World Language Course Offerings

Honors Spanish I for Heritage Speakers

9th - 11th

Spanish I for NSS provides for a student’s continued development of existing competencies in the Spanish language. This course offers students the opportunity to study Spanish formally in the same way native English-speaking students study English language arts. The emphasis is on speaking (formally and informally), reading, writing and listening. Students will acquire skills that range from learning grammar and spelling, and developing specialized vocabulary, to interpretation and analysis of different literary genres. Students will also increase their awareness and appreciation of the different Hispanic cultures. Students will compare and contrast language functions between Spanish and English and enhance their language skills in both languages.

Honors Spanish II    

10th - 11th

Spanish II continues to present the Spanish language and cultures of the Spanish speaking countries. The course objectives are for students to be able to converse utilizing the present tense as well as selective forms of the past and future tenses. Students will continue to broaden their vocabulary and use reading and writing skills to explore politics, history, geography, art, and music of Spanish speaking people. Students will listen and speak Spanish daily, take regular written and oral quizzes and exams, develop projects, write essays in the target language, and perform short dialogues/oral presentations. 

Honors Spanish II for Heritage Speakers

10th - 11th

Spanish II for NSS provides for a student’s continued development of existing competencies in the Spanish language. This course offers Spanish-speaking students the opportunity to study Spanish formally in an academic setting in the same way native English-speaking students study English language arts. In this class, students will continue developing their vocabulary through the study of other disciplines and will further examine the grammar behind the Spanish that they already know. Students will also further develop reading and writing skills through the analysis of different literary genres and research assignments. 

Honors Spanish III

11th & 12th

Spanish III reviews essential grammar concepts and vocabulary introduced in Spanish I and II. Emphasis is on communicating in Spanish through speaking, listening, reading, and writing in various aspects of time. Students will be introduced to a higher-level vocabulary and complex grammar. They will read articles from newspapers and magazines, and different literature genres. In addition, students will watch and discuss authentic award-winning short films by Hispanic filmmakers. The primary focus will be to increase the students’ ability to comprehend and communicate in Spanish with ease and confidence. In this class students will listen and speak Spanish daily, take regular written and oral quizzes and exams, develop projects, write research papers in the target language, and perform oral presentations.

Honors Spanish IV

12th

Spanish IV students are expected to converse and write about various topics in the target language. Contemporary publications, historical texts, music, and original works of literature are studied and used as the substance of classroom discussion. In addition, students will watch and discuss authentic award-winning short films by Hispanic filmmakers. The appreciation of music, art and other cultural aspects of countries is developed and studied through the target language. Advanced grammar topics are covered, and students are expected to build on their previous three years of study. In this class students will listen and speak Spanish daily, take regular written and oral quizzes and exams, develop projects, write research papers in the target language, perform thorough oral presentations and present/act out plays.

Advanced Placement Spanish Language

11th & 12th

This AP course is designed to provide students with a learning experience equivalent to that of a third-year college course. It is intended for students who wish to develop proficiency and integrate their language skills, using authentic materials and sources. This course will help prepare students to demonstrate their level of Spanish proficiency across three communicative modes: Interpersonal (interactive communication), Interpretive (receptive communication), and Presentational (productive communication), and the five goal areas outlined in the Standards for Foreign Language Learning (Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities). Students enrolled in this course will take the AP Spanish Language Exam during the Spring semester in May.

Advanced Placement Spanish Literature

11th & 12th

This AP course is designed to provide students with a learning experience equivalent to that of a third-year college course in Peninsular and Latin American literature. The course is designed to introduce students to the formal study of a representative body of Peninsular and Latin American literary texts. Students enrolled in this course will take the AP Spanish Literature Exam during the Spring semester in May.

MANDARIN 

Honors Mandarin 1

9th - 10th

Chinese I is an introduction course of Chinese. Students acquire fundamental knowledge for Mandarin and Chinese culture. Students will develop a knowledge base for the grammatical system and characters necessary for the communicating in Mandarin. The learning activities encourage cooperative learning, use of information technology, and creative learning and thinking.

Honors Mandarin II

10th - 11th

Chinese II continues to focus on the introduction to the Chinese language grammatical system as well as the functional use of the language. It develops learners’ communicative competence from general description of events to specific description, from sentences to discourse with contexts, from simple expressions to complex structures. The learning activities encourage cooperative learning, use of information technology, and creative learning and thinking.

Honors Mandarin III

10th - 12th

Chinese III is a native intermediate level Chinese language course. It starts to introduce sophisticated topics and emphasizes use of authentic materials. Culture learning and development of insight into the nature of the language and culture and integrated into the curriculum through the use of cooperative learning, use of technology, and creative learning and thinking.

Honors Mandarin IV

10th & 12th 

Chinese IV is a higher intermediate level Chinese language course. It introduces sophisticated topics and emphasizes using authentic materials. Culture learning and development of insight into the nature of the language and culture are integrated into the curriculum. Students are expected to reach higher levels of proficiency in the target language and do independent cultural research.

Advanced Placement Chinese

10th - 12th

AP Chinese aims at consistent development of knowledge and proficiency of and about Chinese Language and culture. The learning activities reinforce student-centered learning and cooperative learning, the use of information technology, and encourage creative learning and thinking. In addition to other texts, authentic materials and student-made texts are used. Audio and visual materials are also used inside the classroom and are encouraged to be used at home. Eligible students must have successfully completed at least 3 years of school Chinese courses and must acquire the recommendation of the instructor. This course is intended to prepare students for the AP exam.

FRENCH

Honors French I

9th - 10th

French 1 is a multimedia approach to learning French specifically targeted for students who have never studied French before. French 1 offers a variety of communicative tasks that develop speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. The course objectives are for students to be able to navigate real life situations such as: presenting yourself in both casual and formal settings; talking about school, family and friends; expressing likes, dislikes and opinions; and discussing the past. Furthermore, students will gain an appreciation and sensitivity to the diverse cultures and history of the French-speaking world through readings, films, projects and communication with Francophone pen-pals.

Honors French II

10th - 11th

This course builds upon the basic language skills introduced in French I using the same multimedia approach. The course objectives are to further develop speaking, listening, reading and writing skills by exposure to the grammar and vocabulary needed for more complex communicative tasks. Conversational and writing skills will be deepened through readings, songs and films accompanied by discussion of these cultural selections from the Francophone world, as well as continued contact with Francophone pen-pals.

Honors French III

11th & 12th

This course continues to build upon the foundation of skills in French conversation, listening, reading, and writing established in French I & II. The course objectives are to use authentic literary selections, short-subject films and songs from diverse Francophone countries to accompany the advanced study of grammar and facilitate communicative skills. Furthermore, students will come away with deeper knowledge and understanding of French and Francophone history and culture. This class is conducted in French.

Advanced Placement French

12th

In AP French, students will continue to develop their understanding of French language and culture by practicing reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. Students will explore concepts related to family and community, personal and public identity, beauty and aesthetics, science and technology, contemporary life, and global challenges.