Designing Standards-Based Curriculum: Middle Schools

1. Designing Standards-Based Curriculum: Middle Schools Establishing K-12 Critical Language Programs April 26th, 2007 Michael W. Bacon, PPS

2. Background • 13 years teaching 2nd language/LA SS at middle school level • Public and private • Domestic and Foreign • Traditional and Immersion

3. 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)

4. Effective MS Curriculum for Language Learning • 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

5. Experiential Learning • Local and Abroad • In and Outside the classroom • Tying it back to the classroom • Ultimate performance task tied to standards • Accountability • Backwards design

6. 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

7. 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

8. Language Proficiency What does this mean to you?

9. 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

10. Functions Content Accuracy Proficiency Outcomes

11. ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines

12. Approximate time & proficiency

13. PPS Content Standards Functions

14. ODE Standards FUNCTIONS

15. Function? Which one of these is function-based? • Present tense, simple sentence construction; gender/number agreement • Describing something; understanding descriptions

16. 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.

17. Some Functions • 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

18. Addressing Challenges ofMS 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

19. 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