World Languages and Cultures

Year - 6 credits

Prerequisite: None

This introductory language course immerses students in simple, comprehensible interactions in Chinese. Together, the teacher and students create conversations and stories that are interesting, relevant, and memorable. Priority is given to high-frequency, high-interest vocabulary and structures that give students the power to express themselves in Chinese. A variety of games and activities are used in class to reinforce and consolidate students’ grasp of the language. Over the course of the year, students learn to narrate events, describe people and things, and share their opinions. Students learn to read and write simplified characters and are able to write short stories and essays by hand by the end of the year.

Year - 6 credits

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Chinese 1.

In this course, students learn to express their experiences and opinions about their daily lives, including topics such as home and family, school, sports, arts, clothing, food, technology, and transportation. At the same time, they also explore the daily life of students in Chinese-speaking countries, comparing and contrasting in ways that shed light both on Chinese culture and their own. Emphasis is placed on high-frequency vocabulary and structures that empower students to describe, narrate, compare and explain in greater detail in writing and speech.

Year - 6 credits

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Chinese 2.

In this intermediate course, students explore the geography of the Chinese-speaking world, delving into topics such as climate, cuisine, housing, arts, leisure, and tourism. They investigate regional differences and begin to situate their evolving cultural knowledge into a geographical framework. Videos, films, images, podcasts and songs help bring the culture to life, and a Chinese novella provides extensive reading practice. Students use the language to draw connections, compare and contrast, and express and support their opinions with increasing precision. They complete small research projects on living and traveling in various locations in China and present their findings in a variety of creative formats.

Year - 6 credits

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Chinese 3.

In this high-intermediate course, students explore the stories that have shaped the Chinese worldview over thousands of years. From origin myths to philosophical allegories, romantic legends to battle sagas, martial arts epics to propaganda campaigns, tales of emperors and tales of commoners, well-known tales in text, audio, and film formats are used as entryways to important moments and concepts in Chinese history. Students increase their language proficiency as they develop their cultural and historical knowledge. They demonstrate their understanding by analyzing the stories for the perspectives and values they promote, and comparing and contrasting them with stories from other places and times. Student work takes the form of class discussions and debates, creative and analytical writing tasks, and research projects presented in multimedia formats.

Year - 6 credits

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Chinese Topics in Chinese Literature and History.

In this advanced course, students investigate various facets of Chinese culture and society past and present. Pedagogical materials, authentic online resources, podcasts, and films will be used to illuminate cultural topics and serve as a basis for discussion and analysis. As they deepen their understanding of Chinese culture and society, students continue to hone their listening and reading comprehension skills, expand their vocabulary, and strengthen their grasp of grammatical structures, allowing them to communicate in Chinese in greater depth and with growing precision. Students undertake independent reading and extended research projects using Chinese language sources and create multimedia presentations to share their findings with the class.

Year - 6 credits

Prerequisite: Successful completion of French 1.

Students will expand their ability to communicate in French about topics such as household chores, leisure activities, food, family, daily routine, health and wellness, as well as daily life. Students will explore francophone countries and their cultures practicing real-life tasks such as ordering a meal, going to a doctor and food shopping. Emphasis is placed on high-frequency vocabulary and structures that increase students’ abilities to describe, narrate, compare and explain in writing and speaking. Students will be exposed to French film as well as French music to emphasize culture. They will present projects in French with their peers and on their own with the goal of gaining more knowledge of francophone cultures.

Year - 6 credits

Prerequisite: Successful completion of French 2.

Students investigate the culture of daily life in communities throughout the francophone world, delving into varied topics such as school life, professions, fairy tales, social life, nature, travel

and storytelling. Students read excerpts of French novellas such as War of the Buttons and watch francophone films to emphasize listening and understanding. Students use the language to draw connections, make comparisons, and express and support their opinions. Emphasis continues to be placed on high-frequency vocabulary as more varied grammatical structures are introduced. Students will be exposed to current events, connections with French teens via pen pal projects and French speakers.

Year - 6 credits

Prerequisite: Successful completion of French 3.

In this class students will explore the diverse perspectives, experiences, and identities in the contemporary francophone world through compelling narratives in films and songs and by reading short stories such as Le Petit Prince and biographies of famous Francophones. Students will develop their language proficiency as they deepen their cultural understanding, gaining insight into their own culture and identity as well. Units are designed around cultural topics such as music, food, literature, fashion and current events. Students will demonstrate their growing competence through creative storytelling, analytical writing and speaking assignments, class discussions and debates, cultural presentations, research projects, and film making.

Year - 6 credits

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Advanced Topics in Francophone Cultures.

Students will hone their communication skills and deepen their cultural understanding through the study of units centered on significant people, places, events, and cultural products throughout modern francophone history. Students will work with authentic materials such as films, video clips, news articles, radio broadcasts, literature, and songs. They will deepen their cultural understanding while broadening their range of vocabulary and grammatical structures. Student work will take the form of classroom role plays and debates, creative writing assignments, cultural presentations, and research projects. In addition, students will choose their own avenues for engaging with French outside of the classroom, such as novels, films, or music.

Year - 6 credits

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Advanced Topics in Francophone Cultures.

Students will explore key issues in the contemporary francophone world through journalistic reporting, literature, film, music, and other art forms. Themes will include language and identity, immigration and multiculturalism, religion and secularism, gender roles, and environmental challenges. Students will gain a deeper understanding of the diversity of francophone cultures and identities, as well as an appreciation for how place and perspective have shaped them. Student work will include class debates, persuasive essays, individual research, cultural comparisons, and multimedia presentations. Throughout the course, students will polish their communication skills in preparation for the AP exam and continued study at the college level.

Year - 6 credits

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Advanced Seminar in French - 1 or AP French Language and Culture.

Students study key issues in the contemporary francophone world through journalistic reporting, literature, films, podcasts, and songs. Themes center around societal issues, such as immigration, the environment, the economy, politics, and science and technology. The class also follows and discusses current events throughout the year. Students gain a deeper understanding of a variety of global challenges, as well as the specific ways they play out in various francophone countries. They demonstrate their understanding by engaging in class discussions and debates, writing analytical and persuasive essays, and presenting their research to their classmates. Throughout the course, students will polish their communication skills in preparation for continued study at the college level.

Year – 6 credits

This course introduces the student to the basics of the Latin language and to life as it was lived in diverse areas of the Roman Empire. The focus is on reading Latin rather than simply memorizing endings, and so students begin reading extended passages of Latin at the outset. As their skill develops, the passages become longer and more challenging. Their developing skills in reading Latin will include grammar, vocabulary, and syntax. Through their readings they will become acquainted with life in Roman Italy, the agrarian and turbulent province of Britain, and cosmopolitan Alexandria, Egypt.

Year – 6 credits

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Latin 1.

Students will continue to build on the work they did in Latin 1 to enhance their ability to read more complex passages of Latin. They will learn new vocabulary and syntax necessary for that task. Students will be introduced to the literary style of Classical Latin literature. The passages they read will broaden their knowledge of life and culture in Imperial Rome by learning about the organization of the Roman army, life in the court of the Emperor Domitian, and the siege of Masada and its aftermath.

Year – 6 credits

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Latin 2.

In this course, students will complete their study of the main features of Latin syntax and inflectional forms. The first six chapters of their book form the end of the “novel” that students began reading at the beginning of Latin 1. Students will subsequently read un-adapted passages from authors such as Pliny, Cicero, Ovid, Horace, Catullus, Sallust, and Vergil.

Year – 6 credits

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Latin 3.

The texts for this course are selected in consultation with those students of Latin 3 who intend to pursue a fourth year of study in the language. Half of the course is devoted to poetry, and half to prose. Poetry may include selections from Vergil, Ovid, Catullus, Horace, Lucretius, or Terence. Prose selections may include Livy, Cicero, Caesar, Curtius, or Petronius. Grammar and inflectional forms are reviewed and exercised regularly.

Year – 6 credits

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Latin 4.

This course provides a student the opportunity to read challenging and substantial passages of Latin that are not covered in previous Latin courses. In this course students will consult secondary literature on the selected author(s) and, because much of the focus is on the legacy of Classical culture in general and Latin literature in particular, they may also be expected to read literature from beyond the Classical period.

Year - 6 credits

Spanish 1 is a course designed to introduce the student to grammar, reading, writing, and listening skills. Cultural information is provided and taught throughout the course. Emphasis is placed on conversation, vocabulary and correct usage of the language. This requires a daily emphasis on listening and speaking while developing the ability to write and understand basic Spanish paragraphs or dialogue on a familiar topic in order to function in everyday situations.

Year - 6 credits

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Spanish 1.

Spanish 2 builds on the fundamental language elements taught in Spanish 1 and continues to focus on the four language skills, which are reading, writing, speaking, and listening in the target language. Throughout this course, students expand their knowledge of Spanish grammatical structures and vocabulary allowing them to freely communicate ideas using various tenses.

Year - 6 credits

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Spanish 2.

Students will learn to support opinions with more spontaneity and accuracy, and to describe and narrate using broader vocabulary and more complex sentence structures on familiar topics, both in written and oral forms. They will be able to create and combine new material with greater ease and understand conversations and texts on cultural topics from authentic sources.

Year - 6 credits

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Spanish 3.

This class is designed to give students a high level of cultural competence of the cultures of Spanish-speaking peoples. Students will read a wide variety of texts, including textbooks, poetry, essays, short stories, and at least one novella and one full play. Students will gain cultural content knowledge through reading class materials and completing research using contemporary sources such as online documents, movies, music, paintings, sculptures, architecture, magazines, journals and newspapers. In order to continue developing their communication skills, students will compose short and long critical and expository essays, create examples of creative nonfiction writing, write at least one long research paper, and deliver several in-class presentations. Students will finish the class by presenting their research on a topic of contemporary importance, centered in a culture of the Spanish-speaking world. This course will cover grammar only as needed by individual students in the class.

Year - 6 credits

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Spanish 4.

Students will polish and master their linguistics skills in preparation for the AP examination. An increased amount of authentic materials in the target language, such as newscasts, movies, newspapers, and magazines, will be used to help students practice listening, reading, and speaking skills. Students are trained to converse freely and write about everyday, abstract, and hypothetical topics.