Standards-Based Goals for Beginning Persian GOALS, OBJECTIVES, EVALUATION AND LEARNING OUTCOMES (2011)

Standards-Based Goals for Beginning Persian GOALS, OBJECTIVES, EVALUATION AND LEARNING

OUTCOMES

Co-sponsored by STARTALK and the Middle East Center of the University of

Pennsylvania and the Penn Language Center

Pardis Minuchehr &Nicole Mills

2 | Curriculum Guide for Persian Pardis Minuchehr& Nicole Mills This work is licensed under a. Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-. NoDerivs 3.0 License- Pardis Minuchehr. All rights reserved©. Your use of this material constitutes acceptance of that license and the conditions of use of materials on Persianasianasprofession.com.

DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

Pardis Minuchehr ([email protected]), Program Director (UPenn/George Washington University)

Nicole Mills ([email protected]), Curriculum Design Specialist (Harvard University)

PARTICIPANTS

(In Alphabetical Order)

Elahe Amiri(The Middle East Institute, Washington D.C.),Blake Atwood(University of Texas, Austin/

UPenn),Fahimeh Gooran(New York University),Latifeh Hagigi(University of California, Los Angeles),

Simin Hemmati Rasmussen(Chicago, IL), Saeid Hooshangi (Complutense University of Madrid, Spain),

Manouchehr Kasheff(Columbia University / New York University),Sara Khanzadi(University of

Minnesota),Parvaneh Khosravi(Philadelphia, PA), Mojan Membrado(Institut National des Langues et

Civilisations Orientales, Paris),Forough Mofid(UPenn, Philadelphia, PA), Mahshad Mohit(Yale

University),Azita Mokhtari(National University), Farima S. Motowfi(Georgetown University),Jaleh

Pirnazar(University of California, Berkeley), Nasrin Rafi (Thomas Jefferson University), Haideh Sahim

(Hofstra University), Ramin Sarraf (National University), Haleh Tabesh(Syracuse University)

This final document is prepared and written by Nicole Mills & Pardis Minuchehr in collaboration with feedback

provided by the STARTALK Persian curriculum design core consultants and participants. Sample units were created

by STARTALK participants.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the STARTALK program at the National Foreign Language Center, the Middle East Center

at the University of Pennsylvania, the Penn Language Center, and the Van Pelt library staff who sponsored and

supported this project from the beginning to the end. Many individuals contributed selflessly to the successful

completion of this document, which aims to function as a guide to an improved curriculum for teaching beginning

levels of Persian in the academic level. Our special thanks to the STARTALK directors and staff, especially Dr.

Shuhan Wang, who believed in this project from its inception; Catherine Ingold; Betsy Hart; and our team leader,

Jennifer Eddy. At the University of Pennsylvania, many dedicated directors and staff contributed to the successful

implementation of the workshop and its website development. The Penn Language Center directors, Christina Frei,

Ed Dixon, and Lada Vassilieva have been involved over the years in supporting and backing Persian language

study, along with the staff of the Language Resource Center at Penn, especially Ben Sykora, Phil Miraglia and Jay

Treat. Professor Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet, the director of the Middle East Center has been a positive force, along

with her staff, Jinhee Song and Mehmet Darakcioglu, in the development of this project. National Middle East

Language Resource Center (NMELRC) directors and staff at BYU, especially Kirk Belnap and Maggie Nassif have

inspired this undertaking throughout years of dedication to enhanced Middle Eastern language study. An important

source of inspiration, the restless professional couple, Vijay and Surendra Gambhir, have served as a mentor and

supporter of this project, not only over the summer, but throughout the years. Also, we are very grateful for the

scholarly and practical input of our current and previous workshop participants whose contributions enhanced the

quality of this paper. And last but not least, we want to thank our dedicated staff throughout this project, our

STARTALK workshop coordinator Julie Ershadi, Monica Witt, and especially Ebby Sharifi who tirelessly designed

the Persian as Profession website, www.persianasprofession.com.

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.persianasprofession.com/


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Project Overview p. 4

A Guide to Curriculum Design in Beginning Persian p. 5

Overview of the History of Teaching of Foreign Languages in the United States p. 6

Backward Design p. 10

Stage 1: Identify Desired Results p. 11

Contextualization of Goals: Overarching Themes p. 13

Grammar Objectives p. 14

Standards-Based Goals for Beginning Persian p. 15

Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence p. 22

Authentic Assessment p. 23

Stage 3: Plan learning experiences – unit plan development p. 24

Unit Plan template p. 25

Stage 3: Lesson Planning in the post-communicative era p. 27

Checklist for lesson plans p. 28

Lesson plan template p. 29

Sample Unit #1 – A Summer with an Isfahani Family p. 32

Sample Unit #2 – One week in the life of a young Iranian student p. 57

Resources p. 73

Future Collaboration p. 80

References p. 80


Project Overview

To develop a curriculum guide for the Beginning and Intermediate levels of Persian, a

selected group of over 20 Persian language and culture professionals collaborated during and

after a STARTALK workshop in the summer of 2011. The participants included university

professors, scholars, community school instructors, and graduate students from both US and

international institutions. The main objective of this program consisted of an examination and

discussion on issues related to curriculum design in Persian language courses (novice to

intermediate), with the end-goal of drafting a guideline for novice-intermediate level instruction

of Persian language and culture courses for learners of Persian across the United States, and

abroad.


A Guide to Curriculum Design in Persian

The main objective of this workshop was to effectively assist instructors in the

articulation of goals, assessment, and planning for developing curriculum at the elementary and

intermediate levels of Persian.

During the workshop, the attendees mostly agreed with the following statements (in line with the

objectives cited by the College Board World Languages Framework) that:

Continued engagement among colleagues should occur that requires teachers to

collectively develop goals, assessment, and units, and lesson plans for use in their classes.

Successful materials, procedures, and goals should be shared.

Resources and appropriate models need to be developed.

Persian instructors need to collectively reflect on their teaching experiences, content

knowledge, and teacher training preparation and develop a united understanding of

appropriate goals and effective evaluation and learning experiences

Teacher development needs to reach beyond occasional workshops and conferences at

which teachers are recipients of information and not active producers, inventors, and

designers.

The goals for teaching beginning and intermediate Persian should adhere to post-

communicative era of language teaching. The 'post-communicative' view of language

teaching is viewed as a more eclectic and adaptive process rather than as the application

of an ideal method or approach. The post-communicative era of language teaching often

emphasizes personal learning and discovery, task-based and collaborative work between

learners, and a more facilitating role for the teacher.


Overview and History of the Teaching of Foreign Languages and Persian in

the United States

To begin our discussion of curriculum design in Persian language courses, a discussion of

the history of foreign language teaching in the United States framed our thinking. Participants

discussed various methodologies and approaches to foreign language teaching beginning with

Grammar Translation from the 18th

and 19th

centuries. We discussed how learning grammatical

rules, long lists of vocabulary, and the engagement in tedious translation and sentence

deconstruction did not allow for practice in oral communication, personalization, or creation with

language. After the demise of grammar translation in the 1950s, we discussed the move to an

audio-lingual approach to foreign language teaching grounded within Behaviorist theory. A

major characteristic of the audio-lingual approach included the notion that language learning

depended largely on habit formation. Classroom techniques included dialogue memorization,

substitution drills, and emphasis on error correction. Although the transition to an emphasis on

oral communication and accuracy were positive characteristics of this approach, the drawbacks

included a disregard for meaningful learning, the discouragement of creation on the part of the

learner, monotonous repetition, and unnatural classroom activities that did not deliver

linguistically proficient speakers.

Following the audio-lingual approach to foreign language instruction, we discussed

Krashen’s Natural Approach which gained popularity in the 1980s. This approach included

complete immersion in the target language, use of “comprehensible input”, minimal to no error

correction, focus on communicative activities, and an overall goal of survival-level

communication. Despite the advantages of learning language in meaningful contexts, this


approach did not recognize the essential differences between child and adult language learning. It

soon became clear that foreign language education without focus on form was not conducive to

the development of linguistically proficient speakers.

To address the lack of form-focused instruction, the 1990s opened the door to

proficiency- oriented language instruction. In proficiency-oriented classrooms, students were

asked to engage in meaningful communication through the use of authentic language with an

underlying focus on form. There was likewise a strong focus on the four separate skills (reading,

writing, listening, and speaking). When the Standards of Foreign Language Learning were

published in 1996, the document stressed the notion that skills are very rarely used

independently. For example, in communication, students rarely speak without listening or listen

without the intention of replying in spoken form; thus emphasizing that these four skills are

interdependent. For this reason, the Standards then emphasized the modes of communication in

their description of “what students should know and be able to do” in foreign language

education. In place of an emphasis on the separate skills of reading, writing, listening, and

speaking, the modes of communication placed an emphasis on students’ ability to engage in

interpretive , interpersonal, and presentational communication. Whereas proficiency-oriented

instruction placed an emphasis on the development of proficiency in the four skills, the

Standards emphasized cultural as well as linguistic objectives.

In the 1990s and 2000s, communicative language teaching became the key approach used

in foreign language classrooms. This approach was eclectic in its methodology and focused on

communication through interaction using authentic texts and materials, the expression of

personal experiences and opinions, and the link between classroom activities and the real world.

Although the benefits to the use of real-world contexts and active communicative interaction


among students were numerous, the drawbacks included a large focus on the “self” and

discussion of students’ own personal experiences, placing less emphasis on the “other.”

Furthermore, this personalized focus on the “self” did not always allow for the integration of

content, language, and critical thinking in the foreign language classroom. Today’s post-

communicative language classroom, therefore, places an emphasis on both accuracy as well as

meaningful context-oriented communication. It also stresses teaching toward literacy and the

spiraling of both language and intellectual content. As we discussed the evolution of foreign

language teaching in the United States from grammar translation through post-communicative

language teaching, the participants engaged in a discussion of the history and evolution of

Persian language instruction in the United States. We discussed how current Persian instructional

materials (i.e., textbooks, etc.) tended to be associated with the audio-lingual or grammar

translation approaches to foreign language instruction. For the longest time, since the beginning

of the 20th

century, the dominant methodology for teaching Persian at American universities

relied on the grammar-translation method. In the past few years, there has been emphasis placed

on proficiency-oriented and communicative methods. Despite the evolution and shift toward

post-communicative approaches to foreign language instruction in the United States, participants

discussed how many Persian language instructional materials had not evolved to the current

research-based trends in foreign language education.

Our discussions then turned to the question:

How can we modernize and update Persian instruction so as to integrate current

research-based methodologies and theories associated with second language

acquisition?


Our collective goal was then to focus on the development of a curricular guide for Persian

language learning that encompassed the following characteristics:

A focus on communication through meaningful interaction

Use of real-world and culturally grounded contexts

Both cultural and linguistic objectives

Emphasis on form and accuracy

Focus on literacy and the use of authentic texts

Emphasis on the interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational modes of communication

Spiraling of language and content


Backward Design

To collectively develop Standards for Persian instruction, we used the framework for

curricular design outlined in Wiggins & McTighe’s (2005) Understanding by Design. An

underlying feature of Wiggins & McTighe’s (2005) approach to curricular design is the notion

that student learning should emphasize understanding. Whereas teaching for knowledge includes

the instruction of facts, right or wrong answers, and drills, teaching for understanding is “to

make sense of what one knows, to be able to know why it’s so, and to have the ability to use it in

various situations and contexts” (p. 38). When one understands, they are therefore able to

explain, interpret, apply, provide perspective, show empathy, and engage in self-knowledge. This

notion of understanding is then used as an underlying framework to help guide us in our

clarification of objectives, assessment, and effective learning activities for Persian language

learning.

Backward Design is thus an approach to curricular design, beginning with Standards and

objectives and then developing a design toward those established objectives.

The Stages of Backward Design include:

1. Identification of desired results

2. Determination of acceptable evidence

3. Planning learning experiences & instruction

-Understanding by Design, 2005


Wiggins & McTighe (2005) claim that “…the shift [to Backward Design] involves thinking a great deal,

first, about the specific learnings sought, and the evidence of such learnings, before thinking about what

we, as the teacher, will do or provide in teaching and learning activities” (p. 14). Our approach in the

development of objectives for our guide to the curriculum for Persian thus followed the aforementioned

stages.

STAGE 1: Identify desired results

The first stage of backward design includes the articulation of objectives. By first establishing

goals and objectives, instructional activities may be planned in connection with these clearly articulated

desired results. Wiggins & McTighe (2005) suggest that “in the best designs, form follows function

and…all the methods and materials we use are shaped by a clear conception of the vision of desired

results.”

When identifying desired results in foreign language education, the Standards of Foreign

Language Learning (1996) often play a key role in informing, guiding, and shaping the articulation of

what students should know and be able to do in a foreign language. In defining the role of foreign

language instruction in American education, the Standards identified five specific goal areas. These goals

include Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities, or the five C’s of

foreign language education.

The Communication goal suggests that students should be able to interact and exchange opinions,

interpret both written and spoken language, and present information in the foreign language. The

Standards claim that such communicative competence is not entirely achieved, however, without an

understanding of the products, practices, and perspectives of the target language culture, an additional

goal area. Making connections to additional bodies of knowledge and comparisons to the foreign


language and culture studied are also key objectives in learning a foreign language. Through these

connections and comparisons, students will ideally be able to participate in multi-lingual communities in

culturally appropriate ways.

Because the Standards provide a useful guide for identifying our priorities in foreign language

education, the Standards of Foreign Language Learning (1996) were used as a framework in the

articulation of our objectives for delineating guidelines for a Persian curriculum.

After reviewing the 5 Cs of the Standards of Foreign Language Learning, the participants

worked in groups to articulate objectives that they deemed appropriate for Beginning Persian students

within the areas of Communication (interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational), Cultures (products,

practices, and perspectives), Comparisons, Connections, and Communities. While considering the

Standards of Foreign Language Learning, we asked participants to reflect on several overarching

questions:

What should students know, understand, and be able to do at the end of Beginning Persian study?

What cultural content is worthy of understanding in Beginning and Intermediate Persian?

What enduring understandings are desired in Beginning and Intermediate Persian?


CONTEXTUALIZATION OF GOALS: Overarching Themes

Following the articulation of objectives within the framework of the Standards of Foreign

Language Learning, the next step was to contextualize our objectives by developing a list of suggested

themes, topics, and content appropriate for Persian language courses. These overarching themes were

based on various available cultural themes established by other curricula, in particular the French AP

themes of the College Board provided a suitable reference to seek themes as a model. The participants

then developed a list of themes and sub-themes appropriate for Beginning and Intermediate Persian.

Suggested Themes in Beginning Persian

- Families & Communities (relatives, family ties, family hierarchy, elder care and respect)

- Daily life (shopping, routine, food, personal care, time, calendar)

- Rituals & Celebrations (holidays, etiquette, manners)

- Social identity (technology, dating, etiquette, online gatherings, greetings)

-Personal identities (age, relationship status, origin, name, religion, hobbies)

- Geography (travel, weather, regional cultural differences, regional linguistic diversity, regional

food, regional clothing, ethnic diversity & awareness, multi-religious nature of Iran)

- Art & Aesthetics (dance, handwriting, calligraphy, carpets, garden design, painting, film,

Persian miniatures, music, etc.)

- Contemporary life (Education, leisure & sports, professions, current events)


GRAMMAR OBJECTIVES

Participants then collectively created a list of grammar points that they deemed important in

Beginning and Intermediate Persian courses. The participants’ collective list of grammar objectives for

Beginning Persian is listed below:

Grammar Objectives for Beginning Persian

word order (S-O-V), nouns: counting words, plural vs. singular, negation, prepositions, connectors,

ezafe/genitive; infinitives, past stem and present stem transitive vs. intransitive verbs, direct object

markers; Simple Past Tense, Narrative Past Tense (also known as Perfect), Distant Narrative Past,

Continuous Past; comparative and superlative adjectives, adverbs of time, place and manner

Present Tense, Imperative; Past and Progressive moods; Future Tense; Present Subjunctives ,

“bayad” and “shayad”; Past Subjunctive; Conditionals, compound verbs, active vs. passive verbs

relative clauses: “ke”, “vaghti ke”, “ba’d az inke”, “ba’d az in”, “qabl az in”, “qabl az inke”


Standards-Based Goals for Persian

Based on the Standards of Foreign Language Learning and the suggested overarching

themes and grammar objectives for Persian, the participants collectively developed the Goals for

Beginning and Intermediate Persian listed below. The goals were collectively developed by the

STARTALK workshop participants (and subsequently supplemented and re-organized by Nicole

Mills, Latifeh Hagigi, Jaleh Pirnazar and Pardis Minuchehr).

Communication

Interpersonal Communication

Standard 1.1: Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and

emotions, and exchange opinions.

1. Students will be able to exchange greetings, both formally and informally.

2. Students will be able to introduce themselves.

3. Students will be able to ask and answer questions about their age and their origin.

4. Students will be able to ask and answer questions about their religious affiliation.

5. Students will be able to ask and answer questions about their relationship status (ex: single,

married, or divorced).

6. Students will be able to ask and answer questions about hobbies and leisure activities (ex: sports,

music, reading, etc.)

7. Students will be able to discuss the weather and seasons with someone.

8. Students will be able to ask for simple information (ex: address, etc.)

9. Students will be able to ask and answer simple questions about family members and friends.

10. Students will be able to ask and answer questions about what they like and dislike (colors,

seasons, activities, music, etc.)

11. Students will be able to order food and drinks in a restaurant.

12. Students will be able to ask and answer questions about basic ingredients in a dish.

13. Students will be able to ask and give directions to a destination.

14. Students will be able to get simple information about public transportation (tickets, schedule, etc.)

15. Students will be able to ask and answer questions about where they live, their address, and their

phone numbers.

16. Students will be able to ask and answer questions about classroom items and their daily class

schedule.

17. Students will be able to exchange information with someone about their daily routine or someone

else’s daily routine.

18. Students will be able to give commands to someone else.


19. Students will be able to make plans with someone else (ex: where to go, when to meet, what to

do, etc.)

20. Students will be able to invite someone to an event.

21. Students will be able to accept or decline an invitation in a simple way.

22. Students will be able to use a few basic idiomatic expressions in simple conversations.

23. Students will be able to use appropriate expressions to purchase needed items such as tickets,

groceries, or clothing.

24. Students will be able to use some idiomatic leave-taking expressions.

25. Students will be able to ask and answer simple questions about their desired profession.

26. Students will be able to congratulate a friend or family member, or wish them good luck.

27. Students will be able to express their feelings to someone in simple terms (sympathy, happiness,

etc.)

28. Students will be able to express in simple terms how they feel (hunger, thirst, fatigue, and

headache, etc.)

29. Students will be able to express holiday greetings in both formal and informal language.

30. Students will be able to agree or disagree politely.

31. Students will be able to tell someone about their future plans.

32. Students will be able to tell someone about recent past events in simple sentences.

33. Students will be able to compose and respond to simple emails.

34. Students will be able to compose and respond to a simple text message.

35. Students will be able to engage in a simple online chat conversation with friends about familiar

topics.

Communication Interpretive

Standard 1.2: Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics.

1. Students will be able to read and identify the Persian alphabet and symbols.

2. Students will be able to understand simple conversations between two people about familiar

topics.

3. Students will be able to understand the main ideas of simple phone conversations.

4. Students will be able to understand a simple description of a familiar person, place, or thing.

5. Students will be able to understand the main ideas of a simple announcement in an airport or

station.

6. Students will be able to understand simple instructions.

7. Students will be able to watch and understand the main ideas of a short film segment with teacher

guidance, replaying as necessary.

8. Students will be able to watch and understand the main ideas of a short video clip (3-5 minutes)

with teacher guidance, replaying as necessary.

9. Students will be able to understand a simple joke with limited to no cultural references.

10. Students will be able to understand a few simple idioms and metaphors used in daily life.

Students will be able to read and comprehend the main ideas of a short letter.


11. Students will be able to read and identify prices on price tags.

12. Students will be able to understand important symbols on maps.

13. Students will be able to read and comprehend the main ideas of a simple print advertisement.

14. Students will be able to read and understand the main ideas of paragraph level discourse written

about familiar topics.

15. Students will be able to understand the main ideas of a simple short story (ex: children’s short

story, etc.)

16. Students will be able to decipher necessary information from classified ads (ex: job

announcements and apartment rentals).

17. Students will be able to decipher simple, standardized application forms.

18. Students will be able to identify some dishes on real or online menus in a Persian restaurant.

19. Students will be able to recognize some cognates, prefixes, and suffixes that help distinguish the

meaning of a Persian text.

20. Students will be able to comprehend the main ideas of a short and simple biography (1 page) of a

familiar or well-known figure.

21. Students will be able to read a short description of a region or city in Iran.

22. Students will be able to read a simple letter or a poem in hand-written Persian.

23. Students will be able to read and comprehend the main ideas of a short news story.

Communication Presentational

Standard 1.3: Students present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on

a variety of topics.

1. Students will be able to describe their own background, profession, origin, and hobbies or

that of others.

2. Students will be able to present their academic status (ex: name of institution, year at

university, undergraduate vs. graduate, field of study, major and minor, etc.)

3. Students will be able to describe the physical appearance and personality of people.

4. Students will be able to describe sites in simple sentences.

5. Students will be able to describe likes and dislikes (colors, hobbies, things, food, etc.)

6. Students will be able to present their needs or others’ needs.

7. Students will be able to give accounts of simple experiences.

8. Students will be able to formulate questions for a simple interview.

9. Students will be able to narrate a story based on picture prompts.

10. Students will be able to describe a daily life activity.

11. Students will be able to describe a past activity in simple sentences.

12. Students will be able to briefly describe future personal and professional plans.

13. Students will be able to describe immediate plans and future hopes.

14. Students will be able to describe the weather of a specific day or season.

15. Students will be able to give a short and simple summary of a short film segment or video

clip.

16. Students will be able to compose and present rehearsed skits.


17. Students will be able to give a simple report of an interview.

18. Students will be able to narrate past events in simple sentences (weekend events, etc.)

19. Students will be able to describe familiar things in simple sentences.

20. Students will be able to write the full Persian alphabet and symbols (ex: hamza, tashdid,

diacritical marks).

21. Students will be able to write a list.

22. Students will be able to write a paragraph about their plans, personal interests, or preferences.

23. Students will be able to write a journal entry of their daily activities.

24. Students will be able to write about their opinions in a simple fashion.

25. Students will be able to write a well-organized paragraph about a familiar or reviewed topic.

26. Students will be able to write simple descriptions (ex: food, activities, etc.)

27. Students will be able to create a personal profile for themselves or someone else.

28. Students will be able to write a paragraph narrating their daily life.

29. Students will be able to write a note to make a request.

30. Students will be able to write a short self-portrait or portrait.

Culture

Cultural Products

Products: The concrete cultural elements (ex: literature, foods, tools, dwellings, and clothing) and

abstract cultural elements (ex: laws, education, and religion) of a society.

1. Students will be able to identify regional dishes and basic Persian food items.

2. Students will be able to list the ingredients in a Persian dish.

3. Students will be familiar with different types of music.

4. Students will be familiar with some traditional dances.

5. Students will be able to list important facts about Iran such as population, area, and capital.

6. Students will be familiar with the colors of the Iranian and neighboring countries’ flags.

7. Students will be familiar with the art form of Persian calligraphy.

8. Students will be familiar with some aspects of Iranian cinema (some film titles, directors,

actors, topics and themes, genres, etc.)

9. Students will recognize some literature and writers, especially Persian poetry and proverbs.

10. Students will be able to identify some cities, historical monuments, and sites.

11. Students will know some information about the official religion in Iran and the religious

minorities.

12. Students will be familiar with some Iranian handicrafts (ex: carpets, miniatures, etc.)

13. Students will be familiar with some important figures in the Persian culture.

14. Students will be familiar with some contemporary people in the Persian culture (actors,

directors, athletes, etc.)

15. Students will be familiar with some contemporary and historical events in the Persian culture.

16. Students will be able to provide some information about Persian cuisine.

17. Students will be able to provide some information about Persian housing and lodging.


18. Students will be able to provide some information about Persian architecture or art (music,

calligraphy, etc.)

19. Students will be familiar with Persian carpets.

20. Students will be able to identify dates and months in the Persian calendar.

Cultural Practices

Practices: The patterns of behavior accepted within a society such as forms of address, use of personal

space, rituals, storytelling, and entertainment.

1. Students will be familiar with the usage of different registers (formal and informal) in

Persian.

2. Students will be able to practice some Persian pleasantries and compliments (ta`arof)

3. Students will be able to address a professor or teacher appropriately.

4. Students will be able to appropriately use some simple Persian proverbs and expressions in

basic conversation.

5. Students will be familiar with the usage of different colors for different occasions in Iranian

culture.

6. Students will be able to make introductions in both formal and informal language.

7. Students will understand and recognize appropriate dining practices and table etiquette (ex:

family seating arrangements, respect for elders, setting a haftsin table, etc.)

8. Students will be able to appropriately express gratitude and thanks in different contexts (ex:

family gatherings, ceremonies, etc.) and to different people (hostess, cook, etc.)

9. Students will be able to recognize and engage in respectful behavior in the presence of elders

(ex: greetings, excusing oneself, etc.)

10. Students will be able to recognize basic rituals performed during holidays such as the Persian

New Year, or common religious ceremonies (symbolic food items, practices, etc.)

11. Students will be able to understand and observe public vs. private patterns of behavior in Iran

(ex: alcohol use, hand-shake, greetings with the opposite sex,etc.)

12. Students will understand standards of dress code in contemporary Iran.

13. Students will be able to appropriately express congratulations on important occasions, both

formally and informally.

14. Students will understand and recognize religious observances and ceremonies (ex: rituals

related to the death of religious figures, mourning ceremonies, etc.)

15. Students will understand the concept of bargaining in Persian culture.

16. Students will recognize Persian etiquette for appropriately interacting with those of a

different gender.

17. Students will be aware of different wedding ceremonial rituals in the Persian culture such as

khastegari, namzadi, and aghd.

18. Students will be able to recognize fasting rituals, breaking the fast, and other related

ceremonies in the month of Ramadan, and the Fitr Holiday.


Cultural Perspectives

Perspectives: the world view of a culture – the attitudes, values, and ideas that characterize a particular

society.

1. Students will be familiar with the important role of parents in Persian culture (ex: support,

influence, etc.)

2. Students will be familiar with the importance of education, especially the preference for

certain professional fields of study in Persian families.

3. Students will be aware of the attitudes, values, and ideas associated with various celebrations

(ex: ancient Iranian holidays such asYalda, Nowruz, Mehregan, versus religious holidays

such as Mab’ath, Fitr, and Qorban )

4. Students will be able to recognize the attitudes related to different gender.

5. Students will be able to recognize the attitudes related to the respect for the elderly.

Connections

Standard 3.1: Students reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through the foreign

language.

Standard 3.2: Students acquire information and recognize the distinct viewpoints that are only available

through the foreign language and its cultures.

1. Students will be able to identify important themes in some simple Persian literature and relate it

to literature of other cultures.

2. Students will be able to make connections between symbols and signs and social and political

concerns.

3. Students will be able to identify and make connections between cultural and political symbols of

the Persian culture to those of other cultures.

Comparisons:

Standard 4.1: Students demonstrate understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of the

language studied with that of their own.

Standard 4.2: Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the

cultures studied and their own.

1. Students will be able to differentiate and compare formal and informal spoken language

2. Students will be able to compare a historical site or monument in Iran with another one in the

world.


3. Students will be able to compare the Iranian manner of addressing parents and elders with that of

other cultures.

4. Students will be able to compare Nowruz rituals (ex: gift giving, change of the year (sal tahvil),

family gatherings, etc.) with rituals of other cultures (ex: Christmas, New Year’s, etc.)

5. Students will be able to compare Persian breakfast with the breakfast of other cultures.

6. Students will be able to compare table etiquette in Iran with other cultures.

7. Students will be able to compare pleasantries (ta`arof) and other cultures’ expressions of

pleasantries.

8. Students will be able to compare some features of Iranian film with film from other cultures.

9. Students will be able to compare different rituals in Iranian wedding ceremonies with that of

other cultures.

10. Students will be able to distinguish simple gestures in the Persian culture, comparing and

contrasting it to other cultures.

Communities

Standard 5.1: Students use the language both within and beyond the school setting.

Standard 5.2: Students show evidence of becoming life-long learners by using the language for personal

enjoyment and enrichment.

1. Students will be able to interview a member of the Persian community on simple topics (name,

origin, preferences, profession, weather, etc.)

2. Students will know how to access information about Iranian cultural festivals (film, etc.) in any

city.

3. Students will be able to participate or volunteer in a Persian event on campus or in the community

using appropriate greetings and exchanging pleasantries.

4. Students will be able to access and appropriately engage in virtual Iranian communities (ex:

Facebook, Twitter, etc.)

5. Students will be able to identify basic Persian resources on the Internet (ex: useful dictionaries,

vocabulary tools, grammar resources, blogs, newspapers, etc.)

6. Students will be able to conduct simple research on Persian Internet sites (ex: cultural facts,

products, etc.)

7. Students will be able to identify Persian sites in their own or neighboring community (ex: stores,

restaurants, etc.)


STAGE 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence

The second stage in Backward Design is the development of evaluation tools associated with

established objectives (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005). To determine if students have achieved the desired

results, creating appropriate assessment materials are essential. Wiggins & McTighe (2005) suggest that

“effective assessment is more like a scrapbook of mementos and pictures than a single snapshot. Rather

than using a single test, of one type, at the end of teaching, effective teacher-assessors gather lots of

evidence along the way, using a variety of methods and formats” (p. 152) Outside of traditional quizzes

and tests, discussions of different types of assessment appropriate for Persian elementary and intermediate

level courses included short compositions, projects, plays, menus, role-plays, charts, journals, brief

PowerPoint presentations, and poems.

Furthermore, participants described varied forms of authentic assessment as most effective for the

evaluation of Persian students. According to Wiggins & McTighe (2005), authentic assessment has a

variety of essential characteristics (p. 154).

Performance tasks, in particular, are good examples of authentic assessment. Performance tasks

present students with real-world problems and require that students develop a product or performance for

a specified audience. Students are presented with a task and context, provided a role, assigned a target

audience, and presented with a purpose for the development of a final project, product, or performance.

With each performative task, evaluative criteria and performance standards are presented to students in

advance (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005). Performance tasks were recommended forms of evaluation for

Persian students by the STARTALK participants.


Authentic Assessment:

Is realistically contextualized

Requires judgment and innovation

Asks students to “do” meaningful tasks

Replicates real-world tasks

Assesses the student’s ability to efficiently and effectively use a repertoire of knowledge and skill

to negotiate a complex and multi-stage task

Allows appropriate opportunities to rehearse, practice, consult resources, and get feedback on and

refine performances and products

Requires learners to be effective performers with their acquired knowledge

Implies teacher involvement and investment in the form and content of assessment

Adds the dimension of a meaningful audience


STAGE 3: Plan Learning Experiences - Unit plan development

Following stages one and two, the final stage of backward design is the determination of

the instructional approaches, resources, and experiences that will allow learners to achieve the

established goals and successfully complete performance tasks (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005). In

the final stage, the instructor is asked to envision what content needs to be taught and how it

should be taught in light of established goals. Instructors need to establish what daily activities

and tasks, both inside and outside of the classroom, are appropriate in light of performance goals.

In connection with Wiggins & McTighe (2005) (p.196-197 ), STARTALK participants

were in agreement that Beginning level students of Persian are most engaged and learning is

most effective when activities:

are hands-on

require resolution of problems or mysteries

provide variety

balance cooperation and competition

provide real-world meaningful challenges

are interactive

involve real target audiences

present the purpose and rationale of their work

require a personalized approach

include clear models and modeling

include a variety of methods

include the teacher as facilitator


UNIT PLAN TEMPLATE

Below is a template for the development of a unit plan in Beginning and Intermediate Level

Persian. After establishing the objectives of the unit and the performance task(s) associated with

the unit, this template provides a helpful guide for the development of a unit plan. This template

includes an overview of activities that will equip students with the needed knowledge and skills

to complete the performance assessment and attain the desired objectives. Instructors will likely

not list daily objectives in all 5 Cs daily, but will aim to include all 5 Cs at the end of the Unit.

This template would be replicated for each day of the unit (day 1, 2, 3, etc.)

PERFORMANCE TASK: ____________________

Duration: ____________________

THEME: ____________________ SUB-THEME: __________________

DAY ONE:

Learning Outcomes:

DAY ONE FUNCTIONAL OBJECTIVES:

Interpretive communication:

Interpersonal communication:


Presentational communication:

DAY ONE GRAMMATICAL OBJECTIVES?

Grammatical Explanations:

Drills and Exercises:

DAY ONE CULTURE OBJECTIVES (Products, practices, perspectives) ?

DAY ONE COMPARISONS OBJECTIVES ?

DAY ONE COMMUNITIES OBJECTIVES ?

DAY ONE CONNECTIONS OBJECTIVES ?

OVERVIEW OF ACTIVITY

*Remember the intersection between content and language


STAGE 3: Lesson Planning in the Post-Communicative Era

As previously outlined, the participants agreed that the goals for teaching beginning

Persian levels should adhere to the post-communicative era of language instruction. The 'post-

communicative' view of language teaching is viewed as a more eclectic and adaptive process

rather than as the application of an ideal method or approach. This approach often emphasizes

personal learning and discovery, task-based and collaborative work among learners, and a more

facilitating role for the teacher. The promotion of literacy, the use of a variety of authentic texts,

and the encouragement of critical thinking at the outset of language instruction are also key

elements of post-communicative language teaching.

The question that then arose was: “what is a text?” Participants defined texts as written,

oral, visual, or audio-visual. Texts deemed appropriate for Persian instruction included simple

advertisements, simple signs, poetry, songs, dialogues, recipes, simple short stories, and short

film clips and commercials (3-5 minutes in duration). By using authentic texts in the Persian

language classroom, we may expand students’ awareness of both language and culture, allow

students to make connections to new perspectives and viewpoints, promote critical thinking, and

allow culture to permeate our lessons (Kern, 2008). In a plenary speech entitled “Making

connections through texts in language teaching” at the University of California, Berkeley, Kern

(2008) stated that:

Texts offer students the chance to position themselves in relation to distinct viewpoints

and distinct cultures. They give students the chance to make connections between

grammar, discourse, and meaning, between language and content, between language and


culture, and between another culture and their own – in short, making them aware of the

webs, rather than strands, of meaning in human communication (p. 380).

It is therefore Kern’s (2008) vision - the intersection of language, content, culture, grammar, and

meaning - that guides our lesson plan development. Therefore, when organizing lesson plans in

Persian, the goal is not to focus solely on the manipulation of grammatical structures but instead

to emphasize meaning first and employ the grammatical structures toward functional purposes

within a meaningful context. Lesson plans, therefore, should not focus only on information

exchange, but also guide students toward interpretation, comparisons, and connections with the

use of authentic texts as springboards. To assist instructors in the development of lesson plans, a

checklist is provided with important reflection questions.

Checklist for Lesson Plans:

Do the students understand the objectives of the lesson?

Does the lesson emphasize personal learning and discovery?

Does the lesson emphasize collaborative work among learners?

How does the lesson intersect content and language (grammar)?

Does the lesson incorporate a facilitating role for the teacher?

Are there activities available for a variety of different types of students with different

interests, talents and learning styles?

Does the lesson attempt to attract and hold the attention of the learners?

Are the students given feedback on their work (formally or informally)?

-Adapted from Understanding by Design (2005)


LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE: Planning for Learning

THEME: ______________________ SUBTHEME: ______________________

End of Unit Performance Task : ______________________

Daily objectives:

COMMUNICATION (interpretive, interpersonal, presentational):

CULTURE (products, practices, perspectives)

CONNECTIONS

COMMUNITIES

COMPARISONS

Overview and Purpose of the Lesson (Title or theme for the lesson?)

Materials/ Resources Needed

What is your “text”?


Lesson Plan Time

Duration

Teacher Guide

Introduction/ Warm-up

Transition?

Teacher-guided activity or

activities

Transition?

Independent Activity or

activities

(Describe the independent

activity to reinforce the teacher

guided activities)

Transition?

Conclusion/ Cool-down


SAMPLE UNITS

Participants of the STARTALK workshop on curriculum design created four units to support the

Standards of Foreign Language Learning and to accompany the established objectives for the

Persian curriculum guide. The themes of the units included:

One Week in the Life of a Young Iranian Architect

A Week with an Isfahani Family

Each unit includes an overarching theme and lists objectives associated with the Standards of

Foreign Language Learning and the collectively established objectives for the Persian

curriculum guide. Each unit also includes performance tasks and detailed daily lesson plans.


Sample Unit #1

A Summer with an Isfahani Family

Farima Mostowfi (Georgetown University), Jaleh Pirnazar (University of California, Berkeley), Haideh Sahim

(Hofstra University), Mojan Membrado (Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales, Paris), Forough

Mofid ( UPenn, Philadelphia)

Overview of the Lesson: An American student of Middle East Studies is invited by an Iranian

family (parents of his roommate, Bijan) to stay with them in Isfahan while he attends a summer intensive

Persian language course. He has a travel budget limited to $3600.

Final Performance tasks:

A. Written Journal

Based on this week's lessons, each student prepares his/her journal on one of

these topic items:

1. Another day of Bill's experience in Isfahan.

2. Bill's first day of class at Isfahan University.

3. Bill’s visit to the Isfahan Bazaar with one of Bijan's cousins.

4. A description of Bill's first week in Isfahan.

Requirements:

a) Length: Essay should be around 250 words (15-18 sentences).

b) Grammatical Structures: In narrative journal essays, students should include past

and present tenses, present subjunctives; idiomatic language; formal registers.

B. Oral Presentation or Role Play (8-10 minutes)

Based on this week’s lesson, each student will present orally on one of these

topics:


Oral Presentation/PowerPoint

1. Some of the highlights of Bill's first week in Isfahan.

2. Bill reports to Bijan regarding Isfahan and his impression of Bijan's family.

3. Bill reports to his family about his trip and shows pictures.

Role Play (prepared with a partner in class)

1. Bill visits the bazaar and purchases some Isfahani handicrafts.

2. Bill interacts with professors and other students on his first day at the university.

3. Bill goes sightseeing with Bijan's cousin.

Requirements:

a) Use appropriate language (formal/polite with professors, elders, etc. & informal

with classmates, cousins and Bijan).

b) Use idioms, subjunctives and comparatives.


Theme: Geography and Travel

Final objectives for the unit:

Communication Interpersonal:

Students will be able to purchase their ticket for travel to Isfahan.

Students will be able to request a student discount.

Students will be able to report experiences to a roommate.

Students will be able to greet a family formally.

Students will be able to fill out a simple questionnaire.

Students will be able to engage in simple conversation with tourists.

Students will be able to engage in simple pleasantries with family elders.

Communication Interpretive:

Students will be able to understand idiomatic language used for greetings.

Students will be able to understand respectful/polite language used to address elders.

Students will be able to complete a simple registration form to enroll in classes.

Students will be able to use a map to find major sights.

Students will be able to follow signs and directions to a location.

Communication Presentational:

Students will be able to engage in simple exchange of idioms to express gratitude.

Students will be able to prepare a written journal at the end of the lesson.

Students will be able to prepare a 10-minute oral presentation or a role-play with a

partner. in class

Cultural Products:

Students will be able to identify historical sites and monuments in Isfahan.

Students will become familiar with Iranian dishes.

Students will learn about the different colleges of the University of Isfahan.


Cultural Practices:

Students will be able to show respect for elders by using a polite register of speech.

Students will be able to recognize family relationships and learn terms for extended

family members.

Daily Schedule:

Day one – Arranging for Travel to Isfahan

خرید بلیت و مکالمه با هم اتاقی

Day two – Greeting at Isfahan Airport

شود. رسد و با خانواده اصفهانیان آشنا می بیل به اصفهان می

Day three – Interpersonal communication and culture

رود و یک جهان و مسجد امام میکند و بعد از ظهر به دیدن میدان نقش رود، اسم نویسی می بیل به دانشگاه اصفهان می

خورد. چای با گز در چایخانه هتل عباسی می

Day four – Culture, communities

دهند.شود. آنها آلبوم خانوادگی شان را به او نشان می او با خانواده اصفهانیان آشنا می

Day five – Oral presentation ) 10 minutes(

PowerPoint / Photos/ Video / YouTube, etc.

Written journal around 250 words (15-18 sentences)

Presenting souvenirs to class (gaz for everyone + handicrafts)


Theme: Day I – Arranging for Travel to Isfahan

Objectives:

Students will be able to purchase a ticket for a trip (interpersonal).

Students will be able to read a travel brochure for Isfahan (interpretive).

Students will be able to identify major sites on Isfahan’s map (interpretive).

Students will be able to ask for basic information about the trip (interpersonal).

Students will be able to ask for a student discount (interpersonal).

Students will be able to report their travel plans to their roommate (presentational).

Students will be able to report receiving a discount for their purchase (presentational).

Tasks/Activities in class:

1. Warm up (5 minutes) - Teacher guided activities:

Locate Isfahan on the map of Iran provided by teacher (paper map/Google map).

Talk about Isfahan's distance to Tehran versus Shiraz.

Student activity in pairs:

Search for 3-5 major historical sites in Isfahan (Imam Mosque, Hotel Abbassi, the bazaar,

Ali Ghapoo, etc.) on the web.

2. Students report their findings to class (5-10 minutes).

3. Teacher discusses basic information for travel, introducing vocabulary (10 minutes):

Areas of discussion will include visas, vaccinations, tickets, ticket agencies, online travel

agencies, the Iran Interest Section website and travel discounts for students.


Vocabulary:

نقشه -دفتر یادداشت –بودجه –بورس تحصیلی –چانه زدن –شرکت هواپیمایی –آژانس مسافرتی

تخفیف دانشجویی –بلیت –واکسن

4. Dialogue with Roommate (10-15 minutes): Students in pairs read the dialogue aloud with one

another.

اتاقیمکالمه با هم

یمایی ترکیه پرفتم. ارزانترین بلیت به اصفهان با شرکت هوا” سیروس“بیژن، من به آژانس مسافرتی :بیل

است.

؟یمایی ترکیه؟ چه جالب ! حاال قیمتش چقدر بودپهواشرکت :بیژن

دالر خریدم. 0511دالر می گفت، اما من آن را به 0521قیمتش را :بیل

.چانه هم زدی پس : بیژن

بود. شبله این تنها راه :بیل

؟رواز می کنیپخوب، از کجا :بیژن

.رواز بکنم و بعد از آنجا به اصفهان برومپبیل من باید از واشنگتن به استانبول

.در و مادرم خیلی خوشحال می شوند تو را ببینندپبیژن چه خوب!

ر بدهم. چی فکر می کنی؟بیل می خواهم امروز به آنها خب

. من هم به آنها تلفن می کنم. فکری استبیژن خوب

م بنویسم.چند جمله در دفترهرروز من هم می خواهم درباره این سفر بیل خیلی خوب.


4. Students present their role-play in front of the class. (10 minutes)

5. Conclusion (5 minutes) - Comprehension questions for dialogue:

Where did Bill go today?

Which airline is he flying with?

When is he leaving?

Homework Assignment: Student may choose option I or II.

Communication/Presentational written assignment:

Option I, Students use informal language, Written Dialogue, ½ page - Students ask for a

student discount on their airplane ticket. They introduce themselves, provide student ID, state

their major and minor fields of study, express their interest in Isfahan’s sites, mention their

limited budget for the trip and manage to negotiate a lower price.

Option II, Students use formal language Research and Reporting, ½ page - Students research

5 interesting aspects about Isfahan (history, arts and architecture, local cuisine, weather, the

University of Isfahan, Hotel Abbasi, Imam Mosque, etc.) and report back with the facts they find.


Theme: Day II – Greeting at Isfahan’s Airport

Objectives:

Students will be able to formally greet a family (interpersonal).

Students will be able to briefly introduce themselves (interpersonal/presentational).

Students will be able to show respect for elders by using a polite register of speech and thank

their guests for their hospitality (interpersonal).

Students will be able to recognize family relationships and use terms for various extended family

members (interpretive).

Students will be able to identify historical sites in Isfahan (cultural products).

Students will be able to understand and interpret greetings and courtesy words exchanged when

meeting their hosts (interpretive).


1. Warm up (5 minutes)

2. Interpersonal practice (5-8 minutes) Teacher asks groups of partners to come up to the

front of the classroom and role-play Bill's purchase of a flight ticket and his negotiating a lower

price.

3. Teacher introduces the lesson’s theme with pre-reading activities (5-8 minutes):

Teacher talks about the Persian concept of formal greetings and the exchange of pleasant

remarks/respectful idioms when greeting elders.

Teacher presents the context of Bill's arrival at the airport where different members of his

host family greet him.


4. The dialogue is read aloud with partners (5 minutes):

The teacher asks three or four volunteers to come to the front of the class to act out the

dialogue.

Covered Vocabulary:

صفا آوردید –خوش آمدید –جاِی شما خالی –خسته نباشید –رسیدن به خیر

Covered Grammar:

Formal greetings and courtesy words. Present subjunctive.


فرودگاه می شود بیل وارد

خواهر بیژن هستم. رسیدن به خیر. خسته نباشید. خواهر بیژن: شما باید بیل باشید. سالم. من بیتا

خوشوقتم. .هستم بیل من بلهبیل: سالم.

بیتا: با مادر و پدرم آشنا شوید.

م.ر بیژن: خوش آمدید. از دیدن شما خوشحالماد

ه خیر. ژن: رسیدن بپدر بی

کرم. کاش بیژن هم اینجا بود.بیل: من هم از دیدن شما خیلی خوشحالم و از دعوت شما متش

مادر بیژن: بله. جای بیژن جان خیلی خالی است.

بیتا: اجازه بدهید به منزل برویم و سر راه چند جای دیدنی را هم به شما نشان بدهیم.

ب! بیل: چه خو

و سه پل، زاینده رود و چهار باغ را به شما نشان بدهیم که در شب بسیار زیبا و بیتا: ما می توانیم سی

دیدنی هستند.

پدر بیژن: این زاینده روداست. و این هم سی و سه پل که در زمان صفویه ساخته شد.

نزدیک اینجاست. ما ی وارد چهار باغ می شویم. خانه بیتا: حاال

اصفهان باغ چهار


5. Based on the dialogue, the teacher asks students to answer simple comprehension

questions (5 minutes):

Who came to the airport to greet Bill?

How did Bill address Bijan's parents at the airport?

Describe the Isfahanians' residence.

What monuments did they see on their way In Isfahan? Locate them on a map of the city.

6. Teacher repeats from the dialogue the sights seen on the way from the airport. Teacher

asks, “What would you like to see in Isfahan?” The teacher puts the students in partners to

discuss what they would like to see. Teacher writes this response on the board, “I would like to

see...” and presents a PowerPoint showing 5 or 6 interesting sites in Isfahan.

7. Review (5-8 minutes): Teacher discusses the vocabulary and explains the idioms used in the

greeting dialogues. Teacher asks students to exchange similar exchanges and

introductions/greetings with each other.

Homework Assignment (Students choose 2 of the 3 available options):

a) Write a short dialogue about, “What does Bill see on the way to his host’s house?”

b) Look at the map of Isfahan. How do you follow directions/give directions to get from

site A to site B to site C (from Imam Mosque to Ali Ghapoo to Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque)

using directional vocabulary like “north,” “south,” “northwest,” etc.?

c) Students go to http://www.ui.ac.ir/index.php and write down at least 5 facts about

University of Isfahan and its Persian Language Program. The student will make a list of

5-8 differences between the University of Isfahan and their own university.

http://www.ui.ac.ir/index.php


چهل ستون


Theme: Day III – Trip to the Center of Isfahan

Objectives:

Students will be able to complete a simple questionnaire and registration form (interpretive).

Students will be able to read maps and understand basic directions (interpretive).

Students will be able to follow signs to a destination (interpretive).

Students will be able to obtain information concerning public transportation (interpersonal).

Students will be able to order simple foods (interpersonal).

Students will be able to converse in simple terms with tourists (interpersonal).

Students will be able to identify key facts about the University of Isfahan (interpretive).

Students will be able to identify local food preferences and delicacies (interpretive).

Students will be able to compare and contrast their colleges with the University of Isfahan

(interpersonal/presentational).


1. Warm up (5 minutes): Teacher addresses students in formal/polite language and the

class practices doing the same using expressions learned in the previous lesson.

2. Teacher introduces the themes of the lesson (5-8 minutes): Teacher asks students

what their daily routine is like to prepare them for discussing Bill’s activities in Isfahan.

Teacher talks about tourism and navigating new places and turns the students’ attention

toward Bill’s exploration of Isfahan.

3. Teacher puts students into groups to discuss the lesson’s dialogue (10-15 minutes):

Students are put into small groups to discuss Bill’s activities and answer the following

questions:

How does Bill start his day?

Who is Mr. Naderi and what does he give Bill?

What major sights does Bill see in Isfahan?

What does Bill do in the Abbasi Hotel?


4. Teacher asks students to underline expressions reviews street signs and map

locations. (10 minutes)

Teacher places these expressions on the board.

5. Teacher asks students to match names of signs with images of signs.(5 minutes)

The class labels the map together.

6. Teacher displays a PowerPoint presentation of Bill’s visit to the various locations

throughout Isfahan.

Student Activity: Students complete registration form alone. They go over their answers as a

class.

Grammar: Prepositions, interrogative, comparative, compound words

Vocabulary:

آشنا شدن -قلیان کشیدن -چایخانه -راهنمایی کردن -نام نویسی -پرسشنامه –بخش


Bill Tours Isfahan on His Own

بیل به تنهایی در اصفهان می گردد

آشنا می شود. او ها با استاد فارسی صبح بیل با تاکسی به دانشگاه اصفهان می رود. در بخش زبان

مه ی تابستانی کالس فارسی را به بیل می دهد و او را به قسمت نام نویسی راهنمایی می کند.برنا

می گیرد و با اتوبوس به میدان نقش را بعد از ظهر بیل از مرکز جهانگردی یک نقشه ی شهر اصفهان

سی می رود و در جهان می رود. بعد از دیدن مسجد امام، عالی قاپو و چهل ستون، به چایخانه هتل عبا

آنجا یک چای بزرگ با چند گز می خورد. در هتل با چند جهانگرد ژاپنی و هلندی قلیان می کشد و

صحبت می کند.

هللامسجد شیخ لطف –امام )شاه( مسجد –عالی قاپو –میدان نقش جهان


Activities:

Task: Using maps, reading street signs, following directions, filling out questionnaires, ordering

food, conversing with Isfahani residents and tourists.

به نقشه اصفهان نگاه کنید.

میدان نقش جهان را پیدا کنید. -0

مسجد امام را نشان دهید. -5

در این نقشه هتل عباسی کجاست؟ -3

ختمان تاریخی است؟بازار اصفهان نزدیک به کدام سا -4


سی و سه پل، زاینده رود و خیابان چهار باغ در کدام قسمت شهر هستند؟ -2

)شمال، جنوب، شرق، غرب، جلو، نزدیک، پشت، کمی آنطرف تر، روبروی، دیوار به دیوار(

Homework assignment:

- Write a dialogue introducing your extended family members to a host family (use the

vocabulary sheet at the end of lesson; include the names of at least 4 cousins).


دانشگاه اصفهان

های خارجی مرکز زبان

پرسشنامه

: ________________________________________________ نام

_________________________________________: نام خانوادگی

_______________________________________: شماره شناسنامه

________________________________________: شماره گذرنامه

___________________________________________: تاریخ تولد

____________________________________________: محل تولد

______________________________________________: نشانی

_______________________________________________: ملیت

_____________________________________________: دانشگاه

_________________________________________: رشته تحصیلی

__________________________________________: سال تحصیلی


نقشه شهر اصفهان

Theme: Day IV – At a Family Gathering

Objectives:

Students will be able to identify terms for extended family members (interpretive).

Students will be able to understand which terms to use for elder family members

(interpretive).

Students will be able to compare Persian terms for family members with English terms

(interpretive).

Students will be able to briefly describe family members (presentational).

Students will be able to use polite/formal terms and expressions to address elder family

members (interpersonal).

Students will be able to use extended family vocabulary (cousin, uncle, etc.)

(presentational).



1. Warm up (5-8 minutes):

Students talk about Bill’s activities in Isfahan.

Students are asked to talk about trips they have taken and sights they have seen.

If students have studied abroad, teachers can ask them to talk about the family that they

stayed with using the new family vocabulary.

2. Introduction to the lesson themes (5-10 minutes):

The teacher explains that today, Bill gets introduced to the family. Teacher emphasizes the

differences in describing family members between Persian and English.

3. PowerPoint photo album (5 minutes):

Family vocabulary is introduced as the teacher presents different members of a family to the

students.

4. Oral presentations (5 minutes):

The students read a dialogue aloud to practice pronunciation.

5. Pair Activity (10-15 minutes):

Students underline key family vocabulary, complete a family tree, and identify family

members on the tree based off the dialogue.

6. Student independent activity (10-15 minutes):

Students must make a list of their own family members and include things such as how many

cousins they have, how many maternal and paternal aunts/uncles? Students will bring family

photos to class and identify people in them for their classmates.


7. Pair Activity (5-10 minutes):

Students share information with each other about their families.

8. Conclusion:

Students conduct a group discussion of their families, which will be led by the teacher.

Family Vocabulary:

دائی/خاله، دختر خاله، پسر عمه، دختر عمو

عروس/ داماد، نوه، خواهر زاده،

مادر شوهر/مادرزن، پدر شوهر/پدر زن، مادربزرگ/پدر بزرگ


Bill Spends His Day with the Isfahanian Family

گذراند را با خانواده اصفهانیان می شروزبیل

خواهر و برادر داری؟خانم اصفهانیان: بیل، چند تا

بیل: دو تا خواهر و یک برادر.

!زرگی داریبفامیل پس خانم اصفهانیان:

.مثل فامیل های ایرانی نه بیل: البته

خانم اصفهانیان: میخوای آلبوم خانوادگی ما رو ببینی؟

بیل: البته!

جشن عروسی شان است.جا اینشین. این عکس پدر و مادر منه. نب پهلوی من خانم اصفهانیان: پس بیا اینجا

بیل: چه جالب!

خانم اصفهانیان: خوب، این خاله ی بیژنه، خواهر بزرگ من. اینم برادرمه. خانم او فیلیپینیه.

بیل: بیژن خیلی دختر عمو و پسر عمو و دختر عمه و پسر عمه داره!

خانم اصفهانیان: بله. ماشاهللا.

.cousinیل: ما این همه اسم نداریم. به همه میگیم ب

کیه؟به خانم اصفهانیان: وا؟ پس از کجا میفهمین کی


Homework Assignment:

Finish journal to hand in the next day (15-18 sentences ~100 words)

Prepare role play (5-10 minutes) of one more day of Bill’s experience in Isfahan

to be performed in class or an oral presentation about Isfahan including major

sights, attractions and culture points.

Requirements: Students must use correct registers of speech in role-play (polite/formal when

talking to elders or professors, informal when talking to peers). The oral presentation must

present new information about Isfahan and local culture not already covered in class.

Day V – Written Journals Due (100 words) – Oral

Presentations/PowerPoint/Role-Play (10 minutes)

Based on the Week's Lesson:

Students will be able to complete a 100-word written essay using basic grammar

structures in formal language.

Students will be able to orally present to class using basic grammatical structures in

informal/spoken language.

Students will be able to engage in role-play with a partner in class using informal/spoken

language.

Students will be able to identify tourist sites and local culture through oral presentations.


1. Students will present their role-plays.

2. Students must ask each other questions and be active during each other’s presentations

and role-plays.

3. Students will submit their journal entries to the instructor.


Additional Grammar Points to be used at Teacher’s Discretion

Give synonyms for these words:

__________________________________________________: نگردیجها

_________________________________________________ : صحبت کردن

Give the antonym for these words

___________________________________________________: فوت کردن

______________________________________________________: روشن

______________________________________________________ : ارزان

__________________________________________________: شمال شرقی

________________________________________________: کمی آنطرف تر


Major Vocabulary for the Unit

هعم راهنمایی بلیت

عمو جهانگرد اسم نویسی

خاله مرکز جهانگردی گز

دایی نقشه چایخانه

نوه قلیان کشیدن آلبوم خانوادگی

عروس عکس شرکت هواپیمایی

داماد فوت کردن خسته نباشی!

خواهر زن مزرعه ما را روشن کردی!ی خانه

برادرزاده کشاورزی رسیدن به خیر!

ماشاهللا! شبیه وشن!چشم ما ر


SAMPLE UNIT #2

One Week in the Life of a Young Iranian Student

Created by: Manouchehr Kasheff (Columbia University/NYU), Latifeh Hagigi (UCLA), Haleh

Tabesh(Syracuse University), Sara Khanzadi (University of Minnesotta)

Level: Novice high

Theme: One week in the life of a young Iranian student of Architecture

Sub-themes:

1) “A day trip to Isfahan”

2) “A visit to a family member” (An elderly grandmother)

3) “Learning to cook” (a simple recipe)

4) “Love life”

Overarching Goal:

How to narrate and discuss daily life (in the present indicative tense)

Grammatical Objectives

Present indicative tense/adverbs of time, place and manner/compound verbs/comparative

and superlative adjectives

Functional Objectives:

Day 1: “A day trip to Isfahan”

Interpretive: Students will be able to read a short description of a photo of Isfahan.


Interpersonal: Students will be able to have a conversation; ask and answer simple questions

about the site with a classmate

Presentational: Students will be able to describe a historical site.

Culture: Students will be introduced to the historical sites of “Masjed-e Shah” and the "Vank"

church. (cultural products)

Comparisons: Students will be able to compare the architecture and art in “Masjed-e

Shah” with that of the “Vank” church in Jolfa.

Day 2: “A visit to a family member” (An elderly grandmother)

Communication:

Interpretive: Students will be able to read and comprehend the main ideas of a letter

from Iran or a “Mullah Nasreddin” story, and respond to the grandmother’s questions

regarding the content of the letter or the story.

Students will be able to ask each other about plans for the next day (Madar bozorg farda

chekar mikoni?) (interpersonal)

Students will be able to present the highlights of Taraneh's visit to her grandmother’s

house. (presentational)

Communities: Students will be introduced to family and community life in Iran.

Students will learn how to treat and talk to an elderly person. (cultural practices)

Students will be introduced to a story of “Mullah Nasreddin” (cultural products)

Day 3: “Learning to cook” (a simple recipe)

Communication:

The teacher reads the recipe and students listen to prepare the recipe (Interpretive).


Students will be able to exchange information about what dishes, fruits, places they like

and dislike (Interpersonal).

Students will be able to use the ingredients that the teacher brings into the class to make

“mast o khiar”. Students will be able to list the ingredients of a simple recipe.

(presentational)

Culture:

Students will become familiar with the Persian recipe of “mast o khiar”. ( cultural

products)

Comparisons: Students will be able to compare this recipe to similar types of food in

American culture (i.e. vegetable dip, tzatziki, etc.).

Day 4: “Love life”

Communication

Students will be able to describe their ideal mate by using simple adjectives.

Students will be able to describe physical and personal characteristics of people by

comparing and contrasting them with film stars, celebrities, etc.

Students will be able to give a short and simple description of one of their classmates’

appearance and character to the whole class.

Students will be able to ask and answer questions about their ideal mate to their friends

and ask their opinion (Interpersonal).

Students will write a story about the attributes of their ideal partner for the next class

(Presentational).


Assessment: Performance tasks

1. Students will write a daily journal entry based on the content covered in the class (daily

life).

2. In pairs, students will talk about one day of a tourist’s life.

3. Students will present a Power-Point or picture presentation of one day of one of their

travels.

One week in the life of a Young Iranian student of Architecture

Day 1: Taraneh: A day in Isfahan

Introduction:

Lesson Plan (A day in Isfahan)

Audience:

Persian novice-high. Age range: 18-39. Total students: 13 (8 females and 5

males). Students: heritage/ non-heritage learners.

Teaching

Objectives:

5C’s:

Communication:

Presentational: Students will be able to describe a historical site.

Interpersonal: Students will be able to have a conversation; ask

and answer simple questions about the site with a classmate.

Interpretive: Students will be able to read a short description of the

photo.

Culture: Students will be introduced to the historical sites, the

“Masjed-e Shah” and the "Vank" (products)

Comparisons: Students will be able to compare the “Masjed-e

Shah” with the “Vank” church.

Media and

resources:

Students use two photos (one photo of the “Masjed-e Shah” and one of the

“Vank” church), four copies of each photo are needed. (one for each pair of


students/two extra copies)

Students are asked to watch a video on Isfahan that has been put on the

class website the night before for homework.

At the end of the class the teacher informs the students about the website,

Encyclopedia Iranica, www.iranica.com.

Here, they can find many articles about Isfahan for further information.

Time:

One class period (60 minutes) plus follow-up writing.

Procedures:

1. Warm up: The teacher questions students about what they know about

Isfahan, or other historical cities in the world. (5-10 minutes)

2. Interpretive Mode: The teacher introduces a female character, Taraneh,

who goes to Isfahan for work every Monday. Next, the teacher reads the

short paragraph about Taraneh’s trip to Isfahan and focuses on the present

tense in the sample sentences. Then the teacher asks the students to read

the text silently. (5-10 minutes).

3. Interpersonal Mode: Then the students ask their classmates some questions

based on the information provided in the text (10-15 minutes).

4. The teacher gives two photos (the “Masjed Shah” and the “Vank” church)

to the students and asks them to describe their photos, first for each other

and then for the class (15 minutes). The teacher first provides some useful

descriptive expressions like "in this photo, there is…" along with a few

descriptor words to help guide the students in their own description.

5. List comparison and contrast points on the blackboard (5 minutes).

Students describe the photos to the class after partner work, the teacher

could write their comments/ description on the board in two columns - one

column for the “Masjed-e Shah” and another column for the “Vank”

church. After the class description, the teacher compares and contrasts the

two sites with the whole class.

6. The teacher then presents students with their homework assignment.

Students need to write a brief one to two paragraph narrative about

spending a day in a city using Taraneh’s story as a model. Students need to

compare different sites in their narrative using comparative structures.

Students use the present tense and vocabulary from the lesson. The

instructor also presents the website “Encylopedia Iranica” where they may

find further information about Isfahan. (5-10 minutes)

http://www.iranica.com/


Assessment

The teacher can determine whether learning has taken place or not by

listening to the students’ verbal descriptions of their photos. Their written

version is also collected by the teacher.

Students are asked to write a brief narrative about spending a day in a city

in their journal, using Taraneh’s story as a model.

Introduction: Taraneh

Taraneh is a young Iranian student of architecture. She is twenty-three years old. She lives in the suburbs

of the ancient historical city of Isfahan with her family. Every week she goes into the center of the city for

her school project. Taraneh loves her grandmother very much and goes to visit her every week. She

enjoys eating Persian food and so she likes to learn some simple recipes from her grandmother. Taraneh

does not have a boyfriend yet but she would like to find her future mate sooner rather than later. She

prefers educated, tall, and handsome boys, but her mother wants a rich businessman for her.


اصفهان در روز یک

من. کنم می هم کار ولی خوانم می معماری من. هستم اصفهان دانشگاه دانشجوی من. است ترانه من اسم

هر. آنهاست بازسازی و تعمیر و اصفهان تاریخی های بنا بررسی من کار. کنم می زندگی شهر بیرون

بعد. کنم می آرایش هم کمی و کنم می حمام اول. شوم می بیدار خواب از هشت ساعت شنبه روز هفته،

جای به گاهی ولی است، چای و مربا و پنیر و نان معموال من صبحانه. خورم می و کنم می درست صبحانه

به و شوم می اتومبیل سوار نیم و نه ساعت تقریبا. خورم می و کنم می درست نیمرو مرغ تخم مربا، و پنیر

به ده ساعت نزدیک. هستم راه در ساعت نیم تقریبا و است جنوب طرف به من راه. روم می اصفهان

ها بنا این میان در. زنم می سر آن تاریخی بناهای به و مانم می شهر در تمام روز یک و رسم می اصفهان

ها بنا این نگهبانان من. است تعمیر حال در ولی است، قشنگ خیلی چون دارم دوست خیلی را شاه مسجد

بازسازی و تعمیر برای کارگر چند امروز پرسم می مثال.کنم می سوال چند آنها از و بینم می یک به یک را

ساعتی کارگر هر. کنند می میزت یا تعمیر را بنا کجای. مانند می ساعتی چه تا و آیند می ساعتی چه. آیند می

های کار نتیجه. دارم می بر یادداشت و کنم می نگاه خوب را کارشان نتیجه بعد. گیرد می دستمزد لایر چند

نزدیک و شود می تمام کارم نیم و چهار ساعت نزدیک. گیرم می هم عکس گاهی. بینم می هم را پیش هفته

.فرستم می دانشگاه برای بعد روز و نویسم می را کارم گزارش خانه در. گردم می بر خانه به پنج

..


One week in the life of a young Iranian student of Architecture

Lesson Plan (A Visit to her Grandmother)

Audience:


males). Students: heritage and non-heritage learners.

Teaching

Objectives:

5C’s:

Communication:

Presentational: Students will be able to present highlights of

Taraneh’s visit to her grandmother’s house.

Interpersonal: Students will be able to ask each other about plans

for the next day. (Madar bozorg farda chekar mikonin?)

Interpretive: Students will be able to read and comprehend the

main ideas of a letter from Iran or a “Mullah Nasreddin” story, and

respond to the grandmother’s questions regarding the content of the

letter or the story.

Communities: Students will be introduced to family and

community life in Iran.

Culture: Students will learn how to treat and talk to an elderly

person. (practice)

Students will be introduced to a “Mullah Nasreddin”

story.(products)

Media and

resources:

A short passage about Taraneh’s visit to her grandmother’s house.

Time:


Procedures:

1. The students are asked to preview vocabulary for the lesson. The

teacher starts the class by having a conversation with the students

using the vocabulary of the day, for instance: “aya shoma be didan-

e madar bozorgetun mirin?” “chera madar bozorgetun o doost

darin?” (Warm up, 5minutes)

2. Then the teacher asks the students to read the short dialogue silently

(5 minutes).

3. The teacher asks two students to read aloud Taraneh’s and


Mamani’s (the grandmother) dialogue to the whole class, and

provides feedback on their pronunciation and intonation. (10

minutes).

4. Students then discuss in partners basic comprehension questions

about the dialogue. The teacher then reviews the questions with the

class to see how well the students have understood the content.

Based on the dialogue, the teacher highlights information about

family life in Iran and respectful practices when communicating

with elders. (10 minutes).

5. The teacher then asks students to identify/underline examples of the

present tense in the dialogue and ways in which the characters

discussed their plans. The teacher then reviews the simple present

tense using sentences from the dialogue as examples and talks

about the adverbial phrases (5-10 minutes).

6. The students are asked to go over the dialogue again, underlining as

many idiomatic terms as they can, and then share them with the

class. Teacher writes the terms on the board (5minutes).

7. The students work in pairs (ideally one heritage speaker with a non-

heritage speaker) to create a brief dialogue about an interesting visit

with a family member. Students should use the present tense,

adverbial phrases, and at least one idiomatic expression. Students

then act it out for the class in spoken Persian. (15 minutes).

Assessment The teacher can determine whether learning has taken place or not by

listening to the students’ dialogue. Their written version is also collected

and reviewed. The students are asked to write a journal entry, this time

about their own visit with a family member. They are to focus on the

simple present tense, word order, spelling and the use of the connector

“keh” and at least five adverbial phrases.


.رود می مادربزرگش دیدن به یکشنبه هر ترانه

است؟ چطور حالتان مامانی، بخیر صبح: ترانه

چطوری؟ تو شکر، را خدا خوبم، خیلی مادرجان، بخیر روزت و شب: مامانی

.شوم. می خسته خیلی گردم می بر روز آخر تا و مرو می اصفهان بهکه ها هشنب. ام خسته کمی نیستم، بد: ترانه

.داری دوست خیلی دانم می که خوریم می دم تازه چای یک باهم اول حاال: مامانی

ها؟ خبر چه جان مادر خوب. جانت نوش: مامانی

عکس تا چند باهم که است این ما امروز برنامه مامانی،. است راه به رو چیز همه فعال ندارم، خصوصی به خبر: ترانه

.فرستم می دوستام برای که گیریم می

نه؟ خوریم، می هم ناهار باهم خوب، خیلی: مامانی

.هستم شما دستپخت عاشق من البته،: ترانه

.جان مادر بروم قربانت: مامانی

چیست؟ شما فردای برنامه مامانی، خوب: ترانه

. بینیم می را دوستم هم گاهی روم، می خرید ها دوشنبه همیشه من ی،دان می: مامانی

.است گرم سرتان پس خوب، چه: ترانه

.شکر را خدا مادر، رهآ: مامانی

سوال من از شما هم بعدا. است مزه با خیلی که خوانم می نصرالدین مال قصه یک برایتان امروز مامانی، راستی: ترانه

؟چطوره دهم، می جواب هم من و کنید می

.عزیزم باشه: مامانی


:نصرالدین مال داستان

مال که گویند می ده مردم همه.بفروشد و ببرد بازار به را خرش که گیرد می تصمیم نصرالدین مال روزی

نگران:" دهد می جواب مال" بفروشی؟ را آن خواهی می چرا دارد، بستگی خر این به تو زندگی همه"

".نخرد هیچکس که گذارم می آن روی قیمتی من نباشید،

پس چرا مال می خواست خرش را بفروشد؟ مامانی :ترانه

: راستش نمی خواست این کار را بکند.مامانی

فعال پس بینم، می را پسرم دوست ظهر از بعد نیم و هفت ساعت امروز روم، می دیگر من مامانی خوبدرسته. :ترانه

.خداحافظ

.جان مادر راد هنگ خدا: مامانی

(.رود می و بوسد می را مادربزرگش ترانه)


One week in the life of a young Iranian student of Architecture

Day 3: Taraneh “learns a simple Persian recipe.”

Lesson Plan (“Mast o Khiar”)

Audience:


males). Students: heritage/ non-heritage learners.

Teaching

Objectives:

5C’s:

Communication

Presentational: The students will be able to use the ingredients that

the teacher brings into the class and make “mast o khiar”. The

students will be able to list the ingredients of a simple recipe.

Interpersonal: The students will be able to exchange information

about what they like and dislike regarding the ingredients in the

recipe.

Interpretive: The teacher reads the recipe and then students

prepare it.

Culture: Students will be familiar with the Persian recipe of “mast o

khiar”. ( products)

The students will be able to know when the dish “mast o khiar” is to

be served. (practices)

Comparisons: Students will be able to compare this recipe to

similar types of food in American culture (i.e. vegetable dip).

Media and

resources:

The teacher will bring some cucumbers and yogurt to the class, also mint,

salt and pepper.

Time:

One class period (60 minutes), in addition to a written assignment to be

done after class.


Procedures

and

Assessment:

1. First, the teacher starts talking about “Taraneh” who likes to

learn how to make Persian food because she loves her

grandmother’s cooking. Students then discuss in pairs what

family dishes they prefer. After pair work, the teacher returns

to the large group and talks with all students about their

favorite dishes. (Warm-up). (5 minutes)

2. The teacher talks about the side dish and asks the students

some questions about the ingredients, for instance “Aya khiar

mivast ya sabzi?” or “Aya mast o khiar o ba ghaza mikhorin

ya ba’d az ghaza?” The teacher writes these ingredients on

the board. (5 minutes)

3. Using the recipe and ingredients as the context, the teacher

focuses on teaching the compound verbs such as “khord

kardan, ham zadan, pust kandan” with the students (10

minutes).

4. Next the students will be divided into groups of two. Each

group receives cucumbers, yogurt, mint, salt and pepper.

One member of the pair reads the recipe, and the other

prepares the “mast o khiar”, and then they switch roles. (15

minutes)

5. Following this activity, the teacher will then ask the students

to write a simple recipe of their choice. (10 minutes)

6. The teacher will ask students to exchange their recipes with

one another. The students need to ask each other at least five

questions related to their partners’ recipe (e.g., How much

salt should be added? Is there any pepper in this “mast o

khiar”?). Students may also wish to correct any grammatical

mistakes or spelling errors in their partners’ recipe. (10

minutes)

7. Once this is completed, the teacher and students may walk

around and evaluate the students’ performance in preparing

“mast o khiar” – tasting their classmates’ preparations. (5

minutes)

Assessment

Students are asked to write a one-page journal entry for homework about

their experience making this simple Persian dish. They should use

compound verbs and the new vocabulary.


One Week in the Life of a Young Iranian student of Architecture

Day 4: Taraneh’s “love life”.

Media Lesson Plan (“Love Life”)

Audience:

Persian novice-high. Age range: 18-39. Total students: 13 (8 females and 5 males).

Students are from the United States, heritage learners.

Teaching

Objectives:

5C’s

Communication

Presentational: Students will be able to describe their ideal mate.

Students will be able to describe physical and personal characteristics of

people. Students will be able to give a very short and simple description of

one of their classmates’ appearance and character to the whole class.

Students will write about one day in their love life for the next class.

Interpersonal: Students will be able to ask and answer questions about

their ideal mate with their friends and ask his/her opinion.

Grammar objectives:

Students will practice simple/progressive mode.

Students will review and use adjectives to describe people.

Media and

resources:

Ten photos of different girls and boys (with different attributes), four copies of

each photo (one for each pair of students/two extra copies)

Time:


Procedures:

1. The teacher starts the class by asking students some questions related to

their love lives, for instance: “doost-et che shekli-ye? (zesht/ziba…)”,

“namzad-et che jur akhlaghi dare?” (mehrabun, bad akhlagh…), “shohar-e

to ghad kutah-e?”,… and then, the teacher will talk about her ideal

husband. (Warm up 5 minutes)

2. The teacher brings a picture of her/his ideal mate and describes her/his

mate in 5 sentences in the present tense with adjectives, on the board.

Using these sentences as a model, the teacher then reviews the simple

present tense from the previous class and reviews the use of adjectives.

Students are divided into small groups (three groups of three and one

group of four) (Transfer stage/task-based assignment) (15 minutes)


3. The teacher passes one set of pictures to each group of students and gives

complete instructions to them: “Look at the pictures and try to describe

this person’s appearance, personality, and life.”

4. The students work in pairs. Looking at a set of pictures and

communicating in Persian, they should write 10 simple sentences or a

short descriptive narrative about this person (personality, appearance, etc.)

Students should focus on using the simple present tense and adjectives.

(Transfer stage/ students interact, using context set by media materials,

10m)

5. Once all the groups have completed the task, each shares its end product

with the whole class. As the students describe their character, other

students should listen to the description and decide whether or not this

person is an ideal mate for them. (Transfer stage/class discussion, 10m).

6. The teacher provides feedback both during the group work activities and

the presentations regarding correct verb tense and encourages students to

ask questions of the other groups during their presentations. (Feedback

stage, plus instructions for homework assignment, 10m)

7. Partner discussion: The students should pick one photo and pretend that

the person in this photo is their partner or love interest. Then the student

will ask their partner’s opinion about their new love interest. The second

student should tell the whole class why s/he likes or dislikes that person’s

mate, focusing on the use of the simple present and adjectives.

8. Introduction of Homework assignment: The students will write a one to

two paragraph narrative in their journal about their ideal mate, for the next

class. Their homework assignment will be graded based on their accuracy

and complexity of use of language, such as correct verb tense in their

written narrative, specifically present tense and use of adjectives. (10 m).

(Wrap up)

Assessment

The teacher can determine whether learning has taken place or not by

listening to the students’ verbal reports (sharing their narratives) and their

performance in the homework assignment.

The students are asked to write their fourth journal regarding their ideal

mate.

**On the fifth day, the students give a short oral presentation, including visuals, on the highlights of any

week in their life based on their journal entries written this week. The teacher gives a final grade based on

both the written journals and the oral presentation.


.گیرید می یاد را خیار و ماست تهیه طرز او. است مادربزرگ غذاهای عاشق هتران چون

.خورند می اصلی غذایی با معموال را خیار و ماست

:نفر یک برای الزم مواد

فنجان یک ماست

عدد 0 خیار

قاشق چایخوری 4/0 نمک

قاشق چایخوری 4/0 فلفل

قاشق چایخوری 5/0 خشکنعنا

:تهیه طرز

.کنیم می پوست را ها خیار .0

.کنیم می اضافه آن به را ماست.3

.زنیم می مه به خوب را آنها سپس .4

.زنیم می هم به و کنیم می اضافه هم را خشکنعنا .2

.زنیم می همه ب و یمکن می اضافه آن به هم فلفل و نمک .۶

.جان نوش. است آماده خیار و ماست حاال


RESOURCES

In an effort to access the wealth of pedagogical and cultural knowledge of the STARTALK

participants, a collective list of Beginning Persian resources was developed. This list includes

useful websites, films, texts, videos, cartoons, grammar resources, and even phone apps deemed

useful by professionals in the teaching of Persian language and culture.

Persian Language Resources

Abrahams, Simin. Modern Persian: A Course-Book. New York, NY: Routledge Curzon, 2005.

Accompanied by an audio cassette and CD.

Behzad, Faramarz, and Soraya Divshahi. Persian Language Course: An Introduction to the Persian Language

of Today. Translated from the German Sprachkurs Persisch, 4th edition, 2003) by J. P. Luft. Bamberg,

Germany: LOGIS, 2003.

Elwell-Sutton, L. P. Colloquial Persian. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1979.

__________. Elementary Persian Grammar. London, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1963.

Facebook Page, http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/groups /38519446085

Farzad, Nargess. Teach Yourself Modern Persian. New York, NY: McGraw–Hill, 2004.

Ghanoonparvar, M.R. Persian for Beginners: A Textbook for Teaching Adults and Young People. Costa

Mesa, CA: Mazda Publishers, 1985.

G.L.O.S.S., Defense Language Institute, Foreign Language Center, httpp://gloss.dliflc.edu/.

Jazayery, Mohammad Ali, and Herbert Paper. A Reference Grammar of Persian. 1961.

A typewritten manuscript labeled "Not for publication."

Khorrami, Mohammad Mehdi. Elementary Persian . Bisotoun, 2004.

______________________. Intermediate Persian, Bisotoun 2008.

_________________. Virtual Persian:

http://www.nyu.edu/pages/gsasweb/dept/mideast/virtualpersian/index.html

Kouchak, Manuchehr.50 Articles. Manuchehr Kouchak:1999.

Lambton, Ann K.S. Persian Grammar. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1953; reprinted

with corrections in 1957; reprinted in 1996. Accompanied by Persian Vocabulary (Cambridge

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/groups /38519446085


University Press, 1954). Reprinted with and answer key in 2000. Persian Grammar: Students'

Edition. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1971. .

Lazard, Gilbert. A Grammar of Contemporary Persian. Translation by Shirley A. Lyon. Costa Mesa,

CA: Mazda Publishers, 1992. 301p. A translation, with corrections and revisions, of Grammaire du

persan contemporain. (Paris: Klincksieck, 1957).

Livemocha, http://www.livemocha.com/

A virtual café that provides free Persian lessons. Further, it connects you to people in Iran willing to assist individuals learning Persian in exchange for assistance in teaching English.

Mace, John. Persian Grammar for Reference and Revision. New York, NY: RoutledgeCurzon, 2009.

(first published in 2003).

Marashi, Mehdi. Contemporary Spoken Persian: A Self-Instructional Course. Books 1 and 2. Guilford,

CT Audio Forum, 1986.

__________ and Latifeh Hagigi. Elementary Proficiency in Persian. Sur-Mount Pub, 2003.

__________. Persian Handwriting. Bethesda, MD: Ibex Publishers, 2000.

Miandji, A. Beginner's Persian. New York, NY: Hippocrene Books, 1998.

Minuchehr, Pardis. Beginning Persian. (Forthcoming)

Moghaddam, A. Saffar. A General Course in Persian 1: Basic Structures. Tehran: Council for Promotion

of Persian Language and Literature, 2003/4. 348p.

Mohajer, Simin, Shaheq, Mahvash and Farima Mostowfi. Learning Persian (Book One), IBEX, 2007.

Pendar, Nik. FARSI, A complete course for beginners. Living Language Series, Iowa State University.

2007.

Perry, John R. Form and Meaning in Persian Vocabulary: The Arabic Feminine Ending. Costa Mesa,

CA: Mazda Publishers, 1991.

Persian Language Resources, http://www.persianproficiency.com/

Persian Online, The University of Texas at Austin, http://www.laits.utexas.edu/persian_grammar/

Jadidi, Pourneh Shabani and Brookshaw, Dominic Parviz. The Routledge Introductory Persian Course,

.New York, NY: Routledge, 2010 .فارسی شیرین است

http://www.livemocha.com/

http://www.persianproficiency.com/

http://www.laits.utexas.edu/persian_grammar/


Pimsleur Language Program. Conversational Farsi (Persian): Learn to Speak and Understand Farsi

(Persian). Pimsleur, 2005.

Proficiency in Persian, Book 1 Audio Companion, Persian Language Resources, 2007.

http://www.persianproficiency.com/proficiency-in-persian-book-1-media-companion/

Purnamdariyan, T. Dars-e Farsi: For Foreign Persian Students. Tehran: Institute for Cultural Studies and

Research, 1993.

Rafiee, Abdi. Colloquial Persian: The Complete Course for Beginners. New York, NY: Routledge, 2001.

With cassettes, colloquial series, and multimedia.

Samaré, Yadollâh. Âmuzesh-e Zabân-e Fârsi [Learning the Persian Language]. 5 volumes. Tehran:

Office of International Relations, Ministry of Islamic Culture and Guidance, 1988-1989.

Sprachman, Paul. Language and Culture in Persian. Costa Mesa, CA: Mazda Publishers, 2002.

Stilo, Donald L. and Jerome W. Clinton. Modern Persian: Spoken and Written. Unpublished,

photocopied and bound manuscript, 1993.

Stilo, Donald, Kamran Talattof, and Jerome Clinton. Modern Persian: Spoken and Written. 2 volumes.

New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2005.

Thackston, Wheeler M. An Introduction to Persian. Revised Fourth Edition. Bethesda, MD: Ibex

Publishers, 2009 (third revised edition, 1993).

Whightwick, Jane. Your First 100 Words in Persian. McGraw-Hill, 1 edition, 2003.

http://www.amazon.com/Your-First-100-Words-Persian/dp/0071412247/ref=pd_cp_b_2

Windfuhr, Gernot and Hassan Tehranisa. Modern Persian: Elementary Level. Ann Arbor, Michigan:

University of Michigan, 1981 (revised edition).

Windfuhr, Gernot L. Modern Persian: Intermediate Level, Volumes 1 and 2. Ann Arbor, MI: Department

of Near Eastern Studies, University of Michigan, 1979.

http://www.persian-language.org/learning-list.html ,صفار مقدم کتاب فارسی

/http://www.behnevis.com ,بهنویس

Persian Handwriting / Alphabet Resources

by Mehdi Marashi, Ibex Pub, 2000 ,خط فارسی

http://www.persianproficiency.com/proficiency-in-persian-book-1-media-companion/

http://www.amazon.com/Your-First-100-Words-Persian/dp/0071412247/ref=pd_cp_b_2

http://www.persian-language.org/learning-list.html

http://www.behnevis.com/


http://www.persianproficiency.com/persian-handwriting-2nd

Pars Times. http://www.parstimes.com/persian/resources.html

Persian Alphabet, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbI4k83A8oA&feature=related

Families and Communities (relatives, family ties, family hierarchy, elder care and respect)

Online Resources:

Babak and Friends, http://www.babakandfriends.com/babak/

Daily Life (shopping, routine, food, personal care, conception of time, calendar)

Online Resources:

Food: http://www.ashpazonline.com/

Persianrecipes.net, http://www.persianrecipes.net/ (food)

Photo Blog: Life Goes on in Tehran, http://lifegoesonintehran.com/

Turmeric & Saffron, http://turmericsaffron.blogspot.com/ (food)

Video Clip (یک روز زندگی در تهران): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-31sw8JahIA

Video Clip (بازار بزرگ تهران): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0LBvW5LIEI

Video Clip (Persian Food Safari): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIo5NCDvBFE

http://www.ashpazbashi.com/ (food) ,آشپز باشی

http://www.shahrvand.ir/ (food) ,شهروند

Social Identity (technology, dating, etiquette, online gatherings, greetings)

Online Resources:

Hamsaryab, http://www.nooreeslam.com/ezdevaj/ (dating)

Cloob.com, Iranian Virtual Society, http://www.cloob.com/

Personal Identities (age, relationship status, origin, name, religion, hobbies, clothing)

Online Resources:

6th and 7th Century Sasanian (Persian) Clothing, http://fenris.net/~lizyoung/7thCePersian.html

Geography (geography, weather, regional differences, regional languages, regional food, ethnic

diversity & awareness, regional music, multi-religious nature of Iran)

Books:

http://www.persianproficiency.com/persian-handwriting-2nd

http://www.parstimes.com/persian/resources.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbI4k83A8oA&feature=related

http://www.babakandfriends.com/babak/

http://www.ashpazonline.com/

http://www.persianrecipes.net/

http://lifegoesonintehran.com/

http://turmericsaffron.blogspot.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-31sw8JahIA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0LBvW5LIEI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIo5NCDvBFE

http://www.ashpazbashi.com/

http://www.shahrvand.ir/

http://www.nooreeslam.com/ezdevaj/

http://www.cloob.com/

http://fenris.net/~lizyoung/7thCePersian.html


Rick Steve’s Travel Guide to Iran

Online Resources:

Cities in Iran: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO4La3iXxcU&feature=fvst

Isfahan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPhF18qMwfc

Moin, Isfahan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPhF18qMwfc

Visit of Isfahan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFa3v6asclk&feature=related

Interactive Map of Iran in Persia: http://www.mymap.ir/

Map of Isfahan: http://www.isfahan.org.uk/shop/map16.gif

Contemporary Life (Education, leisure & sports, professions, current events)

Films:

Tehran Has No More Pomegranates, by Masoud Bakhshi

Art & Aesthetics (colors, handwriting, calligraphy, carpets, garden design, painting, film,

Persian miniatures, music, etc.)

Online Resources:

Video (خوشنویس): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BPS3LK4G7s

Neshan, http://www.neshanmagazine.com/default.asp

/http://www.kanoontolid.com ,تولیدات کانون

Radio Zamaneh, http://www.radiozamaneh.com/shahrefarang

Music:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmDo0EeFL3Y&feature=related ,بگو به باران

Original Iranian Anthem, http://www.ysm.ir/newsite2.php10233=1/first.htm

Dictionaries, Multilingual Books

Farsi Dictionary, http://www.farsidic.com/

Aria Dic, http://www.ariadic.com/

Iran Chamber Society, http://www.iranchamber.com/index.php

Farvardyn, http://www.farvardyn.com/search/sitemap.php

Iran (in News, Photos, and Atlases)

Tehran 24.com, http://www.tehran24.com/tehran/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO4La3iXxcU&feature=fvst

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPhF18qMwfc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPhF18qMwfc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFa3v6asclk&feature=related

http://www.mymap.ir/

http://www.isfahan.org.uk/shop/map16.gif

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BPS3LK4G7s

http://www.neshanmagazine.com/default.asp

http://www.kanoontolid.com/

http://www.radiozamaneh.com/shahrefarang

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmDo0EeFL3Y&feature=related

http://www.ysm.ir/newsite2.php10233=1/first.htm

http://www.farsidic.com/

http://www.ariadic.com/

http://www.iranchamber.com/index.php

http://www.tehran24.com/tehran/


This site contains the latest news and photos of Tehran, Iran

670 am KIRN, Radio Iran, http://www.670amkirn.com/

Southern California Iranian Radio – live broadcast

Gooya, http://www.gooya.com/

BBC Persian, http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/

Riccardo Zipoli photographer, http://www.riccardozipoli.com/

Archive of photos taken of Iran from 1972 to present

Atlas d’Iran, http://www.mgm.fr/PUB/Iran/Ch1/1.html

Information on the population, culture, geography, and history of Iran

Publishers

IBEX Publishers, English & Persian Books about Iran since 1979, http://www.ibexpub.com/

Mazda Publishers, http://www.mazdapublisher.com/

Mage Publishers, http://www.mage.com/

iPhone apps

Basic Farsi – فارسی ابتدایی

Beeb Persian – Persian news feed

Byki Farsi

First 1000 Words in Farsi

Farsi 101

Farsi Radio

Farsi Study Buddy

iStudy: Farsi (Persian)

Learn Basic Farsi – ابتدایی -آموزش زبان فارسی

Learn Farsi

Learn Farsi Vocabulary – Gengo WorldPower

My Words – Learn Farsi Vocabulary

Persian Poems Library

Quran Farsi

VOA PNN

Speak Farsi

فارسی نویس

.headlines for various news services such as, BBC Persian, Radio Farda, etc :(Farsi Feed)فارسی خوان

Farsi Encylopedia –فارسی دانشنامه

iPad apps

http://www.670amkirn.com/

http://www.gooya.com/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/

http://www.riccardozipoli.com/

http://www.mgm.fr/PUB/Iran/Ch1/1.html

http://www.ibexpub.com/

http://www.mazdapublisher.com/

http://www.mage.com/


Dehkhoda

Farsi 101

Farsi Speak Board

First 1000 Words in Farsi

iFarsi News

Iran Tube

Learn Basic Farsi – ابتدایی -آموزش زبان فارسی

Learn Farsi Vocabulary – Free Gengo WorldPower

Parazit

Persian TalkPad

فارسی نویس


FUTURE COLLABORATION

Because the collaboration among Persian language and culture professionals at this STARTALK

workshop was highly beneficial, we wanted the collaboration to continue beyond the workshop. All

developed materials including objectives, recommended themes and contexts, grammar objectives,

sample units, and suggested resources may be found at the website for this guide to Curricular Design in

Persian Courses:

http://www.persianasprofession.com/

This website also includes a forum where Persian instructors may post comments and share ideas for

materials and future collaboration. Ideas for future projects include the development of pedagogical

materials and resources for both non-heritage and heritage language learners of Persian.

REFERENCES

Kern, R. (2008). Making connections through texts in language teaching. Language Teaching, 41, 367-

387.

Shrum, J. L., & Glisan, E. W. Teachers’ Handbook : Contextualized language instruction (fourth

edition). Cengage Learning.

Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by Design (2nd

Edition). Association for Supervision

and Curriculum Development (ACSD), Alexandria, VA.

Documents

Standards-Based Goals for Beginning Persian GOALS, OBJECTIVES, EVALUATION AND LEARNING OUTCOMES (2011)