2021-2022 World Languages Curriculum Review Presentation

(presented to the BOE on Feb. 16, 2022)

World Languages Department Overview

Middle School and High School

We currently offer Spanish and Latin in the World Languages Department for grades 7-12. A Language Club will also be made available to 5th and 6th graders during ELT. Students in grades 7 and 8 complete NYS Checkpoint A requirements for World Languages. They take a World Language Proficiency Exam at the end of 8th grade to earn a high school credit for either Spanish or Latin. The exam grade, as well as their final 8th grade average in their language appears on their high school transcript. Spanish I is also offered at the high school. Students in Levels II and III (often grades 9 and 10) complete the NYS Checkpoint B requirements for World Languages. They take a World Languages Regents Sequence Examination at the end of Level III (10th grade). By earning three high school credits in either Spanish or Latin (Level 8, Level II, and Level III), and by passing this Regents Sequence Exam, students earn a Regents Sequence in Spanish or Latin and meet one of the requirements necessary for an Advanced Regents Diploma at graduation. Levels IV and V in Spanish and Latin are also offered for students to meet NYS World Languages Checkpoint C Standards. College credits are available in these classes. Students also have an opportunity in these Checkpoint C classes to complete a culminating project to earn a Seal of Biliteracy on their diploma. Spanish V and Latin V are both Advanced Placement classes.

Spanish

Students in Spanish 7 through Level II will be using the Encuentros series textbook published by Vista in those classes. Level I of the Spanish language provides the student with a basic vocabulary, and introduces the simpler grammatical structures of the language. Level II of the Spanish language gives an overall picture of the structure of the Spanish language, gives practice with more complicated reading passages, and builds skill in communicating. Level III of the Spanish language continues to build vocabulary, oral competence, and understanding of structure and idioms. Level IV of the Spanish language continues the study in the areas of speaking, listening comprehension, reading and writing. Spanish four also focuses highly on the cultural understanding of the Spanish speaking world through projects, videos and authentic resources. The main goal of the AP Spanish Language and Culture course is to develop a student’s communication skills in Spanish. AP Spanish Language is equivalent to an intermediate level college course in Spanish. Students cultivate their understanding of Spanish language and culture by applying interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational modes of communication in real-life situations as they explore concepts related to family and communities, personal and public identities, beauty and aesthetics, science and technology, contemporary life, and global challenges. Students will practice and follow a variety of materials that will expand their knowledge of formal Spanish in written and oral context.

Latin

Students in Latin 7 through Level II use the Cambridge Latin Course published by Cambridge University Press. Latin 7 and 8 will introduce students to the basic vocabulary and grammar of the language. Emphasis will be placed on the reading of Latin. Topics specific to Latin I will include: the origins of Rome, the Roman Republic, the Punic Wars, Egyptian history, the Olympian gods, creation myths, Ancient Roman clothing, Roman food, slavery in the ancient world, Roman entertainment (gladiators, chariot races, and theatre), life in Pompeii, life in Roman Britain, the roots of English words, and the use of Latin in medicine and anatomy. Latin II will expand on those skills and topics learned in Latin I. Cultural topics specific to Latin II include: the use of Latin in medicine and anatomy, Roman religion and superstitions, mythical heroes and heroines, the hero’s journey, the Roman military, the history of the Roman Revolution (figures like the Gracchi, Marius, Sulla, Pompey, Crassus, Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian), as well as Roman engineering. Latin III will expand on those skills and topics learned in Latin I and II. In Latin III, students move from reading adapted Latin to the actual works of Catullus, Martial, Ovid, Vergil, and others. Cultural topics specific to Latin III also include: Augustus and the Roman emperors, marriage customs, and introductions to rhetoric and metrics. An entire unit will be devoted to the use of Latin in law, legal terminology, constitutional law, and mock trial. All students will be expected to take a comprehensive Regents credit-bearing exam in June. This course has also been designated by SUNY Albany as ACLL102; students can apply to receive 4 college credit hours on a SUNY transcript. Latin IV will expand on those skills and topics learned in Latin I, II, and III. In Latin IV, students will read a survey of unadapted college level Latin literature, including selections from Horace, Catullus, Ovid, Vergil, Petronius, Caesar, and Cicero. Topics specific to Latin IV include rhetorical analysis, metrics and scansion, the impact of Latin literature on art, later literature, and film, the court of Nero, and the history of the later Roman Empire. This course has also been designated by SUNY Albany as ACLL 201; students can apply to receive 3 college credit hours on a SUNY transcript. Students will intensively translate Vergil’s Aeneid and Caesar’s Commentaries on the Gallic War in accordance with the AP College Board syllabus. History, grammar, vocabulary, culture, mythology, rhetorical analysis, metrics, and literary interpretation will all be keyed to these works specifically. Students will also focus on Latin sight reading.

DCIC Articulation Leader - Mr. Brian Serwicki (bserwicki@eak12.org)