End of Term Czech Report

Last night and this morning, I dedicated some time to proofreading some of the student reports at our school.  After a while, I couldn't help but wonder what such a report would like for me, were my Czech to be evaluated.  I can imagine my report looking something like the following:

Though obviously displaying interest in the target language, Charity sometimes lacks initiative in speaking Czech.  Due to her perfective personality, she sometimes hesitates in group discussions, as she wants to speak only using proper grammatical forms.  She often pauses while speaking, waiting for correction before she'll continue.  This especially happens when she is trying to decline nouns in their plural forms.  She also exhibits a lack of confidence in choosing appropriate prepositions.  When around peers that have a good knowledge of English, Charity reverts back to English when she struggles rather than trying to problem-solve in the target language.  Though she has patient and nonjudgmental Czech friends, Charity seems shy to have any misunderstanding exposed.  As such, she often doesn't ask questions or for clarification when she doesn't understand the Czech around her.  Questioning within conversation could greatly increase both her understanding and vocabulary acquisition.  Though Charity's passive vocabulary has grown during the year, she still needs to show more engagement in learning and experimenting with new vocabulary.  During the summer months, Charity would benefit from regular reading and writing practice; reading will bring her in contact with authentic Czech use and writing will help her to find (and problem-solve in) those areas where she struggles in spoken Czech, especially in storytelling.  I'm so glad that Charity continues to pursue the target language, and I firmly believe that if she doesn't succumb to her shyness or become overwhelmed by other responsibilities that she could really excel in Czech.

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