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What does a student learn in ?

This is the year a new language stops being vocabulary lists and starts being real conversation. Students introduce themselves, ask and answer questions, and share simple opinions about everyday topics like school, food, family, and free time. They also start noticing how the new culture does things differently, from greetings to holidays to daily routines. By spring, students can hold a short back-and-forth conversation and write a few sentences about themselves in the new language.

  • Everyday conversation
  • Listening and reading
  • Speaking basics
  • Culture and traditions
  • Comparing languages
Source: Maryland Maryland College and Career-Ready Standards
Mastery Learning Standards
The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 7.
Communication
  • Learners understand, interpret

    Checkpoint A

    Students listen to, read, or watch material in a new language and show they understand the main ideas. Topics range from everyday conversations to simple stories and short videos.

  • Learners interact and negotiate meaning in spoken, signed

    Checkpoint A

    Students hold short conversations in the target language, asking questions and responding to keep the exchange going. They share facts, reactions, and simple opinions with a partner.

  • Learners present information, concepts

    Checkpoint A

    Students share information or tell a story in the language they are learning, choosing words and details that fit the audience. They might speak, write, or create something visual to get their point across.

Cultures
  • Learners use the language to investigate, explain

    Checkpoint A

    Students look at everyday habits and customs from another culture, such as greetings, meals, or celebrations, and explain what those traditions reveal about how people in that culture see the world.

  • Learners use the language to investigate, explain

    Checkpoint A

    Students look at objects, art, food, or traditions from another culture and explain what those things reveal about how people in that culture think and what they value.

Connections
  • Learners build, reinforce

    Checkpoint A

    Learning a new language gives students a way into other subjects. They practice thinking through problems and ideas using the new language, not just vocabulary drills.

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

    Checkpoint A

    Students read, watch, or listen to real content in another language to find information they couldn't get any other way. That might mean a news story, a recipe, or a conversation that opens up how people in another culture see the world.

Comparisons
  • Learners use the language to investigate, explain

    Checkpoint A

    Students notice how the new language works differently from their own. They compare things like word order, verb forms, or how questions are built, and use those observations to understand both languages better.

  • Learners use the language to investigate, explain

    Checkpoint A

    Students look at everyday life in another culture (meals, greetings, celebrations) and compare what they find to their own home culture. They use the language they're learning to explain what's similar, what's different, and what those differences mean.

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

    Checkpoint A

    Students use the language they are learning to talk with real people outside class, not just complete assignments. That might mean a conversation with a neighbor, a pen pal, or someone in the community who speaks the language.

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

    Checkpoint A

    Students pick a personal language goal, like learning words for a hobby or a trip, then look back at how far they've come. The focus is on using a new language in real life, not just for class.