STARTALK CURRICULUM GUIDE Curriculum Development for Student Programs

STARTALK provides student programs with a curriculum template, knowing that a common curriculum development process will facilitate the sharing of units, instructional strategies, and quality materials. The template is designed to capture best practices in curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The template is meant to guide the discussions that will take place as instructors plan quality programs. All programs have the option of designing their own curriculum, or they may opt to use or modify one of the STARTALK Model Curricula. These curricula focus on themes of identity and travel and were created for different age and proficiency levels.

This curriculum guide will help programs to

• plan using backwards design, • establish achievable goals and outcomes, • determine how to assess learners’ progress and performance, and • prepare for the development of learning plans that incorporate activities in the modes of communication.

Backward Planning and Template Structure The curriculum template for student programs has been created according to the backward design process for curriculum development. As you work through the guide, you will notice that the curriculum template is divided into three stages. Stage 1 asks program personnel to identify desired results. In this section, you will identify the program Can-Do Statements that will guide your program. Stage 2 asks program personnel to identify formative performance tasks that allow learners to provide evidence they have met each program Can-Do Statement. Finally, Stage 3 asks program personnel to unpack each program Can-Do Statement into smaller lesson Can-Do Statements that will guide the major learning experiences in the program. A representative sample from a completed student curricula is provided to model what a program might create within each component of the template.

STAGE 1 STAGE 2 STAGE 3

What will learners be able to do with what they know by the end

of the program?

Program Can-Do Statements

Select NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements (2017) that identify learning

goals appropriate for the theme and performance targets for the program.

How will learners demonstrate what they can do with what they know?

Performance Assessment Tasks

Develop formative assessments that allow

learners to provide evidence that they have met the each program

Can-Do Statement.

What lesson Can-Do Statements and

resources will guide learning plans?

Lesson Can-Do Statements

Identify smaller indicators of how

learners incrementally move toward meeting each program Can-Do

Statement.

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In this stage, programs will provide a curriculum overview and a daily schedule for the program and using the NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements (2017) to identify performance indicators and program Can-Do Statements that will guide the curriculum. Curriculum Overview A thematic curriculum will allow programs to create meaningful, real-world contexts for standards-based teaching and learning. Integrating culture, content and language around a meaningful center provides a focus for program Can-Do Statements, performance assessment tasks, and lesson Can-Do Statements. This will allow programs to address learners’ interests and create a sense of purpose and community in the program. By building on learners’ interests and life experiences, their attitudes, skills and knowledge are developed in meaningful ways. In a paragraph, identify the overall theme of the curriculum briefly describing the scenarios that learners will be immersed while learning a new language. What real-world contexts will guide what students will have to know and be able to do by the end of the program?

E X A M P L E

Performance Target: Novice Mid/Novice High Students will explore authentic products and practices that relate to traveling to a country or region where the target language is spoken. They will travel to get to know different regions in the country and to investigate a significant aspect of the culture or country. Before leaving on the trip, they will learn about the geographical features and climate of the area. They will also practice greetings so that they can address people they meet using appropriate register, titles, courtesy expressions, and gestures. They will pack their backpacks with items they must take along on a virtual or classroom fieldtrip to a region they have chosen. Once they arrive at their location, they will investigate the area and get to know the people and their customs. At the end of the program student will use their language skills to share with their parents what they have learned about the region.

Daily Schedule Create your timeline for the program showing what will happen each day. Consider how you will blend the types of learning activities throughout the day to avoid a separation between language and culture.

E X A M P L E

A sample timeline is shown here. Programs would have to adapt this timeline to meet their needs.

9:00 – 9:15 Opening Activity (exercise, movement, song, etc.) 9:15 – 10:15 Language Class (introduce language focus of the day) 10:15 – 10:30 Break & Snack (process and practice new language)

10:30 – 11:30 Activity Period (connect culture/content to language focus of the day) 11:30 – 12:30 Lunch / Activity Period

12:30 – 1:30 Language Class/Activity Period (move towards meeting language focus of the day)

12:30 – 1:30 Language Class/Activity Period (assessing language focus of the day) 2:30 – 3:00 Wrap-up (documenting learning, announcements, etc.)

STAGE 1

What will learners be able to do with what they know by the end of the program?

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Program Can-Do Statements In this section, programs will use the NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements (2017) to identify the program Can-Do Statements byselecting performance indicator(s). They will then customize the program Can-Do Statements by making them specific to the theme and appropriate for the age of the learners. Aligned with the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines 2012 and the ACTFL Performance Descriptors for Language Learners the Can-Do Statements reflect a continuum of growth in communication skills through the Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Superior, and Distinguished levels. First programs determine the overall performance target for the curriculum. Then, programs will need to identify the functions of the interpersonal and presentational mode that will likely be addressed in their curriculum. A program may chose not to address every single language function depending on the focus of the curriculum theme and the age of the learners. Interpersonal Mode

• How will learners exchange information and ideas in conversations? • How will learners meet their needs or address situations in conversations? • How will learners express, react to, and support preferences and opinions in conversations?

Presentational Mode

• How will learners present information to narrate about their lives, experiences, and events? • How will learners present information to give a preference, opinion, or persuasive argument? • How will learners present information to inform, describe, or explain?

For each selected question, programs may select up to two performance indicators (e.g. Novice Mid/Novice High) to use for the development of program Can-Do Statements. Once a performance indicator has been selected it must be rewritten as a program Can-Do Statement that reflects the theme of the curriculum.

Programs will further unpack these program Can-Do Statements in stage 3 in order to develop performance assessment tasks and lesson Can-Do Statements to guide their development of learning plans.

NOTE: The interpretive mode will be addressed in stage 3 of the curriculum template and programs do not need to develop program Can-Do Statements in Stage 1 for in this mode.

Performance Target

Language Function

Performance Indicator

Program Can-Do

Statement

Novice Mid

How will learners meet their needs or address situations in conversations?

I can express basic needs related to familiar and everyday activities using a mixture of practiced or memorized words, phrases, and questions.

I can ask and answer questions about what I need to take on my trip. d

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Interpersonal Program Can-Do Statements

E X A M P L E

Performance Indicators Taken from the NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements

Program Can-Do Statements Rewritten indicators specific to the program theme and appropriate for the age of the learners

How will learners exchange information and ideas in conversations?

Novice Mid: I can request and provide information by asking and answering a few simple questions on very familiar and everyday topics, using a mixture of practiced or memorized words, phrases, and simple sentences.

I can have introductory conversations with people I meet on my trip in culturally appropriate ways.

How will learners meet their needs or address situations in conversations?

Novice Mid: I can express basic needs related to familiar and everyday activities, using a mixture of practiced or memorized words, phrases, and questions.

I can ask and answer questions about what I need to take on my trip.

How will learners express, react to, and support preferences and opinions in conversations?

Novice Mid: I can express my own preferences or feelings and react to those of others, using a mixture of practiced or memorized words, phrases, and questions.

I can compare what I like and don’t like about the trip with others.

Presentational Program Can-Do Statements

E X A M P L E

Performance Indicators Taken from the NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements

Program Can-Do Statements Rewritten indicators specific to the program theme and appropriate for the age of the learners

How will learners present information to narrate about their lives, experiences, and events?

Not a focus of this curriculum.

How will learners present information to give a preference, opinion, or persuasive argument?

Novice High: I can express my preferences on familiar and everyday topics of interest, using simple sentences most of the time.

I can state which region I want to visit and why.

How will learners present information to inform, describe, or explain?

Novice High: I can present on familiar and everyday topics, using simple sentences most of the time.

I can describe things I see and do on my trip.

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In this stage, programs will outline the performance assessment tasks that learners will complete in order to provide evidence that they have met the program Can-Do Statements created in stage 1. Performance assessment tasks refer to assessments which require and expect students to use language in real-life situations. These assessments are formative in nature and can happen at any point in the program. Each program Can-Do Statement must have a corresponding task. Effective performance tasks in student programs

• allow learners to provide evidence that they have met the program Can-Do Statement; • provide a context that is a realistic situation or task that learners might encounter in the language; • are designed to be appropriate for the age of the learner; • provide feedback that motivates learners to continue learning.

During interpersonal performance assessment tasks, learners interact and negotiate meaning in spoken, signed, or written conversations to share information, reactions, feelings, and opinions. The interpersonal mode emphasizes two-way, spontaneous, unrehearsed exchanges between individuals in personal contact. Communication may be in oral or written form, but does require that each individual is an active participant in the conversation.

Sample interpersonal mode tasks include making a purchase, discussing meal choices in a restaurant with a friend, asking for directions, discussing events of the day, making plans, and meeting and greeting. Memorizing rehearsed material, such as a skit or dialogue, is NOT an interpersonal mode task.

Your program may include various forms of interpersonal communication—between teacher and learner, between learners, and between learners and community members or native speakers. It is important, though, to ensure that learners have adequate opportunities to negotiate meaning with one another through engaging, meaningful tasks.

During presentational performance assessment tasks, learners present information, concepts, and ideas to inform, explain, persuade, and narrate using appropriate media and adapting to various audiences. The presentational mode allows learners time to rehearse, revise, rewrite, consult sources, and otherwise prepare ahead of time. These tasks require learners to use the language for a real-world purpose other than display for the teacher or classroom.

Sample presentational mode tasks include writing letters, designing webpages, creating advertisements or videos, writing new beginnings or endings of stories or songs, presenting demonstrations, providing an agenda or schedule, and developing surveys and questionnaires.

While your program should include presentational goals, it is possible that you may emphasize certain types of presentation over others (for example, speaking over writing) depending on the age of the learners.

NOTE: The interpretive mode will be addressed in stage 3 of the curriculum template and programs do not need to design performance assessment tasks in this mode.

STAGE 2How will learners demonstrate what they can do with what they know?

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Interpersonal Performance Assessment Tasks

E X A M P L E

Program Can-Do Statements Identified in stage 1 of the curriculum outlining the overall program outcomes.

Performance Assessment Tasks Key tasks and formative assessments that allow learners to demonstrate they met the program Can-Do Statement.

I can have introductory conversations with people I meet on my trip in culturally appropriate ways.

Students assume the roles of different people who are at the airport. They talk with each other to find out who they are, where they live, and where they are going. After completing the initial conversations, students repeat the task multiple times to form common groups based on 1) where they live, 2) where they are going, and 3) whether their assigned role is an adult or a child.

I can ask and answer questions about regions I and others want to visit.

The class has been divided into four tour groups each going to a different region. Students ask and answer questions to talk about where they are going and why they are interested in going there. After completing the initial conversation, they repeat the task to find out who is in the same tour group.

I can ask and answer questions about what I have and need to take on my trip.

Students are given a backpack with items they need for their trip according to the region they will visit. Nothing is right. Students have some items they need and others they don’t need. They ask and answer questions to find out where they are going, what items they have, and what items they still need.

Presentational Performance Assessment Tasks

E X A M P L E

Program Can-Do Statements Identified in stage 1 of the curriculum outlining the overall program outcomes.

Performance Assessment Tasks Key tasks and formative assessments that allow learners to demonstrate they met the program Can-Do Statement.

I can state which region I want to visit and why.

The teacher selects a variety of pictures representative of the region. Students work in pairs to select images of two places they want to visit and develop reasons why. Two pairs form a small group and present their information to each other. After completing the initial task, each student posts their favorite picture on the walls. Half the class stands next to their picture and the other half circulates to listen to their classmates’ descriptions and preferences. The students switch roles allowing all students to talk about their pictures and preferences.

I can describe things I see and do on my trip.

Each student prepares a spoken report highlighting things to do and see in a specific region. Students carefully select visuals to support what they will say in their presentation. Students share their presentations in small groups. As students listen to each other they will locate the region on a map and complete a graphic organizer with key information from the presentations. After completing the task during the program, students repeat the task for their parents at the end of the program.

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In this stage, programs will identify the lesson Can-Do Statements that will enable learners to develop skills and knowledge so that they can accomplish the performance assessment tasks outlined in stage 2. Lesson Can-Do Statements are smaller indicators or descriptors of how learners incrementally move toward meeting program Can-Do Statements and performance indicators identified in stage 1. These lesson Can-Do statements are small enough that they can be the focus of a single learning episode or a short series of multiple learning episodes. Learners show that they can accomplish these lesson Can-Do Statements through a check for learning at the end of each learning episode.

Learners’ success in meeting the program Can-Do Statements is measured through the performance assessment tasks developed in stage 2 of the curriculum. Students demonstrate they have met the lesson Can-Do Statements through a check for learning that is identified in the learning plan.

In order to ensure that learners understand language input in the interpretive mode before being asked to produce language in the interpersonal/presentational modes, lesson Can-Do Statements should be developed in a sequence that allow learners to have opportunities to demonstrate input comprehension before moving to output tasks.

Key Learning Experiences Developing key learning experiences is not a required part of the curriculum template. However, programs may wish to expand their curricular planning by developing key learning experiences for their program. Key learning experiences further unpack the lesson Can-Do Statements by outlining vocabulary and language chunks for each lesson Can-Do Statement, and also provide a corresponding check for learning. Examples of language-specific key learning experiences, as well as a template that may be used by programs to develop their own key learning experiences, are available for download on the STARTALK website.

STAGE 3

NCSSFL-ACTFLPerformance

Indicator

Program Can-Do

Statement

Lesson Can-Do

Statement

A goal that is informed by proficiency benchmarks and focused on a certain aspect

of language to guide curriculum design

A goal that describes performance outcomes, which is informed by the performance target and theme of the program

A goal that communicates measurable outcomes to

teachers and students and that gives focus to specific

learning episodes

What lesson Can-Do Statements and resources will guide learning plans?

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Lesson Can-Do Statements

E X A M P L E

Program Can-Do Statement & Performance Task This program Can-Do Statement and performance task were developed in stage 1 & 2 of the curriculum.

I can have introductory conversations with people I meet on my trip in culturally appropriate ways.

Students assume the roles of different people who are at the airport. They talk with each other to find out who they are, where they live and where they are going. After completing the initial conversations, students repeat the task multiple times to form common groups based on 1) where they live, 2) where they are going, and 3) whether their assigned role is an adult or a child.

Lesson Can-Do Statements: ● I can identify different ways to begin and end a conversation. Interpretive ● I can recognize different ways to greet different people. Interpretive ● I can greet different people appropriately. Interpersonal ● I can tell someone my name and ask their name. Interpersonal ● I can indicate where people are from based on what I hear. Interpretive ● I can tell someone where I’m from and ask where they are from. Interpersonal ● I can indicate where people are going based on what I hear. Interpretive ● I can tell someone where I’m going and ask where they are going. Interpersonal ● I can find out a few details about people that I meet. Interpersonal

E X A M P L E

Program Can-Do Statement & Performance Task This program Can-Do Statement and performance task were developed in stage 1 & 2 of the curriculum.

I can ask and answer questions about regions I and others want to visit.

The class has been divided into four tour groups each going to a different region. Students ask and answer questions to talk about where they are going and why they are interested in going there. After completing the initial conversation, they repeat the task to find out who is in the same tour group.

Lesson Can-Do Statements: ● I can recognize directions to locate places on a map. Interpretive ● I can identify which specific region a product or image is from. Interpretive ● I can identify places and products when I hear them described. Interpretive ● I can ask and answer questions to find out where a product or image can be found. Interpersonal ● I can identify where others want to go based on information they share. Interpretive ● I can ask and answer questions to find out where I and others want to go and why. Interpersonal

Lesson Can-Do

Vocabulary Checks for Learning

Resources

A listing of language chunks and

grammatical features that

learners need in order to accomplish the lesson Can-Do

Statement

Sample tasks or activities learners will do to provide

evidence that they are making

progress toward the lesson Can-Do

Statement

Authentic and age-appropriate

resources that learners will listen to, read, and/or view in order to understand,

interpret, and analyze the meaning

of text

Unpacked daily goals that will allow

instructors to identify appropriate

vocabulary, tasks, and activities, as well

as resources

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Resources (Interpretive Mode) As a final step in the curriculum development process, programs are asked to identify language and culture specific resources that will be used to provide comprehensible input. What will learners understand, interpret and analyze to prepare them to meet each program Can-do Statement and accomplish the performance task?