World Language

If fewer than twenty students register for a particular level of a language, it may be combined with another level of the same language and will be taught as a combined course. Also, for those students who are likely to study a world language in college, it is advisable to take that language continuously through grade 12.

Click here for the World Language Department's Curriculum Night Presentation

American Sign Language 1

WL4X65S1 and WL4X65S2
PREREQUISITE: NoneGRADE: 9, 10, 11, 12LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: MinimalFEE: None
This first course is designed for students with no prior experience in American Sign Language. Students learn the basics for communication with deaf individuals. The course includes receptive and expressive readiness activities, sign vocabulary, basic rules of grammar, fingerspelling, conversational behaviors, and various aspects of Deaf Culture. Vocabulary building, conversation, short stories and narratives are practiced through receptive and expressive signing.

American Sign Language 2

WL4X66S1 and WL4X66S2
PREREQUISITE: ASL 1 *GRADE: 10, 11, 12LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: MinimalFEE: None
In this second level of American Sign Language, students continue to learn to communicate with deaf individuals. The course includes more advanced receptive and expressive readiness activities, sign vocabulary, ASL grammatical structure, fingerspelling, conversational behaviors, and various aspects of Deaf Culture. Vocabulary building, conversation, short stories and narratives are practiced through receptive and expressive signing.

American Sign Language 3

WL4X67S1 and WL4X67S2
PREREQUISITE: ASL 2 or instructor approval *GRADE: 11, 12LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: MinimalFEE: None
In this third level of American Sign Language, students learn advanced skills for sophisticated communication with deaf individuals. The course includes more advanced receptive and expressive readiness activities, advanced sign vocabulary, fingerspelling, complex ASL grammatical structures, conversational behaviors, and various aspects of Deaf Culture.

American Sign Language 4

WL4X68S1 and WL4X68S2
PREREQUISITE: ASL 3 or instructor approval *GRADE: 12LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: MinimalFEE: None
ASL 4 is a continuation of the Level 3 curriculum, taught mostly in ASL where the expectation is to use ASL as the primary means of communication. Students will engage in conversations, provide/receive information, and exchange opinions on various topics. ASL expressive skills will be emphasized. Students will hone advanced skills in the discourse structure.

Chinese 1

WL4X41S1 and WL4X41S2
PREREQUISITE: NoneGRADE: 9, 10, 11, 12LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: PeriodicallyFEE: None This course is for students who have little to no prior experience with the Chinese language. Students will develop the four skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing the Chinese language, as well as gaining understanding of Chinese culture. Students will be trained on Pinyin (the phonetic system of Mandarin), four tones, character recognition and writing skills. Students will also build up their Chinese basic vocabulary and sentence structures. Students will learn to express themselves and understand others on the daily life topics and commonly-used classroom languages. Topic related songs, dialogues, skits and games are used to as supplements to increase students’ language abilities.

Chinese 2

WL4X42S1 and WL4X42S2
PREREQUISITE: Chinese 1 or instructor approval *GRADE: 9, 10, 11, 12LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: PeriodicallyFEE: None
This course is a continuation course designed for students who already have the basics of Chinese, learned either through taking Chinese 1, or from some other relevant experience. In addition to reviewing the basic vocabulary and sentence structures, the students will expand their vocabulary in various topics and form complex sentences by using conjunction words and fixed usages. Students will be introduced to present tense, past tense and future tenses by using particles, (words with no actual meaning but used for grammatical functions). Students continue to work on good communication skills by using commonly-used classroom phrases, songs, nursery rhymes and other supplemental materials. In addition, the students will develop their reading and writing skills by writing and presenting structured compositions, dialogues, and projects. Computer typing characters and on-line Chinese-English dictionary skills will be taught to foster students’ learning abilities.

Chinese 3

WL4X43S1 and WL4X43S2
PREREQUISITE: Chinese 2 or instructor approval *GRADE: 9, 10, 11, 12LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: PeriodicallyFEE: None
This course is designed to build students’ skills and confidence in speaking, reading and writing in Chinese. Students will demonstrate their ability to express themselves in written and spoken Chinese using complex sentence structures with increased vocabulary. They will expand speaking and listening ability to understand and produce longer narratives. Students will develop reading and writing skills on more discourse forms, such as advice, request, instruction, and letters. The course will also include the culture study to increase understanding of the Chinese perspectives and traditions; also students are continuing to develop their own cultural awareness.

Chinese 4

WL4X44S1 and WL4X44S2
PREREQUISITE: Chinese 3 or instructor approval *GRADE: 9, 10, 11, 12LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: PeriodicallyFEE: None
This course is a continuation of the Chinese 3 curriculum. The course is taught almost entirely in Chinese. Students are expected to use Chinese as their primary means of communication. Students will engage in conversation, provide and obtain information and exchange opinions on various topics. Chinese productive skills, both oral and written language, will be emphasized. The students will develop more independent reading and be able to understand conversation/listening in great length and accuracy in details. The textbook will be supplemented by newspapers, short novels, idioms, pop songs, advertisements and plays.

Chinese 5

WL4X45S1 and WL4X45S2
PREREQUISITE: Chinese 4 or instructor approval *GRADE: 9, 10, 11, 12LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: PeriodicallyFEE: None This course is a continuation of Chinese 4. The course is taught entirely in Chinese. Students are expected to use Chinese as their means of communication. The spiral learning continued from the previous courses will keep accumulating the students’ Chinese productive skills, both oral and written. The course will help students raise Chinese language proficiency and Chinese culture understanding. The textbook is supplemented by an array of authentic materials. The course will also start to introduce academic reading. The instructional methods are interactive and engage students into the use of the language.

AP Chinese Language and Culture

WL4X89S1 and WL4X89S2
PREREQUISITE: Chinese 4 or 7 years of Weekend Chinese School *GRADE: 9, 10, 11, 12LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: PeriodicallyFEE: None
This course, designed primarily for Heritage Chinese students, works primarily to advance student proficiency in reading, writing, listening and speaking, and secondarily to prepare students for the AP Language and Culture Exam. Through the study of topical themes provided by the College Board, students in this course will enrich their vocabulary and improve their skills on speaking accurately, writing correctly, as well as listening and reading comprehension. Authentic materials such as film, literary works, media and music will be used to study not only the history of China, but also contemporary global issues affecting the Chinese-speaking world today.

French 1

WL4X72S1 and WL4X72S2
PREREQUISITE: NoneGRADE: 9, 10, 11, 12LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: MinimalFEE: None
This course is designed for students who have no previous experience in French. Students learn basic French expressions, vocabulary and structural forms. As skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing increase, more complex grammar and sentence patterns are studied. French and French-speaking cultures are also integrated within classroom learning activities through the use of authentic texts and audios.

French 2

WL4X73S1 and WL4X73S2
PREREQUISITE: French 1 *GRADE: 9, 10, 11, 12LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: MinimalFEE: None This course is a continuation of the French 1 curriculum. Students review previously studied structures and vocabulary before learning more advanced sentence structures. Communication is emphasized as students improve their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills to a practical level. Cultural topics acquaint students with French-speaking individuals and their cultures.

French 3

WL4X05S1 and WL4X05S2
PREREQUISITE: French 2 or instructor approval *GRADE: 10LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: OftenFEE: None
This course is designed to build on previous knowledge, as well as develop confidence and progress skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing in French. The class is taught primarily in French to move student proficiency toward “intermediate.” Communication skills, through speaking and writing, are emphasized and students are expected to use French in class to converse about practical, contemporary and culturally relevant situations. This class is not an appropriate entry point for students who completed the extended French program in 9th grade.

Extended French 4 /Immersion students

WL4F96S1 and WL4F96S2
PREREQUISITE: French Language Arts 8 *GRADE: 9LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: DailyFEE: None This course prepares students for the 10th grade course: The Diverse Francophone World. It allows Extended French students to continue to refine their speaking, writing (and grammar), listening and reading skills through the study of a variety of cultural topics and current events.

Diverse Francophone World/Immersion Students

WL4X04S1 and WL4X04S2
PREREQUISITE: Extended French 4 (Immersion students) *GRADE: 10LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: OftenFEE: None This course is designed for Extended French students who would like to continue in French in preparation for AP French Language and Culture. Students will examine French-speaking cultures from around the world through authentic material, as well as more traditional media such as art, poetry and prose. The goal of the course is for students to become more familiar with the diversity of French-speaking cultures, while working toward “intermediate-high” proficiency. Students will contrast their understanding of France and their American lives with other countries where French is spoken. Through exposure to various accents and dialects of the French language, and also through the synthesis of the topical information, students in this course will make progress in reading, writing, listening and speaking with grammatical and cultural accuracy.

French 4 /Traditional

WL4X06S1 and WL4X06S2
PREREQUISITE: French 3 or instructor approval *GRADE: 11LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: DailyFEE: None This course is designed for traditional students who would like to continue in the language, but less intensely as in the AP track. In this course, conducted in French, students continue to develop and refine listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. Students will continue to develop their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills using a variety of authentic materials focusing on historical, cultural, and current events and other relevant topics in the French-speaking world. French 5 is the next course in the sequence for students who successfully complete French 4. However, students may seek a recommendation from their French 4 teacher to register for AP French Language and Culture.

Enriched French 4

WL4X08S1 and WL4X08S2
PREREQUISITE: French 3 or instructor approval *GRADE: 11LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: DailyFEE: None This course is designed for traditional students who would like to continue in French in preparation for AP French Language and Culture. Students will examine French-speaking cultures through authentic material, as well as more traditional media such as art, poetry and prose. The goal of the course is for students to become more familiar with the diversity of French-speaking cultures while working toward “Intermediate” proficiency. Students will contrast their understanding of France and their American lives with other countries where French is spoken. Through exposure to various accents and dialects of the French language, students in this course will make progress in reading, writing, listening and speaking with grammatical and cultural accuracy.

French 5

WL4X07S1 and WL4X07S2
PREREQUISITE: French 4 (in EF or at EHS) or instructor approval *GRADE: 12LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: OftenFEE: None
This course is designed for both students from Extended French and the traditional French program who would like to continue in French, but not as intensely on the AP track. Conducted in French, level 5 is a continuation of French 4 and focuses on moving student proficiency from “intermediate-low to intermediate-high.” Students will refine accuracy in their communication skills through the study of historical, cultural, and current events and other relevant topics in the French-speaking world. In order to build proficiency, students are expected to use French in class to converse about short stories, movies, articles and other authentic texts.

AP French Language and Culture

WL4X83S1 and WL4X83S2
PREREQUISITE: Traditional Student: French 4 or Pre-AP French Language and Culture. EF Student: Diverse Francophone World *GRADE: 11, 12LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: OftenFEE: None This course, conducted entirely in French, works primarily to progress student proficiency from “Intermediate” to “Advanced-Low” and secondarily to prepare students for the AP Language and Culture Exam. Through the study of 36 topical themes provided by the College Board, students in this course will make progress in reading, writing, listening and speaking with grammatical and cultural accuracy. Authentic materials such as film, literary works, media and music will be used to study not only the history of France and the Francophone world, but also contemporary global issues affecting the French-speaking world today. This course is intended to prepare students for taking the National Advanced Placement test in the spring.

French Culture in the Modern World

WL4X02S1 and WL4X02S2
PREREQUISITE: AP French Language and Culture or instructor recommendation *GRADE: 12LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: PeriodicallyFEE: None
Grade 12 French students will continue to work toward an “Advanced-Low” proficiency rating in this seminar-style course. Through presentational speaking and writing (essays and film critiques), interpersonal speaking and writing (class and small group discussion) and interpretive reading, viewing and listening, students will study major French and Francophone films, cinematic movements, and historical events as well as the impact of these movements/films on the rest of the world.

Latin 1

WL4X23S1 and WL4X23S2
PREREQUISITE: NoneGRADE: 9, 10, 11, 12LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: DailyFEE: None This course is a foundational study in Latin language and culture. It includes Roman and Greek mythological studies along with reading and comprehension of simple Latin sentences. Students will take the first steps acquiring the fundamentals of Latin grammar through reading the stories of a family in ancient Pompeii.

Latin 2

WL4X24S1 and WL4X24S2
PREREQUISITE: Latin 1 or instructor approval *GRADE: 9, 10, 11, 12LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: DailyFEE: None This course is a continuation of the Latin 1 curriculum. Students continue to read about the adventures of the Caecilius family. Through reading stories in Latin, students learn about life in Roman provinces, their religious customs, and architecture. New grammatical structures will be studied along with expanding the vocabulary and derivative studies from previous year.

Latin 3

WL4X25S1 and WL4X25S2
PREREQUISITE: Latin 2 or instructor approval *GRADE: 10LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: DailyFEE: None
This course is a continuation of the Latin 2 curriculum. Students follow familiar characters to Ancient Rome. Through stories, students learn about the art, architecture, history, government, society, religion and entertainment of the ancient Romans. The structural elements of Latin continue to be a major part of the readings and classroom practice. Latin vocabulary skills grow through readings and derivative studies.

Latin 4

WL4X26S1 and WL4X26S2
PREREQUISITE: Latin 3 or instructor approval *GRADE: 11LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: DailyFEE: None The curriculum of this course follows an in-depth study of the Roman Empire. Advanced language-structures and vocabulary-building are emphasized. The literature of the empire, including works of Ovid, Catullus, and Vergil, is read as part of the course. The eyewitness account of Pliny as he observed the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius brings the students full circle with their very first unit on Pompeii.

Latin 5

WL4X27S1 and WL4X27S2
PREREQUISITE: Latin 4 or instructor approval *GRADE: 12LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: DailyFEE: None This course studies the literary works of the classical authors Caesar and Vergil. Literary works, grammar review, stylistic devices, poetic meter and vocabulary are studied. By reviewing the lives of the authors and their places in Roman history, the students examine their impact on ancient times and on the writing of later poets.

AP Latin 5-College in the Schools (CIS)

WL4X88S1 and WL4X88S2
PREREQUISITE: Latin 4 *GRADE: 12LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: DailyFEE: None AP Latin 5 - College in the Schools studies the literary works of the classical authors Caesar and Vergil. Literary works, grammar review, stylistic devices, poetic meter and vocabulary are studied. By reviewing the lives of the authors and their places in Roman history, the students examine their impact on ancient times and on the writing of later poets. This course is intended to prepare students for taking the National Advanced Placement test in the spring. This course is run as a University of Minnesota course 3003 and 3004. University of Minnesota credits may be transferred to other higher education institutions of students' choice.

Spanish

Students who are earning below 75% should consider retaking their current level, instead of advancing to the next level. Historically, students who have a C- or lower have found that the fundamentals are not in place and are more successful if they retake the course before advancing. In order to make this decision, we strongly recommend a conversation between the family, the current language teacher and the student's counselor.

Spanish 1

WL4X32S1 and WL4X32S2
PREREQUISITE: NoneGRADE: 9, 10, 11, 12LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: PeriodicallyFEE: None
This course is designed for students who have no previous experience in Spanish. Students learn basic Spanish expressions, vocabulary and structural forms. As students skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing increase, more complex grammar and sentence patterns are studied. Spanish and Latin-American cultures are also integrated within the classroom learning activities through the use of authentic texts and audios. Students coming from the French Immersion program have the option of enrolling in either Spanish 1 or 2, depending on the degree of previous success and comfort with world languages.

Spanish 2

WL4X34S1 and WL4X34S2PREREQUISITE: Spanish 1 *GRADE: 9, 10, 11, 12LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: PeriodicallyFEE: None This course is a continuation of the Spanish 1 curriculum. Students review previously studied structures and vocabulary before learning more advanced sentence structures. Communication is emphasized as students improve their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills to a practical level. Cultural topics acquaint students with Spanish-speaking individuals and their cultures.

Spanish 3

WL4X35S1 and WL4X35S2
PREREQUISITE: Spanish 2 *GRADE: 9, 10, 11, 12LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: PeriodicallyFEE: None
This course is designed to develop the students' confidence, build on their previous knowledge and refine their ability to speak, listen, read and write in Spanish. The class is taught primarily in Spanish to promote oral and listening proficiency. Communication skills, through speaking and writing, are emphasized and students are expected to use Spanish in class to converse about practical, contemporary situations. Students are also exposed to short stories, authentic materials and Spanish-speaking cultures.

Spanish 4

WL4X36S1 and WL4X36S2
PREREQUISITE: Spanish 3 *GRADE: 10, 11, 12LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: PeriodicallyFEE: None
This course is geared towards students who would like to continue in the language, yet not as intensely as in the Enriched and AP track. In this course, conducted in Spanish, students continue to develop and refine listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. Students review previously studied grammar, focusing more intently on accuracy in speaking and writing, before learning more sophisticated grammar to further their communication skills. Spanish V is the next course in the sequence for students who successfully complete Spanish 4. However, students may seek a recommendation from their Spanish 4 teacher to register for AP Spanish Language and Culture.

Spanish 5

WL4X37S1 and WL4X37S2
PREREQUISITE: Spanish 4 *GRADE: 11, 12LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: PeriodicallyFEE: None This course, conducted almost entirely in Spanish, is a continuation of Spanish 4 and is designed to help students remain active in the language and grow in their proficiency. In addition to refining grammatical and communicative skills, students will keep up-to-date with current events and other relevant topics in the Spanish-speaking world. In order to build proficiency, students are expected to use Spanish in class to converse about short stories, movies, articles and other authentic texts.

Enriched Spanish 4

WL4X77S1 and WL4X77S2
PREREQUISITE: Spanish 3 *GRADE: 11, 12LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: PeriodicallyFEE: None This course focuses on the development of listening, speaking and reading skills with an emphasis on conversation and expansion of vocabulary. Students will use these skills through the study of data from Chile and Spain (economics, demographics, natural resources, etc.) and compare it to their own culture. Students will learn more advanced grammar skills to enrich their speaking and writing proficiency, so in order to be successful in this course students must have mastered these verb conjugations and verb phrases as well as those learned in Spanish 3 (regular and irregular) in both written and oral form.

AP Spanish Language and Culture

WL4X81S1 and WL4X81S2
PREREQUISITE: Spanish 4 or Spanish 4 Enriched *GRADE: 12LENGTH: Full Year, S1 and S2MEETS REQUIREMENT FOR: ElectiveOUT OF CLASS WORK: PeriodicallyFEE: None
This course is designed to help students master their ability to speak, read, listen and write in Spanish. Conducted almost entirely in Spanish, students prepare for the AP Language and Culture Exam. In order to achieve the necessary proficiency to pass the examination, students will work to refine their presentational writing/speaking and interpersonal speaking/writing skills, as well as their reading and listening comprehension. Units center around the six major themes mandated by the College Board, and involve substantial written and spoken participation, as well as active reading, listening, and writing. Communication skills, through speaking and writing are emphasized, and students are expected to use Spanish in class to converse about short stories, literature, and lectures cultural topics, articles and short stories. Students will research within the topics, continue to refine sophisticated grammar skills, increase their cultural knowledge and learn new vocabulary as they progress through the course. This course is intended to prepare students for taking the National Advanced Placement test in the spring.

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