Upper School - World Languages

List of 18 items.

• French 1A

  French 1A is an introductory course that provides students with practice in developing skills in the four major areas of the language: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students focus on listening comprehension and the use of basic conversational patterns of French speech, which they practice through various communication activities. Students also learn elementary grammar and work with appropriate reading materials. Hands-on projects throughout the year encourage a heightened awareness of the French-speaking world, and class work incorporates music and videos to familiarize students with the sound system and sentence structure of the French language. Students learn greetings, time, dates, school and school vocabulary, family vocabulary, and everyday activities. Students also learn regular verbs in the present tense, commonly used irregular verbs, and adjectives.

• French 1B

  French 1B is the continuation of the French 1A program. Complex sentence patterns and wider vocabulary base broaden the four basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Vocabulary units and communicative activities focus on shopping for clothing, restaurant, sports, leisure activities, weather, and celebrations. Students continue to learn the present tense of regular and irregular verbs and study the passé compose with avoir. Students develop cultural awareness through music, basic newscasts, fables, poetry, and thematic projects.

• French 2A

  French 2A is a second-year course in which students continue to develop listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing skills. The course integrates information about French culture through short stories and poems. Students are expected to communicate in French through sustained speech and write using compound and complex sentences in the present and past. Students expand on their knowledge of irregular verbs by adding idiomatic expressions, and they complete a thorough study of the passé composé, imparfait, adverbs, and object pronouns. Students practice applying their knowledge of grammar and verb forms to their written expression. 

• French 2B

  French 2B is a continuation of French 2A in which students are expected to communicate in the target language. This course continues the development of listening comprehension, speaking, reading and writing skills. Students expand on previously learned vocabulary and apply their knowledge of grammar and verb forms to their written expression. Students complete an in-depth study of past tense narration, reflexive verbs in the present, past and as infinitives, order of object pronouns, and article choice. In speaking, students interact with each other in situational dialogues, using sustained speech patterns and incorporating idiomatic expressions. The course integrates cultural information about the French-speaking world through short stories, newscasts, and poems.

• French 3A

  French 3A is a continuation of French 2B, where students are immersed in the language at all times and expected to communicate in the language as well. Students in this course have met the expectations of the level one and two courses and are well prepared for more advanced and complex language structures. Students learn and practice new vocabulary through pictures and written responses to open-ended questions, allowing for creativity, expansion and growth. Students are exposed to a variety of cultural practices and have the opportunity to recreate them and to experience them in class. Students work on authentic projects that afford them the opportunity to step outside their comfort zones and to try something new. The four modalities of reading, writing, speaking, and listening are given equal emphasis and are often brought to the classroom through short stories and readers, magazines, board games, and video programs. Colloquialisms and proverbs become a part of the daily routines and communication, giving students a real-world experience. Students study grammatical concepts and learn the present perfect, pluperfect, future perfect, conditional perfect commands, present progressive, present subjunctive, and the present perfect.

• Spanish 1A

  Spanish 1A is an introductory course that provides a foundation for the development of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The class is conducted primarily in the target language, and students are encouraged to communicate in Spanish, thus providing ongoing practice with listening comprehension. This course covers basic vocabulary that allows students to communicate effectively by asking and answering questions, describing situations, and expressing needs. Students learn a variety of grammatical concepts so they can communicate in the present tense. As the year progresses, students build upon their foundations in vocabulary and grammar to develop speaking, reading and writing skills. Students gain an appreciation of the cultural diversity within Spanish-speaking countries as they reflect on their own perspectives and experiences. Students also engage in a variety of authentic celebrations that foster an appreciation for the cultures of Spanish-speaking places.

• Spanish 1B

  Spanish 1B addresses the elements of the language covered in Spanish 1A, but more in-depth, for students with a foundational background in the study of Spanish. Students learn vocabulary related to travel, clothes, and hobbies. Students study stem-changing and irregular verbs in the present tense, direct and indirect object pronouns, the present progressive tense, the difference between ser and estar as well as saber and conocer, and the preterite tense of regular verbs. Cultural awareness is developed through map study, projects, films, and selected readings. Active participation is necessary and facilitates the development of speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills.

• Spanish 2A

  Spanish 2A is conducted in Spanish and is open to students who have demonstrated a mastery of basic grammar, verb forms, and tenses and who have shown proficiency through a placement test. Placement is determined by the World Languages Department. In addition to reinforcing and broadening listening comprehension, speaking, reading and writing skills, the course integrates cultural and historical information about the Spanish-speaking world through short stories, and poems. In this course, students explore the subtleties of language with an emphasis on the differences between the imperfect and preterite tenses, por and para, and the passive voice for impersonal information or announcements. Students are expected to communicate in Spanish through sustained speech and are required to write essays using compound and complex sentences in the imperfect, present progressive, simple present, and preterite tenses. Students produce a variety of written texts, including narratives and informative essays. In speaking, students interact with each other in situational dialogues, using sustained speech patterns and incorporating idiomatic expressions. 

• Spanish 2B

  Spanish 2B is a continuation of the Spanish 2A course and is open to students who have demonstrated proficiency on a placement test. Placement is determined by the World Languages Department. This course moves at an accelerated pace, continuing the development of listening comprehension, speaking, reading and writing skills. Students are expected to apply their knowledge of grammar and verb forms to their written expression. Students produce a variety of written texts including narratives and informative essays. In speaking, students interact with each other in situational dialogues, using sustained speech patterns and incorporating idiomatic expressions. In addition to reinforcing and broadening the four language skills, the course integrates cultural and historical information about the Spanish-speaking world through short stories, newspaper articles, and poems. In this course, students develop a deeper understanding of the history, literature, and traditions of the Hispanic world via selected readings from a variety of literary genres. Students are expected to communicate in Spanish through sustained speech and are expected to write essays using compound and complex sentences in the future, imperfect, imperfect progressive, present, perfect, preterite tenses, and conditional mood.

• Spanish 3A

  Spanish 3A is a continuation of Spanish 2B, where students are immersed in the language at all times and expected to communicate in the language as well. Students in this course have met the expectations of the level one and two courses and are well prepared for more advanced and complex language structures. Students learn and practice new vocabulary through pictures and written responses to open-ended questions, allowing for creativity, expansion and growth. Students are exposed to a variety of cultural practices and have the opportunity to recreate them and to experience them in class. Students work on authentic projects that afford them the opportunity to step outside their comfort zones and to try something new. The four modalities are given equal emphasis, and are often brought to the classroom through newspapers, magazines, and video programs. Additionally, colloquialisms and proverbs become a part of the daily routines and communication, giving students a real-world experience. Students study various grammatical concepts and learn the present perfect, pluperfect, future perfect, conditional perfect commands, present progressive, present subjunctive, and the present perfect. The students read and analyze a selection of poetry, short stories, fables, mythology, and relevant articles from authors in the Spanish-speaking world. They use these texts to imitate a personalized style and genre in their own writing. 

• Chinese 1A

  Chinese 1A is an introductory course to Mandarin Chinese language and culture for students in grades seven, eight, and nine with limited or no prior language experience. The Discovering Chinese 1 textbook is used for this course. Chinese pronunciation is taught through Pinyin, the Chinese phonetic system. Students are introduced to the Chinese writing system by studying the basic strokes and development of Chinese characters. Four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) are emphasized throughout this course. Topics include but are not limited to greetings, locations, numbers, family, countries and nationalities, food, school life, time, date, and days of the week. In addition, Chinese culture and traditions are integrated into this course through the study of Chinese art, history, geography, folktales, films, music, and holiday celebrations.

• Chinese 1B

  Chinese 1B is a continuation of Chinese 1A for students in grades seven, eight, and nine using the textbook Journeys to Chinese Proficiency Level 1. With an increased level of complexity, spoken Mandarin and written characters are emphasized throughout the course. Topics include greetings, family, nationalities, professions, hobbies, school work, daily routines, and invitations. This course focuses on customs and cultural understanding as students continue to build their Mandarin grammar foundation, expand vocabulary, improve character writing, and enhance their speaking skills. Essential grammar and sentence patterns are introduced to enhance the students’ writing skills. At this level, students are expected to write longer and more complex sentences and paragraphs using transitional expressions. Chinese culture and traditions are integrated into this course through films, music, classic poems, and holiday celebrations.

• Chinese 2A

  Chinese 2A, a continuation of Chinese 1B, is an intermediate course of the Chinese language and culture. The textbook is Journeys to Chinese Proficiency Level 2. This rigorous and challenging course focuses on reinforcing and improving students’ proficiency level. Different sentence patterns, more complex sentence structures, various transition words, and a larger vocabulary are introduced. Topics include shopping, hosting guests, student life, and asking for and giving directions. Chinese culture and traditions are integrated into this course through classic poems, films, music, and holiday celebrations. 

• Chinese 2B

  Building on Chinese 2A, Chinese 2B delves deeper into linguistic skills, where students refine their understanding of complex sentence structures, acquire advanced vocabulary, and engage with nuanced grammatical concepts. The textbook is Journeys to Chinese Proficiency Level 3. Topics include nature, cultural events, weather, health, and transportation. With a focus on fostering communicative competence and cultural awareness, Chinese 2B aims to equip students with the necessary tools and knowledge to navigate real-life situations with confidence and fluency in the Chinese language. 

• Latin 1A

  Latin 1A is an introductory course to the Latin language and Roman history and culture using level 1 of Latin for the New Millenium and its online platform Lumina. Students study nouns of the five declensions, the four conjugations of verbs in the indicative active, and passive. Students also study other basic grammatical structures including positive, comparative, and superlative adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns. Students learn effective strategies for reading and translating Latin texts of increasing difficulty. They employ proper pronunciation of Classical Latin through reciting passages and composing dictations. Through projects, students become acquainted with the daily life, culture, and history of the Ancient Romans.

• Latin 1B

  Latin 1B is a continuation of skills and language taught in Latin 1A. Students read and translate passages from the second half of level 1 Latin for the New Millennium textbook and continue using the corresponding online platform Lumina. Building on  Latin 1A material, students learn participles, imperatives, infinitives, deponent verbs, pronouns, and other complex grammatical structures. These are used in the proper translation and comprehension of their readings. Students develop a deeper understanding of Roman life by investigating ancient political, social, and economic structures while also making connections to early American political thought.

• Latin 2A

  Latin 2A solidifies students’ ability to read, write, and speak Latin. Using level 2 of Latin for the New Millenium and the corresponding online platform, Lumina, students learn the subjunctive mood, gerunds, and gerundives to better examine and understand authentic texts from Roman authors such as Ovid, Cicero, Frontinus, and Phaedrus. Using these texts, students become even more familiar with the vocabulary and figurative language employed by historians, poets, and prose writers, deepening their understanding of sophisticated grammar constructions and syntax. Stoicism, ethics, and justice are central themes of the year. 

• Latin 2B

  Latin 2B sharpens students’ analytical skills by reading and translating seminal texts such as Cicero’s de Officils and Caesar’s Gallic Wars. Completing the level 2 Latin for the New Millennium textbook and continuing to use the corresponding online platform Lumina, students develop a solid and detailed foundation of Latin and practice daily conversing and articulating their thinking and reasoning for their translations and constructions. Discussions range from the influence of Roman thought on early American political writing to the consensus of Roman Imperialism. Through this process, students continue developing a trained classical mind that questions, listens, contemplates, shares, and debates.