Foreign Language Standards
Understanding ACTFL's Five C's for Teaching French, Spanish & More
What are the Five C's? Teachers of French, Spanish, German, or any other foreign language need to know!
In 1996, the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) published the document Standards for Foreign Language Learning: Preparing for the 21st Century. Now in its third edition, ACTFL's Foreign Language Standards have set the framework for teachers, curriculum developers, and administrators to deliver improved language instruction.
The careful reading of this document is a must for professional foreign language teachers. The following is a brief description of ACTFL's Five C's of Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities. In order to illustrate the role of the national foreign language standards, imagine the Five C's as the components of a delicious, nutritious, international meal.
Communication
Communication is the meat of the standards. Like a main course that can be prepared by broiling, frying, baking, or grilling, communication also comes in different forms--speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Some examples of communicative classroom activities include conducting oral interviews, role-playing telephone conversations, or writing and reading e-mail messages. The creative ways to practice communication are endless.
Cultures
If communication is the meat, then cultures are the potatoes. You can't have one without the other. Understanding cultural differences is crucial for the 21st century. This standard focuses on demonstrating the target culture relationships between practices and perspectives, and between products and perspectives. Enjoy all of those fun, cultural explorations of holidays, foods, music, society, daily life, etc. and then help your students to really understand the "why" behind them. Culture is filling for the soul!
Connections
Once your main course is established, enrich it with a variety of appetizers, side dishes, and desserts. This standard addresses the need for foreign languages to connect to other disciplines. Foreign language learning is more powerful when the target language is used to delve into social studies, politics, literature, art, math, history, or science. After all, a meal of just meat and potatoes might taste great, but it is not as nutritious and exciting as a meal should be.
Comparisons
Let's not forget the wine. When tasting a new wine for the first time, you savor it, comparing the taste to something you know, like oak, apples, or berries. Let your students taste the target language and compare it to what they know. One of the benefits of studying a foreign language is a better understanding of one's own language and culture. Ask your students to stop and think about similarities and differences. Venn diagrams are one effective activity for making comparisons.
Communities
This standard is represented by the restaurants where the foreign language "meals" are served. Step outside of the four classroom walls and into multicultural communities as diverse as elegant four-star restaurants, family diners, and fast food joints. Locally, invite guest speakers to your class, visit museums or local ethnic restaurants, and attend relevant musical, theatrical, or sporting events.
The internet makes connecting with communities around the world easier than ever. Correspond with a class in Spain or enjoy a virtual visit to the Louvre. Consider packing your bags to travel abroad with your students for an educational tour, service trip, or exchange program. Encourage your students to become lifelong learners.
Be nourished by ACTFL's National Foreign Language Standards of the Five C's and make your language program stronger and more relevant than ever. Bon appétit!
To join the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages or to purchase a copy of Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century visit the ACTFL web site.
