What does a proficiency-based World Languages lesson actually look like?
New ACTFL-aligned lesson plans on TiS bridge the gap between understanding proficiency in theory and planning for it in a real classroom.
A proficiency-based lesson doesn't begin with:
"What grammar point are we covering today?"
It begins with something closer to:
"What do we want students to be able to do?"
That small change in thinking can have a big impact.
Perhaps students need to understand the main ideas in an authentic video. Maybe they need to ask and answer questions about their weekend. Or perhaps they need to present an opinion and support it with reasons.
The language still matters, of course. Vocabulary and grammar haven't suddenly disappeared.
They're just serving a bigger purpose: communication.
A proficiency-focused classroom gives students regular opportunities to work across the interpretive, interpersonal and presentational modes and gradually asks them to do more with the language they know.
We've recently added a collection of printable, proficiency-based lesson plans to TiS, scaffolded from Novice Low to Intermediate High and based on the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines.
They're designed to help bridge that sometimes awkward gap between understanding proficiency in theory and actually planning for it in a real classroom.
Because ultimately, proficiency isn't something students study.
It's something they develop by using the language.
See proficiency in action: start your free 14-day trial with This is School!
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