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WORLD LANGUAGE

 

Colleges and universities require two years of the same world language. A minimum of three years is recommended. Two years of the same world language are required for graduation.

 

 

French 1,2 – Grade 9 – 12

 

This functions-based, introductory course is open to all students who wish to begin the study of French language and cultures. It is intended to develop novice to mid-novice oral-language proficiency as well as limited facility in reading and writing. Major emphasis is on the development of listening and speaking abilities at the novice level with reasonably accurate pronunciation and intonation. Programmed instruction and technology, under the direction of the French teacher, may be used to facilitate instruction and language practice. The course is not designed for students who are fluent or nearly fluent in French as evidenced by an informal primary language assessment or other language assessments. It is recommended that fluent or nearly fluent students enroll in a higher-level French course.

 

Portuguese 1,2 – Grade 9 – 12

 

This introductory course is open to students who wish to begin the study of Portuguese language and cultures. It is intended to develop novice to mid-novice oral-language proficiency as well as limited facility in reading and writing. Major emphasis is on the development of listening and speaking abilities at the novice level with reasonably accurate pronunciation and intonation.

 

Spanish 1,2 – Grade 9 – 12

 

This functions-based, introductory course is open to all students who wish to begin the study of Spanish language and cultures. It is intended to develop novice to mid-novice oral-language proficiency as well as limited facility in reading and writing. Major emphasis is on the development of listening and speaking abilities at the novice level with reasonably accurate pronunciation and intonation. Programmed instruction and technology, under the direction of the Spanish teacher, may be used to facilitate instruction and language practice. The course is not designed for students who are fluent or nearly fluent in Spanish. It is recommended that fluent or nearly fluent students enroll in a Spanish for Spanish Speakers course or a higher-level Spanish course.

 

French 3,4 – Grade 9 – 12

 

Prerequisites: French 1-2 (P) with a grade of C or higher; recommendation of teacher

This functions-based course is designed for students who have successfully completed French 1-2 (P). It is a continuation of the introductory course and is intended to consolidate students’ listening and speaking skills at the mid-novice level, with bridging opportunities to high novice. Reading receives increased attention, although the primary emphasis remains the development of oral-language proficiency. Programmed instruction and technology, under the direction of the French teacher, may be used to facilitate instruction and language practice. The course is not designed for students who are fluent or nearly fluent in French as evidenced by an informal primary language assessment or other language assessments. It is recommended that fluent or nearly fluent students enroll in a higher-level French course if offered.

 

Portuguese 3,4  Grade 9 – 12

 

Prerequisites: Portuguese 1,2 with a grade of C or higher; recommendation of teacher

This second-year course is open to all students who wish to continue the study of Portuguese language and culture. It is intended to develop a novice-mid to novice-high oral language proficiency level and expand facility in reading and writing. Major emphasis is on the development of listening and speaking skills at the novice to intermediate-low level with reasonably accurate pronunciation and intonation. Students will demonstrate competency by being able to communicate orally and in writing.

 

Spanish 3,4 – Grade 9 - 12

 

Prerequisites: Spanish 1-2 (P) with a grade of C or higher; recommendation of teacher

This functions-based course is designed for students who have successfully completed Spanish 1-2 (P). It is a continuation of the introductory course and is intended to consolidate students’ listening and speaking skills at the mid-novice level, with bridging opportunities to high novice. Reading receives increased attention, although the primary emphasis remains the development of oral-language proficiency. Programmed instruction and technology, under the direction of the Spanish teacher, may be used to facilitate instruction and language practice. The course is not designed for students who are fluent or nearly fluent in Spanish as evidenced by the Spanish I.P.T. or other language assessments. It is recommended that fluent or nearly fluent students enroll in a Spanish for Spanish Speakers course or a higher-level Spanish course.

 

French 5,6 – Grade 9 – 12

 

Prerequisites: French 3-4 (P) with a grade of C or higher; recommendation of teacher

This functions-based course is designed for students who have successfully completed French 3-4 (P). It is intended to move students’ oral proficiency to the intermediate level and to develop both reading comprehension and writing accuracy at that level. As the need for accuracy increases, grammar instruction becomes more significant. Programmed instruction and technology, under the direction of the French teacher, may be used to facilitate instruction and language practice. This course may meet the needs of French-speaking students whose literacy skills are not fully present.

 

Portuguese 5, 6 Grade 9 – 12

 

Prerequisites: Portuguese 3-4 (P) with a grade of C or higher; recommendation of teacher

Portuguese 5-6 is a third-year language and culture course intended to move students to an intermediate-low to intermediate-mid level of language proficiency. The acquisition of new vocabulary and grammar structures continues, with more sophisticated words and phrases and complex verb and sentence constructions being introduced. Short literary works written in the target language are also introduced at this level, with students reading short stories, essays, and excerpts from longer works of literature. Writing assignments are frequent and vary in length depending on the topic. Students continue to develop an understanding and appreciation of Portuguese culture, both as an integrated part of the learning process and through targeted cultural topics in the textbook’s units of study.

 

Spanish 5,6 – Grade 9 – 12

 

Prerequisites:  Spanish 3-4 (P) with a grade of C or higher; recommendation of teacher

This functions-based course is designed for students who have successfully completed Spanish 3-4 (P). It is intended to move students’ oral proficiency to the intermediate level and to develop both reading comprehension and writing accuracy at that level. As the need for accuracy increases, grammar instruction becomes more significant. Programmed instruction and technology, under the direction of the Spanish teacher, may be used to facilitate instruction and language practice. This course may meet the needs of Spanish-speaking students whose literacy skills are not fully present.

 

Spanish for Spanish Speakers 5, 6 – Grade 10 – 12

 

This course is designed for students who have experience speaking Spanish outside of the classroom. The focus of the course is on reading literary works such as plays, novels, short stories, and poetry, as well as other kinds of narrative and expository materials.

 

Portuguese 7, 8 Grade 9 – 12

 

This course is designed for students who have completed Portuguese 5-6 and wish to continue studying the language for a fourth year.  Students will be challenged to use more sophisticated vocabulary and grammatical structures, to communicate more effectively using all three modes of communication (Interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational), and to understand different dialects of Portuguese from Portuguese-speaking countries around the world.  Students will have multiple opportunities to use and master these new words and structures through a variety of speaking, listening, reading and writing activities. Classroom instruction takes place almost entirely in Portuguese and students are required to speak exclusively in the target language when participating in class discussions, activities, and conversations. Listening skills are reinforced through regular exposure to authentic audio sources from Portuguese-speaking countries around the world. To prepare students for advanced-level study in Portuguese, short literary texts are added as required reading material, including traditional Portuguese poems and excerpts from more complex poems from famous poets of Portuguese-speaking countries such as Jose Craveirinha and Francisco José Tenreiro.  This will provide students with exposure to important formal and written expressions.  Finally, awareness of and appreciation for Portuguese culture and customs is embedded within the curriculum as it is integral to learning a foreign language and is also specifically addressed in the “Horizontes” section of each chapter.

 

Spanish 7,8 Honors - Grade 10 – 12

 

Prerequisites: Spanish 5-6 (P) with a grade of C or higher; recommendation of teacher

This course is designed for students who have successfully completed Spanish 5-6 (P). It is a continuation of the preceding course and is intended to increase students’ ability to communicate in the world language. A limited number of simple literary works, selected articles from periodicals, essays, and other narratives of general interest may be used as the basis for continued development of the students’ proficiency in literacy and language skills. Emphasis on fluency with accurate pronunciation and intonation continues, as well as emphasis on cultural awareness and appreciation.

 

Spanish Language 1,2 AP - Grades 9,10,11,12

 

Prerequisites:  Above average achievement in Honors Modern World Language 7,8 with a grade of "B" or better or teacher recommendation.

This course is designed for students who wish to pursue the equivalent of a third-year college-level course in advanced composition and conversation. Course content reflects intellectual interests shared by students and teacher in the arts, history, current events, literature, culture, and sports. The course stresses oral skills, composition, and grammar and emphasizes the use of language for active communication. Language skills are applied to various activities and disciplines rather than to the mastery of any specific subject matter. Extensive training in the organization and writing of compositions is an integral part of the Advanced Placement language course. Multicultural awareness is developed.