Essential Elements of an Effective World Language Course Syllabus

When creating your Course Expectations / Course Syllabus for your French, Spanish, or Italian class, there is some obvious information that you’ll want to include: your name, your room number, your contact information, the course title, a brief course description, etc. But what are some other pieces of information—which are perhaps less obvious—that you should include in your syllabus that would be useful for students (and their parents)? Here are some ideas you may want to consider:

Course Goals, Objectives, and Topics

What will students be able to do with the target language upon completion of the course? What goals and objectives will students be able to reach by the end of the school year? What are some of the topics and themes that students will be exploring, both linguistically and culturally?

Your Course Syllabus is an opportunity to give students a general overview of what they will accomplish throughout the course of the year: giving them a brief snapshot of where they will end up in May/June helps motivate them from the very beginning of the school year.

A Brief Explanation of the Three Modes of Communication

If you are teaching in the United States, you have definitely heard of ACTFL’s Three Modes of Communication (interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational). If you are not teaching in the US, perhaps you have similar terms to talk about the emphasis we place on reading, listening, speaking, and writing.

I always include these terms in my course expectations, as well as a brief description of what they entail, so that students and parents begin familiarizing themselves with key academic vocabulary related to World Languages. It’s important to make it clear to students that they will not simply be memorizing endless lists of vocabulary and completing mindless grammar drills devoid of communicative purpose. Yes, there will be vocabulary and grammar, but they serve the ultimate purpose of increasing students’ ability to communicate in the language. 

Required Materials & Learning Resources

Students will want to know what types of materials are needed for your class, whether they will be using a textbook or workbook, and what types of learning resources will be made available to them. Here’s what I include in this section of my Course Syllabus:

- Charged Chromebook & Charger, 1.5-inch Binder, Loose-leaf Paper, Section Dividers, Pencil Case (with pens, pencils, highlighters, erasers, etc.), Earbuds/Headphones

You may also want to include the types of resources you will use during instruction. These might include: Google Slides presentations, class notes, worksheets, games, activities, songs, instructional videos, Quizlet, etc.

Looking to start the year off right with amazing, high-quality, comprehensive resources for your French, Spanish, or Italian class? Look no further! Check out my resources below:

Grading & Assessment Information

There are a few key reasons to include detailed information about how students will be assessed in your class:

• Students (and their parents!) have a tendency to be anxious about grades. Providing them with clear and detailed information about how students will be assessed helps alleviate some of this anxiety.

  • Include the grading profile breakdowns (i.e. Classwork, Homework, Participation, Formative Assessments, Summative Assessments)

  • Include the types of assessments (i.e. graded classwork/homework, exit tickets, quizzes, projects, performance tasks).

• The Course Syllabus is meant to be a sort of contract between teachers and students / parents. By including assessment info, you are holding yourself and your students accountable to the same standards—you’re setting clear expectations so that there aren’t any “surprises” at the end of the semester.

• It is important to establish that yours is a rigorous, academic course. It is not an art or music elective, where students may not have to prepare for and take rigorous, challenging graded assessments.

  • If you are teaching middle school, or your students have not had any prior experience with World Languages, this is especially important, as students (for some reason) have a tendency to begin French 1, Spanish 1, or Italian 1 thinking that they will be coloring and singing songs in the target language all class, that there will be no homework and no assessments, and that the class will be a piece of cake requiring minimal effort on their part. You need to disillusion them of this false notion from the very beginning, and including assessment information in your Course Syllabus is one way to accomplish this.

World Language Course Policies

Establish baseline procedures somewhere in your syllabus so that students know that you mean business and that there are policies, procedures, and expectations that they are expected to meet and follow. Here are some ideas:

• Students must be in their seats with their materials on their desk by the time the bell rings.

• Students must listen attentively and participate actively.

• Students are expected to raise their hands and ask for help or clarification when needed.

Additionally, you will want to add information about your district, school, department, or personal policies and procedures regarding things like bathroom breaks, make-up work, etc. Here’s a checklist of items you may want to consider covering in your syllabus:

I hope you’ve found these syllabus tips to be helpful. Maybe you’re a first-year teacher who now has a good outline for what should be included in your syllabus, or maybe you’re a returning teacher who has gleaned a few new ideas to add to your existing syllabus. Or maybe you already have all of these elements in the tried and tested course syllabus that you’ve used for years, but have now begun thinking about some new components you could add to make your class information more accessible to students and their families. I’d be thrilled if you could share them below - I’d love to hear!

Happy Teaching!

~ Michael