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Learning Standards Standards

What does a student learn in ?

This is the year the new language stops feeling like a class and starts feeling like a tool. Students hold real conversations, read articles and stories, and give talks that inform or persuade a specific audience. They dig into how people in another culture actually live and think, and compare it honestly to their own. By spring, students can discuss a current topic with a native speaker and explain what they learned.

  • Real conversations
  • Reading and listening
  • Presentations
  • Culture and perspective
  • Comparing languages
  • Using language beyond class
Source: Connecticut Connecticut Core Standards
Year at a glance
How the year usually goes. Every school and district set their own curriculum, so treat this as a guide, not official pacing.
  1. 1

    Conversations that flow

    Students start the year holding real conversations in the new language. They share opinions, ask follow-up questions, and keep talking when they hit a word they do not know.

  2. 2

    Reading and listening for meaning

    Students take in articles, videos, and audio made for native speakers. They pick out the main idea, notice tone, and explain what the speaker or writer is really saying.

  3. 3

    Culture behind the language

    Students look at how people in other countries live, celebrate, and see the world. They compare those habits and viewpoints to their own and explain why the differences exist.

  4. 4

    Presenting ideas to an audience

    Students give talks, write essays, and make videos in the language to inform or persuade. They adjust their words and tone depending on who is watching or reading.

  5. 5

    Using the language beyond class

    Students use the language outside the classroom by reading news, talking with speakers online, or working on projects tied to other subjects. They set personal goals and track their own progress.

Mastery Learning Standards
The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 12.
Communication

  • Learners understand, interpret

    CT-WL.1.1.wl-checkpoint-c
    Checkpoint C

    Students read, listen to, and watch materials on a range of topics in the target language, then pull out meaning and think critically about what was said or shown.

  • Learners interact and negotiate meaning in spoken, signed

    CT-WL.1.2.wl-checkpoint-c
    Checkpoint C

    Students hold back-and-forth conversations in the language they are learning, working through misunderstandings to share ideas, reactions, and opinions with another person.

  • Learners present information, concepts

    CT-WL.1.3.wl-checkpoint-c
    Checkpoint C

    Students give prepared presentations on a range of topics, adjusting their language and format to fit the audience, whether that means speaking, writing, or creating something visual.

Cultures

  • Learners use the language to investigate, explain

    CT-WL.2.1.wl-checkpoint-c
    Checkpoint C

    Students dig into how a culture's everyday habits and traditions connect to what people in that culture believe and value. They explain those connections in the language they're learning.

  • Learners use the language to investigate, explain

    CT-WL.2.2.wl-checkpoint-c
    Checkpoint C

    Students examine cultural objects, art, and traditions in the target language to explain what those things reveal about how people in that culture think and what they value.

Connections

  • Learners build, reinforce

    CT-WL.3.1.wl-checkpoint-c
    Checkpoint C

    Students use the language they are learning to explore topics from other subjects, like history or science, and work through real problems. The language becomes a thinking tool, not just a communication tool.

  • Learners access and evaluate information and diverse perspectives that are…

    CT-WL.3.2.wl-checkpoint-c
    Checkpoint C

    Students read, listen to, or watch real content in the target language, then judge how reliable or useful that information is. This builds the habit of seeking out viewpoints they wouldn't find in their first language.

Comparisons

  • Learners use the language to investigate, explain

    CT-WL.4.1.wl-checkpoint-c
    Checkpoint C

    Students compare how the new language they are learning works versus how their own language works, noticing differences in grammar, word order, or expression. That reflection deepens understanding of both languages.

  • Learners use the language to investigate, explain

    CT-WL.4.2.wl-checkpoint-c
    Checkpoint C

    Students look at a practice, product, or belief from another culture and compare it to their own, using the target language to explain what's similar, what's different, and what those differences reveal.

Communities

  • Learners use the language both within and beyond the classroom to interact and…

    CT-WL.5.1.wl-checkpoint-c
    Checkpoint C

    Students use their new language outside of class, not just during lessons. They talk, write, or work with people in their community or across the world to get real things done.

  • Learners set goals and reflect on their progress in using languages for…

    CT-WL.5.2.wl-checkpoint-c
    Checkpoint C

    Students choose goals for using a new language outside school, then look back and honestly assess how far they've come. The focus is on learning a language for real life, not just for a grade.

Common Questions
  • What should students be able to do in the language by the end of this stage?

    Students should hold a real conversation on familiar topics, read a news article or short story and get the main ideas, and write a clear paragraph or two with opinions and reasons. They can also give a short talk and adjust how they speak depending on who is listening.

  • How can families help at home if no one speaks the language?

    Pick a show, song, or sports clip in the language and watch it together for ten minutes. Ask what the story was about and one new word picked up. Curiosity matters more than correct grammar at home.

  • My child says class feels hard this year. Is that normal?

    Yes. At this stage students move from memorized phrases to real conversations and longer reading, so it feels harder before it feels easier. Steady practice four or five days a week, even fifteen minutes, helps more than long weekend sessions.

  • How should the year be sequenced across the three modes?

    Build each unit around a topic and rotate through listening and reading, conversation, and a short presentation or written piece. Front-load input in the first half of a unit so students have language to use before they are asked to produce it.

  • Which skills usually need the most reteaching at this level?

    Past and future time frames, connecting words for longer sentences, and negotiating meaning when a conversation breaks down. Plan to revisit these in every unit rather than teaching them once and moving on.

  • How much should culture drive the units versus grammar?

    Let culture set the topic and grammar serve the topic. A unit on food, school life, or local traditions in the target culture gives a reason to use comparisons, opinions, and past tense, which is more durable than a grammar-first sequence.

  • How can students keep growing outside of class?

    Find one habit that fits real life: a podcast on the commute, a cooking video on the weekend, a pen pal, or a club. Ten minutes a day with something a student actually enjoys beats an hour of drills.

  • How do I know if a student is ready for the next level?

    A ready student can talk for a few minutes on a familiar topic without freezing, read a short authentic text and explain the main idea, and write a clear paragraph with past, present, and future. They also recover when they do not know a word, instead of switching to English.