Four-Week High School Credit Program Syllabus Lac Du Bois, Bemidji – Concordia Language Villages Accredited by Cognia
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Four-Week High School Credit Program Syllabus Lac du Bois, Bemidji – Concordia Language Villages Accredited by Cognia Course Title: One Year of French High School Language Study Levels: Beginner through advanced—customized to student needs and personal or academic goals. Leveled class size ranges from 4–9 students. The overall ratio of teachers and counseling staff to students is 1 to 4. Teachers: Teachers and administrators in the Concordia Language Villages Credit Programs have strong backgrounds in teaching language and culture, as well as other domains. They include both native speakers of the target language and Americans with extensive experience abroad. Most are primary or secondary school teachers, practicing teachers in their own country, or have an M.A. or Ph.D. qualifying them to be instructors. Program Credits: One year of high school credit. Level determined by proficiency assessment upon arrival. Accreditation Details: Concordia Language Villages is accredited by Cognia, a non-partisan accreditation body with over 100 years’ experience. Our program meets or exceeds the guidelines for foreign language credit established by State Departments of Education across the country by achieving a minimum of 180 high-quality instructional hours over the course of four weeks. Learning Objectives: This intensive program meets a variety of objectives related to linguistic proficiency, cultural competency, and positive engagement in local and global communities. The course is designed to meet both the Concordia Language Villages mission and the World-Readiness Standards of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. It supports high school students’ learning needs in public and private schools, homeschooling environments, International Baccalaureate diploma programs, language immersion schools, and those seeking alternative learning environments and credentials, such as the Seal of Biliteracy and Global Education Achievement Certificate. All high school credit instruction serves broader institutional goals such as the Concordia Language Villages mission of inspiring courageous global citizens. A courageous global citizen lives responsibly by: ● Appreciating and seeking to understand diverse cultural perspectives; ● Communicating with confidence and cultural sensitivity in multiple languages; ● Respecting human dignity and cultivating compassion; ● Engaging critically and creatively with issues that transcend boundaries; and ● Advancing a more just, peaceful, and sustainable world for all. Concordia Language Villages’ programs meet all of the objectives of the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Language Learning. For a summary of our program’s alignment with the national standards, please visit our website. Curriculum and Instruction: The Four-Week High School Credit Program consists of a minimum of 180 hours of direct instruction and language and culture practice. A typical day includes, conservatively, 8.5 hours of direct instruction, development of comprehension skills, conversation, and a wide range of structured activities in the target language. Villagers carry what they learn in their courses into the other areas of the Village, where they are immersed and surrounded by a large number of proficient speakers and opportunities to practice, apply and extend their learning. For information about the broader philosophy of learning in the Concordia Language Villages, visit our description of the CLVway. Villagers are grouped into classes based on language level and goal similarity. They are guided in their learning by their principal teacher in a core class who helps them set initial goals, reflect on their progress, shape their portfolio and projects, and achieve their learning goals. They also take two elective classes during the session. These have included documentary filmmaking, improvisational theater, book making and bookbinding with authentic African materials, West- African instrument-making, poetry, linguistics and phonetics, and Global Summit—preparing to represent a francophone country in the International Day event on a global topic. In addition to their primary class and electives, they attend “Stages.” These are project-based learning opportunities and lead villagers to share with the Village—creating a bakery, presenting a play, leading a whole-Village cultural simulation. All credit villagers participate in an overnight camping experience with their teachers and classmates, a mini-program called “Belle Etoile.” They learn to set up camp, build the fire, cook the meal, and take hikes and play in the State Park near our Village. The overnight also includes collaborative group games and a solo reflection time. The daily schedule allows villagers to engage in French in various topics with cultural and historical themes. Each day at Lac du Bois centers on a theme that ranges from geographical -- such as Cameroon, Québec, Provence, or Belgium - to historical or cultural -- such as May 1968, Chocolate, Election in France, or Tin Tin. Meals are a cornerstone of the program and the daily themes. Skits showcase the day’s theme at mealtimes, songs are taught that relate to the era or place, and vocabulary is taught that relates directly to the theme. The Culinary Arts staff design the day’s menu to reflect the theme and offer new and classic cuisine for the Village to try. Dishes are presented through skits for villagers to learn the related vocabulary and cultural significance of the dishes. Villagers use the target language as the primary language of communication throughout the program. Villagers also have the opportunity to learn from the entire staff of approximately 35 teachers and counselors in directed activities, cabin group activities, family eating groups, and other Village activities. Through leadership opportunities, living in a community, taking risks, and playing in the target language, villagers are encouraged to participate as they choose to engage but also to try new things in group projects and with their cabin mates. The following is a summary of key elements of curriculum and instruction featured specifically in the intensive Four- Week High School Credit Program: ● Small credit program classes of 4–9 villagers and an overall ratio of one (target language proficient) staff member to four villagers ● Project-based learning (individual and thematic) ● Linguistic and cultural immersion in a simulated “Village” in which villagers use the target language as the primary language of communication ● Exploration of global issues and issues affecting the target cultures ● Opportunity for villagers to reflect on learning and set and fulfill personal goals ● Interaction with a variety of global perspectives and cultural beliefs ● A supportive learning community in a positive, residential atmosphere that fosters confidence and collaboration ● Character development through leadership opportunities, living in a community, taking risks, and playing in the target language ● Hands-on experiential learning and language practice in simulated and real situations ● Interdisciplinary, content-based instruction in the areas of natural and social sciences and arts and humanities ● Learning in nature and about our natural world ● Engagement with culturally-authentic products and practices Daily Schedule (subject to change): 8h00 Wake up/Clean cabins/Set tables 8h30 Daily question or challenge to enter the dining hall 8h45 Breakfast 9h30 Class 1 10h45 Snack break (bank open) 11h15 Directed Activity 12h00 Song time 1 12h20 Meal presentation 12h30 Lunch/mail 13h30 Cleaning/Rest time 14h50 Free time (bank and stores open, activities offered, waterfront open) 16h05 Song time 2 14h25 Stages-Project Class 17h15 Class 2 18h15 Meal presentation 18h30 Dinner 19h15 Mono mystérieux (awards for villagers’ efforts to speak with staff) 19h30 Pause in courtyard 19h45 Plaisirs d’Amour (“soap opera”) 20h00 Evening program 20h45/21h00 Camp fire 22h00 Lights out Evaluation: Both formative and summative assessments are used with an emphasis on performance and proficiency. Credit villagers begin with several placement evaluations and have frequent opportunities to demonstrate their language and culture learning through activity-based assessment tools, as well as more traditional quizzes and tests. Each credit villager also completes a comprehensive portfolio documenting his or her own learning and progress at the Village. Final Evaluations include: ● Final grade based on multiple areas of assessment (see below) ● Descriptions of villager proficiency and skills in three modes of communication: interpersonal, presentational, and interpretive. Individuals can compare these descriptions to common proficiency scales such as ACTFL, Common European Framework, or College Board Continuum. Grading Criteria (subject to change): Village Life 20% Villagers participate in several aspects of the village including required Super Français (speaking 100% in French), announcing what all villagers will compost during meals that day, working at the village café, etc. Assessments 30% Halfway through the course and during the fourth week, there are oral and written assessments on what villagers have learned. Projects 30% Villagers work on a class project directed by their instructor generally centered on topics related to francophone cultures. Their principal teacher helps them set initial goals, reflect on their progress, and achieve their learning goals. Additionally, projects in elective courses are designed to enhance villagers’ speaking and