World Language

     Students enrolled in French I will be introduced to the study of a world language and will acquire basic everyday skills in reading, writing, listening, and speaking in the target language. In order to promote oral proficiency, the course will focus on relevant everyday exchanges. Various cultural connections will be made to students’ learning and lives in order to broaden their worldview. Students who have studied French previously are encouraged to speak with their counselor about placement into French II.

French I

     Students further develop their beginning skills in French by building on the foundations acquired in French I. The skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing French are practiced at the beginner level. Basic structures of French are presented in conversations and situations that encourage active student participation. Students also increase their understanding of and appreciation for Francophone peoples and their cultures. Examples of real-world applications and uses of realia are employed to complete class units and projects. 

French II (A)

The honors level of this course, while studying the same concepts and skills as the academic class, challenges students to work at a deeper level and at a faster pace.

French II (H)

     This third level course will continue to build upon the foundation of French II by developing initial intermediate-level skills in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Students continue to develop core vocabulary and control of sentence structures while having more opportunities to engage with resources like songs and videos, short readings, and interactive, creative projects as they connect to real-world French contexts and cultures. Students will work to increase their use of French to collaborate and communicate with peers and develop a wide base of skills through the use of the language. 

French III (A)

The honors level of this course, while studying the same concepts and skills as the academic class, challenges students to work at a deeper level and at a faster pace.

French III (H)

     This academic level course in French will enable students to solidify intermediate skills in the language and to engage with French speakers in a wide variety of contexts and for many communicative needs. Students continue to develop core vocabulary and control of sentence structures while having more opportunities to engage with resources like songs and videos, short readings, and interactive, creative projects as they connect to real-world French contexts and cultures. Students will engage in work that examines such topics as childhood, adolescence, the working world, and contemporary France. Students will work to increase their use of French to collaborate and communicate with peers and develop a wide base of skills through active use of the language. 

French IV (A)

This honors level course in French will enable students to move towards advanced level skills in the language and to engage with French speakers in a wide variety of contexts and for many communicative needs. Students will develop language skills through a variety of culturally based studies that integrate literature, society, and history, and they will explore a wide range of topical themes through vocabulary development, readings, and cultural studies that will serve as a basis for oral discussion and written expression. Students will engage in work that examines such topics as childhood, adolescence, the working world, and contemporary France as they connect to real-world French contexts and speakers. Students will be expected to express themselves in French with thoughtfulness and clarity in an effort to communicate their perspectives, opinions, and thoughts in regular classroom discussions. 

French IV (H)

The Advanced Placement Program in French Language and Culture is designed for highly motivated and academically talented students who are willing to commit themselves to a college-level course demanding considerable time and effort. Students enrolled in this course must be able to demonstrate superior listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Students will use understanding of francophone cultures, contexts, and civilizations in informal and formal exchanges and for analytical and presentational tasks. All course work will be conducted in French. The course of study is established by the Advanced Placement Program of the College Entrance Examination Board and culminates in an exam in May through which students may earn college credits. 

AP French Language and Culture

Students enrolled in Spanish I will be introduced to the study of a world language and will acquire basic everyday skills in reading, writing, listening, and speaking in the target language. In order to promote oral proficiency, the course will focus on relevant everyday exchanges. Various cultural connections will be made to students’ learning and lives in order to broaden their world view. Students who have studied Spanish previously are encouraged to speak with their counselor about placement into Spanish II. 

Spanish I

     In this course, students will build upon their foundation from Spanish I. Through a variety of communicative activities, students will practice the skills of reading, writing, speaking, and listening in order to expand their oral proficiency and promote the relevance of Spanish in their lives. Students will increase their appreciation of Spanish-speaking peoples and their cultures. 

Spanish II (A)

This honors course will allow the language student to improve communicative proficiency in Spanish while further developing all four language skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. At this level, students will compose and understand narratives in the present, past, and immediate future. They will also communicate comfortably in everyday conversational exchanges. With their growing language skills, students will explore topics through classroom discussion and personalized writing exercises. Students at this level will relate new cultural readings and multimedia presentations to their in-class vocabulary and grammatical learning in order to make more concrete the connection between the classroom and the real world. 

Spanish II (H)

     Students in this course will continue the pursuit of intermediate proficiency in the four areas of language learning. In Spanish III (A), students will improve their written accuracy and develop their confidence in the use of oral language through regular interactions and expression of course themes, including home life, travel, and cultural experiences. Students will have a variety of opportunities to interact with, understand, and use Spanish through multimedia sources, group projects, and independent tasks. Work done in Spanish III (A) will prepare students for the more challenging language and cultural studies of Spanish IV. 

Spanish III (A)

Within a cultural framework and through a careful examination of challenging grammatical concepts, verb tenses, and an expansion of students’ working vocabulary, this honors Spanish course will develop students’ reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. Spanish III (H) will place emphasis on grammatical accuracy and correct language usage both in students’ writing and speaking. Students will express themselves primarily in Spanish on a variety of topics within a variety of situations. The rigor of this course is intended to prepare students either for Spanish IV (H) or for AP Spanish Language and Culture. 

Spanish III (H)

     Students in this course will continue the pursuit of proficiency in the four areas of language learning through the reading of authentic short stories and dramatic texts, articles, and cultural and historical passages. Though emphasis in this course will be placed on improving the students’ ability to read and write accurately, the main focus of the course will be to develop the students’ auditory and oral proficiency. Spanish will be spoken in class, both by the teacher and by students, in order to promote comfortable oral communication as well as greater cultural awareness and understanding of the Spanish-speaking world. Work done in Spanish IV (A) will prepare students for more challenging language and cultural studies. 

Spanish IV (A)

This honors Spanish course will provide students with an intensive and deliberate study of Spanish vocabulary and grammar so that they may further develop towards advanced skills in the four areas of language learning: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Great emphasis in this course will be placed on oral expression and conversation, while the main focus of the course cultivates a relationship among the four skills of language learning. Students in Spanish IV (H) will study and practice grammatical concepts, verb tenses, and vocabulary sets through reading, writing, listening, and speaking so that they may become well-rounded producers of natural, spontaneous language. The grammatical concepts and vocabulary sets studied in this course will be drawn from art, literature, cultural phenomena, society, and student-generated themes so that students may relate their language learning to a concrete, real world. The combination of careful language study and cultural exploration offered by Spanish IV (H) will prepare students for enrollment in the AP Spanish Language course. 

Spanish IV (H)

AP Spanish Literature and Culture is an advanced, college-level survey course in Hispanic literature for academically talented students prepared for rigorous reading, writing, listening, and speaking tasks in Spanish. Students use Spanish exclusively as they explore representative works from Spain, Latin America, and the United States across major historical periods, from the medieval era to the contemporary world.

Through the study of poetry, prose, drama, and essays, students analyze universal themes such as societies in contact, gender roles, time and space, interpersonal relationships, imagination and creativity, and the duality of being. Students develop strong analytical, interpretive, and critical-thinking skills by connecting texts to their historical and cultural contexts and by expressing and defending their ideas using AP Task Models. The course prepares students for success on the AP Exam and helps them grow as culturally aware and globally minded individuals.

AP Spanish Literature & Culture

AP Spanish Language and Culture is equivalent to an intermediate level college course in Spanish. Students cultivate their understanding of Spanish language and culture by applying interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational modes of communication in real-life situations as they explore concepts related to family and communities, personal and public identities, beauty and aesthetics, science and technology, contemporary life, and global challenges. Students will learn transferable skills based on universal themes and in authentic contexts through the use of Task Models. All of this will help students to be successful on the exam, and more importantly, in life.

AP Spanish Language and Culture