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 to French 1B or Spanish 1B.

Note: Grade 7

In French 1B and Spanish 1B, students are expected to remember what they learned in French or Spanish 1A and to build on that knowledge. Students learn through games, activities and assessments 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.

Note: Grade 8

These courses aim to enable beginners to become basic users of these world languages. Towards this end, these courses develop students’ abilities in three dimensions: (1) 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. (2) 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. (3) 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 language teaching. The main focus of coursework is on bringing authentic communicative contexts into the classroom and using the target language as a tool for completing real tasks and for real communicative purposes.

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: French IV

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: Spanish IV

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: 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: Chinese II or an equivalent proficiency

This course builds on skills learned in Chinese III and works to build confidence in speaking and writing. Students learn how to use complex sentence constructions to describe a variety of situations. 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: Chinese III or an equivalent proficiency

This college-equivalent course is designed for students who have no prior knowledge or some basic knowledge of the Chinese language and is intended to intensively train students in using both oral and written Mandarin Chinese. Students are 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.

Advanced Chinese aims to enhance 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 Chinese IV