World Language
Foreign Language Department Overview
A foreign language is a language indigenous to another country. It is also a language not spoken in the native country of the person referred to, i.e., an English speaker living in Japan can say that Japanese is a foreign language to him or her. These two characterizations do not exhaust the possible definitions, however, and the label is occasionally applied in ways that are variously misleading or factually inaccurate. Some children learn more than one language from birth or from a young age: they are bilingual or multilingual. These children can be said to have two, three or more mother tongues: neither language is foreign to that child, even if one language is a foreign language for the vast majority of people in the child's birth country. For example, a child learning English from her English father and Japanese at school in Japan can speak both English and Japanese, but neither is a foreign language to her.
Most schools around the world teach at least one foreign language. Compulsory lessons in a foreign language normally start at the end of primary school or the start of secondary school. In some countries, learners have lessons taken entirely in a foreign language.
In the 21st century the ability to communicate in more than one language is an essential skill for all Colorado learners. Learning multiple world languages, developing multiple perspectives and understanding other cultures are vital skills needed to both collaborate and compete in our global community. Languages link people locally and internationally. Interactions in languages and cultures introduce learners to new ways of thinking about, questioning, and interpreting the world. Through such interactions, learners acquire knowledge, skills, and attitudes that equip them for living and working in a world of diverse peoples, languages and cultures.
Most schools around the world teach at least one foreign language. Compulsory lessons in a foreign language normally start at the end of primary school or the start of secondary school. In some countries, learners have lessons taken entirely in a foreign language.
In the 21st century the ability to communicate in more than one language is an essential skill for all Colorado learners. Learning multiple world languages, developing multiple perspectives and understanding other cultures are vital skills needed to both collaborate and compete in our global community. Languages link people locally and internationally. Interactions in languages and cultures introduce learners to new ways of thinking about, questioning, and interpreting the world. Through such interactions, learners acquire knowledge, skills, and attitudes that equip them for living and working in a world of diverse peoples, languages and cultures.
Educational Content Areas
The power of Colorado’s education improvement efforts lies in having a comprehensive system consisting of relevant and rigorous standards, aligned and meaningful assessments, excellent teachers and school leaders, and high-performing schools and districts. All aspects of the system are continuously improving to advance student learning and prepare students to succeed in an increasingly competitive workforce The Colorado Academic Standards are the expectations of what students need to know and be able to do at the end of each grade. They also stand as the values and content organizers of what Colorado sees as the future skills and essential knowledge for our next generation to be more successful. State standards are the basis of the annual state assessment.
Colorado has 10 content areas:
Colorado has 10 content areas:
- Colorado Arts
- Music
- Visual Arts
- Theatre
- Dance
- Comprehensive Health and Physical Education
- Mathematics
- Reading, Writing, and Communicating
- Science
- Social Studies
- World Languages