21 st Century World Language Teaching and Learning in PWCS Back to School Night 2015 Brentsville District High School Mrs. Julie DeNard

PWCS World Language K-12 Curriculum Mission  The PWCS World Languages mission is to provide world-class, rigorous, and engaging instruction that prepares all students to be responsible global citizens.  The PWCS World Languages Program will create life-long learners who develop and maintain proficiency in more than one language.

National, State, & PWCS Standards/Goals of Foreign Language (“The 5 Cs”) 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.

“Language and communication are at the heart of the human experience. Communication is the central goal of all WL classroom and instructional experiences in PWCS.” 4

Learning another language and being able to communicate in it requires…  Teachers to use the target language 90% of the time and make it understandable without using English How? Through visuals, realia (real objects), body language, and using a natural but selective level of the target language  Students must practice and use the new language to ask for and give information  Students must apply the new language in real-life situations by working in pairs & small groups from day 1  “The end” is for students to communicate meaningfully and build proficiency, not to say/write words or verbs in isolation

What is “proficiency”? Proficiency - what an individual can do with a language; the ability of an individual to perform in an acquired language. It is a functional ability to do meaningful things with language; using the language in real-life situations. Such as: Greeting your teacher appropriately Reading an from a pen pal Writing a pen pal about your family Discussing weekend plans with a friend It is not solely knowledge about language!  Grammar and vocabulary are the means to communicate  Accuracy is important, but it is not the “end goal”

How will my child be assessed? PWCS WL uses mostly performance-based assessments for summative or unit and semester exams. Students are assessed in the same way they learn the language…. through application of the vocabulary and grammar in real-life situations in the new language.

ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, the US national WL organization, uses an inverted pyramid design to show the range of proficiency and increase in time needed to obtain a higher level/near-native level of performance, or superior level. These are average lengths of time to reach levels based on results on external national exams; the lower levels are divided into three ranges: low, mid, and high. What are the realistic expectations in the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing a second language for my child at the end of each year of language study? NOVICE (Level 1) ADVANCED (Levels 4-5) INTERMEDIATE (Levels 2-4) SUPERIOR Low Mid High Mid Low High Mid Low

How can I help my child increase and maintain his/her proficiency ? Have your child read aloud to you in the new language Encourage them to teach you and family members their new language on a daily/weekly basis Let them watch a movie or TV show (Telenovela, international news) in the target language Let them use YouTube for authentic videos of songs and news (with caution about some content) Use internet to do virtual tours of cultural places Switch the electronic devices and applications to the target language i.e. video games, ITunes Encourage them to use phrases, new language with multi-lingual peers & neighbors Check the SchoolFusion page for specific enrichment resources posted by teacher Ensure your child completes home assignments

Free Resource: CultureGrams™ An online website which provides students, teachers, administrators and parents with information about countries and territories, including the U.S. Culturegrams includes these features: World Edition, States Edition, Kids Edition Photo Gallery, Famous People, & Recipes URL: School Username: princewm School Password: county Remote Username: princewmr Remote Password: county

Digital Free Resources  International Children’s Digital Library  Colorín Colorado  Reading Rockets PWCS World Languages web page (all curriculum documents and resources and current WL news)

“ Thank you” I am here for YOU! Mrs. Julie