AERO World Language Standards
AERO World Language Standards
AERO World Language Standards
INTRODUCTION
Learning languages other than one’s own mother or heritage language provides wide ranging
benefits to the individual learner, as well as the school’s overall, interdisciplinary curriculum.
Learning and critical thinking skills attained in other language learning directly and positively
impact learning in other content areas and lifelong learning. Language awareness gained in
learning additional languages improves understanding of language in general, including one’s
own mother/heritage language. Topics and units in foreign language classes co-teach, re-teach
and can help pre-teach skills, topics, and units in other content areas. Language teachers can best
attain the standards and benchmarks in the foreign language curriculum and co-teach units and
themes in other content areas when they are fully engaged as members of interdisciplinary
planning and curricular teams.
a. Languages, both mother tongue and foreign, are best learned with daily instruction. Critical
thinking and learning habits attained as a result of foreign language learning support
learning in other content areas, and are skills needed for lifelong learning.
b. Foreign (non-heritage) language learning correlates positively with success in other content
areas, and promotes an interdisciplinary view of the curriculum.
c. Brain scans and MRI test show that foreign language learning increases brain activity
levels dramatically.
d. Research supports the positive impact of second language learning on learning additional
languages, learning one’s heritage language, and understanding language in general.
e. Consistent, daily PK-12 language learning provides the time and experience needed to
fully attain complex learning, language, communication and culture skills listed in the PK-
12 standards and benchmarks document.
f. Interdisciplinary units and themes, supported by both classroom teachers and foreign
language and other specialists, lead to greater learning and understanding than units
taught solely in either (one) classroom setting. Many of the broader themes (e.g.
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environment, history, peace studies) addressed in core subjects take on greater
understanding when viewed from the perspective of other cultures presented in foreign
language learning.
Impact of Less than Daily and Less than PK-12 Additional Language Learning**
a. Anything less than daily instruction will lead to diminished language attainment, and
diminished learning skill attainment, which in turn diminishes the positive impact on
interdisciplinary and lifelong learning.
b. Students beginning foreign language learning later in the PK-12 sequence of study, without
benefit of knowledge gained in earlier instruction, may not be able to achieve the highest
level of benchmarks if they do not have immersion-type experiences. They will not be
able to develop all four strands adequately; that is, they will have to develop the
communication strand at the expense of the other strands and thus will lose some of the
benefit of interdisciplinary teaching and cultural awareness.
c. Compacting or condensing the scope and sequence adversely impacts students’ acquisition
of the PK-12 language outcomes, as well as the development of students’ critical thinking
and lifelong learning skills. It diminishes students’ opportunity to have the range of
experiences and learning of a full PK-12 program.
a. The AERO/NESA document assumes daily foreign language instruction and provides a
PK-12 road map leading to the grade 12 outcomes. It assumes daily contact with the
language for at least 20-30 minutes daily from PK through 3 and at least 35-45 minutes
from grades 4-12.
b. The document is designed to be used as the basis for the development or refinement of an
individual school’s standards and benchmarks for students in a foreign language (non-
native, non-heritage) program.
c. The AERO/NESA document can be further used to help align a later-entering language
learner (e.g., transfer student or student wishing to learn additional foreign languages) with
appropriate standards and benchmarks, as well as targeting realistic outcomes following a
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shorter than PK-12 program.
d. The document’s preface and philosophy can be used to refine an individual school’s
mission, philosophy and goal statements to include additional language learning.
COMMUNICATION
“Communication can be characterized in many different ways. The approach
suggested within this document is to recognize three communicative modes that place
primary emphasis on communication (Brecht and Walton 1994). The three modes are: (1)
Interpersonal, (2) Interpretive, and (3) Presentational. Each mode involves a particular
link between language and the underlying culture that is developed gradually over time.”*
1.1 Students will converse, provide and obtain information, express feelings, emotions, and
ideas, and exchange opinions in the target language.
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By the end of grade 5 students will:
a. Perform greetings, leave-takings, and common classroom interactions using culturally
appropriate gestures and oral expressions.
b. Give and follow simple instructions as part of age-appropriate classroom or cultural
activities or both.
c. Ask and answer questions about familiar topics such as school events, celebrations,
personal opinions, and family, orally and in guided writing.
d. Exchange descriptions of people, places, events, and products of the culture (such as toys,
clothing, foods, types of dwellings, monuments) with each other and with the class as a
group.
e. Exchange likes and dislikes, feelings and emotions, in familiar contexts or about favorite
objects through discussions, interviews, etc.
f. Engage in everyday situations (such as buying, ordering, shopping, transportation, etc.)
through role play.
g. Extend, accept, and refuse invitations.
h. Use expressions such as showing interest, asking for clarification, and checking
comprehension for managing conversations.
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a. Initiate, develop, discuss, and present orally or in writing solutions to important issues
and problems of the target cultures.
b. Exchange, support, and discuss opinions with fluid use of language on a variety of topics
dealing with contemporary and historical issues.
c. Describe and justify states of being and feelings.
d. Engage in authentic communication during visits, field trips, community service
activities, etc.
1.2 Students will understand and interpret writing and speech on a variety of topics in the
target language.
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By the end of grade 5 students will:
a. Comprehend main ideas and identify main characters and events in age-appropriate
narratives based on familiar themes or stories, such as personal anecdotes, familiar fairy
tales and texts from children’s literature.
b. Recognize people and objects found in their own or different environments through
structured oral and written descriptions.
c. Comprehend brief written messages and short personal notes on familiar topics such as
family, school events, and celebrations.
d. Comprehend the main ideas in media such as illustrated texts, posters, advertisements,
Internet websites, etc.
e. Interpret gestures, intonation, and other visual or auditory clues appropriately (videos,
films, television programs, etc.).
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f. Understand the cultural nuances of meaning in expressive products of the culture,
including selections from various literary genres and the visual arts.
1.3 Students will present information, concepts, and ideas to listeners and/or readers on a
variety of topics in the language studied.
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By the end of grade 8 students will:
a. Write short, well-organized compositions on age-appropriate topics of interest.
b. Write personal letters using culturally appropriate format and style.
c. Read aloud with appropriate intonation and pronunciation.
d. Perform short plays, songs and skits, recite selected poems and anecdotes in the target
language.
e. Create and present posters, videos, PowerPoint presentations, or reports about age-
appropriate personal or cultural themes.
f. Present opinions, preferences, and feelings about current or historical events, cultural
experiences, etc.
g. Prepare an oral or written summary of the plot and characters from age-appropriate
literature.
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“This standard focuses on the impact that learning the linguistic elements in the new
language has on students’ ability to examine their own language, and to develop hypotheses
about the structure and use of languages.
There is a generally held notion that students are better able to reflect on their first language
and culture after having experienced a second. Evidence of this notion arises in various studies
done on the effects of learning multiple languages. By struggling with how to express particular
meanings in a second language, how to encode them linguistically, and how to be sensitive to
norms of politeness in another culture, students gain awareness of the nature of language itself.”*
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By the end of grade 8 students will:
a. Understand the necessary grammatical and syntactical functions in languages, and use
them in the target language.
b. Discuss the relationships among languages, based on students’ awareness of cognates.
c. Recognize differences in language register.
d. Recognize differences in pronunciation systems among languages, and understand that
languages have critical sound distinctions that must be mastered in order to communicate
meaning.
e. Compare and contrast the writing system of the target language and their own and
describe the nature of those writing systems (e.g., logographic, syllabic, alphabetic).
CULTURES
“The term ‘culture’ is generally understood to include the philosophical perspectives, the
behavioral practices, and the products – both tangible and intangible – of a society. Because
language is the primary vehicle for expressing cultural perspectives and participating in social
practices, the study of language provides opportunities for students to develop insights into a
culture that are available in no other way. In reality then, the true content of the foreign language
course is not the grammar and the vocabulary of the language, but the cultures expressed through
the language. It is important that students become skilled observers and analysts of other
cultures.”*
2.1 Students will demonstrate an understanding of the practices and perspectives of the
cultures studied and the relationship between them.
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“This standard focuses on the practices that are derived from the traditional ideas, attitudes and
values (perspectives) of a culture. “Cultural practices” refers to patterns of behavior accepted by
society and deals with aspects of culture such as rites of passage, the use of forms of discourse,
the social “pecking order,” and the use of space. It is important to understand the relationship
between these practices and the underlying perspectives that represent the culture’s view of the
world.”*
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By the end of grade 12 students will:
a. Explain social and geographic factors that inform cultural practices.
b. Identify, analyze, and discuss patterns of behavior in and between various subgroups that
comprise the target culture.
c. Adjust speech and behavior appropriately to the situation and audience.
d. Identify differences in cultural practices among same-language cultures.
e. Analyze aspects of the political, legal, and economic systems and practices in the target
culture countries, and discuss the factors that influenced the development of these
systems.
f. Discuss social issues in the various target culture communities, and examine their impact
on the behavioral patterns of individuals, families, and communities.
g. Analyze generalizations and stereotypes of the target culture.
2.2 Students will demonstrate an understanding of the products and perspectives of the
cultures studied and the relationship between them.
“This standard focuses on the products of the culture studied and how they reflect the
perspectives of that culture. Products may be tangible (e.g., a painting, a cathedral, a piece of
literature, a pair of chopsticks) or intangible (e.g., an oral tale, a dance, a sacred ritual, a system
of education). Whatever the form of the product, its presence within the culture is required or
justified by the underlying beliefs and values (perspectives) of that culture, and the cultural
practices involve the use of that product.”*
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b. Identify the different environments of the target cultures, and examine the impact of these
environments on the lifestyles of the target communities.
c. Identify and discuss commonly held stereotypes about products of the target culture.
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own culture. They develop the ability to hypothesize about cultural systems in general. Some
students may make these comparisons naturally, others learn to do so. This standard helps focus
this reflective process for all students by encouraging integration of this process into instruction
from the earliest levels of learning.”*
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a. Hypothesize about the origins of idioms as a reflection of the target culture and one’s
own.
b. Apply appropriate verbal and non-verbal behavior in a variety of social contexts in the
target cultures.
c. Analyze and infer cross-cultural similarities and differences as observed in practices,
perspectives, expressive products, and literary genres of the target cultures and students’
own cultures.
d. Hypothesize about reasons behind similarities and differences between the target cultures
and the students’ own culture.
e. Analyze and contrast the historical as well as present-day contributions of the target
culture to the world-at-large with those of the students’ own cultures.
CONNECTIONS
“Knowledge of a second language and culture combines with the study of other disciplines and
shifts the focus from language acquisition to broader learning experiences for the student.
Language used in this way helps students integrate the contributions from any discipline into a
holistic and ever-expanding open system.”*
3.1 Students will use the foreign language to reinforce and further their knowledge of other
disciplines.
Learning today is no longer restricted to a specific discipline; it has become interdisciplinary.
Just as reading cannot be limited to a particular segment of the school day but is central to all
aspects of school curriculum, so, too, can foreign language build upon the knowledge that
students acquire in other subject areas. When integrated into the broader curriculum, foreign
language contributes to the entire educational experience of students.*
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a. Study a variety of content topics in the target language.
b. Use skills such as calculation, problem solving, map reading etc. in the target language.
c. Integrate products of the target culture to other school subjects (technology skills, music,
songs, arts, games, etc.).
3.2 Students will understand and appreciate the elements of language and culture studied
that can only be comprehended in the target language and its culture(s).
“As a consequence of learning another language and gaining access to its unique means of
communication and ways of thinking, students acquire new information and perspectives. As
learners of a foreign language, they broaden the source of information available to them. They
have a “new window on the world.”*
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By the end of grade 2 students will:
a. Listen to, watch, and ask/answer questions about age-appropriate folktales, picture
stories, poems, songs, advertisements, cartoons, films, artifacts, and other authentic
materials.
COMMUNITIES
“Recognizing the need for a productive and competitive work force, many schools are
emphasizing a curriculum that better prepares students for the school-to-work or the
school-to-college transition. These educational efforts extend to the language classroom,
preparing competent and self-confident students for work in the multilingual communities
around the globe.”*
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4.1 Students use the language both within and beyond the school setting.
This standard focuses on language as a tool for communication with speakers of the language
throughout one’s life.
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4.2 Students show evidence of becoming life-long language learners.
Language is an avenue to information, interpersonal relations, international understanding,
and careers in an increasingly global environment. Students who study and use a language over
a long period of time: improve their cognitive abilities; can more fully use their capacity in the
target language; increase their abilities to learn additional languages; increase their
understanding of their own mother tongue and culture; enhance their ability to interact with
others; expand their ability to understand other cultures; and enrich their choice of professions.
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b. Express interest for learning a language and justify why it is important.
c. Use the target language to explain how the study of language over a long period of time
is transformative.
d. Read for enjoyment target language literature, fiction and non-fiction sources.
**Internet Resources
www.foreignlanguage.org
www.actfl.org
www.frenchteachers.org
www.languagepolicy.org
www.cilt.org.uk
www.cal.org
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