Delivering the Message

communicative modes
The three communicative modes — interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational — are the basis of the Communication goal area of the National Standards. (To read more about each of these standards, go to National Standards.) These modes emphasize the context and purpose of communication, unlike the traditional four-skills approach of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, which treats skills as isolated units.

genre
Genre refers to a class or category of authentic text that has a distinctive and recognizable style, form, or content (for example, poetry, biography, cartoon, etc.). Working with genres in the foreign language classroom requires that both teacher and students be familiar with the conventions of each genre. This knowledge is also helpful to both interpreters (readers/listeners) and presenters (writers/speakers).

rubric
A rubric is an assessment tool that describes the components of a student task and the expectations for completion. An effective rubric establishes clear assessment criteria — such as the expectations for vocabulary recall, pronunciation, and creativity — and gives students guidelines for doing the task and teachers a method for evaluating it. A rubric also provides descriptive feedback so that students know how to improve their performance.

spiraling
Spiraling is the process of teaching a theme or language rule over time with increasing complexity to reinforce previous learning and help students develop a depth of understanding of the topic. Spiraling takes place throughout the year, and can continue across grade levels within a language program. For example, a lesson on weather can be spiraled as follows: (1) Novice students can describe the weather in short, formulaic sentences; (2) when the students move to the Intermediate level, they can talk about the weather and its effect on their activities, or gather information from broadcasts or newspapers; and (3) when the students are at the Pre-Advanced level, they can tell a story about a frightening weather-related event or follow a description of weather in a literary piece.

Check out these additional resources to explore the topic further.

ACTFL K-12 Performance Guidelines

American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century. National Standards in Foreign Language Education Collaborative Project. Yonkers, NY: American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, 1999. (To purchase the Standards document, go to www.actfl.org or call 1-800-627-0629.)

Belcher, Diane, and Alan Hirvela, eds. Linking Literacies: Perspectives on L2 Reading-Writing Connections. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2001.

Berg, E. C. “The Effects of Trained Peer Response on ESL Students’ Revision Types and Writing Quality.” Journal of Second Language Writing 8, no. 3 (1999): 215-241.

Bräuer, Gerd, ed. Writing Across Languages. Stamford, CT: Ablex, 2000.

Brookes, Arthur, and Peter Grundy. Beginning to Write: Writing Activities for Elementary and Intermediate Learners. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998.

Campbell, Cherry. Teaching Second-Language Writing: Interacting with Text. New York: Heinle & Heinle, 1998.

Candlin, Christopher N., and Ken Hyland, eds. Writing: Texts, Processes and Practices. London: Longman, 1999.

Carson, Joan C., and Ilona Leki, eds. Reading in the Composition Classroom: Second Language Perspectives. Boston: Heinle & Heinle, 1993.

Conrad, S. M., and L. M. Goldstein. “ESL Student Revision After Teacher-Written Comments: Text, Contexts, and Individuals.” Journal of Second Language Writing 8, no. 2 (1999): 147-179.

Ferris, D. Treatment of Error in Second Language Student Writing. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2002.

Grabe, William, and Robert B. Kaplan. Theory and Practice of Writing: An Applied Linguistic Perspective. London: Longman, 1996.

Hamp-Lyons, L. “Fourth Generation Writing Assessment.” In On Second Language Writing, edited by T. Silva and P. K. Matsuda, 117-127. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2001.

Harklau, L. “The Role of Writing in Classroom Second Language Acquisition.” Journal of Second Language Writing 11, no. 4 (2002): 329-350.

Hinkel, Eli. Second Language Writers’ Text: Linguistic and Rhetorical Features. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2002.

Holmes, V., and M. Moulton. “‘I Am Amazing to See My Write in Print’: Publishing from ESL Students’ Perspective.” TESOL Journal 3, no. 4 (1994): 14-16.

Johns, A. “Written Argumentation for Real Audiences: Suggestions for Teacher Research and Classroom Practice.” TESOL Quarterly 27, no. 1 (1993): 75-90.

Kroll, Barbara, ed. Second Language Writing: Research Insights for the Classroom. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1990.

Kroll, B., and J. Reid. “Guidelines for Designing Writing Prompts: Clarifications, Caveats, and Cautions.” Journal of Second Language Writing 3, no. 3 (1994): 231-255.

Kutz, Eleanor, Suzy Q. Groden, and Vivian Zamel. The Discovery of Competence: Teaching and Learning with Diverse Student Writers. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook, 1993.

Leki, I. “Coaching from the Margins: Issues in Written Response.” In Second Language Writing: Research Insights for the Classroom, edited by B. Kroll, 57-68. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1990.

Liu, Jun. Peer Response in Second Language Writing Classrooms. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2002.

Mangelsdorf, K., D. Roen, and V. Taylor. “ESL Students’ Use of Audience.” In A Sense of Audience in Written Communication, edited by G. Kirsch and D. Roen, 231-247. Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 1990.

Matsuda, P. K., and K. E. De Pew. “Early Second Language Writing: An Introduction.” Journal of Second Language Writing 11, no. 4 (2002): 261-268.

McKay, Sandra Lee. Agendas for Second Language Literacy. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1993.

Reichelt, M. “Toward a More Comprehensive View of L2 Writing: Foreign Language Writing in the U.S.” Journal of Second Language Writing 8, no. 2 (1999): 181-204.

Scott, Virginia Mitchell. “Teaching Foreign Language Writing.” In Rethinking Foreign Language Writing, 140-170. Boston: Heinle & Heinle, 1996. (This text is available in the Before You Watch section.)

Semke, H. “Effects of the Red Pen.” Foreign Language Annals 17 (1984): 195-202. (This text is available in the Before You Watch section.)

Sengupta, S. “Peer Evaluation: ‘I Am Not the Teacher.'” ELT Journal 52, no. 1 (1998): 19-27.

Severino, Carol, J. C. Guerra, and J. E. Butler, eds. Writing in Multicultural Settings. New York: MLA, 1997.

Silva, Tony, and Paul Kei Matsuda, eds. Landmark Essays on ESL Writing. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 2001.

Silva, Tony, and Paul Kei Matsuda, eds. On Second Language Writing. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 2001.

Silva, T., and P. K. Matsuda. “Writing.” In An Introduction to Applied Linguistics, edited by N. Schmitt, 251-266. London: Oxford University Press, 2002.

Truscott, J. “The Case Against Grammar Correction in L2 Writing Classes.” Language Learning 46 (1996): 327-369.

Weigle, Sara Cushing. Assessing Writing. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002.

Wiggins, Grant, and Jay McTighe. Understanding by Design. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2000.

The following lessons from Teaching Foreign Languages K-12: A Library of Classroom Practices are listed in the order in which they appear in the “Subjects Matter” video:

Lesson Title	Instructor	Language	Grade Level
Mapping Planet Earth	Stephanie Appel	French	2
Interpreting La Belle et la Bête	Michel Pasquier	French	11
Food Facts and Stories	John Pedini	Spanish	8
Routes to Culture	Pablo Muirhead	Spanish	9-10
Comparing Communities	Ghislaine Tulou	French	9-12
Chicken Pox	Jai Scott	French	K
Promoting Attractions of Japan	Yo Azama	Japanese	10-12
Interpreting Picasso’s Guernica	Meghan Zingle	Spanish	10
Politics of Art	Lori Langer de Ramirez	Spanish	12
Performing With Confidence	Yvette Heno	French	10-12
Communicating About Sports	Jie Gao	Chinese	6
Assessment Strategies	Wendie Santiago	Spanish	11-12

If you are taking this workshop for credit or professional development, submit the following assignments for session 3: Delivering the Message.

1. Examine the Research
   Read the article, then submit your written responses to the Reading Questions.
2. Examine the Topic
   Complete the interactive activity, then write an oral presentational task summary.
3. Put It Into Practice
   Complete one or both of the activities, then submit your design for a presentational writing task and/or a presentational speaking task.
4. Action Research Project
   Submit your completed action research project on any one of the eight session topics.
5. Reflect on Your Learning
   Review your notes, then write a summary of what you have learned and how you plan to apply it in your classroom.

The following is a description of each of the Five Cs goal areas and its related standards. To learn more about the standards, refer to the Standards and the Five Cs video in the Teaching Foreign Languages K-12 video library.

COMMUNICATION

Communicate in Languages Other Than English

Standard 1.1: Interpersonal Communication
Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.

Standard 1.2: Interpretive Communication
Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics.

Standard 1.3: Presentational Communication
Students present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics.

CULTURES

Gain Knowledge and Understanding of Other Cultures

Standard 2.1: Practices of Culture
Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of the culture studied.

Standard 2.2: Products of Culture
Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products and perspectives of the culture studied.

CONNECTIONS

Connect with Other Disciplines and Acquire Information

Standard 3.1: Making Connections
Students reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through the foreign language.

Standard 3.2: Acquiring Information
Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the foreign language and its cultures.

COMPARISONS

Develop Insight into the Nature of Language and Culture

Standard 4.1: Language Comparisons
Students demonstrate understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of the language studied and their own.

Standard 4.2: Cultural Comparisons
Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the cultures studied and their own.

COMMUNITIES

Participate in Multilingual Communities at Home and Around the World

Standard 5.1: School and Community
Students use the language both within and beyond the school setting.

Standard 5.2: Lifelong Learning
Students show evidence of becoming lifelong learners by using the language for personal enjoyment and enrichment.

Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century reprinted courtesy of the National Standards in Foreign Language Education Project, a program of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. Copyright 1999. All rights reserved.