Introductory - Experienced French, AP 

Introductory - Experienced Spanish, AP
Introductory - Advanced Latin

Language instruction begins with the development of strong basic communication skills in many routine topics such as greetings, introductions, personal and family identity, basic needs and wants, likes and dislikes, introduction to food, time and weather, school life and leisure activities. Students continue to practice the four basic language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) as they strive towards competency in the above areas. Culture is integrated into the classroom through use of authentic materials (audio, audio-visual, textual, internet and print-based). While initially the focus of instruction is not on grammar or vocabulary, a high level of mastery requires that vocabulary be acquired and that students be knowledgeable about the basic structural features of language (e.g. tense, conjugation, gender, agreement). By the end of this sequence of courses, students will have actively learned a variety of communication functions (such as narration, description, comparing and contrasting), will have practiced various modes of communication in both written and oral form (interpersonal, interpretive, presentational) and will have read short fiction and verse.

Benchmark upon completion: The student communicates with limited flexibility in vocabulary and structure, using high-frequency words and rote phrases.

Benchmark upon completion: The student communicates with emerging flexibility in vocabulary and structure, using high-frequency vocabulary words, rote phrases and simple sentences.

Benchmark upon completion: The student communicates with growing flexibility in vocabulary and structure, and uses simple sentences with confidence in the present tense.

Benchmark upon completion: The student communicates with growing flexibility in vocabulary and structure, and uses simple and original discourse with emerging ability in the past tenses.

In these courses, conducted primarily in the target language, students will continue to practice communication abilities in many every-day contexts, but with emphasis on developing vocabulary, structures and usage that reflect more sophisticated thinking abilities within the target language (evaluation, analysis, synthesis, creative writing). Growth is promoted through in-depth projects and tasks, and greater contact with authentic materials. Courses progressively emphasize working in the language as much as on the language; as such, student participation in the target language is required. As in the lower levels, all fundamental language skills are encouraged (listening, reading, speaking, writing), but with increased expectations for sustained discourse in the target language and creative use of previously practiced skills. A high degree of proficiency in previously studied material is implicit in upper-level classes.

This is a yearlong course designed to engage and promote a high level of speaking, thinking, and writing for Hispanic heritage speakers. Upon completion of one or two years, students will enter Experienced and Advanced Spanish, respectively. The Heritage and Bilingual Spanish course will run yearly, with each year alternating between A and B years, with A years focusing on authentic, non-fiction memoirs and historical documents highlighting the diverse voices encompassed in the Latin American identity. B years will focus on literary fiction from Latin America, and the dominant stylistic trends that represent novels, poetry, and short stories from this part of the world. This is a seminar style course with copious reliance upon treatment and discussion of primary source material. There will be student presentations, frequent writing assignments to cultivate written expression and one major project or paper per semester.

Intermediate and Experienced Latin continue the development of reading and comprehension skills. Reading Latin is the primary means of input for more complex syntactical forms such as subordination, participles, and the subjunctive mood, but students also enhance their comprehension through speaking, writing, and listening exercises. Continued study of morphology and its application complement the practice of close reading. Students also begin to make forays into literature, art, poetic meter, figures of speech, and comparative analysis.

Both the AP French and AP Spanish language and culture classes have been revised to reflect recent changes in the College Board curriculum. The primary focus in both classes is thematic and "modal," this latter referring to the communicational exigencies tested by the exams themselves. The six "modes" of communication are written and spoken interpersonal, written and spoken interpretive, written and spoken presentational. The French and Spanish AP exams require that students be exposed to a broad spectrum of themes. Treatment of these themes will privilege the various modes of communication while also developing the student's ability to read critically, analyze, compare and contrast, evaluate, express opinions, critique and support. The majority of coursework is carried out using authentic materials which promote a very high degree of both linguistic and cultural competence. Students in AP courses are required to take the AP exam in order to receive AP credit for the class.