What is the role of the learning standards for FL in designing activities?
The Standards for Foreign Language Learning are the unifying factor for the FL profession. The eleven standards (see Appendix A) included in the five goal areas of Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities are a set of guiding principles for FL educators. The standards are meant to be a framework for curricular development that teachers can use when planning their lessons, both short-term and long-range. The standards provide teachers with a compelling rationale for FL education that has been heretofore absent: Standards preparation is forcing attention to the broader view of second language study and competence: what should students know and be able to doand how well? (Standards, 1999; p. 15) Many states have reoriented their own standards in consonance with these national guidelines. New York State has two standards for LOTE: Communication and Culture. These are identical to the first two goal areas of the national standards. Several other states (e.g., Nebra
