World Languages

These courses aim to introduce the French or Spanish language to students in grades 7 and 8. Students entering the Middle School with some background often benefit from the review this course provides. They learn how to communicate and read through games, activities and assessments. In addition, students have the chance to explore the culture and history of French- or Spanish-speaking countries. Those who successfully complete this course move on the French IB or Spanish IB.

Note: Grades 7 and 8

In French IB and Spanish IB, students are expected to remember what they learned in French or Spanish IA and to build on that knowledge. Students learn through games, activities and assessments, as in in French IA or Spanish IA, and begin to feel comfortable having longer conversations in the present tense. In this course, the past tense is introduced. Students also deepen their knowledge of francophone or hispanophone countries and their customs through projects. Students who are 7^th graders and who successfully master the content of French IB class move on to French IC in 8^th grade.

Note: Grades 7 and 8

These courses aim to enable beginners to become basic users of these foreign languages. For this purpose, these courses look to develop students’ abilities from the very beginning in three dimensions: as social agents; students progressively acquire the knowledge and skills that allow them to carry out basic tasks relating to immediate needs and to participate in simple social interactions exchanging information on everyday activities and personal issues, as intercultural speakers; students start familiarizing themselves with basic elements of the new cultural system conveyed by the target language and begin to build their intercultural awareness, and as autonomous learners; students are taught how to use strategies and techniques that allow them to plan and control their learning process. Methodologically, both course levels aim to familiarize students from the very first stages with a task-based approach to foreign language teaching and learning.

The main focus of coursework is on bringing authentic communicative contexts into the classroom and using the foreign language as a tool for completing real tasks and for real communicative purposes.

This course is for students with a strong French background. Due to the advanced nature of this course, students will be expected to read, write, and participate fully in the target language from the beginning of the course. This is a fast-paced class with high expectations and will be very engaging from the start!

Note: Grades 7 and 8. Students must take a placement test to determine if they have the oral, listening and written skills necessary to succeed in this course.

These courses lead to the achievement of the threshold level — the lowest level of general foreign language ability that is academically recognized. Students who reach this level in French or Spanish dispose of the minimal means needed to transact the business of everyday life and to make social contact with those they meet, for example, while traveling in a country where French or Spanish is the native language. These courses aim to broaden students’ linguistic, cultural and strategic knowledge and skills to enable them to carry out less simple tasks relating to needs that go beyond basic survival and that embrace a larger array of communicative settings. Students also learn how to deal with basic intercultural situations and how to identify their language learning needs as well as those resources and strategies that may help them in the process of “learning to learn.”

Task-based learning activities (e.g. establishing classroom rules, relating anecdotes about a trip, inventing a gadget to solve an everyday-life problem, editing a newspaper, participating in a debate on the future of the environment, etc.), which require the actual use of the target language, reflect the communicative expansion that the T-Level represents and strengthen students’ motivation by providing them with an immediate sense of accomplishment and utility. For basic users, these intermediate courses represent two successive stages leading to the completion of the next level of communicative competency.

Prerequisites: Elementary French II  (for Intermediate French I); Elementary Spanish II (for Intermediate Spanish I); Intermediate French I (for Intermediate French II); Intermediate Spanish I (for Intermediate Spanish II)

Advanced French focuses on developing student proficiency in the language and aims at preparing students for the different components of the AP French Exam which they are expected to take in May upon completion of the course. The objectives of the course are:

• The development of student fluency in oral description of a picture or a scene, and opinion making and giving in a limited timeframe. The aim is to have students gather and utilize all their oral communication skills in a short time, obliging them to use their full potential in speaking.
• The ability to complete a text with missing words or logical links, which can only be reached through extensive reading in the target language in addition to the observation of the language structures in authentic documents and texts (literary extracts, press articles, etc.).
• The improvement of student writing skills as this is a major part of the AP Exam. In order to give students a comprehensive understanding of what is expected from them in the AP Exam, the course stresses self-assessment regarding students’ own production and according to precise criteria that help them know where they stand in the grading scale for the exam.

Prerequisites: Intermediate French II

The course aims to enable students to become fully independent users of the Spanish language. They have at their disposal an expanded range of grammar and vocabulary as well as greater control of discourse, conversational strategies and wider socio-cultural awareness. This allows them to be more flexible in dealing with the unexpected and with the normal complexities of daily living. Therefore, an important part of coursework focuses on exposing learners to various kinds of oral and written texts (articles, reports, interviews, TV debates, documentaries, movies, literary extracts etc.) on contemporary topics, which involve argumentation and expression of opinion. Accordingly, the syllabus is flexible and open to negotiation to accommodate the specific interests of students. Listening and reading comprehension activities are integrated into task-based projects that stress writing skills (e.g. elaborating the electoral program of a new political party, preparing the presentation of a product). Students gradually realize a more nuanced vision of Hispanic cultural references. This course is a combined level and prepares students for the AP Spanish Language Exam.

Prerequisites: Intermediate Spanish II

This course is designed for students who have no prior knowledge of the Chinese language and is intended to train students in using basic Mandarin Chinese both orally written. Students are initially introduced to pinyin — a more simplified Romanization of the written language — and basic strokes as guides for pronunciation and writing. Pinyin is gradually replaced as students become familiar with Chinese characters and vocabulary. Chinese culture is an integral part of this course.

This course aims to expand conversational skills, reading practice and grammatical constructions. The course develops students’ reading and writing skills and emphasizes effective spoken communication. Pinyin is gradually omitted. Chinese culture is continually taught as an integral element of the course program.

This course is designed for students who have no prior knowledge of the Chinese language, and is intended to train students in using basic Mandarin Chinese both orally written. Students are initially introduced to pinyin — a more simplified Romanization of the written language — and basic strokes as guides for pronunciation and writing. Pinyin is gradually replaced as students become familiar with Chinese characters and vocabulary. Chinese culture is an integral part of this course.

This course aims to expand conversational skills, reading practice and grammatical constructions. The course develops students’ reading and writing skills and emphasizes effective spoken communication. Pinyin is gradually omitted. Chinese culture is continually taught as an integral element of the course program.

Prerequisites: Elementary Chinese I or an equivalent proficiency

This course continues to focus on the expansion of conversational skills, reading and writing practice and grammatical constructions. The use of Chinese characters takes over the use of pinyin. Cultural components represent a significant part of the course content.

Prerequisites: Elementary Chinese II or an equivalent proficiency

This course builds on skills learned in Intermediate Chinese I and works to build confidence in speaking and writing. Students learn how to use complex sentence constructions to describe a variety of situations about the world around them.  Pinyin is used only for learning how to pronounce new vocabulary, otherwise all reading and writing is in simplified characters.  Cultural norms and Chinese history are also investigated.

Prerequisites: Intermediate Chinese I or an equivalent proficiency

Advanced Chinese is a new course at King's Academy, breaking new ground in raising students' proficiency and fluency in the language. The course culminates with the students sitting for the AP Chinese Exam in May. As preparation for this examination, students engage in intensive work targeting all four critical areas of learning a language: speaking, reading, writing and listening. In addition, in keeping with the goals of the AP course, there is a heavy emphasis on understanding and appreciating culture from Chinese-speaking parts of the world.

Students utilize a variety of textbook materials to continue to develop their understanding of grammar and vocabulary. In addition, they engage with the language in a variety of real-life settings, from conversations, notes, interpreting scenarios to excerpts from movies and television shows. The emphasis is on interpreting and summarizing main points and details, while also being able to infer contextualized information according to each situation. Students also work on expressing themselves in more realistic and comprehensive ways, both orally and in written form. Capitalizing on the presence of native Chinese speakers on campus, students also explore themes and topics that shape contemporary Chinese society, from the lingering influences of Confucianism to the ethnic and regional diversities found in foods and holidays.

Prerequisites: Completion of/placement out of Intermediate Chinese

Students are introduced to Arabic language and the culture of the Middle East in a course that stresses progressive acquisition of effective communication skills in both the written and spoken language (fus-ha and aamiya). In this level, students learn the alphabet, essential grammar rules and level-appropriate words to build the necessary vocabulary in order to carry out basic conversations. Students then begin learning how to produce short conversations related to everyday situations. Emphasis is placed on learning phonetics and proper pronunciation of words, in addition to rudimentary cultural connotations essential for spoken dialogues.

Note: This program caters for non-native speakers of Arabic as well as to heritage speakers who have difficulties in reading, writing and expressing themselves in Arabic. Three levels of Arabic are offered to attend to the needs of students of different stages. Through written and oral placement tests, student levels are assigned upon admission to the school.

Students are exposed to longer conversational texts and are familiarized with more detailed grammar rules. During this stage, students are introduced to short and guided writing, acting and role playing. Students are also expected to write short descriptive paragraphs. They will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the use of the language in its cultural context, as well as to handle simple daily life situations that they may encounter. Students will be able to hold lengthier dialogues on important subjects, especially daily necessities and needs.

Note: This program caters for non-native speakers of Arabic as well as to heritage speakers who have difficulties in reading, writing and expressing themselves in Arabic. Three levels of Arabic are offered to attend to the needs of students of different stages. Through written and oral placement tests, student levels are assigned upon admission to the school.

Students are exposed to more complicated sentence structures. The highlight in this level is placed on the functional learning of the language, in which speaking takes place within more detailed life situations. Students will be able to reason and support opinions especially on topics related to culture and tradition. They will also be engaged in conversations, provide and obtain information, and express ideas and feelings effectively. Moreover, students attain the ability to write extended paragraphs while expanding on the base of vocabulary initiated in Elementary I and II.

Note: This program caters for non-native speakers of Arabic as well as to heritage speakers who have difficulties in reading, writing and expressing themselves in Arabic. Three levels of Arabic are offered to attend to the needs of students of different stages. Through written and oral placement tests, student levels are assigned upon admission to the school.

Students begin their study of Arabic by learning the alphabet and learning to recognize sounds. After completing their study of the alphabet, students develop the vocabulary and the basic grammar to communicate and to transition to more advanced language study. Students engage authentic texts to develop reading, listening, and writing skills, and regularly engage in oral exercises to expand their ability to speak and use Arabic in real-life situations. In the second semester, students pledge to use only Arabic in class, and they begin to study the Jordanian/ Levantine dialect. Students are expected to participate in all additional activities that fall within the scope of the Arabic Year Program at King’s Academy. These activities aim to activate the student’s language study and deepen their experience of the people and culture of Jordan and the wider Arab world.

Notes:

• This course is designed for AY students who are new to the Arabic language, or who have only a cursory familiarity with the language.
• This intensive course meets daily, five times a week, for 75 minutes per class.

Students in this course develop their skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking. They engage with authentic reading and listening materials that are of greater depth and length than those usually given at the elementary level, both to practice reading and listening and to develop a more advanced vocabulary. To activate the vocabulary and grammar they are studying, students present increasingly lengthy and extensive written compositions and oral presentations. Students at this level speak only Arabic in class, with special attention given to the Jordanian/Levantine dialect. Students are expected to participate in all additional activities that fall within the scope of the Arabic Year program. These activities aim to activate the student’s language study and deepen their experience of the people and culture of Jordan and the wider Arab world.

Notes:

• This course is designed for Arabic Year students who have studied Arabic for two or three semesters. Students are expected to understand basic Arabic grammar, to possess a diverse vocabulary, and to be able to discuss simple topics.
• This intensive course meets daily, five times a week, for 75 minutes per class.