Preparation Manual

Pedagogy

Competency 001—The LOTE teacher knows and understands language-learning theories and theories of second-language acquisition and their application to LOTE instruction and assessment to promote the learning goals defined in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for LOTE and promote all students' success as language learners.

1. A brochure for a K–6 foreign-language program states that the program goals are to introduce students to language learning, to help students become aware of and appreciate other cultures, to enhance students' understanding of English and to motivate students to study another language. Which of the following types of programs is described above?

1. An immersion program
2. A Foreign Language in the Elementary School (FLES) program
3. A bilingual education program
4. A Foreign Language Experience (FLEX) program

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Option D is correct because the program described offers limited instruction in a foreign language, focusing primarily on fostering foreign-language and cultural awareness and appreciation. Options A and C are incorrect because the students are not receiving all (A) or half (C) of their instruction in the target language. Option B is incorrect because the students are not participating in a sequential program of language instruction in order to reach a given proficiency level.

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2. A foreign-language teacher is planning a unit on a historical figure. Which of the following activities is the most appropriate for a second-grade immersion class?

1. Completing worksheets for practice with past-tense verb forms so students can speak and write about the historical figure's life
2. Reading storybooks in the target language to students about the historical figure's life and contributions to society
3. Translating the most important events of the historical figure's life into the students' first language
4. Showing a video in English about current events in the country where the historical figure was born

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Option B is correct because reading storybooks in the target language provides information in an accessible format and is consistent with an immersion program approach. Option A is incorrect because the use of past-tense verb forms would likely be too difficult for the second-grade level, and completing the worksheets would not necessarily prepare the students to be able to speak and write about the historical figure's life in the past tense, two quite complex tasks. Options C and D are incorrect because they describe activities that do not use the target language and that are therefore unsuitable for an immersion class.

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3. A teacher of a beginning foreign-language class would like to introduce to Novice-Mid learners some new vocabulary related to food and drink. Which of the following instructional strategies would be beneficial to aural learners in the teacher's classroom? Select all that apply.

1. Asking students to complete a fill-in-the-blank exercise while listening to a recorded dialogue set in a restaurant
2. Bringing food and drink from the target culture into the classroom for students to try
3. Having students read authentic restaurant menus written in the target language
4. Projecting photos, saying each word, and having students repeat the words aloud

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Options A and D are correct because the students will hear the words spoken (A, D) and say the words aloud themselves (D) to reinforce them in their memory. Options B and C are incorrect because neither trying food and drink nor reading menus in the target language involves the sense of hearing.

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Competency 002—The LOTE teacher understands and applies theories, strategies and practices of second-language instruction and assessment to promote students' progress in all areas of language learning as defined in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for LOTE.

4. According to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Proficiency Guidelines 2012, which of the following reading tasks would best be assigned to Novice High-level learners?

1. Identifying cultural references in the text
2. Deducing meaning through visual clues
3. Discussing the style of the text
4. Making inferences about the text

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Option B is correct because, according to the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines 2012, novice-level students are able to arrive at the meaning of texts that deal with familiar topics or that contain visual aids. Options A, C, and D are incorrect because identifying cultural references, discussing style, and making inferences are tasks that are too difficult for a novice-level learner.

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Competency 003—The LOTE teacher understands and applies strategies and approaches for implementing the TEKS for LOTE to promote students' ability to communicate in the target language, gain knowledge and understanding of other cultures, connect with other disciplines and acquire information, make comparisons that develop insight into the nature of language and culture and participate in multilingual communities at home and around the world.

5. The foreign-language teacher of an intermediate-level class wants to encourage extemporaneous speaking among students. Which of the following would be the most appropriate activity to foster the skill for students at this level?

1. Students memorize a short poem of their choice in the target language and recite it to the class using props.
2. Students participate in an impromptu debate on a controversial issue where they need to justify their opinion in the target language.
3. Student teams prepare skits on a familiar topic and act them out while reading from a script.
4. Students practice and perform a role-play in the target language about a unit studied in class.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Option D is correct because practicing and performing a role-play are activities that involve extemporaneous speaking. Options A and C are incorrect because reciting a poem that is memorized and acting out a scripted skit are not instances of spontaneous speech. Option B is incorrect because, although participating in an impromptu debate involves extemporaneous speaking, justifying opinions in the target language without preparation is not a task that students at the intermediate level would typically be able to complete.

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6. Which of the following would be the most appropriate means for a foreign-language teacher to encourage a high school novice-level foreign-language class to gain insights into the target culture?

1. Inviting a teacher who is from the target culture to teach a unit on another discipline
2. Having students listen to recorded interviews featuring young people from various countries where the target language is spoken
3. Asking students to download music from target-language countries in styles similar to those of their favorite artists
4. Having students summarize chapters from a subject-area textbook on the target culture

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Option C is correct because downloading music from target-language countries in styles similar to those of the students' favorite artists would encourage observation and comparison. Options A and D are incorrect because having students participate in a lesson on another discipline or summarize chapters from a subject-area textbook will not necessarily yield insight into the target culture. Option B is incorrect because the recorded interviews may not necessarily contain any cultural content.

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7. A teacher is planning a lesson that aims to improve intermediate world-language students' presentational speaking skills. Which of the following strategies would be best suited to meet the teacher's instructional goal?

1. Students write an essay in the target language on the importance of studying foreign languages.
2. Students discuss with each other in the target language their motivations for studying a foreign language.
3. Students deliver a short, scripted presentation in the target language on the importance of studying foreign languages.
4. Students perform skits featuring dialogues that illustrate both the benefits and challenges of studying foreign languages.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Option C is correct because delivering a short, scripted presentation is an activity that develops speaking in the presentational mode. Option A is incorrect because writing an essay in the target language does not provide students any opportunity to speak. Options B and D are incorrect because conversations and skits give students the opportunity to develop their interpersonal rather than presentational speaking skills.

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Competency 003—The LOTE teacher understands and applies strategies and approaches for implementing the TEKS for LOTE to promote students' ability to communicate in the target language, gain knowledge and understanding of other cultures, connect with other disciplines and acquire information, make comparisons that develop insight into the nature of language and culture and participate in multilingual communities at home and around the world.

8. Which example below best represents an activity that demonstrates how high school students might meet the Communities standard?

1. Students are asked to complete several service-learning projects each semester in the local target-language cultural center.
2. Students read an article about deforestation published in a target-country newspaper and make a list of practices that help protect forests.
3. Students listen to an Internet podcast about a recent target-country film festival and answer five multiple-choice questions about the content.
4. Students in the target-language club meet after school to make plans for the Fall Festival.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Option A is correct because the service-learning projects take place outside of the school, in the target-language community (at a local cultural center). Options B, C and D are incorrect because they do not involve any activities in which students engage directly with the target-language community.

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9. During a unit on greetings and leave-takings, students role-play to introduce themselves to other students and to adults by using appropriate levels of formality. Which supporting standard is addressed through this activity?

1. Interpretive Communication, Standard 1.2
2. Presentational Communication, Standard 1.3
3. Products and Perspectives of Cultures, Standard 2.2
4. Language Comparisons, Standard 4.1

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Option D is correct because performing the role-play and having to decide which register to use lead students to make comparisons between conventions of the target language and culture and their own. Options A and B are incorrect because the students are engaging primarily in interpersonal communication, rather than interpretive or presentational communication. Option C is incorrect because the students are introducing themselves but not discussing any particular products or perspectives of the target culture.

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10. Throughout the course of the language program, a high school foreign-language teacher introduced students to the works of several artists well known in the target culture. Since then, many of the students have visited local art exhibitions featuring these artists, and a few have even decided to participate  in a painting workshop over the summer in the target country. The students' outcomes are best reflected in which of the following standards?

1. Standard 1.2: Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics.
2. Standard 1.3: Students present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics.
3. Standard 4.1: Students demonstrate understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of the language studied and their own.
4. Standard 5.2: Students show evidence of becoming life-long learners by using the language for personal enjoyment and enrichment.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Option D is correct because the students are enriching their lives by experiencing a product of the target culture (art) beyond the classroom setting. Moreover, their language-learning supports and encourages further learning (painting) and interaction with the target-language community. Option A is incorrect because while participating in a painting workshop in the target country may involve some interpretation of language, the focus of this activity and of visiting local art exhibitions is on personal enrichment and community engagement rather than developing interpretive language skills. Option B is incorrect because the students are not engaging in any presentational speaking. Option C is incorrect because the students are not making comparisons between the target language and their native language.

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11. The teacher of an advanced foreign-language class is preparing a lesson on education in the target culture. Which of the following resources would give students the best opportunity to make comparisons between the target culture and their own?

1. Students read an article about the educational system in one of the target-language countries, including the different courses of study available to young people.
2. Students interview their classmates using a brief questionnaire and then watch a short video of target-language speakers providing answers to these same questions.
3. Students reflect upon their own experiences and make an oral presentation to the class in the target language, using only note cards.
4. Students work in small groups to record a short skit in the target language in which they act out a scene set in a target-language school.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Option B is correct because interviewing classmates and then watching target-language speakers' responses on the same topics lead students to draw comparisons between the target culture and their own. Options A, C, and D are incorrect because the students are only focusing on one culture in these activities rather than making comparisons between the two.

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12. Students in an advanced-level foreign-language class give oral presentations about candidates representing various political parties in a target-language country in the week leading up to an important election there. Which of the following standards does the activity address?

1. Standard 1.1: Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.
2. Standard 3.1: Students reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through the foreign language.
3. Standard 4.1: Students demonstrate understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of the language studied and their own.
4. Standard 4.2: Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the cultures studied and their own.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Option B is correct because making presentations about political candidates in  a target-language country will help students to increase their knowledge of another discipline (politics). Option A is incorrect because the students are using the presentational mode in this activity rather than negotiating meaning and exchanging information via the interpersonal mode. Options C and D are incorrect because the students are presenting information about the target culture but not making any comparisons between the target culture and language and their own.

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Competency 002—The LOTE teacher understands and applies theories, strategies and practices of second-language instruction and assessment to promote students' progress in all areas of language learning as defined in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for LOTE.

13. Which of the following is the purpose of a summative assessment?

1. To determine the level of comprehension of a listening activity
2. To determine whether a student can use in a written composition the lexical elements studied in a unit
3. To determine the level of mastery of material studied in one chapter of a unit
4. To determine a student's level of proficiency at the end of a program of study

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Option D is correct because the purpose of a summative assessment is to measure a student's cumulative acquired proficiency. Option A is incorrect because a summative assessment is not focused on interpretive listening skills. Options B and C are incorrect because a summative assessment is not focused on determining mastery of content from one particular unit.

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14. One of the goals of a foreign-language program is that students become able to communicate orally in the present tense, talking about themselves and their personal interests. How can a teacher demonstrate to parents and school officials that that goal has been achieved?

1. By making a bulletin board on which are posted the highest written test scores of all of the students enrolled in foreign languages
2. By keeping a portfolio of each student's tests and quizzes
3. By asking students to keep a journal of new words they have learned
4. By recording students interviewing each other in class while speaking the target language

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Option D is correct because recordings of students interviewing each other will provide direct evidence that students are able to speak in the target language. Option A is incorrect because written test scores are not reliable indicators of a student's oral proficiency level. Option B is incorrect because students' tests and quizzes only provide evidence of their interpretive and written production skills, but not of their speaking skills in the target language. Option C is incorrect because it describes an activity that provides evidence of acquired vocabulary without indicating a student's ability to incorporate the vocabulary into effective oral communication in the target language.

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15. Which of the following types of assessment instruments could be scored holistically? Select all that apply.

1. A written composition
2. An oral presentation
3. A true-false quiz
4. A simulated conversation

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Options A, B and D are correct because a written composition, an oral presentation, and a simulated conversation can all be scored holistically; in other words, they can be assessed via a general impression of an overall proficiency level. Option C is incorrect because a true-false quiz must be scored analytically, or separated into parts, where each component comprises a part of the total score.

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16. A local organization seeking volunteers with foreign-language skills is planning a visit to a teacher's school. Which of the following could a foreign-language teacher at the school use to demonstrate both to school administrators and to the volunteer supervisor that students' communicative skills in the target language are adequate?

1. Having students respond as a class to teacher-generated questions in the target language
2. Having students perform rehearsed dialogues in the target language
3. Providing students' grades to the administrators and volunteer supervisor
4. Allowing students to respond to questions from the volunteer supervisor in the target language

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Option D is correct because allowing students to respond to questions in the target language will give them the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to communicate effectively. Option A is incorrect because there is no evidence of individual students' communicative skills. Option B is incorrect because performing rehearsed lines will not give any indication of students' ability to communicate in a real-world context. Option C is incorrect because test grades, although good supportive evidence, would not demonstrate actual communicative skills.

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17. A teacher is preparing a unit on telling time. While preparing the lesson plan, the teacher includes the following activities: asking students the time throughout the class period; having students listen to a recording of a native speaker describing the daily schedule; and having students ask questions in pairs to obtain information about the daily schedule of a classmate. Which of the following statements best describes the teacher's actions?

1. The teacher is designing some informal assessment instruments.
2. The teacher is reflecting on the assessment.
3. The teacher is reporting assessment results to the students.
4. The teacher is guiding students in a self-assessment.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Option A is correct because frequently asking the students to tell the time and observing them during a communicative pair-work activity are non-graded exercises incorporated into class time that give the teacher opportunities to evaluate students' progress in mastering the unit. Option B is incorrect because the teacher is preparing, not evaluating, the assessment. Option C is incorrect because the teacher is not providing students with any feedback on their language skills. Option D is incorrect because the teacher is not directing students to reflect upon their own language learning.

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