequisite for this course.
(2) Students of logographic languages such as Chinese
and Japanese and non-Romance and non-Germanic languages such as Arabic
and Russian will require more time to achieve proficiency, especially
in reading and writing. Initially, the skill focus should be placed
on speaking and listening without ignoring reading and writing in
the target language's writing system. As the students become more
proficient, a balanced emphasis of all four skills becomes more attainable.
(3) Districts may offer a level of a language in a
variety of scheduling arrangements that may extend or reduce the traditional
schedule when careful consideration is given to the instructional
time available on a campus and the language ability, access to programs,
and motivation of students.
(b) Introduction.
(1) The study of world languages is an essential part
of education. In the 21st century language classroom, students gain
an understanding of two basic aspects of human existence: the nature
of communication and the complexity of culture. Students become aware
of multiple perspectives and means of expression, which lead to an
appreciation of difference and diversity. Further benefits of foreign
language study include stronger cognitive development, increased creativity,
and divergent thinking. Students who effectively communicate in more
than one language, with an appropriate understanding of cultural context,
are globally literate and possess the attributes of successful participants
in the world community.
(2) Communication is the overarching goal of world
language instruction. Students should be provided ample opportunities
to engage in conversations, to present information to an audience,
and to interpret culturally authentic materials in the language of
study. The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)
identifies three modes of communication: interpersonal, interpretive,
and presentational.
(A) In the interpersonal mode of communication, students
engage in direct oral or written communication with others. Examples
of this "two-way" communication include but are not limited to conversing
face to face, participating in digital discussions and messaging,
and exchanging personal letters.
(B) In the interpretive mode of communication, students
demonstrate understanding of spoken and written communication within
appropriate cultural contexts. Examples of this type of "one-way"
reading or listening include but are not limited to comprehension
of digital texts as well as print, audio, and audiovisual materials.
(C) In the presentational mode of communication, students
present orally or in writing information, concepts, and ideas to an
audience of listeners or readers with whom there is no immediate interaction.
Examples of this "one-to-many" mode of communication include but are
not limited to presenting to a group; creating and posting digital
content; or writing reports, compositions, or articles for a magazine
or newspaper.
(3) The use of age-level appropriate and culturally
authentic resources is imperative to support the teaching of the essential
knowledge and skills for languages other than English (LOTE). The
use of culturally authentic resources in world language study enables
students to make connections with other content areas, to compare
the language and culture studied with their own, and to participate
in local and global communities.
(4) Students recognize the importance of acquiring
accuracy of expression by knowing the components of language, including
grammar, syntax, register, appropriate discourse level, and text type.
(5) Students in Level II are expected to reach a proficiency
level of Novice High to Intermediate Low, as defined in the ACTFL
Proficiency Guidelines 2012 and the ACTFL Performance Descriptors
for Language Learners.
(A) Students at the Novice High proficiency level express
meaning in simple, predictable contexts through the use of learned
and recombined phrases and short sentences. Novice High students are
best able to understand sentence-length information within highly
contextualized situations and sources. Novice High students may generally
be understood by sympathetic listeners and readers accustomed to dealing
with language learners. Novice High students are consistently successful
when performing Novice-level tasks. Novice High students show evidence
of Intermediate Low proficiency but lack consistency.
(B) Students at the Intermediate Low proficiency level
express meaning in straightforward and personal contexts by combining
and recombining what they know, what they read, and what they hear
in short statements and sentences. Intermediate Low students are able
to understand some information from simple connected statements in
oral or written sources. Intermediate Low students are generally understood
by sympathetic listeners and readers accustomed to dealing with language
learners. Intermediate Low students are inconsistently successful
when performing Intermediate-level tasks.
(C) By the end of Level II, students of logographic
languages should perform on a Novice Mid to Novice High proficiency
level for reading and writing. In listening and speaking, students
of logographic languages should perform on a Novice High to Intermediate
Low proficiency level. Students at the Novice Mid proficiency level
express meaning in highly predictable contexts through the use of
memorized and recalled words and phrases. Novice Mid students are
best able to understand aural cognates, borrowed words, and high-frequency,
highly contextualized words and phrases with repetition. Novice Mid
students may be difficult to understand by the most sympathetic listeners
and readers accustomed to dealing with language learners. Novice Mid
students are inconsistently successful when performing Novice-level
tasks.
(D) Students who have fully or partially acquired the
skills required at each proficiency level through home or other immersion
experiences are known as heritage speakers. Heritage speakers may
be allowed to accelerate based on their ability to demonstrate a proficiency
in the Texas essential knowledge and skills for LOTE across all modes
of communication at the prescribed proficiency level.
(6) Statements containing the word "including" reference
content that must be mastered, while those containing the phrase "such
as" are intended as possible illustrative examples.
(c) Knowledge and skills.
(1) Interpersonal communication: speaking and writing.
The student negotiates meaning through the spoken and written exchange
of information in rehearsed and unrehearsed situations in a variety
of contexts. The student uses a mixture of short statements and sentences
with appropriate and applicable grammar structures and processes at
the specified proficiency levels. The student is expected to:
(A) ask and respond to questions about everyday life
with simple elaboration in spoken and written conversation;
(B) express and exchange personal opinions or preferences
with simple supporting statements in spoken and written conversation;
(C) ask and tell others what they need to, should,
or must do with simple supporting reasons in spoken and written conversation;
(D) articulate requests, offer alternatives, and develop
plans with simple supporting statements in spoken and written conversation;
(E) interact and react in spoken conversation using
culturally appropriate expressions, register, and gestures; and
(F) interact and react in writing using culturally
appropriate expressions, register, and style.
(2) Interpretive communication: reading and listening.
The student comprehends simple connected statements from culturally
authentic print, digital, audio, and audiovisual materials as appropriate
within contextualized situations and sources. The student uses the
interpretive mode in communication with appropriate and applicable
grammatical structures and processes at the specified proficiency
levels. The student is expected to:
(A) demonstrate an understanding of culturally authentic
print, digital, audio, and audiovisual materials in everyday contexts;
(B) identify the main idea, theme, and supporting details
from fiction and nonfiction texts and audio and audiovisual materials;
(C) infer meaning of unfamiliar words or phrases in
highly contextualized texts, audio, and audiovisual materials; and
(D) identify cultural practices from authentic print,
digital, audio, and audiovisual materials.
(3) Presentational communication: speaking and writing.
The student presents information orally and in writing using a mixture
of phrases and sentences with appropriate and applicable grammar structures
and processes at the specified proficiency levels. The student is
expected to:
(A) express and support an opinion or preference orally
and in writing with supporting statements; and
(B) describe people, objects, and situations orally
and in writing using a series of sequenced sentences with essential
details and simple elaboration.
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