Participation Rubric for Language Classes

Inside: A free printable participation rubric for language classes

Here’s a great tool for your interactive notebooks and for the proficiency-based classroom: a weekly rubric for target language use. I’ve been following Joshua Cabral from World Language Classroom and his videos and posts on proficiency-based teaching have really changed my thinking. I had already been moving toward CI-based instruction, but his insights have helped me re-work my goals and choose a framework for where we are going/ why we do the things we do in class.

Before, I had some strategies in place for getting students to speak in the TL, and some strategies in place to keep them accountable. But grammar, or accuracy, had ultimately been my end goal. And my grading system reflected that. As I shift toward proficiency and structuring my teaching around the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines I have appreciated every single concrete posting I can find. This one is a gem!

I adapted this rubric from his post Target Language Use: Teacher Support and Student Accountability and in just a few weeks I can already see the light bulbs going off in my students. They have responded really well already to working toward proficiency goals instead of merely accuracy goals, or content goals. They also like that this rubric clearly explains how to be successful while growing in proficiency: not through perfect speech and impeccable grammar, but more deeply by taking risks, using what they know, and staying committed to Spanish even when they are beginners. This year has been chaotic, it feels, as I’ve had one foot in the textbook, and one out. I can’t wait to start well next year, and use this from Week 1!

I adapted Joshua’s 20-point system to a printable format easy for interactive notebooks.  Four areas are explained and “graded:” community, commitment, proficiency, and preparation.

Since this is a weekly rubric, I still use my Euros system, usually when students are in groups playing games with a monitor, or during certain times to keep track of students who are frequently resorting to English. Let me know what you think

PARTICIPATION RUBRIC FOR LANGUAGE CLASSES