View Content #25728

From https://elmundodepepita.blogspot.com/

Julie from the Mundo de Pepita blog writes, "For those of us who teach elementary, we know a novice Kindergartner is very different than a novice 9th grader (or even Middle school student)- they enter school without many developmental concepts intact, or only very vaguely understood, and their interests, motivations and what is relevant and age appropriate for them is distinct. Tasks that might be typical for a 15 year old aren't always appropriate for a 5 year old- take writing a text for example, or arranging a social engagement (Mommy usually does this :) ). Additionally, how we teach at the elementary level often reflects themes, topics and vocabulary that are of high interest to little kids, which don't always tie into a "typical novice task"... my kids happily can describe a sloth or what Jupiter looks like, but ordering at a restaurant in the target language feels a better fit for Middle or High School language class because it is a more relevant task- talking about school lunch, on the other hand, would be a perfect activity for the littles. Don't get me wrong, the skills we teach within elementary themes build up proficiency just the same as those that one sees at upper school levels, they just appear in different contexts."

Read her blog post for a thoughtful discussion of expectations appropriate for young children and to access her document of indicators for Novice Low, Mid, and High written for elementary age learners: https://elmundodepepita.blogspot.com/2018/09/interpreting-actfls-standards-for.html