Courses Offered
The Modern Language department at RHS offers two tracks:
- Spanish NS (Native Speakers) 1-AP Language & Culture for Heritage Speakers; however, in 2024-2025 the department will start offering AP Literature & Culture courses.
NS is designed specifically for those who grew up in an environment in which Spanish is spoken. The students develop their linguistic, literacy and academic bilingual skills to prepare for advanced courses, professional settings and express themselves more effectively.
- Spanish CP 1-AP Language & Culture for students learning Spanish as a foreign language.
CP teaches the students phrases to communicate and have a basic conversation with a native speaker. The students learn to analyze the similarities and differences between the Spanish speaking language and culture with their own through a series of interpersonal, interpretive and presentational tasks.
Spanish 1CP Scope
Spanish 1 teaches students basic conversation skills to greet people, describe family and friends, talk about hobbies, and communicate about other topics, such as personal characteristics, their family and friends, school, home life, and family. Each lesson presents vocabulary, grammar, and culture in context, followed by explanations and exercises within the four basic language skills: listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing, within a cultural context.
Eleven Units are be covered during the year. Each unit will vary in length depending on the complexity of the chapter and vocabulary; some will take as little as 1 1/2 weeks and others will take four weeks.
The final will be a comprehensive project in which students will demonstrate proficiency in the concepts taught throughout the semester.
Spanish 2CP Scope
Students build upon the foundation developed in Spanish 1. They continue to build vocabulary, learn new verb tenses and other grammar concepts, and they increase their ability to communicate with others. They learn new concepts, like infinitive expressions, and the preterite. Students also improve listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.
Ten Units will be covered during the year. Each unit will vary in length depending on the complexity of the chapter and vocabulary; some will take as little as 1 1/2 weeks and others will take four weeks.
The final will be a comprehensive project in which students will demonstrate proficiency in the concepts taught throughout the semester.
Spanish 3H Scope
Dedication is a requirement due to the rigor of the curriculum at this level of study. This accelerated course is for students who can demonstrate intermediate or higher proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing in Spanish as well as critical thinking.
Among other things, you will interact with your peers in Spanish reviewing different tenses that you already know and learn additional ones. You will also learn how to talk about traveling, Hispanic literature and culture, Spanish-speaking countries, and some environmental and social issues.
This course will be treated as a pre-AP class in order to prepare students for Spanish AP.
Spanish AP Language and Culture Scope
AP Spanish Language and Culture cultivates students' 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. If students take the AP Language and Culture test at the end of the year and pass it with a 3, 4 or 5 they can use their test score to not take a foreign language class or public speaking class in most colleges and universities.
Spanish 1NS Scope
Spanish Speaking 1 Classes offer to the native speaking student concepts in writing, reading, literature through avenues of poems, vocabulary, grammar and culture from Spanish speaking countries.
This school year seven units will be taught. A unit may take a period of one to one and a half weeks to complete. The students will learn Spanish speaking states and countries and its culture aspects particular to the country in a form of investigative projects assignments.
Two finals will be administered to the student, one toward the end of the first semester and the second one toward the end of the second semester to test proficiency acquired during each of the semesters and to promote the student to the next Spanish level.
Spanish 2NS Scope
Upon completion of this class, students will be able to:
Students will continue to improve the skills learned in their Spanish Speaking first year class. They will also continue to communicate in spoken Spanish using a range of vocabulary, language functions, and sentence structures using formal and academic vocabulary and grammar.
Apply analytical reading and comprehension skills at a competent level.
Communicate in writing using a range of formal and academic Spanish vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structures, avoiding interference with English at a competent level.
Analyze elements of history and culture of various countries in the Spanish-speaking world as well as Spanish-speaking communities in the US.
There will be many projects and assignments where students will be able to demonstrate the skills learned in class.
Spanish 3NS Scope of study
El nivel 3 para Hispanohablantes consiste en cubrir capitulos 6-12 del libro de texto Español Para Nosotros nivel 2. Este libro cubre temas como: La historia de España, el movimiento poblacional, el bienestar, el campo y la ciudad, el arte de comer, la conducta y servicios y gobierno. Tambien se les agregaran algunos trabajos de autores que se estudian en la clase de AP Literatura y Cultura para ir preparando a los estudiantes para esa clase de nivel universitario Que se ofrecerá a los estudiantes que pasen el examen de AP Lenguage y Cultura. Nos enfocamos en enseñar a los estudiantes a dominar los tres modos de comunicacion; La comunicación interpretativa (enseñar a los estudiantes habilidades y destrezas que los preparen para poder comprender una variedad de tipos de texto e informacion en forma audio-visual) La comunicación Interpersonal (enseñar a los alumnos abilidadez y destrezas para comunicarse con otras personas efectivamente intercambiando informacion ya sea de forma hablada o escrita) y Comunicacion en forma de presentación (enseñar a los alumnos habilidades y destrezas necesarias para poder escibir ensayos persuasivos y argumentativos, investigaciones y presentaciones habladas sobre temas especificos o de comparacion cultural.) Algunos de estos estudiantes también tomarán el examen de AP Lenguaje y Cultura.
Spanish AP Language & Culture
AP Spanish Language and Culture is a college level course that helps 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. If students take the AP Language and Culture test at the end of the year and pass it with a 3, 4 or 5 they can use their test score opt out of taking a foreign language class or public speaking class in most colleges and universities. Starting this year Spanish 4AP will also incorporate aspects of the AP Literature and Culture Course to encourage and expose kids to this Intense and rigorous course that can give students college credit as well.
Spanish AP Literature & Culture will be offered soon
This course will require students to have taken 3NS or AP Language and Culture. It is designed to provide students with a rigorous and in-depth study of the literature and culture of the Spanish-speaking world
AP Spanish Literature is equivalent to a college level introductory survey course of literature written in Spanish. Students continue to develop their interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational skills in Spanish language as well as critical reading and analytical writing as they explore short stories, novels, plays, essays, and poetry from Spain, Latin America, and U.S. Hispanic authors along with other non-required texts.