Unpacking World Language Standards: Knowledge and Skills

Let’s be real for a moment. Analyzing standards can give a person a headache! One of my first barriers to accepting Understanding by Design (UbD) as appropriate for world language planning was the struggle to unpack standards as Virginia’s World Language Standards were so broad. Additionally, language teachers have several documents we must consult in our journey to make sense of these standards. I have found that looking at all of the available resources when unpacking standards into what we want our students to KNOW (knowledge) and be able to DO (skills) helps narrow our focus and eliminate that struggle a bit. 

Our starting place on this trek is The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). ACTFL outlines the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages which can be used for language learners at all levels. Our big idea goal areas, Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities (the 5 Cs), are divided into 11 standards. For example, the Interpersonal Communication Standard from ACTFL’s national standards states: 

“Learners understand, interpret, and analyze what is heard, read, or viewed on a variety of topics.”

Fairly general, right? That is by design, so the standards will apply to multiple levels of many languages. Because of this, ACTL also gives us the NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements to narrow our outcomes. The Interpretive Communication Standard above written as a proficiency benchmark for a novice language learner reads: 

“I can identify the general topic and some basic information in both very familiar and everyday contexts by recognizing practiced or memorized words, phrases, and simple sentences in texts that are spoken, written, or signed.”

Now we are getting somewhere! From that proficiency benchmark, we now know more about what our students should be able to understand or interpret (the general topic or basic information), what the conditions should be (very familiar and everyday contexts), and how they will do it (by recognizing practiced or memorized words, phrases, and simple sentences). ACTFL breaks down the proficiency benchmarks into proficiency indicators which may be helpful when unpacking standards too. If you need further help distinguishing proficiency levels of students the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines are available for more information. 

In the first and second part of this series, I used a food unit as an example. Let’s revisit that in the context of the Interpretive Communication Standards. We’ve already discussed a possible transfer goal, understanding, and Essential Questions. 

Transfer: Students can order food in a new and novel restaurant situation in the target language. 

Understanding: Food & its related culture can give us insights into a culture’s identity, priorities, values, and needs.

Essential Questions: What do meals look like in other countries? And why? How does geography influence food options and choices? How might context help me understand words I do not know? 

What knowledge and skills do students need to reach a novice proficiency benchmark for the Interpretive Communication Standard? 

The Interpretive Communication Standards asks novice language learners to identify general topics or basic information in texts that are written or spoken. In our food unit situation, we would likely want students to interpret a menu as their written text and understand a conversation between a waiter and customer as their spoken text. The rest of the standard that describes the conditions of how they will accomplish the interpretation will be considered when planning the assessments and learning tasks. 

As I have continued on my journey of incorporating UbD into my unit planning, I have begun to appreciate the broadness of the World Language Standards. They fit nicely with UbD’s big ideas and allow more flexibility than narrower standards. While we may be required to include standards in our unit plan, they are not the ultimate purpose behind our unit- which is for students to master the material and transfer their skills. 

The next post in this series will put all of Stage 1 of UbD, Establishing Desired Results, together in one cohesive example that you could use in your classroom. In the meantime, keep on unpacking and transferring and your students will acquire knowledge and skills!