Performance Guidelines
The current trend in Foreign Language education centers around performance standards to
further define the proficiency standards. The following areas and questions should be considered
in planning and developing lessons and in assessing student performance:
1. Comprehensibility – How well is the student understood?
2. Comprehension – How well does the student understand?
3. Language Control – How accurate is the student’s language?
4. Vocabulary – How extensive and applicable is the student’s vocabulary?
5. Cultural Awareness – How is the student’s cultural understanding reflected in language
use?
6. Communication Strategies – How well does the student initiate and maintain
communication?
Interdisciplinary Integration
The Foreign Language curriculum becomes more relevant to students when there are purposeful
connections made between subjects. An interdisciplinary approach is one that utilizes content
from more than one subject area and allows students to experience relationships between
different areas of study, which encourages life-long learning.
Examples of specific experiences that relate to different areas of study:
CONTENT:
Art
Literature
Music and dance/movement
Architecture
Mathematics and systems of measurement
Religion
Philosophy
Systems of communication
History
Geography
Government and law
Education
Sociology (mores and customs)
Medicine
Science
Sports
SKILLS:
Writing
Researching
Speaking
Reading
Translating
Computing
Appreciating art, music, and literature
Producing art and music
Analyzing
Interpreting
Evaluating
Memorizing
Interviewing
Composing
Reporting
Comparing cultural likenesses and differences
Listening
Recording (audiotape/videotape)
Interacting with peers in academic collaborative groups
Integration of Technology
The Mountain Brook Schools Technology Plan identifies eleven ways in which technology can
support, enable, and enhance the pursuit of the broad academic goals.
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Providing timely, unlimited access to data and information
Enabling and stimulating users to express their creativity
Facilitating individual learning and teaching to maximize student success
Providing diverse modes of communication
Promoting higher-level thinking skills to solve authentic problems
Promoting learning of basic skills and content
Providing efficient and cost effective use of time and resources for management,
teaching, and learning
Facilitating collaborative learning and teaching to maximize student success
Facilitating the development, organization, and presentation of ideas to achieve
intended purposes
Promoting the integration of curriculum, disciplines, instruction, and modes of
learning
Promoting community learning, communication, and involvement
The following examples represent ways that technology may be used to integrate and support the
Foreign Language Curriculum:
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Creation of multimedia projects which include artwork, script, music, and voice
Access to on-line and up-to-date current event articles
Creation of illustrated reports
Use of word processing for composing, reviewing, and editing
Enhancement of presentations
Use of Internet for research (culture, people, holidays, etc.) and locating penpals
Use of software for tutorial and remediation
Use of software to enrich student’s knowledge of culture, translation skills,
vocabulary, idioms, and pronunciation skills
Use of language lab for listening and speaking activities
Use of audio equipment (recording and playback) for improving listening and
speaking skills
Use of videos to learn about history, travel, and culture