In French 1, students begin to develop proficiency in listening, speaking, reading,

and writing. Unit themes focus on the students’ immediate world, including self,

family, friends, transportation, basic geography of Western Europe, holidays,

school and home communities, and leisure time activities. Students begin to

develop correct pronunciation, listening comprehension skills, and read simple

authentic texts and novellas. In addition, this course seeks to develop an

understanding of the diverse cultures of the French speaking world.

Students will continue to develop their knowledge of French with broader

vocabulary topics and more complex grammar concepts. They will begin to

comprehend listening and reading passages more fully, and will be expected to

use this new knowledge orally and in writing in a variety of activities. Students

who intend to take French 3 will have the opportunity to develop necessary

listening skills. Some of the vocabulary topics at this level relate to sports,

activities, celebrations, traveling, and home life. Students will learn to express

themselves in the present, past, and near future tenses. Through the use of video, audio recordings, film, and books, students will gain an awareness of life in Francophone countries.

In Honors French 3, students continue to build communication skills developed

in French 1 and 2. Students must have developed listening comprehension skills

in French 2. In this immersion course, students actively participate in extended

oral and written discourse, using compound and complex sentences to provide

information in a coherent and fluent manner. All basic grammar is reviewed, and

more advanced verb tenses are introduced. Students narrate and describe present and past events, and they predict future events. They learn to initiate and sustain a conversation. Students begin to explore topics of cultural importance.

Collegiate French an immersion course designed to consolidate and expand

previously acquired content and skills, offering students an opportunity to

broaden their listening, reading, speaking, and writing skills in French. This

course uses a variety of media—novels (classic and modern Francophone

literature), films, documentaries, news articles, and more. Students will have the

opportunity to delve deeper into each topic and expand their linguistic skills

while exploring more complex and challenging topics such as pop culture,

history, society, politics, everyday life and more. Vocabulary and grammar review

continues with emphasis placed on the most difficult grammar concepts.

The Advanced Placement (AP) French Language and Culture course is a college level course conducted entirely in French for willing and prepared students of French. The course engages students to explore the culture in both contemporary and historical contexts. Students will develop their awareness and appreciation of francophone culture, practices and perspectives through the use of only authentic material and resources from francophone websites, books, documentaries and more. This course emphasizes communication (understanding and being understood by others) by applying interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational skills in real-life situations. This includes vocabulary usage, language control, communication strategies, and cultural awareness. Students will prepare for the Advanced Placement (AP) Examination in French Language.

The emphasis of the German program is on the development of communication

skills. Students learn current conversational vocabulary and expressions relating

to daily activities. Some of the topics are family and friends, school, sports,

clothing, and vacations. The main grammar concepts introduced at this level are

the present, future, and present perfect tenses, commands, direct and indirect

objects, possessive adjectives and comparison of adjectives. A paper workbook is

part of the program to practice writing and grammar.

The emphasis continues to be on the development of communication skills. The

great majority of class activities are conducted in German so as to improve

comprehension skills. The readings and discussions relate to practical everyday

activities and experiences which can be easily related to by the students. Students who intend to take German 3 will have the opportunity to develop necessary listening skills. The main grammar topics include the past tense, prepositions, indirect objects, nouns and pronouns, reflexive verbs, adjective endings, word order and future tense. Students are made aware of the cultural differences between the United States and the German-speaking countries throughout the program through the use of authentic and current materials. A series of readers help foster reading and listening proficiency, contextual grammar usage and emerging conversation skills.

Full immersion is used in all classroom activities except in certain complex

explanations and in the occasional need for translation. Students must have

developed listening skills in German 2. Students are encouraged to initiate and

participate in discussions on a variety of topics related to their personal interests

such as relationships, travel, health, sports, and careers. A mystery novel is

included in the year’s readings. More advanced grammar concepts are covered

such as subjunctive mood, passive voice and relative pronouns. Current events,

popular music and two culturally significant movies will supplement the basic

program to promote listening comprehension and provide the opportunity for

discussion using new vocabulary in context. Emphasis is placed on conversation

and cultural awareness.

This course is taught using complete German immersion. Students are expected

to speak only German in the classroom. The students read and discuss original

German short stories and poems as well as material regarding the culture of

German speaking countries. There are regular discussions on a variety of topics

pertaining to the students’ personal interests. Students read and listen to current

event articles that will improve their reading and listening comprehension. They

also write weekly compositions on a variety of topics, and regularly give

presentations on culturally significant topics. Grammar is reviewed on an

ongoing basis through student writing assignments. Popular music and culturally

significant movies help improve listening comprehension. Emphasis continues to

be placed on conversation and cultural awareness.

The same procedure is followed as for Latin 1, with an emphasis on using

vocabulary and grammar to translate Latin stories and readings. Readings and

translation passages, however, become progressively more complex, with the

addition of the more difficult points of grammar needed to read the work of

Roman authors. Students will transition into reading slightly adapted Latin texts

and will have the opportunity to develop strong reading and translating skills.

Possible Latin readings include Cornelius Nepos’ Life of Atticus, the poems of

Catullus, and passages from medieval Latin. Students will continue to learn

about Roman and Greek culture, history, and daily life, in order to read these

texts in their socio-historical contexts.

Having solidified their understanding of Latin grammar and mastery of Latin

vocabulary in Latin 1 and Latin 2, students in Latin 3 will continue to develop

reading skills through translation of unadapted Latin texts. Possible prose

readings include Caesar’s Gallic Wars and Cornelius Nepos’ Life of Atticus. More

emphasis will be placed on Roman history and culture, in order to more fully

understand the readings in their original contexts. Students will also read

extended passages from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, in order to more closely examine

the meter and stylistic devices of Latin poetry. Specific points of grammar and

syntax will be reviewed and explained as needed.

This course is primarily dedicated to reading the Aeneid, Vergil’s epic poem

about the exploits of Rome’s legendary founder Aeneas. Larger portions of the

first, second, fourth, and sixth books are translated. Students also read an English

translation of the entire epic so that they may appreciate the structure and scope of the poem as a whole. Detailed attention is given not only to the grammar and translation of the text, but also to the analysis of the scansion of the Latin meters and the stylistic devices used by Vergil. Students also study the historical and social milieu out of which this work emerged. As necessary, students read selections of work from Vergil’s influences and contemporaries, including Catullus, Cicero, Horace, and the elegiac poets.

Students are introduced to the four basic language skills: listening, speaking,

reading, and writing. The primary emphasis is on beginning to communicate.

Vocabulary is introduced in the context of short stories. The main grammar points covered include subject/verb agreement in the present tense, article/noun/adjective agreement, and pronouns. The preterit tense is introduced briefly. Some skills emphasized are producing good pronunciation, developing reading and listening skills and learning to respond to questions. Students are expected to know basic information about Hispanic culture and geography by the end of the course.

The primary emphasis is to prepare students for further usage of the Spanish

language while improving their skills, with an emphasis on reading and listening

comprehension. Instruction fosters increased usage of Spanish in all activities.

Students who intend to take Spanish 3 will have the opportunity to develop

necessary listening skills. Vocabulary is introduced in the context of short stories.

Students are introduced to the various verb tenses in Spanish. Some skills

emphasized are differentiating between verb tenses, asking questions, and

beginning to create with the language. Students expand their knowledge of

Hispanic culture and geography.

At this level students bring together vocabulary and grammar and effectively

incorporate them into original writing and speaking. The large vocabulary

acquired in the first two levels is reviewed and slowly expanded by reading more

advanced stories and by learning to define Spanish vocabulary using already

familiar vocabulary in Spanish. Since this is an immersion course, students must

have developed listening skills in Spanish 2. Listening skills continue to improve

and better speaking skills emerge by using Spanish daily for most class activities.

All basic grammar is reviewed and more advanced verb tenses are introduced.

Students begin to explore topics of cultural importance.

All classroom activities are in Spanish. Students are encouraged to initiate and

participate in formal and informal discussions on a variety of topics related to

both the material being covered and their personal interests. Vocabulary is

introduced primarily through literature. Students read mostly short stories

written by native writers for native readers. A comprehensive grammar review

improves and expands the student’s ability to apply the grammar in original

writing and speaking. Topics in Spanish and Latin American culture are explored

to prepare students for further study. Students are also exposed to language and

culture through other media, such as authentic websites to read and study current events, and authentic Hispanic movies to highlight different historical events or themes studied in literature.

All classroom activities are in Spanish. As in the fourth level, students are

encouraged to initiate and participate in discussions on a variety of topics related to their personal interests as well as the material being studied. Vocabulary continues to be introduced through short stories, but students also read short novels, plays, and poetry from Spain and Latin America. Grammar is reviewed again, with emphasis being put on mastering the most difficult grammar: preterit and imperfect, subjunctive, pronouns, and prepositions. Spanish and Latin American culture and history are explored further through literature, films, documentaries and current events.