Course Syllabus

Performance Target: Intermediate-High on the ACTFL Proficiency Scale.

Essential Skills:

(From the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for World Languages)

• Interpretive Communication - Understand, interpret, and analyze what is heard, read, or viewed on a variety of topics.

• Interpersonal Communication - Interact and negotiate meaning in spontaneous spoken, signed, or written conversations to share information, reactions, ideas, feelings, opinions, and perspectives 

• Presentational Communication - Present information, concepts, ideas, feelings, opinions, and perspectives to inform, explain, persuade and narrate on a variety of topics using appropriate media, and adapting to various audiences of listeners, readers, or viewers. 

• Intercultural Communication - Interact appropriately with others in and from another culture. 

• Cultures - Gain cultural competence and understanding. 

• Comparisons - Develop insight into the nature of language and culture to interact with cultural competence. 

Success Criteria:

ACP:

I can independently create a spoken or written message or participate in a conversation using intermediate-mid language.

• I can be easily understood by someone used to a language learner, and possibly by a native speaker who doesn’t know I’m a language learner.

• I can use a variety of words, expressions and personalized vocabulary and begin to use expanded vocabulary. I can give details. 

• I use strings of sentences to describe or explain. I combine simple sentences using connector words to create original sentences. I pose questions to direct or advance a presentation or written work.

• I convey my knowledge of differences in familiar (learned or experienced) cultural products and practices. I use culturally appropriate vocabulary and expressions.

• My errors with targeted structures and/or word order do not interfere with communication.

Honors:

I can independently create a spoken or written message or participate in a conversation using intermediate-mid language.

• I can be easily understood by someone used to a language learner, and possibly by a native speaker who doesn’t know I’m a language learner.

• I can use a variety of words, expressions and personalized vocabulary and begin to use expanded vocabulary. I rarely repeat vocabulary words.  I can give details. I consistently use vocabulary from in-class resources and/or previous units.

• I use strings of sentences to describe or explain. I combine simple sentences using a variety of sophisticated transition and connecting words to explain, describe or elaborate. I pose questions to direct or advance a presentation or written work. 

• I convey my knowledge of differences in familiar (learned or experienced) cultural products and practices. I use culturally appropriate vocabulary and expressions.

• My errors with targeted structures and/or word order do not interfere with communication. I show ample evidence of strong control of previously learned structures.