Study Guide

Field 079: Cherokee 
Sample Language Acquisition and Instruction Assignment

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Test Directions for the Language Acquisition and Instruction Assignment

[ start bold Note to examinee: end bold  These test directions are provided here to familiarize you with the directions you will see on the actual test. They may refer to features whose functionality is not enabled in this study guide.]

This section of the test consists of a language acquisition assignment. Remember to provide details to support your response.

 start bold Your response may be written in either English or the target language. end bold  This should be your original work, written in your own words, and not copied or paraphrased from some other work. You may use the erasable notebooklet to make notes, write an outline, or otherwise prepare your response. If you choose to respond in English, type your response in the response box presented on-screen. If you choose to respond in the target language, your final response must be written on the response sheets provided. Please label your two response sheets with the appropriate assignment (e.g., "Language Acquisition and Instruction"). Your response sheets must be scanned using the scanner provided at your workstation.

 start bold Instructions for scanning your response sheets are available by clicking the "Scanning Help" button at the top of the screen. end bold 

Your response to the assignment will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:

 start bold PURPOSE: end bold   the extent to which the response achieves the purpose of the assignment

 start bold SUBJECT MATTER KNOWLEDGE: end bold   accuracy and appropriateness in the application of subject matter knowledge

 start bold SUPPORT: end bold   quality and relevance of supporting details

 start bold RATIONALE: end bold   soundness of argument and degree of understanding of the subject matter

Any time spent responding to the assignment, including scanning the response sheet(s), is part of your testing time. Monitor your time carefully. When your testing time expires, a pop-up message will appear on-screen indicating the conclusion of your test session. Only response sheets that are scanned before you end your test or before time has expired will be scored. Any response sheet that is not scanned before testing ends will  start uppercase NOT end uppercase  be scored.

Sample Language Acquisition and Instruction Assignment

subarea roman numeral 5 
Language Acquisition and Instruction

 start bold Use the information below to complete the assignment that follows. end bold 

Imagine that you are designing an instructional activity about basic greetings for a beginning-level Cherokee language class in a K–12 setting. Although all of the students in the class speak English, about half of them are heritage learners who have attained varying degrees of Cherokee proficiency at home or in the community.

Using your knowledge of second-language acquisition and language-learning processes, prepare a response in which you:

Remember to provide details to support your response. Your response may be written in either Cherokee or English. If you choose to respond in Cherokee, you may write either in the syllabary or in phonetic script. Within your response, however, you must write consistently either in the syllabary or in phonetic script.

Sample Strong Response to the Language Acquisition and Instruction Assignment

 start italics Please note: The sample response provided below is for review purposes only and should not be used in a response on an operational exam. end italics 

I am planning an activity for a middle school beginning-level Cherokee language class. The instructional activity that I have chosen is one in which students practice basic greetings used in social or family situations. The activity will focus on the cultural aspects of greetings, giving students a chance to learn about which greetings should be used in a variety of social contexts and situations.

The class is composed of students who all speak English as their primary language; however, about a fourth of the students are heritage learners who have attained varying degrees of Cherokee proficiency outside of class. When working with heritage learners, it is important to consider the level of language proficiency that each student has attained before coming to the class. It is very important to keep in mind that heritage learners do not all have the same level of proficiency, and also that individual students do not necessarily have the same level of proficiency across communicative domains. In many cases, heritage students often have a higher level of comprehension skills than production skills.

The activity that I will use in this class is a role playing activity in which both heritage and non-heritage learners practice basic greetings. I begin the activity by reviewing and practicing the greetings and related phrases and terms the class has already learned. After this review, I will introduce some examples of how greetings are used differently between people based on their relationship to each other and based on the context in which they are greeting each other. I will ask heritage learners to volunteer examples of different greetings they have used, and to role-play how the greeting took place. For example, one student might compare how he greets his grandfather with how he greets an adult he is meeting for the first time, and act out the greeting. Non-heritage learners who have experience with Cherokee greetings can also volunteer observations. Then, I will divide the class into small groups of 3–4, with heritage learners dispersed among the groups. The students will take turns assuming different identities as various community members such as parents, grandparents, other tribal elders, friends, and then role-play greeting each other in these roles.

In this activity, heritage learners will be engaged because they can share what they know about their culture with others. At the same time, they are not expected to provide all of the possible greetings, and students can volunteer greetings based on their own personal experience, which will make them more comfortable. This takes into account the variability in their linguistic and cultural knowledge. Also, since the class has already learned and practiced the greetings, there is less pressure on the heritage students to be the "experts." Similarly, non-heritage learners can jump in and role-play greetings right away and become "experts" themselves.

Performance Characteristics for the Language Acquisition and Instruction Assignment

The following characteristics guide the scoring of responses to the language acquisition and instruction assignment.

Characteristics that guide the scoring of responses
PURPOSE the extent to which the response achieves the purpose of the assignment
SUBJECT MATTER KNOWLEDGE accuracy and appropriateness in the application of subject matter knowledge
SUPPORT quality and relevance of supporting details
RATIONALE soundness of argument and degree of understanding of the subject matter

Scoring Scale for the Language Acquisition and Instruction Assignment

Scores will be assigned to each response to the language acquisition and instruction assignment according to the following scoring scale.

Score Scale with description for each score point.
Score Point Score Point Description
4  start bold The "4" response reflects a thorough knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. end bold 
  • The purpose of the assignment is fully achieved.
  • There is a substantial, accurate, and appropriate application of subject matter knowledge.
  • The supporting evidence is sound; there are high-quality, relevant examples.
  • The response reflects an ably reasoned, comprehensive understanding of the topic.
3  start bold The "3" response reflects a general knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. end bold 
  • The purpose of the assignment is largely achieved.
  • There is a generally accurate and appropriate application of subject matter knowledge.
  • The supporting evidence generally supports the discussion; there are some relevant examples.
  • The response reflects a general understanding of the topic.
2  start bold The "2" response reflects a partial knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. end bold 
  • The purpose of the assignment is partially achieved.
  • There is a limited, possibly inaccurate or inappropriate application of subject matter knowledge.
  • The supporting evidence is limited; there are few relevant examples.
  • The response reflects a limited, poorly reasoned understanding of the topic.
1  start bold The "1" response reflects little or no knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. end bold 
  • The purpose of the assignment is not achieved.
  • There is little or no appropriate or accurate application of subject matter knowledge.
  • The supporting evidence, if present, is weak; there are few or no relevant examples.
  • The response reflects little or no reasoning about or understanding of the topic.
U  start bold The response is illegible, not written to the assigned topic, not written in the required language, or of insufficient length to score. end bold 
B  start bold There is no response to the assignment. end bold