About the Textbook

Summary

This is a textbook of the modern Persian language (Farsi) spoken in Iran. It is intended for university- level learners and features material for two consecutive courses or semesters of the Elementary level. The textbook is designed to facilitate the implementation of the two most recent trends in second language instruction: communicative approach and flipped learning. This textbook is an integrated and self-contained way of acquiring functional proficiency in spoken and written Persian. The textbook's theoretical framework and underlying linguistic philosophy and its practical approach to language instruction and learning objectives are based on the latest trends in foreign language instruction as defined by the Modern Language Association (MLA) and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). The material of the textbook also reflects the 5 Cs of National Standards in Foreign Language Education. The textbook is inspired by the author's 17 years of experience of designing and teaching university-level courses in less commonly taught languages and is informed by the experiences, research and data gathered across various modern languages. The textbook features all the attributes necessary for the implementation of modern practices in foreign language instruction such as content-based activities for real-world objectives in a student-centered classroom, an integrated approach toward teaching all language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) from the outset, differentiating between proficiency (being able to use a skill) and competence (knowing a skill), teaching of language through culture and teaching culture through language, thematic presentation of the material, and use of authentic material produced by native speakers for native speakers. The textbook's learning objectives and curriculum are designed with the ACTFL proficiency guidelines in mind, and students who complete the textbook should be able to score on Elementary High to Intermediate Low levels, depending on individual progress in class and language skill.

KEY FEATURES OF THE TEXTBOOK

The textbook is designed to facilitate the implementation of the communicative approach and flipped learning in a student-centered classroom with the integration of all skills (speaking, listening, reading, writing and cultural competence) from the outset. Besides speaking exercises and listening sections, each chapter contains separate sections for reading and writing practice.