World Language Department
All students must take three years of world language, including two years in one world language unless they receive a waiver from the Academic Assistant Principal.
5101 Chinese 1
5401 Honors Chinese 2
5501 Honors Chinese 3
5601 Honors Chinese 4
5801 AP Chinese
5121 French I
5421 Honors French 2
5521 Honors French 3
5621 Honors French 4
5721 AP French
5161 Latin I
5461 Honors Latin 2
5561 Honors Latin 3
5661 Honors Latin 4 Medieval Latin & History (1 credit World Language & 0.5 credits Social Studies)
5701 AP Latin
5181 Spanish I
5281 Spanish 2
5481 Honors Spanish 2
5381 Spanish 3
5581 Honors Spanish 3
5681 Honors Spanish 4
5781 AP Spanish
5851 Honors Spanish 5
World Language Policies
1. Incoming freshmen that have completed one full year of a language may take a language placement test in the spring and be eligible to begin the second year of language study.
2. Third year policy: All students with a grade of C- or better in the second semester of the second year language class may continue with the third year course. Students earning a D+ or below are not allowed to take a third year course unless they receive a written recommendation from their second year teacher. The Academic Assistant Principal will grant final approval.
3. Fourth year policy: All students wishing to take a fourth year language class must have earned a minimum grade of "B" in the third year course. Students earning less than a "B-" must secure a written recommendation from their third year teacher. All students are still required to have a signature from the third year teacher.
5101 Chinese 1
Credit: 1.0
In this course, students are introduced to Mandarin phonetics (PinYin) and a Romanized system of writing. Students concentrate on listening and speaking skills. They memorize 30 basic sentence patterns and 200 words. Fifty Chinese characters are taught. Culture is discussed each day.
5401 Honors Chinese 2
Credit: 1.0
Prerequisite: Recommendation of Chinese 1 instructor.
This course develops listening and speaking competence. Students will increase their grammar knowledge to about 60 basic sentence patterns and 400 vocabulary words. Students will read simple texts and compose descriptions and short messages. About 150 Chinese characters will be introduced. Culture is integrated and discussed in each lesson.
5501 Honors Chinese 3
Credit: 1.0
Prerequisites: A “C-“ or better in Honors Chinese 2 and recommendation of the Honors Chinese 2 instructor.
Students will use listening and reading strategies to determine tone and intended audience. With prompts, directions, instructions, and requests, students will use appropriate language and gestures in culturally authentic social and daily contexts, like shopping, making phone calls, ordering in restaurants, visiting friends, etc. More Chinese characters and sentence expressions will be introduced in order to enrich students' language ability.
5601 Honors Chinese 4
Credit: 1.0
Prerequisites: A “B” or better in Honors Chinese 3 and recommendation of the Honors Chinese 3 instructor.
With emphasis on reading, listening and writing, the students will continue to develop the skills already possessed after three years of studying Chinese. Various readings, cultural studies, grammatical and vocabulary reviews will provide substance for language usage and a deeper understanding of the target culture.
5801 AP Chinese
Credit: 1.0
Prerequisites: Approval of the course instructor.
The AP Chinese Language and Culture course is designed to be comparable to fourth semester (or the equivalent) college/university courses in Mandarin Chinese. The AP course prepares students to demonstrate their level of Chinese proficiency across the three communicative modes (Interpersonal, Interpretive, and Presentational) and the five goal areas (Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities) as outlined in the Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century. This course focuses on language proficiency while interweaving level- and age appropriate cultural content throughout the course and providing for frequent formative assessment of students' developing proficiencies within the context of their learning.
5121 French 1
Credit: 1.0
French 1 exposes the students to many aspects of the French language and Francophone culture. The basics of grammar and sentence structures are stressed. Emphasis is placed on building a good vocabulary base for second- year French. Special attention is given to the student's listening and conversational ability.
5421 Honors French 2
Credit: 1.0
Prerequisite: Recommendation of French 1 instructor; for incoming Freshman completion of first year French and score on the French Placement Test.
The course includes a consolidation and extension of the previous year. The course includes grammar and vocabulary exercises and is designed to provide more reading, writing, listening, and conversational opportunities. Additional aspects of Francophone culture are included. French is used extensively in the classroom. Their teacher for the honors class must recommend students.
5521 Honors French 3
Credit: 1.0
Prerequisites: A “C-“ or better in Honors French 2 and recommendation of the Honors French 2 instructor.
The primary goal of this course is to expand and enrich the student's knowledge and enjoyment of the French language and Francophone culture. The course begins with a systematic review of verb tenses and grammar covered in the first two years so as to enable the student to read and comprehend short stories and articles with some proficiency. There is a slow shift of emphasis from grammar to reading and conversation. As the emphasis on grammar decreases, guided compositions and conversational idioms and structures are stressed. Throughout the course, dimensions of Francophone culture are treated through lectures, projects, and papers. Their teacher for the honors class must recommend students. It is designed to prepare them -for the 4th year of AP course.
5621 Honors French 4
Credit: 1.0
Prerequisites: A “B” or better in Honors French 3 and recommendation of the Honors French 3 instructor.
With emphasis on reading, listening and writing, the students will continue to develop the skills already possessed after three years of foreign language study. Various readings, cultural studies, grammatical and vocabulary reviews will provide substance for language usage and a deeper understanding of the target culture.
5721 AP French
Credit 1.0
Prerequisite: Approval of the course instructor.
This course is designed to strengthen communication skills by reviewing and expanding upon grammar and vocabulary, reading selections from various sources: Magazines, newspapers, and literature, especially about Francophone culture. Free composition and conversation on a wide range of topics are emphasized. Students are encouraged to take the AP French exam for college credit.
5161 Latin 1
Credit: 1.0
Latin exposes the students to many aspects of Latin language and culture. The basics of grammar and sentence structures are stressed. Emphasis is placed on building a good vocabulary base for second year Latin. Special attention is given to the student's listening and conversational ability.
5461 Honors Latin 2
Credit: 1.0
Prerequisite: Recommendation of Latin 1 instructor,
The course consolidates and extends what has been learned in the previous year. It features not only grammar and vocabulary exercises, but also is designed to provide more reading, writing, listening, and conversational opportunities. Additional aspects of culture are also included. Conversing in the Latin language increases this year.
55681 Honors Latin 3
Credit: 1.0
Prerequisites: A “C-“ or better in Honors Latin 2 and recommendation of the Honors Latin 2 instructor.
The primary goal of this course is to expand and enrich the student's knowledge and enjoyment of the language and the Ancient Roman culture. The course begins with a systematic review of verb tenses and grammar covered in the first two years so as to enable the student to read and comprehend stories with proficiency. There is a slow shift of emphasis from grammar to reading and conversation.
5661 Honors Latin 4 Medieval Latin & History
Credit: 1.0 World Language / 0.5 Social Studies
Prerequisites: A “B” or better in Honors Latin 3 and recommendation of the Honors Latin 3 instructor.
The history of Latin is the history of Western civilization and vice versa. This course will explore the approximately 100 years from the fall of the Roman Empire to the discovery of the New World with a particular focus on Latin texts. In general, the readings will be influential primary sources such as “the Rule of St. Benedict”, Letters of Charlemagne, the Magna Carta, the Summa Theologica, and Dante. Due to the heavy historical emphasis, the course will be given dual credit in history and social studies.
5701 AP Latin
Credit: 1.0
Prerequisite: Approval of course instructor.
The purpose of this course is to enhance the student's ability to read, translate literally and analyzes the literary work of selected writers of Latin literature. The AP syllabus permits three different options for this course. Students can study the works of Catullus, Horace and Ovid. In addition to learning appropriate literary figures of speech and poetic meters, the course will focus on expanding the student's knowledge of the cultural background of the first century before and after Christ. This course is offered to third and fourth year students every other year.
5181 Spanish 1
Credit 1.0
Spanish 1 exposes the students to many aspects of Spanish language and Hispanic culture. The basics of grammar and sentence structures are stressed. Emphasis is placed on building a good vocabulary base for second year Spanish. Special attention is given to the student's speaking and listening ability.
5281 Spanish 2
Credit: 1.0
Prerequisite: Completion of Spanish 1. For incoming Freshman completion of first year Spanish and score on the Spanish Placement Test.
The course includes a consolidation and extension of the previous year. The course includes a great amount of grammar and vocabulary exercises and is designed to provide more reading, writing, listening, and conversational opportunities. Additional aspects of Hispanic culture are included. Spanish is used extensively in the classroom.
5481 Honors Spanish 2
Credit: 1.0
Prerequisite: Recommendation of Spanish 1 instructor; for incoming Freshman completion of first year Spanish and score on the Spanish Placement Test.
This accelerated course follows the outline of the regular course but with faster pacing and a more emphasis on grammar mastery and fluency.
5381 Spanish 3
Credits: 1.0
Prerequisites: A “C-“ or better in Spanish 2 and recommendation of the Spanish 2 instructor.
The primary goal of this course is to expand and enrich the student's knowledge and enjoyment of the Spanish language and culture. The course begins with a systematic review of verb tenses and grammar covered in the first two years so as to enable the student to read and comprehend short stories and articles with proficiency. There is a slow shift of emphasis from grammar to reading and conversation. As the emphasis on grammar decreases, guided composition and conversational idioms and structures are stressed. Throughout the course, dimensions of Spanish and Hispanic culture are treated through lectures, projects, and papers.
5581 Honors Spanish 3
Credit: 1.0
Prerequisites: A “C-“ or better in Honors Spanish 2 and recommendation of the Honors Spanish 2 instructor.
This accelerated course follows the outline of the regular course but with faster pacing and a more emphasis on mastery and fluency.
5681 Honors Spanish 4
Credit: 1.0
Prerequisites: A “B” or better in Honors Spanish 3 and recommendation of the Honors Spanish 3 instructor.
With much emphasis on writing, reading and listening, the student will continue to develop the communication skills already possessed after three years of language study. Various readings, cultural studies, and grammatical reviews will provide substance for language usage. The class is conducted completely in Spanish.
5781 AP Spanish
Credit: 1.0
Prerequisite: Approval of course instructor.
This course is designed to strengthen communication skills through reading selections from various sources: Magazines, newspapers, and literature, especially about Spanish culture. Free composition and conversation on a wide range of topics are emphasized. Students are encouraged to take the AP Spanish exam for college credit. Class is conducted in Spanish.
5851 Honors Spanish 5
Credit: 1.0
Prerequisite: Completion of Honors Spanish 4 or AP Spanish and approval of course instructor.
This course is designed to continue the study of the Spanish language and culture. There will be a heavy emphasis on speaking, reading and current events in Spanish speaking countries.
Honors Practicum in Spanish Conversation
Credit: 1.0
Prerequisites: Honors Spanish 4
This intensive conversation experience emphasizes speaking and listening comprehension in Spanish. There is extensive use of pair and small group activities as well as collaborative projects and
presentations in the target language. A multimedia approach to the course increases the student’s ability in all areas of language comprehension and production. Students will also read and write extensively.
Advanced Practicum in Spanish Conversation
Credit: 1.0
Prerequisite: Honors Practicum and approval of course instructor.
This class is an advanced conversation class that will offer an intra-cultural approach contrasting Spanish and Spanish American perspectives. This is a content-based course that focuses primarily on the development of
advanced oral language skills. The class format will consist of class discussions, debates, oral presentations, interviews and electronic discussions on contemporary issues.