World Languages

WORLD LANGUAGE COURSES

The Middle School language program begins with a solid foundation in the fundamentals of language and a comparative study of English and Latin. In Seventh Grade, students are able to choose between French or Spanish and continue that language in Eighth Grade.

FOUNDATIONS OF LANGUAGE

Required for Grade 6 Credit: 1 Foundations in Language is a sixth grade course designed to give students a strong understanding of English grammar, with an eye towards the foreign language study that will follow. The first semester sees students undertaking a rigorous survey of English grammar: parts of speech and their grammatical functions, followed by a study of phrases, clauses and their syntactical functions in sentences. In the second semester, students learn the basics of Latin grammar, exploring the similarities and differences in English and Latin thought structures.

FRENCH 1A

Open to Grade 7 Credit: 1 This course serves as an introduction to the French language through reading, writing, speaking, and listening. By the end of the year, learners will be able to talk about very familiar topics, including: themselves; the weather; their likes, dislikes, and preferences; their families and homes; and their favorite pastimes and hobbies. Learners will also discover the many places in the world where French is spoken through music, video, artifacts, and projects.

SPANISH 1A

Open to Grade 7 Credit: 1 This course serves as an introduction to the Spanish language through

reading, writing, speaking, and listening. By the end of the year, learners will be able to talk about very familiar topics: themselves; the weather; their likes, dislikes, and preferences; their families and homes; and their favorite pastimes and hobbies. Learners will also discover the many places in the world where Spanish is spoken through music, video, artifacts, and projects.

FRENCH 1B

Open to Grade 8 Credit: 1 In French 1B, learners will continue to expand their vocabulary and build upon the structures they acquired in French 1A. By the end of the year, they will be able to talk about themselves and the familiar topics covered during the previous year with greater confidence and in greater complexity. They also will begin to develop narrative competency in multiple time frames as they talk about what they did in the past and what they will do in the future.

SPANISH 1B

Open to Grade 8 Credit: 1 In Spanish 1B, learners will continue to expand their vocabulary and build upon the structures they acquired in Spanish 1A. By the end of the year, they will be able to talk about themselves and the familiar topics covered during the previous year with greater confidence and in greater complexity. They also will begin to develop narrative competency in multiple time frames as they talk about what they did in the past and what they will do in the future.