Connecticut:

The Connecticut Standards for World Languages are strategically aligned with the national World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (The National Standards Collaborative Board, 2015). The national World-Readiness Standards target five goal areas, the “Five Cs” of Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities. These goal areas are complemented by Can-Do Statements that articulate learner progress with interpretive, interpersonal, presentational, and intercultural communication.

Connecticut standards are divided into these competency categories:

Communication (Interpersonal, Interpretive, Presentational)

Cultural and Global Competencies:

• Cultures

• Connections

• Comparisons

• Communities

FL4K:

Is designed to align with the NCSSFL-ACTFL guidelines for world language instruction. FL4K provides opportunities to compare, connect, and communicate through cultural contexts using authentic resources and offers ideas for teachers and students on how to interact with local and international communities.

FL4K fosters an acquisition process with proficiency targets that lead to a student feeling comfortable and confident with the target language, with the goal of reaching a Novice-High or higher level of proficiency. Provides an engaging and fun language acquisition and intercultural awareness program possible for today’s student so that they can communicate naturally and spontaneously, including Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational skill-building with a complete video program interwoven with an intercultural curriculum, reading program, hands-on activities, online practice questions, and games specifically designed to build oral proficiency

Connecticut:

Standard 1: Interpersonal Communication

Students will engage in conversation, provide and obtain information, express feelings and exchange opinions. (Interpersonal)

Students will use the language and cultural knowledge to interpret, analyze, and demonstrate understanding of authentic speech, texts, media, or signed language on topics relevant to their lives and broader communities.

FL4K:

• Learners will express needs and wants via the multi-media and multi-leveled formats in FL4K that include polling, written/oral feedback for opinions/preferences and differentiated student abilities.

• Learners interact and negotiate meaning in spoken, signed, or written conversations to share information, reactions, feelings, and opinions

• Dialogues allow for learner practice in formats used on national tests such as AP, Avant STAMP and ACTFL AAPPL.

• Learners converse with others from the target culture in familiar situations at school, work, or play, and show interest in cultural and linguistic similarities and differences.

• Learners converse comfortably with others from the target culture in familiar, and some unfamiliar situations, with responsiveness to cultural and linguistic attributes.

• FL4K provides teachers with a resource of teacher strategies and activities to engage students.

Connecticut:

Standard 2: Interpretive Communication

Students will understand and interpret spoken and written language on a variety of topics. (Interpretive)

FL4K:

Students will reach an intermediate-low level by the end of the program units and be able to:

• Identify main ideas, supporting details and various elements such as point of view, intended audience, and purpose from the authentic cultural themes and topics within the nine levels that include 11 Hispanic countries.

• Comprehend and react to content presented through multiple media sources.

• Identify cultural perspectives represented in the source material.

Connecticut:

Standard 3: Presentational Communication (PS)

Students use the target language and cultural knowledge to present information, concepts, and ideas on topics of relevance to their lives and broader communities to inform, explain, persuade, and narrate for diverse audiences within and beyond the learning environment.

FL4K:

Learners will present (writing and speaking) 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. Learners will be able to:

• Present about people, activities, events, and experiences.

• Present songs, short skits, or dramatic readings using the authentic resources, dialogues, songs, and art included in FL4K.

Connecticut:

Standard 4: Cultures

Use the target language to investigate, explain, and reflect on the relationship between the practices, products, and perspectives of cultures studied. The student can:

• Investigate and describe similarities and differences in practices, products, and perspectives used across cultures (e.g., holidays, family life, historical and contemporary figures) to understand one’s own and others’ ways of thinking.

• Use appropriate language and behaviors while participating in familiar culturally authentic activities and situations (e.g., presentations, virtual activities, community celebrations, theatrical productions, concerts, interviews).

FL4K:

• Students seek opportunities and interact with people who speak other languages and who have different cultural practices and perspectives.

• Students use and improve their linguistic and cultural skills to investigate, explain, and reflect on the relationship between cultural products and perspectives.

• Students use the language to interact with members of their local and global community in linguistically and culturally responsive ways

• Students use culturally appropriate behaviors as they interact with members of their local and global communities

• FL4K brings students experience with products of the target cultures such as stories, poetry, music, paintings, dance, drama, etc., and explains the origin and importance of these products in today’s culture.

Connecticut:

Standard 5: Connections (Interdisciplinary)

Students will reinforce and expand their knowledge of other areas of study through the world language. (Interdisciplinary)

Build, reinforce, and expand knowledge of other content areas and evaluate information and diverse perspectives while using the target language to develop critical thinking and creative problem solving. The student can:

• Access and interpret information in the target language on familiar topics and use it to reinforce and further knowledge in other content areas.

• Analyze and synthesize information gathered in the target language to think critically and solve problems in other content areas and real- world situations in the culture(s) studied and (as applicable) in one’s own culture.

FL4K:

• The FL4K culture component is relevant and provides high interest topics that allow students to make comparisons between cultures. Students become aware of global concerns with examples of climate change, lack of resources, changes in habitats and well-being of citizens across the globe.

• Aligns with ACTFL 21st Century World Readiness Standards.

Connecticut:

Standard 6: Connections (Intradisciplinary)

Students will acquire and use information from a variety of sources only available in the world language, using technology, print, audiovisual, media, data and human resources. (Intradisciplinary)

• Identify and use familiar vocabulary and phrases in the target language supported by resources (e.g., maps, graphs, visuals, audio, digital media) to reinforce prior knowledge and make connections to new knowledge of familiar topics in other content areas (e.g., geography, history, arts, math, science).

FL4K:

• Provides opportunities for collaboration, promoting leadership, critical thinking and problem solving, decision-making, developing technology and media literacy skills, encouraging accountability and responsibility, and developing interculturality and global citizenship

Connecticut:

Standard 7: Comparisons Among Languages:

Students use the target language and cultural knowledge to investigate the world, recognize diverse perspectives, interact, and exchange ideas with people from diverse backgrounds, and engage with others to improve

FL4K:

• Use idiomatic expressions appropriate to a given situation in the target language.

• Select, use, and compare appropriate terms f address between the target and native languages.

• Identify and compare telephone etiquette for different purposes in both target language and native language (e.g., business, school, social, etc.).

• Use appropriate words in a given situation to illustrate cultural differences.

• Compare and contrast rhetorical and oratorical techniques used in different languages.

Language Comparisons

• Identify and understand a range of linguistic and structural features in different text types.

• Use and explain idiomatic expressions appropriate to a given situation in the target language.

• Explain how various languages are interrelated in terms of word origin and text

Connecticut:

Standard 8: Comparisons among cultures

Students will demonstrate an understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the cultures studied and their own.

FL4K:

• Presents products, practices, and perspectives of 11 Hispanic cultures with opportunities for investigation and interaction. The program includes cultural comparisons, reflection questions, polls, and opportunities for critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making regarding the following topics: geography and climate, citizens, languages, sites of interest, transportation, animals, food, lodging, nature, adventures, contemporary topics, and the arts.

• Students use and improve their language skills and cultural knowledge to examine, compare, and draw conclusions about local and global issues and events.

• Students use and improve their language skills and cultural knowledge as they engage with others to improve conditions toward sustainable development and collective well-being

• Students use and improve their language skills and cultural knowledge as they examine and integrate diverse perspectives and worldviews.

• Students use and improve their language skills and cultural knowledge as they interact and exchange ideas across boundaries of language, culture, and identity

Connecticut:

Standard 9: Communities:

Students will use the world language both within and beyond the school setting for personal enjoyment, enrichment and active participation.

The student can:

• Use expanded vocabulary and structures in the target language to access and interact with different media and community resources within the school setting (and beyond, as applicable).

  Use the target language to participate in activities for personal enjoyment and community involvement within the school setting (and beyond, as applicable).

FL4K:

• Provides templates that can be customized to suit the community of learners. Teachers have the flexibility in using the ready-made resources by FL4K or customizing them to the community needs. The cultural component of the program is widely diverse in gender, ethnicity and race so students can see themselves represented.

• Activities are differentiated to meet the learner’s proficiency level.

• Games and hands-on activities engage students within the classroom, school or community and allow for collaboration or competition.

Connecticut:

Connecticut state standards include proficiency benchmarks for interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational modes of communication from the NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements (NCSSFL-ACTFL, 2017) (National Council of State Supervisors for Languages and American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages). The NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements performance indicators are used, and the benchmarks for intercultural interaction are adopted from the NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements

FL4K:

Offers Can-Do Statements with built-in recording features for students to provide evidence of what they can do as they progress on a continuum of proficiency according to skill in an interwoven language and culture program with a multi-level intercultural curriculum for differentiation including heritage speakers

FL4K is aligned to the NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements performance indicators.

Connecticut:

Standards lead to the Seal of Biliteracy Achievement.

FL4K:

Mirrors the format for the national tests used for the Seal of Biliteracy to provide a comfort level from the lowest level to the intermediate level. The objective for learning is to scaffold language in context as students achieve higher proficiency levels in each mode. Feedback to students is personalized. Student content can easily be differentiated for learner needs.