Designing Standards-based Curriculum: Elementary Schools

Marcia Harmon Rosenbusch, Director National K-12 Foreign Language Resource Center Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa

Eileen Lorenz, Project Director Chinese K-5 FLES Project Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL), Washington, DC

Curriculum Design in Elementary School World Languages

Historical perspective
If you dont know where you are going how will you know when you get there?

Elements in curriculum design

Framework for Curriculum

QuickTime an d a TIFF (LZW) decompressor are need ed to see this p icture .

Backward Design

Enduring understandings: Universal truths that are at the heart of the discipline and that have value beyond the classroom. Essential questions: Questions that help us discover universal truths.

National Student Standards

Define what students should know and be able to do.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Communication Cultures Connections Comparisons Communities

FIVE GOALS

National Student Standards

Goal 1. Communication

Three Modes of Communication: Interpersonal Interpretive Presentational

National Student Standards

Goal 2. Cultures

Perspectives

Products

Practices

Accountability, Achievement, and Assessment

How will we know when we get there? Define performance tasks for language assessment (interpersonal, interpretive, presentational).

Defining Thematic Teaching

What is thematic teaching? Links concepts (content), language and culture; Grounded in developmentally appropriate learning; Provides a meaningful framework for teaching/learning; Addresses the National Standards.

CRICTOR BY TOMMI UNGERER

Language arts Characters, setting, problem, solution Math Estimation, measuring, metric system Science Boa constrictor and other snakes Social studies elements of a French village Language Descriptive language, initial sounds, sequencing

CHARACTERISTICS OF STUDENTS

Self-centered Developing language and concepts Rapid concept development Need to be involved in learning

LA PETITE CHENILLE

Language arts sequencing of events Math estimation and non-standard measurements Science life cycle of the butterfly, categories of foods Language naming foods, describing, expressing preferences, class book

PANDA BEAR, WHAT DO YOU SEE?

Reading/Language arts naming classroom objects Locating (near/far, under/over) Describing (color, sizes, shapes) Expressing preferences Identifying (show me or name) Following directions

PANDA BEAR - CONTINUED

Math counting Science Shapes (circle, triangle, square) and classifications Social studies classroom organization, classroom rules, places in classroom

INTEGRATED PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

Teacher observation of students with checklist Matching activities Following directions Where is panda?

PANDA BEAR WHO DO YOU SEE?

Language greeting classmates and staff Math counting Social studies getting to know classmates, greeting and leave taking.

INTEGRATED PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

Teacher observations with checklist Matching activities Panda says hello

Chinese K-5 FLES

Collaborators Purpose of Project

Develop a K-5 FLES Chinese language framework Develop proficiency-focused and standards-based curriculum and materials; Train teachers in best practices; Train teachers in classroom-based assessment and ELLOPA and SOPA;

Chinese K-5 FLES

Purpose of Project (continued) Research

Students progress in Chinese language proficiency; Attitudes toward the Chinese language and culture of students, administrators, teachers, parents and the community; Student progress on standardized assessments of English language arts and mathematics as compared to the progress of control groups.

Backward Design

Enduring Understanding Essential Questions Overarching Theme

Kindergarten: Who are we?

Who am I? What would my life be like if I were Chinese? Who are we at school? Who are we at home? Who are we in the community? How are you and I the same or different?

Hands on Practice
A. Language; B. Grade Level Work Group: 1 2 3 4 5 1. Introduce yourselves; 2. Identify recorder;

3. For your grade level, review a) Essential Questions; b) Grade Level Theme; c) Sub-themes;
4. Choose a sub-theme to focus on; 5. Brainstorm ideas of how to address that sub-theme and write them on the web; 6. Develop one idea in more detail; 7. Share with group.

Share your ideas

Designing Standards-based Curriculum: Elementary Schools

Marcia Harmon Rosenbusch, Director
National K-12 Foreign Language Resource Center Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa

mrosenbu@iastate.edu

Eileen Lorenz, Project Director

Chinese K-5 FLES Project Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL), Washington, DC

eileen@cal.org