Transcript Designing Standards-Based Curriculum: Middle Schools

Designing Standards-Based
Curriculum: Middle Schools
Establishing K-12 Critical
Language Programs
April 26th, 2007
Michael W. Bacon, PPS
Background
• 13 years teaching 2nd language/LA SS
at middle school level
• Public and private
• Domestic and Foreign
• Traditional and Immersion
A Couple of Interesting Facts
about Middle School
• The average middle
school teacher lasts
only 2 years (source?)
• In the average
secondary 2nd
language classroom
students only speak 27
seconds per week
(Goethe Institute;
Sprenger)
Effective MS Curriculum for
Language Learning
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Real and Meaningful Activities
Authentic Audiences
Cooperative Learning
Student centered
Multiple Intelligences
Content infused/based
Cognitively engaging
Proficiency Based/Functions Based
Performance Tasks for Assessment
Experiential Learning
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Local and Abroad
In and Outside the classroom
Tying it back to the classroom
Ultimate performance task tied to standards
Accountability
Backwards design
Experiential Learning
Opportunities
• Portland Parks and Recreation Summer
Immersion Camp
• Oregon Museum of Science and
Industry(OMSI) summer camp in Mandarin
• Community Based Language Learning
• Aspiring Educators - tutoring
• Writing children’s books
• China Research Residency - 8th Grade
Academic Trip
Connections to Content
• 5 C’s of the National Standards (ACTFL)
• Cognitively Engaging
• Integrating content and language
objectives - pulling from the standards
• Supports “core” content teachers
• Examples:
• Math: Statistics from math
• Social Studies: Debating a Public Issue
Language Proficiency
What does this mean to you?
Defining Proficiency
“What students know and can do”
• Proficiency is a goal of language
teaching rather than a methodology
• Students may show proficiency at
different levels in different modalities
at any given time
Proficiency Outcomes
Content
Functions
Accuracy
ACTFL
Proficiency
Guidelines
Approximate time &
proficiency
Oregon
Benchmarks
Cumulative Hours of
Instruction
ACTFL Levels
Post-Secondary
and/or
Immersion
Programs
Superior
Advanced-High
Advanced-Mid
Approximately
600-1200 hours
Approximately
600 hours
Approximately
360-480 hours
Approximately
240–300 hours
Approximately
30 – 150 hours
Less Than 30
hours
Exceeds
CIM
Benchmarks
Advanced-Low
Formerly Benchmark
Stage 4
Intermediate-High
(Pre-Advanced)
Intermediate-Mid
Intermediate-Low
Novice-High
Novice-Mid
Novice-Low
*Pre-Novice
CIM
Oregon
Benchmark 3
Oregon
Benchmark 2
Oregon
Benchmark 1
Formerly Benchmark
Stage 3
Formerly Benchmark
Stage 2
Formerly Benchmark
Stage 1
PPS Content Standards
Common Curriculum
Goals
Content Standards
Read and comprehend
Read silently and aloud
informationfrom a variety with comprehension for
of written texts in a
a variety of p
urposes.
second language.
Benchmark Stage 4
Functions
Te xt Type
Reads short, sim ple texts on mostly
familiar topics. Understands
com mon cognates and recogni zes
som e false cognates.
Mostl y simple
passages wi th
clear underlying
structure.
Uses contextual clues and reading
strategies to construct meaning for
instructional and/or practicaland
social needs.
Short, sim ple
texts on mostl y
familiar topics.
Paraphrases and draws simple
conclusions based on the
underst anding of m ain idea and
supporting details.
Recogniz es the purpose of a text.
Functions
Content
Context
Content and
Context from
Benchmark Stages
1-3 plus:
Minimum Performance Standard
Descriptor
Proficient Level:
Students demonstrate comprehension of the
mai n ideas and some details from the
Simpl e st ories and
sim plest connected texts deal ing with basic
personal
personal and social needs. Students use
correspondence
background knowledge, contextual clues and
reading strategies (i.e. gleaning information
Contextualzed
i print from the first and last paragraphs), to ai d
drawn from
comprehension of written passages. Some
authentic,
misunderstandings wi ll occur.
educational ly
designed, or
teacher-created
material s within the
context of i nfo
rmal
social settings, a
lim itednumber of
transactional
situations, and
topics m ostly
related to self and
the immedi ate
environment.
ODE Standards
Common
Curriculum
Goals
Content
Standards
Oregon
Benchmark 1
Standard
Oregon
Benchmark 2
Standard
Oregon
Benchmark 3
Standard
Oregon
CIM Standard
*Less than 30 hours of
cumulative instruction,
*Approximately 30 to
150 hours of cumulative
instruction.
*Approximately 240 to
300 cumulative hours
of instruction,
*Approximately 360480 cumulative hours of
instruction,
(Approximates
ACTFL
NO VIC E-LO W )
(Approximates
ACTFL NO VIC EMID)
(Approximates
ACTFL NO VIC EHIGH)
Use memorized
words/ signs,
phrases and
expressions in
everyday situations.
Use memorized
phrases, sentences
and questions t o
express ideas or
obtain information
on a limited range
of t opics in
everyday situations
Use memorize d
an d some ori gi n al
se n te n ce s an d
qu e sti on s to
perform simple
com mu n i cati ev
tasks i n e veryday
si tu ati on s.
PRE-NO VIC E
In terperson al Mode :
S pe aki n g*
Understand and
respond t o what
others say/sign.
Use some
memorized
Express ideas, ask words/signs, phrases
and answer
or expressions in
questions, and
everyday situations.
initiate and
engage in
conversations on
familiar t opics for
a variety of
purposes.
This benchmark earns
a ÒmeetsÓ o
f r PASS.
Exceeds CIM
Level
Exceeds CIM
Level
These benchmarks earn a ÒhigherÓor
ÒexemplaryÓfor PASS.
(Approximates
ACTFL
INTERMEDIATE
-LO W )
(Approximates
ACTFL
INTERMEDIATE
-MID)
Use questions and
consecutive
sentences t o obtain
information,
exchange ideas and
participate in simple
conversations on a
wider range of
t opics in everyday
situations.
Use strings of
sentences t o
communicate
information and
express ideas
Initiate, sustain and
close an extended
conversation using
related questions
and responses
P erform a variety of
communicative
tasks in everyday
situations in the
target culture
FUNCTIONS
*Corresponds t o ASL
Expressive Skills
Function?
Which one of these is function-based?
A. Present tense, simple sentence
construction; gender/number
agreement
B. Describing something; understanding
descriptions
Function
Simply put…. A function is a “task”
In proficiency-oriented instruction
students are provided with numerous
opportunities to practice carrying out a
range of functions likely to be
necessary in dealing with others in the
target language/culture.
Some Functions
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Making inquiries (ask and respond)
Acting out simulated survival situations
Narrating or describing events
Expressing preferences
Hypothesizing, arguing, persuading
Providing opinions
Carrying out tasks dealing with everyday
encounters
Addressing Challenges of
MS Curriculum in K-12 Language Program
• Language and Literacy Development out
paced by cognitive development
• Reading for pleasure - lack of affect
• Subtleties and nuances of language are key
to adolescent development
• Self Identity - breaking away from the “cute”
elementary program
• Rebelling against parental decision
• Need for personal connection to language
and culture
Challenges Continued
• Social Language vs. Academic
Language
• Perceived loss of language skills
• “Immersion Geek”
• Anglicization of immersion language
• Keeping students in the target language
• Finding a teacher who is qualified,
certified and probably most importantly
likes working with this age group