World Languages

List of 17 items.

• Latin I - Grade: 7-12

  In Latin I, students will begin to lay the foundations of linguistic and cultural fluency in the Latin language as spoken in the Republic and Empire of Rome from about 200 BCE to about 410 CE.  The linguistic focus of this course will be on vocabulary acquisition, as well as using and understanding nominal morphology, present conjugations of verbs, and basic grammatical structures of simple and compound sentences.  The cultural focus will be on the material transmission of classical culture to our age as well as the general outlines of Roman geography and history. These two foci serve the overarching goal of enabling students to read Classical Roman literature with a modicum of ease and minimal use of a dictionary. To that end, much of the work of the course focuses on the acquisition of Latin literacy skills, and the vast majority of the course work will be devoted to reading Latin passages of gradually increasing complexity.

• French I - Grade: 7-12

  French I is designed to help students become functional in the language both inside and outside of school and to help them to develop a basic knowledge of everyday French. The class strives to improve the overall French ability of the students and will incorporate speaking (in French!), listening comprehension, reading comprehension, grammar, and vocabulary, as well as some writing. Students are expected to participate actively in class and to use French.

• French II - Grade: 7-12

  French II class is designed to help students become functional in the language both inside and outside of school and to develop and reinforce the overall language skills acquired in French I. The class strives to improve the overall proficiency of the students and will incorporate speaking, listening comprehension, reading comprehension, grammar, and vocabulary, as well as some writing. In addition, students will simultaneously work on developing the three modes of communication: interpersonal, presentational, and interpretive. Students are expected to participate actively in class and to use French daily. Prerequisites: French I or equivalent.

• French II Honors - Grade: 8-12

  Honors French II is designed to help students become functional in the language both inside and outside of school and to develop and reinforce the overall language skills acquired in French I. The class strives to improve the overall proficiency of the students and will incorporate writing, listening comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, and more speaking and reading comprehension than in the lower levels. In addition, students will simultaneously work on developing the three modes of communication: interpersonal, presentational, and interpretive. Students taking Honors French II are expected to move at a more accelerated pace than those in French II and to use French in class almost exclusively. Prerequisites: French I and teacher recommendation, or placement test.

• French III - Grade: 9-12

  French III class is designed to help students become functional in the language both inside and outside of school and to develop and reinforce the overall language skills acquired in French I and II. The class strives to improve the overall proficiency of the students and will incorporate speaking, listening comprehension, reading comprehension, grammar, and vocabulary, as well as more writing than in the lower levels. In addition, students will simultaneously work on developing the three modes of communication: interpersonal, presentational, and interpretive. As always, students are expected to participate actively in class and to use, at this level, French almost exclusively. Prerequisites: French II or placement test.

• French III Honors - Grade: 9-12

  French III is designed to help students become functional in the language both inside and outside of school and to help them to develop and reinforce the overall language skills acquired in French I and II. Students in Honors French III will also read and discuss a works of literature throughout the year. The class strives to improve the overall proficiency of the students and will incorporate writing, listening comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, and more speaking and reading comprehension than in the lower levels. In addition, students will simultaneously work on developing the three modes of communication: interpersonal, presentational, and interpretive. Students taking Honors French III are expected to move at a more accelerated pace than those in French III and to use French in class almost exclusively. Prerequisites: Honors French II and teacher recommendation, or placement test.

• French IV - Grade: 10-12

  The French IV class is designed to help students reach fluency in the French language and to help them to reinforce the overall language skills acquired in French I, II and III. This class strives to improve the overall proficiency of the students and will incorporate speaking, listening comprehension, reading comprehension, grammar, and vocabulary, as well as more writing than in the lower levels. Students will simultaneously work on developing the three modes of communication: interpersonal, presentational, and interpretive. As always, students are expected to participate actively in class and to use, at this level, French almost exclusively. Prerequisites: French III or equivalent and teacher recommendation, or placement test.

• French IV Honors - Grade: 10-12

  Honors French IV is designed to help students become functional in the language both inside and outside of school and to help them to develop and reinforce the overall language skills acquired in French levels I - III. Students in Honors French IV will also read and discuss works of literature throughout the year. The class strives to improve the overall proficiency of the students and will incorporate writing, listening comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, and more speaking and reading comprehension than in the lower levels. In addition, students will simultaneously work on developing the three modes of communication: interpersonal, presentational, and interpretive. Students taking Honors French IV are expected to move at a more accelerated pace than those in French IV and to use French in class almost exclusively. Prerequisites: Honors French III and teacher recommendation, or placement test.

• AP® French Language - Grade: 10-12

  The Advanced Placement® French Language course is a specialized class designed for students who have successfully completed Level IV French or Honors Level III. In this class, students will continue to explore the culture of the French speaking world by examining the six themes addressed on the AP French exam. Students are expected to speak solely in French and to participate in class discussions of the readings so that they can hone their interpersonal and presentational communication skills. Students are required to take the AP® Exam in May. Prerequisites: French IV or Honors French III and teacher recommendation, or placement test.

• Spanish I - Grade: 7-12

  Spanish I is designed to help students become functional in the language both inside and outside of school and to help them to develop a basic knowledge of everyday Spanish. The class strives to improve the overall Spanish ability of the students and will incorporate speaking (in Spanish!), listening comprehension, reading comprehension, grammar, and vocabulary, as well as some writing. Students are expected to participate actively in class and to use Spanish.

• Spanish II - Grade: 7-12

  Spanish II class is designed to help students become functional in the language both inside and outside of school and to help them to develop and reinforce the overall language skills acquired in Spanish I. The class strives to improve the overall Spanish ability of the students and will incorporate speaking (in Spanish!), listening comprehension, reading comprehension, writing proficiency, grammar, and vocabulary. Students are expected to participate actively in class and to use Spanish! Prerequisites: Spanish I or equivalent, teacher recommendation, and/or placement test.

• Spanish II Honors - Grade: 8-12

  The goal of the Honors Spanish II course is to review the basic Spanish concepts students acquired in Spanish I and to introduce new grammar structures. Students will also be exposed to the Spanish-speaking world and its various cultures. By the end of the year, students will be able to communicate about many topics including health and body parts, technology, and parts of the house and chores. The class integrates all four main language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. The class is taught primarily in Spanish and students are expected to use it in oral and written communication. It is expected that students in Honors Spanish II will move at a faster pace and will cover more material than their counterparts in regular Spanish II. Prerequisites: Spanish I or equivalent, teacher recommendation, and/or placement test.

• Spanish III - Grade: 9-12

  Spanish III class is designed to help students become functional/near-fluent in the language both inside and outside of school and to help them to develop and reinforce the overall language skills acquired in previous levels. The class strives to improve the overall Spanish ability of the students and will incorporate speaking, listening comprehension, reading comprehension, grammar, and vocabulary, as well as more writing than in the lower levels. Students will be able to express their ideas in a variety of tenses and will be able to talk about personal relationships, hobbies and pastimes, their daily routine, health and wellness, and travel. Students are expected to participate actively in class and to use Spanish almost exclusively! Prerequisites: Spanish II or equivalent, teacher recommendation, and/or placement test.

• Spanish III Honors - Grade: 9-12

  The goal of the Honors Spanish III course is to review the concepts students acquired in previous levels as well as to introduce new grammar structures. Students will be exposed to the Spanish-speaking world and its cultures in more depth. By the end of the year, students will be able to express their ideas in a variety of tenses and will be able to talk about personal relationships, hobbies and pastimes, their daily routine, health and wellness, and travel. Additionally, students will read a short novel during the second semester. The class integrates all four main language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. It is expected that students in Honors Spanish III will move at a faster pace and will cover more material than their counterparts in regular Spanish III. The class is taught almost exclusively in Spanish. Prerequisites: Honors Spanish II or equivalent, teacher recommendation, and/or placement test.

• Spanish IV - Grade: 10-12

  The Spanish IV class is designed to help students reach fluency in the Spanish language and to help them to reinforce the overall language skills acquired in previous levels. This class will incorporate speaking, listening comprehension, reading comprehension, grammar, and vocabulary, as well as more writing than in the lower levels. Students will be able to express their ideas in a variety of tenses and will be able to talk about nature and the environment, science and technology, the economy and jobs, pop culture and social media, and literature and art. Students will also read a selection of short stories from the Spanish-speaking world throughout the year. Students are expected to participate actively in class and to use Spanish exclusively! Prerequisites: Spanish III or equivalent, teacher recommendation, and/or placement test.

• Spanish IV Honors - Grade: 10-12

  The course is designed to build on language skills acquired in previous levels. The class is conducted exclusively in Spanish and will fine tune the grammar and language structures learned the previous year with the addition of some new concepts. Students will be able to express their ideas in a variety of tenses and will be able to talk about nature and the environment, science and technology, the economy and jobs, pop culture and social media, and literature and art. The study of literature will be introduced in the form of the short story where students will learn to analyze and discuss literature in Spanish. As in previous levels, students will have access to authentic materials such as films, songs, podcasts, newspaper and magazine articles as well as other print media. Students will be assessed on their oral, aural, written and reading skills. The course will increase students’ fluency and cultural competency as well as prepare them for the AP Spanish Language & Culture course the following school year. Prerequisites: Honors Spanish III or equivalent, teacher recommendation and/or placement test.

• AP® Spanish Language and Culture - Grade: 10-12

  The Advanced Placement® Spanish Language and Culture course provides students with opportunities to demonstrate their proficiency in each of the three modes of communication: interpersonal, interpretive and presentational. As such, the AP Spanish course has been designed to provide advanced high school students with a rich and rigorous opportunity to study the language and culture of the Spanish-speaking world. The course is centered on six themes, which we explore throughout the year: families and communities, science and technology, beauty and aesthetics, contemporary life, global challenges, and personal and public identities. The course is taught exclusively in Spanish. Students are required to take the AP® exam in May. Prerequisites: Spanish IV or equivalent, teacher recommendation, and/or placement test.