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Standards > 1997 Learning Results > Modern and Classical Languages

Modern and Classical Languages

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Language and communication are at the heart of the human experience, whether communication takes place face-to-face, in writing, or across the centuries through the reading of literature. Maine people must have the linguistic and cultural skills to communicate successfully in a pluralistic society at home and abroad. All students will develop a level of proficiency in at least one other language. To succeed, all students must study language and culture in an integrated fashion, beginning in kindergarten and extending through their entire school experience.

The organizing principle in today's modern and classical language classrooms is communication, which highlights how (grammar) and what (vocabulary and content), as well as why, to whom, and when (social and cultural aspects of language). While grammar and vocabulary remain essential tools for communication, learning to use a second language in meaningful and appropriate ways is the ultimate goal of foreign language instruction. In the study of classical languages such as Latin or ancient Greek, proficiency will emphasize the ability to understand the written language over oral communication, and to recognize the linguistic and historical importance of the language and the people who spoke it. In the study of American Sign Language, modifications will need to be made in the communication terminology used in the following content standards and performance indicators.

A. PERSON-TO-PERSON COMMUNICATION

Students will develop communication skills for direct conversation and written correspondence. In conversation or brief written exchanges with family members, friends, or classmates, students will have the skill and confidence to converse and write about familiar topics and events, to ask and answer questions, and to compare and contrast people, things, or events using strings of short sentences.

B. READING, LISTENING, AND VIEWING FOR UNDERSTANDING

Students will develop reading, listening, and viewing skills so they can obtain and interpret information. Students will be able to use a second language to obtain information from "authentic" resources such as newspapers, letters, literature, newscasts, videos, or musical recordings and to acquire new knowledge about people, events, and cultures.

C. ORAL AND WRITTEN PRESENTATIONS

Students will develop skills in oral and written presentation for one-way communication with an individual or a group. Students will use writing and oral presentation skills to address a broader range of topics in a wider variety of situations than found in person-to-person communication. Writing and speaking for presentation allows more time for careful planning and editing, so students can pay closer attention to such aspects of the structure and appropriate use of the language as pronunciation, vocabulary, spelling, grammar, and style in their finished work.

D. WORKINGS OF LANGUAGE

Students will gain a deeper understanding of both their native language and of the way language works by discovering patterns among language systems. They will be able to compare and contrast elements of the structure and use of English and the second language, and to increase their awareness of the nature of language, the influences of other languages on English, and the strategies used to communicate meaning.

E. CULTURAL PRACTICES, PRODUCTS, AND PERSPECTIVES

Students will gain insight into another culture through an understanding of its social practices, products, and perspectives. Social practices describe the way people behave toward one another. Products include tangible things like food, tools, or a piece of art, and intangible things like laws, music, or rituals. Perspectives include ideas, attitudes, and values. Students will develop an awareness of other people's world views, their unique way of life, and the patterns of behavior which order their world. Students will be able to communicate more effectively through speech and behavior.

F. CROSS-CULTURAL CONNECTIONS AND COMPARISONS

Students will recognize the connections that link people, countries, and historical periods such as cultural and religious traditions, historical events, political thought, or geography. Students will become aware of the contributions of another culture to their own and further their knowledge of other disciplines through the second language.

A. PERSON-TO-PERSON COMMUNICATION

Students will develop communication skills for direct conversation and written correspondence. Students will be able to:

ELEMENTARY GRADES Pre-K-2

  1. Ask and answer simple questions about self and family by using learned phrases and recalled vocabulary.

  2. Express needs, likes, and dislikes relating to the immediate environment.

  3. Greet others and respond to greetings in social situations.

EXAMPLES

  • Greet classmates and introduce themselves in the second language.

  • In the second language, tell a friend which everyday activity is their favorite and which they like the least.

 

ELEMENTARY GRADES 3-4

  1. Express personal information by using learned patterns in short sentences.

  2. Describe people and things using short phrases.

  3. Express feelings about familiar situations.

  4. Make and respond to simple requests.

  5. Ask and respond to questions in social situations.

EXAMPLE

  • Tell a classmate what foods they like and dislike.

 

MIDDLE GRADES 5-8

  1. Exchange information about personal events or familiar situations by using strings of short sentences.

  2. Ask for and give directions and simple instructions.

  3. Compare and contrast people, objects, and events by using short sentences.

EXAMPLE

  • Prepare an audio or video tape in which they talk briefly about themselves in the second language; exchange the tape with a classmate and paraphrase in writing, in the second language, the content of the classmate's tape.

 

SECONDARY GRADES

  1. Compare and contrast people, things, and events by using strings of sentences.

  2. Clarify and ask for clarification in conversation or brief written exchanges.

  3. Present and exchange information about current, past, and future events regarding issues of personal interest.

EXAMPLES

  • Tape a conversation with a classmate, in which they discuss the previous summer vacation, the current school year, and their plans for the coming months.

  • Pretend to tape a message on a famous person's answering machine, asking several pertinent questions, and have another student answer the questions.

 

B. READING, LISTENING, AND VIEWING FOR UNDERSTANDING

Students will develop reading, listening, and viewing skills so they can obtain and interpret information. Indicators followed by an asterisk (*) may be accomplished in English or the second language. All other indicators are to be performed in the second language. Students will be able to:

ELEMENTARY GRADES Pre-K-2

  1. Follow simple classroom commands and directions.

  2. Respond to simple, one-word written directions.

  3. Respond, in the second language, to simple texts, in that language, by utilizing a variety of activities, e.g., picture clues, letter-sound associations, or simple sentences.

  4. Demonstrate understanding of simple oral narratives and short conversations on familiar topics.*

  5. Identify familiar people and objects through clues and illustrations.

  6. Demonstrate comprehension of the main ideas of a video or song on a familiar topic.*

EXAMPLES

  • Play "Simon Says" with commands given in the second language.

  • Use props to act out the story of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" as it is read in a second language.

 

ELEMENTARY GRADES 3-4

  1. Demonstrate understanding of brief messages, commands, and directions.*

  2. Paraphrase brief written passages and personal notes on a familiar topic.

  3. Select the main ideas and identify principal characters in illustrated stories.*

  4. Respond to one- and two-step written directions.

  5. Demonstrate understanding of the main ideas of simple sentences in narratives and conversations.*

  6. Use and react to gestures, intonation, and other visual or auditory cues.

  7. Recognize sounds and speech patterns of the language studied.

EXAMPLES

  • Identify the main ideas and characters in a folk tale or myth from the second language.*

  • Indicate which phrases are correct when they hear familiar, simple second language phrases, some with words in the correct order and some with words in incorrect order.*

 

MIDDLE GRADES 5-8

  1. Answer questions on the content of announcements and messages on familiar topics.*

  2. Follow a set of directions to develop a product (e.g., origami bird, greeting card).

  3. Read and evaluate simple written sentences by editing, revising, and creating a final draft.

  4. Identify the primary messages in short written informational texts on familiar topics.*

  5. Read and interpret multiple-step written directions.*

  6. Read and interpret simple printed information such as advertisements and posters.*

  7. Demonstrate understanding of the main ideas and supporting details of short narratives on familiar topics.*

  8. Recognize common oral phrases and structures.

  9. Collect data or identify main ideas and themes from authentic television, radio, or live programs from another culture.*

EXAMPLES

  • Read real estate advertisements from a second language newspaper, find a place in that country where they and their families would like to live, and write a paragraph explaining why they chose the selected lodging and location.

  • View a second language broadcast and identify in writing the main news items.

 

SECONDARY GRADES

  1. Demonstrate comprehension of selected short samples of spoken language.

  2. Demonstrate understanding of the main ideas of non-fiction oral presentations such as newscasts and documentaries.

  3. Demonstrate comprehension of short written texts that contain some unfamiliar content.

  4. Identify the main ideas and supporting details of an informational text such as a letter, story, poem, or newspaper.

  5. Demonstrate understanding of the main ideas and supporting details of brief discussions and presentations about familiar topics.

  6. In the study of Latin or ancient Greek, recognize the grammatical structures essential to understanding a short narrative or reading passage.

  7. In the study of Latin or ancient Greek, translate a narrative into English.

EXAMPLES

  • Read a short story (in the second language) about a personal experience or event and then rewrite the story in that language using their own words.

  • View a short video segment (e.g., music video) in the second language and then paraphrase the content.

 

C. ORAL AND WRITTEN PRESENTATIONS

Students will develop skills in oral and written presentation for one-way communication with an individual or a group. Students will be able to:

ELEMENTARY GRADES Pre-K-2

  1. Recognize and produce letters and numbers.

EXAMPLE

  • Play a number game and sing an alphabet song in the second language.

 

ELEMENTARY GRADES 3-4

  1. Produce simple stories about everyday events or activities by using single words and phrases (pictures may be used to supplement the stories).

  2. Describe daily life or personal likes and dislikes in short narratives.

  3. Present information on a specific topic in short written or spoken sentences.

  4. Produce appropriate sounds and speech patterns.

EXAMPLES

  • Show photographs of members of their families and explain who they are using the second language.

  • Write a short letter in the second language to a pen-pal introducing themselves and asking questions about the pal.

  • Upon hearing or seeing a common letter combination in the second language, reproduce it orally.

 

MIDDLE GRADES 5-8

  1. Write notes or short letters, on topics of personal interest, by using a series of connected sentences.

  2. Use strings of short sentences to make informative oral presentations on topics of personal interest.

  3. Prepare stories or brief written reports on daily life or on a topic studied in another subject area.

  4. Write summaries of the main ideas, events, people, places, and things in various materials which are written in the second language.

  5. Write about their feelings regarding a special person or event.

EXAMPLES

  • Prepare a journal entry that describes one day of a trip they have taken or would like to take to a country where the second language is spoken.

  • Prepare and present a narrative from the point of view of a character in a myth, tale, or story.

 

SECONDARY GRADES

  1. Use short paragraphs to summarize the content of simple articles, documents, or oral texts written in the second language.

  2. Write effective letters for various purposes.

  3. Write an explanation supporting an opinion on a topic of personal importance.

  4. Describe past, present, or future events in areas of public interest.

  5. Give directions for carrying out a multi-step task.

  6. Plan and deliver a report on a self-selected topic.

  7. Use paraphrasing, predictions of what comes next, or other techniques to demonstrate their understanding of selected examples of authentic spoken language.

EXAMPLES

  • Play the role of a city tour guide, describing various buildings, monuments, and other sights in the city being studied.

  • Write autobiographies highlighting the main events and people in their lives.

  • Prepare a report about contemporary entertainers of a country where the second language is spoken.

 

D. WORKINGS OF LANGUAGE

Students will gain a deeper understanding of both their native language and of the way language works by discovering patterns among language systems. (Indicators followed by an asterisk (*) may be accomplished in English or the second language. All other indicators are to be performed in the second language.) Students will be able to:

ELEMENTARY GRADES Pre-K-2

  1. Distinguish between the sound systems of the first and second languages.*

  2. Recognize that languages are interrelated and belong to language families.*

EXAMPLES

  • Compare the various ways a letter combination such as "ch" is pronounced in the first and second languages (e.g., in English, cheese, chorus, itch, chute; and in German, ich, Bach, Chor, Chemie).*

  • Respond to alphabet cards from the first and second languages and identify which are from the first and which are from the second language.*

  • Make a mobile that shows the different languages within a language family (e.g., Indo-European).

 

ELEMENTARY GRADES 3-4

  1. Recognize that languages are related to each other by identifying words and symbols (e.g., alphabets) derived from other languages.*

  2. Identify idiomatic expressions in their own language and the second language.*

  3. Recognize and use formal and informal forms of language in the second language and their own language.*

EXAMPLES

  • Identify words and roots from the second language that are commonly used in English.*

  • Listen to a simple scenario involving a classmate and a police officer and then appropriately use the formal and informal forms of the second language to ask each how he/she is feeling.

  • Depict graphically the similarities and differences between their alphabet and those of other languages.*

 

MIDDLE GRADES 5-8

  1. Recognize that words have grammatical gender (e.g., in French: "le gouvernement" and "la nation"), as well as natural gender (e.g., "lion" and "lioness").*

  2. Demonstrate ways of expressing respect and communicating status differences in the second language and English.*

  3. Demonstrate awareness that languages have critical sound distinctions that affect meaning, (e.g., "read" [present tense] and "read" [past tense]).*

EXAMPLES

  • Role-play a dialogue in the second language between a customer and salesperson in a department store, using appropriate language and showing respect; then role-play a similar dialogue in an American store showing differences in language and behavior.

  • Develop a simple scenario (in the second language) in which three forms of address are used to express respect. Compare this scenario with one in the first language.

  • Depict graphically the similarity among words in modern languages such as French, Spanish, German, and English, which are derived from common Latin words.*

 

SECONDARY GRADES

  1. Demonstrate awareness that there are phrases, idioms, and words that do not translate directly from one language to another.*

  2. Recognize noun and verb forms and how they function in the second language in relation to comparable elements in English.*

  3. Compare variations of meanings of words, gestures, and intonation in the second language and English.*

  4. Demonstrate knowledge of the relationship between grammatical structure (e.g., word order, verb tenses, noun cases, and number) and meaning.*

  5. Demonstrate understanding of the processes of derivation and word borrowing from one language to another (e.g., soufflé from French, caucus from Algonquian, labor from Latin).*

EXAMPLES

  • Identify phrases in ancient Greek that cannot be translated word for word into English.*

  • Compare the way noun plurals are formed in both the first and second languages, using reading passages in each language.*

  • Show with examples how word order and meaning are connected, in the second language, based on reading or hearing a passage in that language.*

  • Cite and use examples of words that are borrowed from the second language by the first language.*

  • Compare and contrast the use of word order and word endings in English and a second language.*




E. CULTURAL PRACTICES, PRODUCTS, AND PERSPECTIVES

Students will gain insight into another culture through an understanding of its social practices, products, and perspectives. (Indicators followed by an asterisk (*) may be accomplished in English or the second language. All other indicators are to be performed in the second language.) Students will be able to:

ELEMENTARY GRADES Pre-K-2

  1. Associate a language with the dress, holidays, and music of a country or region with a different language.*

  2. Identify the unique products of another culture such as toys, food, songs, currency, and crafts.*

EXAMPLES

  • Sing from memory a popular folksong in the second language.

  • Prepare, sample, and name typical dishes for a meal in a culture where the second language is spoken.*

 

ELEMENTARY GRADES 3-4

  1. Identify how tangible products of the culture such as toys, dress, housing, food, currency, and crafts reflect life in that culture.*

  2. Participate in cultural activities of another culture, such as games, songs, celebrations, storytelling, and dramatizations.*

  3. Identify and produce types of artworks, crafts, or graphic representations enjoyed or made by their peer group within the culture studied.*

EXAMPLES

  • Draw a floor plan for a typical house or apartment using the second language to identify the rooms.

  • Make a list in the second language of items needed to furnish a new room, cut out pictures of the items from magazines, and make a collage to describe it to the class.

  • Make models and demonstrate simple toys and games from a culture where the second language was/is spoken.*

 

MIDDLE GRADES 5-8

  1. Discuss patterns of behavior typical of their peer group in another culture.*

  2. Participate in cultural practices such as games (role of leader, taking turns, etc.), sports, and entertainment (e.g., music, dance, drama).*

  3. Search for, identify, and investigate the function of utilitarian products (e.g., sports equipment, household and holiday items, foods, tools, clothing) of another culture as found within their own homes and communities.*

EXAMPLE

  • Scan a magazine written for young people in the second language and identify from the articles and advertisements what they like to buy.*

 

SECONDARY GRADES

  1. Experience (read, listen to, view, perform) the arts of another culture (e.g., stories, poetry, music, film, sculpture, dance, drama, myth, legend) and discuss their meaning to that cultural community.*

  2. Engage in everyday activities of another culture (e.g., eating, shopping, entertaining, telephoning), using appropriate nonverbal cues and verbal cues in the second language.*

  3. Identify and discuss connections between cultural values and socially approved behaviors of another culture.*

  4. Identify and discuss social, political, and economic issues that affect youth or the community in the culture studied (e.g., legal rights, political organizing, employment opportunities).*

EXAMPLES

  • Write a short essay in the second language describing the educational system in a country where that language is spoken and then compare it with his/her own.

  • Write and perform a skit, in the second language, about shopping for food in grocery stores in a country where that language is spoken, using appropriate language and gestures.

  • Act out the three forms of the Roman marriage ceremony and explain how each represented the social status of the participants.*

 

F. CROSS-CULTURAL CONNECTIONS AND COMPARISONS

Students will recognize the connections that link people, countries, and historical periods such as cultural and religious traditions, historical events, political thought, or geography. (Indicators followed by an asterisk (*) may be accomplished in English or the second language. All other indicators are to be performed in the second language.) Students will be able to:

ELEMENTARY GRADES Pre-K-2

  1. Identify similarities and differences between the dress, holidays, food, and music of another culture and those of their own culture.*

EXAMPLE

  • Identify the contributions (food, songs, customs) made by countries where the second language is spoken to American holiday celebrations.*

 

ELEMENTARY GRADES 3-4

  1. Demonstrate an understanding, in the second language, of terms and concepts learned in other subject areas, such as weather, math facts, measurements, plants and animals, and geography.

  2. Compare literature, art or music of another culture with examples from their own culture.*

EXAMPLES

  • Generate a weather report about a country where the second language is spoken and present it to the class in that language.

  • Name, in the second language, some key geographic features of the state of Maine.

 

MIDDLE GRADES 5-8

  1. Compare and contrast gestures and other forms of nonverbal behavior across languages and cultures.*

  2. Identify cultural practices and values relating to family, school, work, and play of people both in their own and another culture.*

  3. Understand short articles or videos in the second language on topics being studied in other classes.*

  4. Demonstrate knowledge of the influence of the products and practices of another culture on their own culture.*

EXAMPLES

  • Locate on a world map, and use the second language to name countries whose principal language is the language they are studying.

  • Identify cultural practices in ancient Greece that have had an impact on our society.*

  • Create a diorama representing a festival that is celebrated in their own culture, but which originated in a culture where the second language is spoken.*

 

SECONDARY GRADES

  1. Acquire information from a variety of sources written in the second language about topics being studied in other school subjects, such as political and historical issues, worldwide health problems, and environmental concerns.

  2. Present written or oral reports on topics being studied in other classes.

  3. Compare information on a specific topic, gathered from a variety of sources in the second language, to information, written in English, on the same topic.*

  4. Demonstrate an awareness of the relationship between cultural practices (e.g., rituals, work habits, sports, leisure activities) and values by comparing selected practices from another culture with their own.*

  5. Demonstrate an understanding of the way tangible products (e.g., food, tools, artwork) and intangible products (e.g., laws, educational systems) define a culture and how they influence other cultures.*

EXAMPLES

  • Summarize the main opinions presented in a short editorial from a newspaper written in the second language.*

  • Write a letter or send an e-mail message to a second language pen-pal describing a film on a pertinent topic and their reactions to it.

  • Combine information about environmental concerns from science and social studies classes with information available in the second language in order to make an oral presentation in that language.

  • Make a collage representing both tangible and intangible products from a culture where the second language is spoken and explain how those products reflect certain cultural perspectives.*

  • Make a video presentation which shows how American architecture has been influenced by the architecture of the country where the second language was/is spoken (e.g., Greek and Roman, German Bauhaus).