World Language

"To study another language and culture gives one the powerful key to successful communication:  knowing how, when, and why to say what to whom." (from Illinois Learning Standards) 
Foreign language courses are designed to facilitate genuine interaction with others, whether they are on another continent, across town, or within the neighborhood.  Moreover, students gain valuable insights into the nature and function of language itself by learning a second language, as well as the important influence of cultural context on effective  oral and written communication.

Spanish 1                                                                                   
Grade 9

In this course, Novice-Low learners will learn to communicate using practiced and memorized words and phrases. Students will answer formulaic questions on very familiar topics and express personal needs with memorized words and phrases. Novice Low learners often use gestures and pictures to convey meaning. By the end of the course, students will be able to converse at a survival level, introduce themselves, describe their personality, engage in small talk, talk about their weather, fashion, express likes and dislikes, and identify products and practices to help understand cultural perspectives.

This course has three express goals: [1] Develop the student's ability to use language for real world purposes. [2] Develop oral and written skills. [3] Gain knowledge and understanding Hispanic World Culture.

Spanish 2                                                                           
Grade 10
Prerequisites: Completion of Spanish 1, with a minimum grade of ‘C-,’ or teacher  recommendation based on placement test and transcript review. 

This course is a continuation of Spanish 1. In this class, Novice Mid-level students will learn to express meaning in highly predictable contexts through the use of memorized and recalled words and phrases. Students should understand aural cognates, borrowed words, and high-frequency, highly contextualized words and phrases with repetition.

Spanish 3                                                                          
Grade 11
Prerequisites: Completion of Spanish 2, with a minimum grade of ‘C-,’ and recommendation of  Spanish 2 teacher. 

This course is a continuation of Spanish 1 and Spanish 2. Students continue to explore the three modes of communication: Interpersonal, Interpretive, and Presentational. Novice-High students express meaning in simple, predictable contexts through the use of learned and recombined phrases and short sentences. Students will learn to understand  sentence-length information within highly contextualized situations and sources. Novice High students are consistently successful when performing Novice-level tasks.

AP Spanish: Language and Culture                                                         
Grade 12
Prerequisites: Completion of Spanish 3, with a minimum grade of ‘B,’ and recommendation of  Spanish 3 teacher.

The AP Spanish Language and Culture course is a rigorous course taught exclusively in Spanish that requires students to improve their proficiency across the three modes of communication: Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational. The course focuses on the integration of authentic resources including online print, audio, and audiovisual resources, as well as traditional print resources that include literature, essays, and magazine and newspaper articles with the goal of providing a rich, diverse learning experience. The course is divided into thematic units which are further based on recommended contexts and guided by essential questions. Corresponding cultural elements are integrated into the study of the units, and activities are directed with those cultural connections in mind. Discussion of the topics completely in Spanish is a requirement for this course. It is expected that students have previously been exposed to advanced language structures in the courses leading up to the AP Spanish Language and Culture course; however, review of all grammar and tenses in Spanish will be practiced within the different thematic units. Also, throughout the course students have various opportunities to use Spanish outside of class, through various activities in which the students will interact with native speakers. They will conduct a series of interviews to native speakers and discuss the importance of being bilingual and how Spanish helps in obtaining jobs. They will also conduct a formal interview with someone who has immigrated to the U.S. and they will ask a series of predetermined questions.

Testing Requirement: All students enrolled in AP courses are required to take the AP exam in May of  the academic year. Students and families are responsible for the AP exam fees.

Mandarin 1                                                                               
Grade 9

The Mandarin Chinese 1 course is an introduction to Mandarin language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing, as well as an appreciation of Chinese culture. Students will start to develop their competence in the language through three modes of communication: Interpersonal, Interpretative, and Presentation. Students will explore Chinese culture, compare, and connect to their own cultures and experiences. The topics students can expect to explore are: Greetings & Introductions, Numbers, Time and Date, Family, Countries, Nationalities and Languages, Transportation, Address, Courtesy, and My Daily Routine.

Mandarin 2                                                                       
Grade 10
Prerequisites: Completion of Mandarin 1, with a minimum grade of ‘C-,’ or teacher  recommendation based on placement test and transcript review.

This course is a continuation of Mandarin 1, and is appropriate for students who have acquired a basic foundation in the language. The principal aim of the class is to further develop a student’s confidence in oral expression while paying close attention to the use of grammatical structures, style, pronunciation, and cultural cues. Students will engage in a variety of speaking, listening, reading, and writing activities that will serve to develop the ability to authentically and effectively communicate about school activities, city life, daily routines, and other real-life topics such as ordering food, shopping and giving directions.