WORLD LANGUAGES What you will do. What you will learn. What you can expect. Delaware Department of Education

Just HOW Important is Learning another language anyway?  Video Video

You May Have Some Questions …  Why am I in here?  What will I be able to do?  How will I be assessed?  How will I be graded?  How is this class different?  What’s next?  What are my goals?

Why am I in here?

Jobs  “In today’s educational landscape, it is imperative for Delaware students to have the skills necessary to compete in a global economy. Learning a second language will offer our children an advantage in this increasingly competitive world.” --Jack Markell Governor of the State of Delaware

Jobs  “Language learning is about real-world communication; it’s about jobs. What businesses really need from people they hire is not only advanced language skills but an ability to communicate culturally—being appreciative of cultural differences.” --Dr. Gregory Fulkerson Education Associate World Languages and International Education Delaware Department of Education

Jobs  “World languages are fundamental resources. If you speak well, read well, write well, the more opportunities you have in your life economically.” --Dr. Tara Fortune Center for Advanced Language Acquisition University of Minnesota

Understanding Proficiency  Scenario: A martial has landed in your neighborhood, and has recently heard of something called the Firefly Festival.  Follow the directions that your group has been given to explain to the martial what Firefly is.  One member of your group should record your responses on a sheet of paper.  Remember, you are completing this activity in ENGLISH!!!

So, will I be fluent after Spanish 3?  Sorry, but NO!  You won’t even be fluent after 4 or 5 years of Spanish.  Here are our goals:  End of Spanish 1: Novice High  End of Spanish 2: Intermediate Low/Med (maybe)  End of Spanish 3: Intermediate Med/High (maybe)  What does the word “Novice” mean to you?

From students who have been there:  “I don’t like Novice because it’s always been a symbol of not doing well, but in this class it’s different.”  “To me, ‘Novice Low’ means that I just learned how to say some basic words. ‘Novice Mid’ means that I know simple and basic phrases. ‘Novice High’ means that now I know a few sentences.”  “ ‘Novice Low’ means that you’re just learning the language, so you can say basic words. ‘Novice Mid’ means you’re beginning to comprehend the language and are able to make small sentences. ‘Novice High’ means you can further comprehend the language and ask questions and put together complete sentences.”

What will I be able to do in this class? UNDERSTAND! SPEAK! READ! WRITE!

So… What can Intermediates do?  Participate in simple, direct conversations  Describe and narrate with some detail and elaboration  Ask and answer questions  Handle basic, uncomplicated communication needed in daily life (survival language)  “Create” with language  Use discrete sentences and strings of sentences with sentence connectors

Celebrities Speak Other Languages  Video Video

How much will your language proficiency grow?  In order for you to see just how much your language abilities will grow, your teacher will provide you with a glimpse of what you will be able to do by May by giving you a pre- test. Answer the questions that you can, but don’t worry—you’re not supposed to know how to do everything right now! That’s why you’re in the course. You will be able to demonstrate how much your language abilities have grown by taking a post-test.