Multilingual & Intercultural Communication

Valuing many languages, bridging between them, and communicating with respect across cultures.

K–12 objective ladder

• K D04.S4.K.01 Share a greeting or word from their home language and try one from another language.
• 1 D04.S4.01.01 Name their home language or languages and share a few words in each with pride.
• 1 D04.S4.01.02 Learn and use a greeting and a courtesy word, such as please or thank you, in another language.
• 2 D04.S4.02.01 Tell one thing about their home language and culture, such as a song, a counting rhyme, or a family word.
• 2 D04.S4.02.02 Recognize that people speak many different languages and that no language is better than another.
• 3 D04.S4.03.01 Learn and use simple everyday phrases in another language, such as greetings, numbers, and colors.
• 3 D04.S4.03.02 Notice that the same idea can be said in many languages, and compare a few examples.
• 4 D04.S4.04.01 Explain that languages belong to families and that many languages share roots, giving an example.
• 4 D04.S4.04.02 Show respect for a peer's language by learning and correctly pronouncing their name and a few words.
• 5 D04.S4.05.01 Recognize that many writing systems exist, such as alphabets and character scripts, and identify a few.
• 5 D04.S4.05.02 Describe how language is tied to culture, such as words for family, food, or respect that differ across languages.
• 6 D04.S4.06.01 Compare how the same idea is expressed in two or more languages, noting what is gained or lost.
• 6 D04.S4.06.02 Communicate across a language difference using strategies such as gestures, drawings, translation tools, and patience.
• 7 D04.S4.07.01 Explain what translation and interpretation are and describe when each is needed in everyday life.
• 7 D04.S4.07.02 Recognize dialect and accent as natural variation, and challenge the idea that one way of speaking is correct.
• 8 D04.S4.08.01 Analyze how language can include or exclude people, such as jargon or the use of one language over another.
• 8 D04.S4.08.02 Use digital translation tools critically, knowing their limits and when human translation is needed.
• 9 D04.S4.09.01 Explain how a person's languages are part of their identity, and reflect on their own multilingual or monolingual experience.
• 9 D04.S4.09.02 Describe language loss and revitalization, and why protecting languages matters for humanity and the environment.
• 10 D04.S4.10.01 Analyze how language and power interact, such as whose language is used in law, medicine, and school.
• 10 D04.S4.10.02 Communicate respectfully in a multicultural setting, adapting to different cultural norms of politeness and address.
• 11 D04.S4.11.01 Evaluate language policies, such as official languages or language in schools, for their effects on equity and inclusion.
• 11 D04.S4.11.02 Bridge between speakers of different languages in a real setting, interpreting main ideas with accuracy and care.
• 12 D04.S4.12.01 Advocate for language justice, making communication accessible to people of all languages in public life.
• 12 D04.S4.12.02 Move confidently and respectfully across languages and cultures, hearing many voices and speaking with clarity and care in a multilingual world.

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