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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 meant for native speakers, and give talks that explain or persuade. They dig into why a culture does things a certain way and compare it honestly to their own. By spring, students can follow a news clip, debate a topic, and use the language outside of school.

  • Real conversations
  • Reading for meaning
  • Presentations
  • Culture and perspective
  • Comparing languages
  • Using language beyond class
Source: Vermont Common Core State 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

    Holding real conversations

    Students start the year speaking and writing in the new language about familiar topics. They trade opinions, ask follow-up questions, and keep a conversation going without falling back on English.

  2. 2

    Reading and listening for meaning

    Students work with articles, videos, and short stories made for native speakers. They pull out the main idea, catch the tone, and notice what the writer or speaker leaves unsaid.

  3. 3

    Culture behind the words

    Students dig into why people in another country do things a certain way, from holidays to daily habits to popular music. They compare those patterns with life at home and explain what they notice.

  4. 4

    Presenting and persuading

    Students give talks, write essays, and record videos that inform or convince an audience. They adjust their words for a friend, a teacher, or a stranger, and back up their points with examples.

  5. 5

    Using the language outside class

    Students take the language into the real world. They follow news in the language, connect with speakers online or in town, and set personal goals for how they want to keep using it after the course ends.

Mastery Learning Standards
The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 11.
Communication

  • Learners understand, interpret

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

    Students listen to, read, or watch material on unfamiliar topics and pull out the meaning, details, and intent behind what was said or written.

  • Learners interact and negotiate meaning in spoken, signed

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

    Students hold back-and-forth conversations in the language they're learning, adjusting what they say based on how the other person responds. They share ideas, reactions, and opinions, not just memorized phrases.

  • Learners present information, concepts

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

    Students prepare and deliver presentations in the language they're learning, adjusting their words and tone for different audiences. They inform, explain, or make an argument depending on the task.

Cultures

  • Learners use the language to investigate, explain

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

    Students explain why people in another culture do things the way they do, connecting everyday customs to the values and beliefs behind them.

  • Learners use the language to investigate, explain

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

    Students explain how objects, traditions, and art from another culture connect to what people in that culture value or believe. They use the target language to do it.

Connections

  • Learners build, reinforce

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

    Students use a second language to dig into topics from science, history, or math, applying what they know from other classes to think through real problems in that language.

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

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

    Students read, listen to, or watch real content in the target language, then weigh what different sources and cultural viewpoints actually say. They practice thinking critically across languages, not just translating words.

Comparisons

  • Learners use the language to investigate, explain

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

    Students study how the new language works differently from their own, then explain what those differences reveal about how languages are built.

  • Learners use the language to investigate, explain

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

    Students compare their own culture with the cultures they're studying, then explain in the target language 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…

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

    Students use the language they are learning to talk and work with people outside class, including in real communities and across cultures. The focus is on applying the language where it actually matters.

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

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

    Students set personal goals for their language learning and look back on how far they've come, whether they're using the language for fun, for school, or to open new opportunities.

Common Questions
  • What does this stage of language learning look like overall?

    Students move past memorized phrases and start holding real conversations, reading articles or short stories, and giving short talks on familiar topics. They can describe, ask, and react in the language without needing everything translated first.

  • How can I help at home if I do not speak the language?

    Ask students to tell about their day, a video they watched, or a recipe in the language, then translate it back for you. Five minutes of regular talking out loud builds more fluency than another worksheet.

  • What should I look for to know my child is making real progress?

    Listen for longer answers, fewer pauses, and willingness to guess when stuck. Reading a short article and summarizing it, or writing a paragraph without looking up every word, are good signs students are moving from beginner to comfortable.

  • How should I sequence speaking, listening, reading, and writing across the year?

    Build each unit around a topic students care about, then pull all four skills through it. Start with listening and reading inputs, move to paired conversation, and end with a short presentation or written piece so the output rests on real input.

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

    Past and future tenses, connecting words, and asking follow-up questions tend to slip. Plan short warm-ups that recycle these across units instead of teaching them once and moving on.

  • How much culture should be part of the class?

    Culture belongs in almost every lesson, not just on a holiday or food day. Pair a grammar point with a short clip, song, or article from the culture so students see how people actually use the language and why customs make sense to the people living them.

  • What can students do outside of class to keep growing?

    Watch shows with subtitles in the target language, follow a creator who posts in it, or message a pen pal. Even ten minutes a day of real input from something interesting beats an hour of flashcards.

  • How do I know students are ready for the next level?

    By year end, students should handle an unplanned conversation on a familiar topic, read a short authentic article and explain the main ideas, and write a clear paragraph with connected sentences. If those feel steady, they are ready.