Embedded Files
IB FRENCH ab Initio 1 /French 1
This course, open to upper school students (Gr. 9-12), is designed for 8th-grade students in French 1 MS, beginners, and any “false beginners” who do not meet the requirements to enter French 2. This course is designed to initiate or extend students' ability in the four skills - listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Major emphasis is placed upon the development of the ability to speak fluently with accurate pronunciation and intonation. This course is also the first year of IB French ab Initio for grade 11 students. Authentic documents, as well as teacher-supplied materials, will be used in conjunction with online resources. Homework and assessment of the four skills are given in this course. Credits: 1
Length of Course: 1 year
Grade Level: 9-12
Important information: Due to its pace and need for constant memorization, this course is challenging for IB students as it requires many hours of personal work.
IB FRENCH ab Initio 1 or 2/French 2
This course is designed for students who have successfully completed French 1 or MS French 2. It is a continuation of the preceding course and is intended to increase students' proficiency in the four skills. A number of basic reading selections may be used as the basis for development of this proficiency. Authentic documents will be used in conjunction with specific FFL material as well as online resources. Emphasis upon fluency with accurate pronunciation continues.
For ab Initio year 2 students, the course will end in April.
Credits: 1
Length of Course: 1 year
Grade Level: 9-12
Prerequisites: ASM Students need to have demonstrated satisfactory proficiency in all standards but especially in the productive standards (writing, grammar, speaking); students coming from other schools will be required to take a placement test to assess their command of oral and written French.
IB FRENCH ab Initio 2 / IB French B SL 1/French 3
This course is designed for students who have successfully completed French 2 or MS French 3. It is a continuation of the preceding course and is intended to increase students' ability to communicate in a foreign language. Authentic documents and online resources will be the core of the learning experience. For 11th graders who intend to take French B, this course is a compulsory transition course which will take them to French B year 2.
For ab Initio year 2 students, the course will end in April.
Credits: 1
Length of Course: 1 year
Grade Level: 9-12
Prerequisites: ASM Students need to have demonstrated satisfactory proficiency in all standards but especially in the productive standards (writing, grammar, speaking); students coming from other schools will be required to take a placement test to assess their command of oral and written French.
French 4
This course is designed for students who have successfully completed French 3. It is a continuation of the preceding course with a complete review of grammar. Authentic documents and online resources will allow students to not only work on the four skills but also to know in-depth French society and current events. There will be special emphasis on productive and receptive skills to fulfill IB requirements. Novels will be read and studied. Emphasis is placed on careful reading of literary texts, newspapers, magazine articles with text handlings, written productions, and oral presentations to fulfill IB requirements. Credits: 1
Length of Course: 1 year
Grade Level: 10-12
Prerequisites: ASM Students need to have demonstrated satisfactory proficiency in all standards but especially in the productive standards (writing, grammar, speaking); students coming from other schools will be required to take a placement test to assess their command of oral and written French.
IB FRENCH B SL 1/ IB French B HL 1
This course is designed for students who have successfully completed French 4. It is a logical continuation of the preceding course. Material includes a representative body of all kinds of texts in French including literature, movies, and online resources. Emphasis is placed on careful reading of literary texts, newspapers, magazine articles with text handlings, written productions, and oral presentations to fulfill IB requirements. Special emphasis is placed on current social events as well as global issues. At the end of this course, students are able to achieve the B2 level (CEFRL).
HL students will attend a longer block each rotation to complete their total hours.
Credits: 1
Length of Course: 1 year
Grade Level: 10-12
Prerequisites: ASM Students need to have demonstrated satisfactory proficiency in all standards but especially in the productive standards (writing, grammar, speaking); students coming from other schools will be required to take a placement test to assess their command of oral and written French.
IB FRENCH B SL 2/IB FRENCH B HL 2
It is a continuation of the preceding course and will include students coming from the French 3 SL year 1 transition course. It is an advanced course where all skills, both written and oral comprehension, and expression, are improved and a C1 level (CEFRL) is reached. Emphasis is placed on careful reading of literary texts, newspapers, magazine articles with text handlings, written productions, and oral presentations to fulfill IB requirements. Special emphasis is placed on current social events as well as global issues.
The course will end in April.
Credits: 1
Length of Course: 1 year
Grade Level: 12
IB SPANISH ab Initio 1/Spanish 1
This course, open to upper school students (Gr. 9-12), is designed for beginners, and any “false beginners” who do not meet the requirements to enter Spanish 2. This course is also the first year of IB Spanish ab Initio for grade 11 students. Spanish 1 presents a communicative approach to language. Students will use the language in meaningful situations, such as: meeting people, shopping, asking for directions, etc. The basic grammatical structure of the language is taken from these situations. Emphasis is given to pronunciation, listening comprehension, and appropriate reaction to common situations. The correctness of spelling, the writing of simple messages, dialogues, and paragraphs will also be considered.
Credits:1
Length of Course: 1 year
Grade Level: 9-12
Prerequisites: None.
IB SPANISH ab Initio 1 or 2/Spanish 2
This course is designed for students who have successfully completed Spanish 1 ; it maintains and develops the comprehension and speaking skills acquired in Spanish 1. More emphasis is placed on reading and writing skills during the second half of the year but the main emphasis of this course is to reinforce oral skills to be used in meaningful situations. There will be a review of structures learned in Spanish 1, but new verb tenses will be introduced (conditional, past, etc.). Students will be required to write for the correction of grammar and usage, and to read a selection of articles and stories at an appropriate level in addition to holding discussions based on general themes and current events. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to hold a simple conversation in Spanish, write paragraphs about any topic, and understand directions in Spanish in any context.
For ab Initio year 2 students, the course will end in April.
Credits: 1
Length of Course: 1 year
Grade Level: 9-12
Prerequisites: ASM Students need to have demonstrated proficiency in at least 4 of the 5 Foreign Language Standards for their level; students coming from other schools will be required to take a placement test to assess their command of oral and written Spanish.
IB SPANISH ab Initio 2/ IB Spanish B SL 1/Spanish 3
This course is designed for students who have successfully completed Spanish 2 For 11th graders who intend to take Spanish B, this course is a compulsory transition course which will take them to Spanish B year 2. At the end of this level, students will have mastered all the tenses of the Spanish language. Special emphasis will be given to the subjunctive mood, prepositions, and idiomatic expressions and sayings. More emphasis will be rendered to reading and writing but oral skills will also be stressed.
For ab Initio year 2 students, the course will end in April.
Credits: 1
Length of Course: 1 year
Grade Level: 9-12
Prerequisites: ASM Students need to have demonstrated proficiency in at least 4 of the 5 Foreign Language Standards for their level; students coming from other schools will be required to take a placement test to assess their command of oral and written Spanish.
Spanish 4
In this course, students will master all the grammatical aspects of the language. The course will focus on reading and writing a number of texts including literary ones. Cultural aspects such as media, literature, and art, and the growing importance of the Spanish language in the world will be emphasized. The curriculum for Spanish 4 follows the standards established by the European Framework of Languages for level B2.
Credits: 1
Length of Course: 1 year
Grade Level: 9-12
Prerequisites: ASM Students need to have demonstrated proficiency in at least 4 of the 5 Foreign Language Standards for their level and; students coming from other schools will be required to take a placement test to assess their command of oral and written Spanish.
Spanish 5
In this course, students will deepen all the grammatical aspects of the language. The course will focus on reading and writing a number of texts including literary ones. Cultural aspects such as media, literature, and art, and the growing importance of the Spanish language in the world will be emphasized. The curriculum for Spanish 5 follows the standards established by the European Framework of Languages for level C1.
Credits: 1
Length of Course: 1 year
Grade Level: 9-12
Prerequisites: ASM Students need to have demonstrated proficiency in at least 4 of the 5 Foreign Language Standards for their level and; students coming from other schools will be required to take a placement test to assess their command of oral and written Spanish.
IB SPANISH B SL 1/ IB Spanish B HL 1
This course is designed for students who have successfully completed Spanish 4. It is a logical continuation of the preceding course. The main focus of the course is on improving language skills. These language skills will be improved through the study and use of a variety of written and spoken material. Such material will range from everyday oral exchanges to literary texts, and will be related to Spanish culture. The material will be selected to enable students to develop mastery of language skills and intercultural understanding to fulfill IB requirements. It will not be intended solely for the study of specific matters or content. The curriculum for this IB course follows the standards established by the European Framework of Languages for levels B2-C1.
Credits: 1
Length of Course: 1 year
Grade Level: 10-12
Prerequisites: ASM Students need to have demonstrated proficiency in at least 4 of the 5 Foreign Language Standards for their level; students coming from other schools will be required to take a placement test to assess their command of oral and written Spanish.
IB SPANISH B SL 2/ IB Spanish B HL 2
This course is for Grade 12 students who come from year 1 or from the transition course in Spanish 3/ year 1. It is a continuation of the preceding course. It is an advanced language course where students will be able to understand with ease virtually everything heard or read, will be able to summarize information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation and will be able to express themselves spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating subtle shades of meaning even in the most complex situations. The curriculum for this course follows the standards established by the European Framework of Languages for level C1.
The course will end in April.
Credits: 1
Length of Course: 1 year
Grade Level: 12
Prerequisites: ASM Students need to have demonstrated proficiency in at least 4 of the 5 Foreign Language Standards for their level; students coming from other schools will be required to take a placement test to assess their command of oral and written Spanish; all students (IB and non-IB) will need teacher approval to progress to the next level.
MANDARIN 1
In Mandarin 1, students are going to start with pronunciation in Mandarin, tones, and how to pronounce each sound. The four language skills, speaking, listening, reading, and writing are included in the first year of Mandarin although writing is less demanding. Knowledge of Chinese culture will also be introduced in class, to provide students with a superficial understanding of Chinese people and culture. After one year of studies, students are expected to be able to read around 150-200 characters. They are required to be able to write about 100 basic Chinese characters, depending on the ability and effort of each student. Those who are interested in taking Mandarin as one of the IB subjects are recommended to begin in 9th grade at the latest. The following are the topics which will be covered during the course:
Topics in Mandarin 1:
Pronunciation (Hanyu pinyin: initials/finals/tones), structures, basic radicals and writing order of Chinese characters, knowledge of the evolution of some Chinese characters, numbers and dates, greetings and family members, occupations, self-introduction, time and time adverbs, the verbs of daily routines, typing Chinese characters on the computer, means of transportation, colors, body parts, describing people with some adjectives.
Project: Family introduction, daily routines (written and oral), interview with a native Chinese speaker (written and oral), describing the looks of two famous people.
Credits: 1
Length of course: 1 year
Grade Level: 9-10
Prerequisites: Approved by Spanish and English teachers
Resources: Textbook and workbook as well as teacher produced worksheets
IB MANDARIN ab Initio Y1/Mandarin 2
Students will begin reviewing what they learned in Mandarin 1. Pronunciation in Mandarin, meaning the tones and the way to pronounce each sound will continue to be emphasized. The four language skills, speaking, listening, reading, and writing, are all included. Writing is less demanding but will gain importance as the course advances. After Mandarin 2, students are expected to be able to read around 300-350 characters and write around 200 Chinese characters. The following are the topics which will be covered during the course.
Topics in Mandarin 2:
Countries and languages, school subjects, making a phone call, weather, seasons, sickness, hobbies (music, sports,and dance), food, and house.
Projects: weather reports and seasons’ description, comparison of Western and Chinese food, which will usually be followed by a field trip to a nearby Chinese restaurant
Credits: 1
Length of course: 1 year
Grade Level: 9-12
Prerequisites: ASM Students need to have demonstrated proficiency in the following standards for their level (pronunciation, listening, and comprehension); students coming from other schools will be required to take a placement test to assess their command of oral, read and written Mandarin; all students (IB and non-IB) will need teacher approval to progress to the next level.
IB MANDARIN ab Initio Y1/Y2/Mandarin 3
Students will begin by reviewing what they learned in Mandarin 2. Pronunciation in Mandarin, the tones, and the way to pronounce each sound will continue to be emphasized. The four language skills, speaking, listening, reading, and writing, are all included. Writing is gaining importance. Students will be required to write Chinese characters in most of their assignments. At the end of the Mandarin 3 course, students will be expected to read around 450-500 characters and write around 450 Chinese characters. The following are the topics which will be covered during the course.
Topics in Mandarin 3:
Some topics from Mandarin 2 will be repeated but dealt with in greater depth. These topics include describing a person, weather, seasons, seeing doctors, hobbies, food, and house. Some new topics such as Chinese family titles, shopping, eating out, school facilities, and neighborhood will be added.
Project: Chinese New Year, Chinese food, family titles, describing your school. More comparisons of cultures will be emphasized in their projects.
Credits: 1
Length of course: 1 year
Grade Level: 10-12
Prerequisites: ASM Students need to have demonstrated proficiency in the following standards for their level (pronunciation, listening, comprehension, short-essay writing); students coming from other schools will be required to take a placement test to assess their command of oral, read and written Mandarin.
IB MANDARIN ab Initio Y2/ IB Mandarin B SL Y1/ Mandarin 4
Mandarin 4 is the beginning of the IB course. This course lasts two years. Only the Upper School students may join this course. The main language of instruction is Mandarin. The students will be exposed to a range of text linked to one or more of the topics prescribed in the syllabus. Authentic materials will be used in the classroom as well. There will be a variety of writing formats included in the course such as diary, email, poster, advertisement, invitation, blog, notice, a letter, a speech draft, etc. There are constant oral descriptions of pictures and answering questions orally during this 2-year course. Through the course, the students get a deeper understanding of the culture too. The students are required to write Chinese characters in most of their assignments. At the end of the Mandarin 4 course, students are expected to be able to read around 800-1000 characters. The following are some examples of the topics which will be covered during the course.
Topics in Mandarin 4: The rotation of the five themes (experiences, identities, human ingenuity, social organization, sharing the planet) is the syllabus content of Mandarin 4. Through the study of the different themes, students will develop the four language skills necessary to fulfill the assessment objectives of the language ab initio course. The following are some examples of the prescribed topics for Ab initio course: Daily routines, employment, environmental concerns, education, entertainment, food, and drink, holidays, neighborhood, personal details, appearance and character, weather, shopping, transport, etc.
Credits:1
Length of course: 1 year
Grade Level: 10-12
Prerequisites: ASM Students need to have demonstrated proficiency in the following standards for their level (Chinese characters, pronunciation, listening and reading comprehension, one to one oral interaction, oral picture description and short-essay writing); students coming from other schools will be required to take a placement test to assess their command of oral, read and written Mandarin.
IB MANDARIN B SL Y2/Mandarin 5
Mandarin 5 is the IB language B Standard level course. It is designed for students with some previous solid learning of Mandarin. In addition, it is also for those who the teacher thinks are ready to take the challenge because of their effort and performance in the previous courses. The course involves a large quantity of reading and oral discussion. The materials will extend from everyday oral exchanges to current issues. Many are related to the cultures concerned. The language of instruction is Mandarin. Students are required to write Chinese characters in all of their assignments. It is essential that teachers give a minimum of 150 teaching hours to meet the requirements of the language B standard level course. It takes two years to reach the required level. At the end of the Mandarin 5 course, students are expected to be able to read more than 1500 characters and write an essay of about 300-480 Chinese characters. The following are some examples of the topics which will be covered during the course.
Topics in Mandarin 5: The rotation of the five themes (experiences, identities, human ingenuity, social organization, sharing the planet) is the syllabus content of Mandarin 5. The resources are widely selected from the textbooks of the different publishers. Some videos of the Foreign youtubers who speak Mandarin are used in class.
Credits: 1
Length of course: 1 year
Grade Level: 11-12
Prerequisites: ASM Students need to have demonstrated satisfactory proficiency in all of the standards for their level; students coming from other schools will be required to take a placement test to assess their command of oral, read and written Mandarin.
Page updated
Report abuse