15 minute read
World Languages
The mission of the World Languages Department is to nurture meaningful communication, develop cultural competency, and promote multilingualism and multiculturalism. The advantages of being able to communicate in another language include increased adaptability and mental acuity as well as acting with empathy and an open mind. Learning another language advances the development of skills essential to academic, social, and personal growth. Modern language courses at Walker’s foster language acquisition by emphasizing meaningful and authentic communication in all three communicative modes: interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational. Modern language instructors deliver rich, compelling, and comprehensible input in order to maximize engagement with the target language across all three modes. In this way, learners will develop confidence and fluency communicating in the target language. Latin courses naturally focus primarily on the interpretive mode of communication.
All language instruction is guided by pedagogical standards that enable language learners to set linguistically appropriate goals, identify areas of growth, and track progress. Learners will come to understand that language and culture are intertwined and interdependent, but that a shared language does not necessarily represent a shared culture. Through knowledge and appreciation of the geography, customs, history, and literature of the regions where the target language is or was spoken, learners gain cultural as well as linguistic competency. Walker’s language classes are learner-centered and collaborative, and designed to maximize engagement and meaningful communication. The interests and needs of learners constantly inform the curricula, which are designed to be relevant, dynamic, and responsive. In this way, language classes enhance learner agency and curiosity. From collaborative storytelling to the discussion of current events or classical literature, learner questions and contributions are at the heart of the learning environment. Finally, the Language Department is committed to creating learning environments that are inclusive and respectful of all the diverse characteristics of learners’ identities and experiences.
Advertisement
MIDDLE SCHOOL WORLD LANGUAGE COURSES
Beginning in Sixth Grade, students are able to choose between French or Spanish. Once students progress through levels 1A & 1B in either French or Spanish, they are given the option of Spanish 2 or French 2 in Eighth Grade.
FRENCH 1A
Open to Grades 6-7 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 Grades 6-7 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 7 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, not only will they be able to talk about themselves and the familiar topics covered during the previous year with greater confidence and in greater complexity, they will also 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 7 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, not only will they be able to talk about themselves and the familiar topics covered during the previous year with greater confidence and in greater complexity, they will also 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.
UPPER SCHOOL WORLD LANGUAGE COURSES
Students must complete either three consecutive years of a single language in the Upper School at Walker’s or Level 3 (Latin)/Level 4 (French, Spanish), whichever comes first. Students may take Advanced twice. Students may enroll in more than one language simultaneously, schedule permitting.
LATIN 2
Open to Grades 9-12 Credit: 1 In Latin 2, students begin to go deeper with their Latin language skills, learning more challenging and sophisticated grammatical concepts. Learners will build upon the structures they acquired in Latin 1 and engage in the target language with greater ease. Students are assessed through reading novellas of increasing length and difficulty, and explore Roman culture through the extended world of young Roman friends, Syra, Piso and Sextus. We also explore the myths of the Zodiac and discuss the impact of those stories in the ancient world and today. Prerequisite: completion of Latin 1.
LATIN 3
Open to Grades 9-12 Credit: 1 This course is a continuation of Latin 2. Learners will build upon the structures they acquired in Latin 2 and engage in the target language with greater ease. By the end of the year, learners will be able to read and understand increasingly complex sentences and will be able to comfortably negotiate meaning in a wide range of unfamiliar contexts. Novellas will explore topics in mythology and Roman history, including the story of Medusa in Medusa: Femina Potens et Fortis and the Nubian Queen Kandake Amanirenas in Kandake Amanirenas: Regina Nubiae. Prerequisite: completion of Latin 2.
ADVANCED LATIN: DIDO AND AENEAS: LOVE, LOSS AND LEADERSHIP
Open to Grades 10-12 Credit: 1 This class explores the characters of Dido and Aeneas, two central figures in Roman literature. Beginning with Elissa: Dux Femina Facti, a novella about Dido, refugee queen of the Phoenician people, students explore the mythology and character of this famous female figure. From there students read excerpts of Book IV of Virgil’s Aeneid, a central text of Roman literature. Through a study of meter, word order, poetic device and vocabulary, we grapple with the themes of love and death, war and refugees, family and fate. In this class, we read selections of the poem in Latin and the entire poem in English. Students express themselves through analytical essays as well as creative projects. Prerequisite: Latin 3 and departmental approval.
ADVANCED LATIN: WHAT IS LOVE? LATIN LOVE POETRY
Not offered 2022-23 Open to Grades 10-12 Credit: 1 This course explores Roman ideas of love through the poetry of Catullus, Horace, Ovid and Sulpicia (one of the few female authors of the period whose work survives). Students in this course will learn about how the Romans perceived romantic relationships and how those ideas are both similar to and different from our ideas about love today. We will also examine the gendered experience of loving and being loved in the ancient world. In addition to continuing their study of the Latin language through these texts, students will work on their analytical writing through essays (in English) and creative assignments. Prerequisite: Latin 3 and departmental approval.
SPANISH 1
Open to Grades 8-12 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; their favorite pastimes and hobbies; what they did over the past weekend as well as what they are going to do over the next weekend; what they want to do versus what they can or must do, as well as developing the ability to negotiate meaning in unfamiliar contexts.
SPANISH 2
Open to Grades 9-12 Credit: 1 This course is a continuation of Spanish 1. Learners will build upon the structures they acquired in Spanish 1 and engage in the target language with greater ease. By the end of the year, learners will be able to express themselves in complete sentences on a variety of familiar topics. Specific structures that learners will acquire include: what they were doing or used to do and what they will do. Learners will continue to develop the ability to negotiate meaning in unfamiliar contexts. Prerequisite: completion of Spanish 1.
SPANISH 3
Open to Grades 9-12 Credit: 1 This course is a continuation of Spanish 2. Learners will build upon the structures they acquired in Spanish 2 and engage in the target language with greater ease. By the end of the year, learners will be able to express themselves in increasingly complex sentences on a variety of everyday topics, topics of personal interest, and studied topics. Specific structures that learners will acquire include: what they should/could/would have done, what they would/could/should do, necessity, opinions, and feelings. Learners will be able to comfortably negotiate meaning in a wide range of unfamiliar contexts. Prerequisite: completion of Spanish 2.
SPANISH 4
Open to Grades 9-12 Credit: 1 This course is a continuation of Spanish 3. Learners will examine the history, contemporary life, art, and culture of Spain and Latin America, while reinforcing and building upon the skills developed in Levels 1-3. This course uses authentic literature and film to expose students to Spanish and Latin American perspectives as well as the importance of Spanish in the United States. Learners are expected to make cultural comparisons, participate in individual and group analysis, and draw conclusions about historical and current events. By the end of the year, learners will be able to express themselves fully and spontaneously in paragraph-length language on a wide variety of everyday topics as well as topics of personal or general interest. Learners will be able to formulate and support hypotheses, make arguments, and sustain narration in multiple time frames. Students will be able to negotiate meaning in a wide range of unfamiliar contexts with confidence. Prerequisite: completion of Spanish 3.
HONORS SPANISH 4
Open to Grades 9-12 Credit: 1 Learners who are interested in earning Honors credit are required to complete independently motivated work. This work encompasses tasks using all appropriate modes of communication: interpretive reading, interpretive listening, presentational writing and speaking, and interpersonal speaking. Additionally, learners who wish to earn Honors credit will be held to higher expectations on assessments. Prerequisite: completion of Spanish 3 and departmental approval.
Open to Grades 10-12 Credit: 1 This class will explore youth culture in Spain and Latin America, and how young people express national and cultural identity and belonging. Our readings and films will explore broad themes of democracy and politics from the 20th and 21st centuries, and how discord and quickly changing societies shaped everyday life (education, work, family and friendships) in both Spain and the Americas. This class will continue to develop language proficiency and strengthen close reading skills, while allowing students to deepen cultural competency through creative projects that engage more deeply with works or themes they choose. Featured writers may include Carmen Laforet, Carmen Martín Gaite, Isabel Allende, Pablo Neruda, and Mario Benedetti. Prerequisite: Spanish 5/Spanish 4/4H and departmental approval.
Not offered 2022-23 Open to Grades 10-12 Credit: 1 Students will read and interpret texts of representative Hispanic writers within the 20th and 21st centuries, but with a special focus on contemporary authors. Students will explore and analyze the poems, short stories, and essays from writers such as Juan Rulfo, Emilia Pardo Bazán, Ana María Matute, Nancy Morejón, Rubén Darío, and Isabel Allende. The course will revolve around student commentary and analysis of texts within historical and cultural contexts, thereby requiring daily oral and written participation from all students. Prerequisite: Spanish 5/Spanish 4/4H and departmental approval.
ADVANCED SPANISH: CONTEMPORARY LIFE
IN THE SPANISH-SPEAKING WORLD Not offered 2022-23
Open to Grades 10-12 Credit: 1 Advanced Spanish is for Upper School students who have completed four previous Spanish courses, or have special permission from the Language Department. As such, the course will emphasize advanced communication and listening skills. Reading at an advanced level will consist of articles of varying topics, books, poetry, and short stories relating to contemporary themes. Writing skills will be enhanced to include personal narratives with emphasis on improved grammar, which will be an integral aspect of the course. Previously learned Spanish will be reviewed and reinforced, while advanced grammatical structures will be introduced for continued growth in presentational writing. Students will also continue to learn about the many cultures throughout the Spanish-speaking world through a global citizen lens. Prerequisite: Spanish 5/Spanish 4/4H and departmental approval.
FRENCH 1
Open to Grades 8-12 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: themselves; the weather; their likes, dislikes, and preferences; their families and homes; their favorite pastimes and hobbies; what they did over the past weekend as well as what they are going to do over the next weekend; and what they want to do versus what they can or must do. Learners will develop the ability to negotiate meaning in unfamiliar contexts.
FRENCH 2
Open to Grades 9-12 Credit: 1 This course is a continuation of French 1. Learners will build upon the structures they acquired in French 1 and engage in the target language with greater ease. By the end of the year, learners will be able to express themselves in complete sentences on a variety of familiar topics. Specific structures that learners will acquire include: what they were doing or used to do and what they will do. Prerequisite: completion of French 1.
FRENCH 3
Open to Grades 9-12 Credit: 1 This course is a continuation of French 2. Learners will build upon the structures they acquired in French 2 and engage in the target language with greater ease. By the end of the year, learners will be able to express themselves in increasingly complex sentences on a variety of everyday topics, topics of personal interest, and studied topics. Specific structures that learners will acquire include: what they should/could/would have done, what they would/could/should do, as well as expressing counterfactuals, necessity, opinions, and feelings. Learners will be able to comfortably negotiate meaning in a range of unfamiliar contexts. Prerequisite: completion of French 2.
FRENCH 4
Open to Grades 9-12 Credit: 1 This course is a continuation of French 3. Learners will examine the history, contemporary life, art, and culture of the French-speaking world, while reinforcing and building upon the skills developed in Levels 1-3. This course uses authentic literature and film to expose learners to diverse Francophone perspectives. Learners are expected to make cultural comparisons, participate in individual and group analysis, and draw conclusions about historical and current events. By the end of the year, learners will be able to express themselves fully and spontaneously in paragraph-length language on a wide variety of everyday topics as well as topics of personal or general interest. Learners will be able to formulate and support hypotheses, make arguments, and sustain narration in multiple time frames. Students will be able to negotiate meaning in a wide range of unfamiliar contexts with confidence. Prerequisite: completion of French 3.
HONORS FRENCH 4
Open to Grades 9-12 Credit: 1 Learners who are interested in earning Honors credit are required to complete independently motivated work. This work encompasses tasks using all appropriate modes of communication: interpretive reading, interpretive listening, presentational writing and speaking, and interpersonal speaking. Additionally, learners who wish to earn Honors credit will be held to higher expectations on assessments. Prerequisite: completion of French 3 and departmental approval.
ADVANCED FRENCH: LITERATURE AND CULTURE IN THE MAGHREB AND WEST AFRICA
Open to Grades 10-12 Credit: 1 This course focuses on providing students with an introductory examination of French-speaking, black African literature through short fictions, literature, music and cinema from Francophone Africa. Taught in French, this course will serve to both further develop the students’ French communication skills, as well as enhance their general knowledge of the francophone Maghrebi and West African regions, through reading course materials, completing written assignments, participating in class activities, listening to contextualizing lectures, and conducting studentled presentations. While analyzing literature and films, students will be exposed to a diverse number of intersectional topics such as national and cultural identity, race and class, gender and sexuality, transnationalism and migration, colonialism and decolonization, among other topics that might emerge from our student-led discussions. Readings may include works by authors such as Aimé Césaire, Albert Memmi, Assia Djebar, Dani Laferrière, Djibril Tamsir Niane, Fatou Diome, Leïla Sebbar, Léopold Senghor, Mariama Bâ, Maryse Condé, and Ousmane Sembène. Prerequisite: French 4/4H and departmental approval.
ADVANCED FRENCH: LITERATURE AND CULTURE OF THE
FRENCH-SPEAKING CARIBBEAN Not offered 2022-23
Open to Grades 10-12 Credit: 1 This course focuses on the literature and culture of the French-speaking Caribbean. Students will continue to hone their linguistic skills by engaging with some of the French-speaking Caribbean’s most important literary figures, including Maryse Condé (Guadeloupe), Aimé Césaire (Martinique), and René Depestre (Haiti). In addition to literary texts, students will examine the painting, music, history, and politics of the region. Students enrolling in this course must have considerable competence in speaking, listening, reading, and writing in French. The linguistic focus of this course is increased fluency, accuracy, and complexity in all modes of communication. Prerequisite: French 4/4H and departmental approval.
ADVANCED FRENCH: PARIS: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE
Not offered 2022-23 Open to Grades 10-12 Credit: 1 This course focuses on the history, architecture, and culture of Paris from its humble Roman beginnings to present-day initiatives that look toward a sustainable future. Students will continue to hone their linguistic skills by reading historical documents, articles, and literary works (drama, poetry, and prose) as well as by analyzing maps, paintings, and photographs. Students enrolling in this course must have considerable competence in speaking, listening, reading, and writing in French and a willingness to refine their French through significant independent work. The linguistic focus of this course is increased fluency, accuracy, and complexity in all modes of communication: presentational, interpersonal, and interpretive. Prerequisite: French 4/4H and departmental approval.
