Kindergarten through 3rd Grade - World Languages Guidelines

1. Communication in Languages Other Than English
2. Knowledge and Understanding of Other Cultures
3. Connections with Other Disciplines and Information Acquisition
4. Comparisons to Develop Insight into the Nature of Language and Culture

• The first standard focuses on communicating well in more than one language in a variety of situations and for multiple reasons. This standard relates to children’s ability to communicate in a foreign language in real-world situations, including interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational ways, described below:
  • Interpersonal communication requires culturally appropriate listening, viewing, speaking, and writing. 
  • Interpretive communication requires children to listen, view, and read using their knowledge of cultural products, practices, and perspectives. 
  • Presentational communication, which is used in formal situations, requires children to use the language to present spoken or written information in culturally appropriate ways.
• These skills mirror many of the skills that are important when children are learning English as a second language, so similar information may be found for children ages 3–5 years in the English Language Development domain of the Guidelines. 
  • The subdomain for Receptive English Language Skills relates to reading and listening skills in the World Languages standards. 
  • The subdomain for Expressive English Language relates to writing and speaking skills in the World Languages standards. 
  • Similarly, the skills in the World Languages standard are the same as many of the skills that are important when children learn a first language, so similar information may be found for children ages 3–5 years in the Language Development domain of the Guidelines. 

• The second standard is about children’s understanding of the language’s culture and how language and culture interact in society. This includes understanding the relationship among cultural products like art, food, music, sports; cultural practices like traditions and manners; and the thoughts and beliefs that connect to these products and practices. 
• This same type of understanding is also a goal when children are learning English as a second language, so similar material may be found for children ages 3–5 years in the English Language Development domain of the Guidelines. 
  • This World Languages standard is found within the preschool subdomain Engagement in English Literacy Activities. The preschool information describes how children interact with books, storytelling, and songs in the language they are learning (English). These types of activities are similar to those that help with cultural understanding for older children who are learning a second language. 

• The third standard focuses on connecting with other disciplines, and learning information and different points of view in order to use the language in school and job-related situations. 
• Connections may be made in a number of ways, including learning information from other countries. 
• This World Languages standard is similar to the Receptive English Language skills in both the English Language Development domain and the Language Development domain of the Guidelines for children ages 3–5 years. Receptive language skills include reading and listening. To understand either of those, children of all ages must connect with the words. 

• The final standard in the World Languages area is built upon the idea that studying a second language gives the child a better understanding of not only the new language and culture being studied but also of their own language and culture. 
• Although there is not a direct connection to anything in the Guidelines for children ages 3–5 years, children learning a second language at any age benefit by looking there and making comparisons. Such comparisons are part of the preschool English Language Development domain when students do English reading and writing activities and as children make connections between English words or phrases and their home language.