Mrs

Mrs. Duso

Spanish Teacher

Hola. Me llamo Francesca Nazario de Duso. I am originally from Brooklyn, NY but have been living in the Adirondacks since 1979 and working as a Spanish teacher here at Willsboro since 1997. English is my first language. Although I am Puerto Rican, Spanish was always off-limits in the Nazario home. My father came to New York in the 1950's and was very intent that his children be raised 100% American.

I began my study of Spanish as a second language at the age of 32 and since I was so intent on becoming fluent I learned very quickly. I believe that this gives me an advantage as I teach the students at Willsboro this beautiful language, because I know the struggles they encounter as they learn and I can better explain some of the nuances of the language in a way that they can understand.

I live in a farm house built in 1863 with my husband James, my son Diego, two cats and a Springer Spaniel named Timoteo. James and I also have a beautiful daughter named Corinthian who lives on her own. My hobbies include swimming, kayaking, reading, dancing and cooking Latino meals for family dinners on Sundays. What I enjoy most is teaching and learning from the terrific students of Willsboro. Hopefully...I will be here for a long, long time.

Willsboro Central School's foreign language department's curriculum follows the New York State Learning Standards for languages other than English (LOTE). Here at Willsboro this includes Spanish and French. The learning standards are as follows:

Standard 1: Students will be able to use a language other than English for communication

Standard 2: Students will develop cross-cultural skills and understandings.

Within each of theses learning standards are three checkpoints.

Checkpoint A is considered to be a way station en route to proficiency. At Willsboro this is assessed after 2 - 3 years of FL study, upon completion of grade 8 and with the New York State Proficiency Exam administered in all NY schools in June of each year. A more detailed explanation of Checkpoint A for both Standard 1 & Standard 2 follows:

Standard 1 - Communication Skills

1. Listening and speaking are primary communicative goals in modern language learning. These skills are used for the purpose of socializing, providing and acquiring information, expressing personal feelings and opinions, and getting others to adopt a course of action.

2. Reading and writing are used in language other than English for the purposes of socializing, providing and acquiring information, expressing personal feelings and opinions, and getting others to adopt a course of action.

Students can:

comprehend language consisting of simple vocabulary and structures in face-to-face conversation with peers and familiar adults.
comprehend the main idea of more extended conversations with some unfamiliar vocabulary and structures as well as cognates of English words.
call upon repetition, rephrasing and nonverbal cues to derive or convey meaning from a language other than English.
use appropriate strategies to initiate and engage in simple conversations with more fluent or native speakers of the same age group, familiar adults and providers of common public services.

Students can:

understand the main idea and some details of simple informative materials written for native speakers
compose short, informal notes and messages to exchange information with members of the target culture.

This is evident, for example, when students:

exchange simple greetings and answer questions about self and family
listen to radio broadcasts and answer questions about main ideas
speak in complete sentences, using present tense and, occasionally, markers for past and future tenses
ask for information or directions
discuss classroom activities with a peer
use appropriate body language and gestures to supplement the spoken word

This is evident, for example, when students:

obtain information from materials written in target language including short notes, brief messages, posters, printed advertisements, illustrated simple texts from newspapers and magazines
guess the meaning of more complex written material, using context, recognition of cognates, accompanying illustrations and prior knowledge of situations and issues
write a brief message about an everyday activity, using simple sentence structure, not necessarily limited to the present tense.

Standard 2 - Cultural Skills

1. Effective communication involves meanings that go beyond words and require an understanding of perceptions, gestures, folklore, and family and community dynamics. All of these elements can affect whether and how a message is received.

Students can:

use some key cultural traits of the societies in which the target language is spoken

This is evident, for example, when students:

recognize cultural patterns and traditions of the target cultures in the target language;
understand the cultural implications of the spoken language and of the dynamics of social interaction; and
correctly use and interpret cultural manifestations, such as gestures accompanying greeting and leave taking and the appropriate distance to maintain.

Checkpoint B corresponds to the level of performance that all students should demonstrate in order to obtain a high school diploma. At Willsboro this is assessed after 4 - 5 years of
FL study, upon completion of grade 10 and with the
New York Regents Exam administered in all NY schools
in June of each year. A more detailed explanation of
checkpoint B for both Standard 1 & Standard 2 follows:

Standard 1 - Communication Skills

2. Reading and writing are used in languages other than English for the purposes of socializing, providing and acquiring information, expressing personal feelings and opinions, and getting others to adopt a course of action.

Students can:

comprehend messages and short conversations when listening to peers, familiar adults, and providers of public services either in face-to-face interactions or on the telephone.
understand the main idea and some discrete information in television, radio or live presentations.
initiate and sustain conversations, face to face or on the phone, with native-speaking or more fluent individuals.
select vocabulary appropriate to a range of topics, employ simple and complex sentences in present, past, and future time frames. and express details and nuances by using appropriate modifiers.
exhibit spontaneity in their interactions, particularly when the topic is familiar, but often rely on familiar utterances.
use repetition and circumlocution as well as gestures and other nonverbal cues to sustain conversation.

Students can:

read and comprehend materials written for native speakers when the topics and language are familiar.
use cognates and contextual and visual cues to derive meaning from texts that contain unfamiliar words, expressions and structures.
read simple materials independently, but may have to guess at meanings of longer or more complex material
write short notes, uncomplicated personal and business letters, brief journals and short reports.
write brief analyses of more complex content when given the opportunity for organization and advance preparation, though errors may occur more frequently.
produce written narratives and expressions of opinion about radio and television programs, newspaper and magazine articles, and selected stories, songs, and literature of the target language.

This is evident, for example, when students:

exchange simple greetings and answer questions about self and family
listen to radio broadcasts and answer questions about main ideas
speak in complete sentences, using present tense and, occasionally, markers for past and future tenses
ask for information or directions
discuss classroom activities with a peer
use appropriate body language and gestures to supplement the spoken word

This is evident, for example, when students:

read personal letters and notes, simple business correspondence, pamphlets, feature articles or editorials in newspapers or magazines published for the general public and discuss the positions presented in them
read selected short stories and poems and identify the main idea and some specific ones
identify subtleties of meaning through the use of learned vocabulary and structures including present, past and future tense
give an oral presentation on an assigned topic, using learned and practiced vocabulary, complex sentence structures in the present and some sentences in the past and future
write a short response to a classroom situation.

Standard 2 - Cultural Skills

Students can:

exhibit more comprehensive knowledge of cultural traits and patterns
draw comparisons between societies
recognize that there are important linguistic and cultural variations among groups that speak the same target language
understand how words, body language, rituals and social interactions influence communication.

This is evident, for example, when students:

role play daily activities such as ordering in a restaurant or shopping, using authentic materials from target language cultures
write in their own language an essay about cultural similarities between their country and a country in which the target language is spoken
describe linguistic variations including accent, idioms and styles between two cultures that speak the same language
simulate an encounter between two friends in a target language culture, using appropriate social conventions, gestures and body language.

Checkpoint C proficiency corresponds to a more advanced
level of performance that can be attained on an elective basis.
At Willsboro this checkpoint is only at its beginning stages
in grades 11 & 12.

fduso@willsborocsd.org