STARTALK MODEL CURRICULUM Can-Do Statements & Performance Assessment Tasks Language: Unit Theme: Grade Range: Targeted Performance Level: Any Let s Go Somewhere 6-12 Intermediate Mid/Intermediate High This curriculum captures best practices in curriculum, instruction, and assessment in a backward design process. It is meant to guide the discussions that will take place as teachers plan quality programs. It identifies the connections between learning goals (program Can-Do Statements), performance assessment tasks, daily learning targets (lesson Can-Do Statements), and key learning experiences. STARTALK model curricula are intended to be examples. The intention is to offer representative samples of learning experiences, with the understanding that teachers will adapt the sample experiences to meet the various linguistic and cultural requirements of their individual classrooms. A program will still have to adjust what is provided to meet the specific needs of its students. Model Curriculum Structure STAGE 1 STAGE 2 STAGE 3 What will learners be able to do with what they know by the end of the program? Program Can-Do Statements Select NCSSFL-ACTFL Can- Do Statements (2017) that identify learning goals appropriate for the theme and performance targets for the program. How will learners demonstrate what they can do with what they know? Performance Assessment Tasks Develop formative assessments that allow learners to provide evidence that they have met the each program Can-Do Statement. What lesson Can-Do Statements and resources will guide learning plans? Lesson Can-Do Statements Identify smaller indicators of how learners incrementally move toward meeting each program Can-Do Statement. Additional support is provided through language-specific outlines of key learning experiences that expand on the lesson Can-Do Statements identified in stage 3, by outlining vocabulary and language chunks for each learning target with corresponding checks for learning. Language-specific documents are available as separate documents for download on the STARTALK model curricula website. Lesson Can-Do Vocabulary Checks for Learning Resources Unpacked daily goals that will allow instructors to identify appropriate vocabulary, tasks, and activities, as well as resources. A listing of language chunks and grammatical features that learners need in order to accomplish the lesson Can-Do Statement. Sample tasks or activities learners will do to provide evidence that they are making progress toward the lesson Can-Do Statement. Authentic and ageappropriate resources that learners will listen to, read, and/or view in order to understand, interpret, and analyze the meaning of text.
STAGE 1 What will learners be able to do with what they know by the end of the program? Curriculum Overview Students will explore authentic products and practices that relate to traveling to a country or region where the target language is spoken. They will plan virtual travel experiences to get to know different regions in the country and to investigate significant aspects of the country s culture. Before leaving on the trip, students will work together to investigate and identify significant and interesting cities, landmarks, historical artifacts, and recreational activities that allow both tourism and cultural exploration. Students will serve as regional experts and interact with each other to share information, insights, and advice about travel and cultural experiences in their particular regions. At the end of the program, students will use their language skills to share with their parents what they have learned about the region. Daily Schedule A sample schedule is not shown here, since individual programs will have to adapt this curriculum to meet their needs. The model is designed for a program that lasts for 15 days and 90 hours. Interpersonal Program Can-Do Statements How will learners interact and negotiate meaning in spoken or written conversations to share information, reactions, feelings, and opinions? Performance Indicators Taken from the NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements. Program Can-Do Statements Rewritten indicators specific to the program theme and appropriate for the age of the learners. How will learners exchange information and ideas in conversations? Intermediate Mid: I can exchange information in conversations on familiar topics and some researched topics, creating sentences and series of sentences and asking a variety of follow-up questions. 1. I can ask and answer questions about what to see and do in various regions, such as significant and interesting cities, landmarks, historical artifacts, and cultural, educational, and recreational activities. How will learners meet their needs or address situations in conversations? Intermediate Mid: I can interact with others to meet my needs in a variety of familiar situations, creating sentences and series of sentences and asking a variety of follow-up questions. 2. I can ask and answer questions about what I need to take on my trip depending on where I am going and why I need those things. How will learners express, react to, and support preferences and opinions in conversations? Intermediate Mid: I can exchange preferences, feelings, or opinions and provide basic advice on a variety of familiar topics, creating sentences and series of sentences and asking a variety of follow-up questions. 3. I can compare and explain my travel preferences with the travel preferences of others. 4. I can ask for and give advice about what to see and do in order to experience both tourist and local aspects of a particular region (i.e. tourist vs. cultural or customary aspects). STARTALK Model Curriculum: Can-Do Statements & Performance Tasks (Grades 6 12 / Intermediate / Let s Go Somewhere) 2
Presentational Program Can-Do Statements How will learners present information, concepts, and ideas to inform, explain, persuade, and narrate on a variety of topics using appropriate media and adapting to various audiences of listeners, readers, or viewers? Performance Indicators Taken from the NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements. Program Can-Do Statements Rewritten indicators specific to the program theme and appropriate for the age of the learners. How will learners present information to narrate about their lives, experiences and events? Intermediate High: I can tell stories about school and community events and personal experiences, using a few short paragraphs, often across various time frames. 5. I can present a narrative about a trip I want to take. How will learners present information to give a preference, opinion or persuasive argument? Intermediate High: I can state my viewpoint on familiar or researched topics and provide reasons to support it, using a few short paragraphs, often across various time frames. 6. I can explain why I want to visit a particular region depending on my personal interests and preferences. How will learners present information to inform, describe, or explain? Intermediate High: I can give detailed presentations on a variety of familiar topics and some concrete topics I have researched, using a few short paragraphs, often across various time frames. 7. I can explain several must-know customs and traditions to be aware of when visiting particular regions. STARTALK Model Curriculum: Can-Do Statements & Performance Tasks (Grades 6 12 / Intermediate / Let s Go Somewhere) 3
STAGE 2 How will learners demonstrate what they can do with what they know? Interpersonal Performance Assessment Tasks Program Can-Do Statements Identified in stage 1 of the curriculum outlining the overall program outcomes. Performance Assessment Tasks Key tasks and formative assessments that allow learners to demonstrate they met the program Can-Do Statement. 1. I can ask and answer questions about what to see and do in various regions, such as significant and interesting cities, landmarks, historical artifacts, and cultural, educational, and recreational activities. The class is divided into four tour groups, each going to a different region for summer vacation. Each group researches tourist information and completes a graphic organizer (in the target language) with information about what to see or do in its region. After completing the organizer, new groups are formed, each with an expert from each region. Using the target language, members ask and answer questions to complete a second graphic organizer on each region. 2. I can ask and answer questions about what I need to take on my trip depending on where I am going and why I need those things. According to their interests and preferences, students develop a carry-on bag packing inventory. Using a graphic organizer, students organize their inventory around what they will see and do in a region, their personal needs and include a justification for each item. Once the inventory is complete, a peer will review the information and ask for clarification and ask follow-up questions about other items to consider. Students can adjust their packing requirements as a result of the conversation with their partner. 3. I can compare and explain my travel preferences with the travel preferences of others. Using a set of guiding questions developed by the teacher and students, pairs of students ask each other questions about their travel preferences, such as location, means of transportation, time of year, activities, for recreation or education, etc. After completing the initial conversation, the students repeat the task to find out who has preferences in common and who does not. 4. I can ask for and give advice about what to see and do in order to experience both tourist and cultural aspects of a particular region (tourist vs. traveler). In small groups, students receive profile cards from peers who want to take a unique trip to one of the regions. Playing the role of the peer, individuals answer questions about travel preferences according to the specific profile card. The other members of the group make note of the responses, ask follow-up or clarifying questions, and then work together to recommend a region to visit and activities to do there. The original student agrees or disagrees with the collective recommendation, supporting their response. STARTALK Model Curriculum: Can-Do Statements & Performance Tasks (Grades 6 12 / Intermediate / Let s Go Somewhere) 4
Presentational Performance Assessment Tasks Program Can-Do Statements Identified in stage 1 of the curriculum outlining the overall program outcomes. Performance Assessment Tasks Key tasks and formative assessments that allow learners to demonstrate they met the program Can-Do Statement. 5. I can present a narrative about a trip I want to take. The school newspaper from each student s home school wants to take a broader perspective on opportunities available for students after they complete high school. It is soliciting articles that talk about what else graduates can do before entering college. Students write on the topic of Travel during My Gap Year and talk about educational, cultural, and/or recreational benefits they would gain from traveling to a particular region of a country in which the target language is spoken. 6. I can explain why I want to visit a particular region depending on my personal interests and preferences. Students select a variety of pictures that represent educational, cultural, or recreational benefits of visiting the particular region they have chosen. Students develop a 3-minute multimedia presentation on their region and include a narration detailing and explaining how and why the pictures represent benefits. These presentations are screened for parents during the end-of-program celebration. 7. I can explain several must-know customs and traditions to be aware of when visiting particular regions. Students form four groups, each focusing on a different region. Individual groups research important customs and traditions common to the region and complete a graphic organizer (in the target language) with the cultural information. Each group summarizes the information using a concept map, including visuals and summary statements. After the concept map is completed, new groups are formed, each with an expert from each region. Using the target language, each expert explains the important customs and traditions of the region. STARTALK Model Curriculum: Can-Do Statements & Performance Tasks (Grades 6 12 / Intermediate / Let s Go Somewhere) 5
STAGE 3 What lesson Can-Do Statements and resources will guide learning plans? The lesson Can-Do Statements indicate what will enable learners to develop the skills and knowledge to accomplish the performance assessment tasks. They are designed to ensure learners understand the input in the interpretive mode before being asked to produce language in the interpersonal and presentational modes. Program Can-Do Statement & Performance Assessment Task #1 I can ask and answer questions about what to see and do in various regions, such as significant and interesting cities, landmarks, historical artifacts, and cultural, educational, and recreational activities. The class is divided into four tour groups, each going to a different region for summer vacation. Each group researches tourist information and completes a graphic organizer (in the target language) with information about what to see or do in its region. After completing the organizer, new groups are formed, each with an expert from each region. Using the target language, members ask and answer questions to complete a second graphic organizer on each region. I can recognize direction words, phrases, and locations needed to find places on a map. Interpretive I can share where I am from and ask others where they are from. Interpersonal I can identify in which specific region cities and landmarks are found. Interpretive I can identify places and landmarks when I hear them described. Interpretive I can identify what tourists can see and do in different regions. Interpretive I can identify cultural products and landmarks of different regions. Interpretive I can ask others about important features of a region. Interpersonal I can give information about important features of a region when asked. Interpersonal Program Can-Do Statement & Performance Assessment Task #2 I can ask and answer questions about what I need to take on my trip depending on where I am going and why. According to their interests and preferences, students develop a carry-on bag packing inventory. Using a graphic organizer, students organize their inventory around what they will see and do in a region, their personal needs and include a justification for each item. Once the inventory is complete, a peer will review the information and ask for clarification and ask follow-up questions about other items to consider. Students can adjust their packing requirements as a result of the conversation with their partner. I can identify popular tourist activities in specific regions. Interpretive I can identify cultural products found in specific regions. Interpretive I can share activities I m interested in and explain why. Presentational I can ask others to identify what they are interested in and to explain why. Interpersonal I can identify items that I need for a trip because of where I want to go and what I want to do. Interpretive I can ask for things I need because of where I am going and find out what others need because of where they are going. Interpersonal I can tell others what they need or should include and explain my suggestions. Interpersonal STARTALK Model Curriculum: Can-Do Statements & Performance Tasks (Grades 6 12 / Intermediate / Let s Go Somewhere) 6
Program Can-Do Statement & Performance Assessment Task #3 I can compare and explain my travel preferences with the travel preferences of others. Using a set of guiding questions developed by the teacher and students, pairs of students ask each other questions about their travel preferences, such as location, means of transportation, time of year, activities, for recreation or education, etc. After completing the initial conversation, the students repeat the task to find out who has preferences in common and who does not. I can identify different ways to travel within a region or city. Interpretive I can ask and answer questions about transportation within a region or city. Interpersonal I can explain how transportation choices vary by location in a region or city. Presentational I can ask and answer questions about my travel preferences and ask others about their preferences. Interpersonal Program Can-Do Statement & Performance Assessment Task #4 I can ask for and give advice about what to see and do in order to experience both tourist and local aspects of a particular region (i.e. tourist vs cultural or customary aspects). In small groups, students receive profile cards from peers who want to take a unique trip to one of the regions. Playing the role of the peer, individuals answer questions about travel preferences according to the specific profile card. The other members of the group make note of the responses, ask followup or clarifying questions, and then work together to recommend a region to visit and activities to do there. The original student agrees or disagrees with the collective recommendation, supporting their response. I can identify the main tourist attractions in a region and explain important details. Presentational I can identify the main cultural attractions in a region and explain important details. Presentational I can ask others questions to determine their preferences and priorities about what to see and do in a region. Interpersonal I can make suggestions about regions to visit that fulfill the preferences and priorities of others. Interpersonal Program Can-Do Statement & Performance Assessment Task #5 I can present a narrative about a trip I want to take. The school newspaper from each student s home school wants to take a broader perspective on opportunities available for students after they complete high school. It is soliciting articles that talk about what else graduates can do before entering college. Students write on the topic of Travel during My Gap Year and talk about educational, cultural, and/or recreational benefits they would gain from traveling to a particular region of a country in which the target language is spoken. STARTALK Model Curriculum: Can-Do Statements & Performance Tasks (Grades 6 12 / Intermediate / Let s Go Somewhere) 7
I can recognize images of various regions in the country when I hear them described. Interpretive I can identify a reason a person likes or dislikes a region. Interpretive I can give information so that others can locate a place. Interpersonal I can organize information from several regions. Presentational I can name a place and give reasons why I want or don t want to go there. Presentational Program Can-Do Statement & Performance Assessment Task #6 I can explain why I want to visit a particular region depending on my personal interests and preferences. Students select a variety of pictures that represent educational, cultural, or recreational benefits of visiting the particular region they have chosen. Students develop a 3-minute multimedia presentation on their region and include a narration detailing and explaining how and why the pictures represent benefits. These presentations are screened for parents during the end-ofprogram celebration. I can use key details to recognize a region that is described. Interpretive I can categorize information such as regional places, activities, food, and souvenirs. Interpretive I can provide information on a region that includes key details such as places, activities, food, and souvenirs. Presentational Program Can-Do Statement & Performance Assessment Task #7 I can explain several mustknow customs and traditions to be aware of when visiting particular regions. Students form four groups, each focusing on a different region. Individual groups research important customs and traditions common to the region and complete a graphic organizer (in the target language) with the cultural information. Each group summarizes the information using a concept map, including visuals and summary statements. After the concept map is completed, new groups are formed, each with an expert from each region. Using the target language, each expert explains the important customs and traditions of the region. I can summarize cultural traditions and events in a region or city. Interpretive I can summarize and evaluate information about a region or city. Interpretive I can give information about cultural attractions in a region or city. Presentational Resources (Interpretive Mode) What will learners understand, interpret, and analyze to prepare themselves to meet the Program Can-Do Statement and accomplish the performance task stated above? Programs will need to identify language- and culture-specific resources that students will listen to, read, and/or view. STARTALK Model Curriculum: Can-Do Statements & Performance Tasks (Grades 6 12 / Intermediate / Let s Go Somewhere) 8