| (a) General requirements.
(1) Level IV can be offered in 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
III, achieving an Intermediate Low to Intermediate Mid 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 IV are expected to reach a proficiency
level of Intermediate Mid to Intermediate High, as defined in the
ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines 2012 and the ACTFL Performance Descriptors
for Language Learners.
(A) Students at the Intermediate Mid proficiency level
express meaning in straightforward and personal contexts by easily
combining and recombining what they know, what they read, and what
they hear in short statements and a mixture of sentences and strings
of sentences. Intermediate Mid students are able to understand some
information from connected statements in oral or written sources.
Intermediate Mid students are generally understood by sympathetic
listeners and readers accustomed to dealing with language learners.
Intermediate Mid students are consistently successful when performing
Intermediate-level tasks.
(B) Students at the Intermediate High proficiency level
express meaning in a variety of contexts by creating with the language,
easily combining and recombining what they know, what they read, and
what they hear in a mixture of sentences and connected discourse.
Intermediate High students are able to understand information from
connected statements in oral or written sources. Intermediate High
students are generally understood by listeners and readers unaccustomed
to dealing with language learners. Intermediate High students are
consistently successful when performing Intermediate-level tasks.
Intermediate High students show evidence of Advanced Low proficiency
but lack consistency.
(C) By the end of Level IV, students of logographic
languages should perform on an Intermediate Low to Intermediate Mid
proficiency level for reading and writing. In listening and speaking,
students of logographic languages should perform on an Intermediate
Mid to Intermediate High proficiency level. 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.
(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 sentences and connected
discourse 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 and beyond the
scope of everyday life with elaboration in spoken and written conversation;
(B) ask and respond to questions in unfamiliar contexts
in spoken and written conversation with limited details;
(C) express and exchange personal opinions, preferences,
and recommendations with supporting elaborative statements in spoken
and written conversation;
(D) ask and tell others what they need to, should,
and must do using detailed rationale in spoken and written conversation;
(E) articulate requests, offer suggestions, and develop
plans with supporting elaborative statements in spoken and written
conversation;
(F) interact and react in spoken conversation using
culturally appropriate expressions, register, and gestures; and
(G) interact and react in writing using culturally
appropriate expressions, register, and style.
(2) Interpretive communication: reading and listening.
The student comprehends 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) analyze culturally authentic print, digital, audio,
and audiovisual materials in a variety of contexts;
(B) paraphrase and analyze the main idea, theme, and
supporting details from fiction and nonfiction texts and audio and
audiovisual materials;
Cont'd... |
