Embedded Files
The goal of the Foreign Language Department is communicative proficiency in a second language. We believe, as stated in the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, “all students should become proficient in at least one language other than English by the time they graduate from high school.” Cultural literacy is also a strong component of all foreign language learning. History, literature, mythology, art, architecture, geography, music, and customs are important aspects of the curriculum and are incorporated into all levels of instruction.
Walpole teachers and students share the vision of the Massachusetts Frameworks, which states that all students of all ages and at all levels of proficiency will use the target language to: communicate with users of the target language, especially those in their schools and communities; explore and celebrate the products, practices, and perspectives of other cultures; compare their own languages and cultures with those of the target communities; expand their academic knowledge of other disciplines; serve and lead in their academic, local, and global communities; become lifelong beneficiaries of the opportunities that proficiency in multiple languages can offer them; become agents of change that promote equity, global awareness, and multicultural understanding.
FRENCH
FRENCH
FRENCH I CP
Year Course
5 credits
Prerequisite: Teacher Recommendation
Open to: All
This first year of French will address themes relating to the daily life of a student in high school. Content themes include units on weather, school, extracurricular activities, home life, and eating in restaurants. Students will learn to communicate in the present
tense and to engage in simple communicative activities using well-practiced, novice-level language. This course will be offered based on student enrollment.
FRENCH II CP / FRENCH II HONORS
Year Course
5 credits
Prerequisite for Honors: French I CP; grade of A or French 7 and 8 grade of A
Open to: All
Themes covered are the school day, travel, past, present and future vacations, a healthy lifestyle/sports, daily routine, shopping/clothing and legends. Students will develop their interpretive skills as well as their ability to produce in French. The proficiency targets for level II students are designed for the Novice High proficiency level.
FRENCH III CP / FRENCH III HONORS
Year Course 5 credits
Prerequisite: French II Honors / French II CP Open to: So., Jr., Sr.
Content themes include the media, the environment, travel, and sports and leisure activities. Students will read excerpts from Le Petit Nicolas as well as other short stories. Students will be introduced to additional verb tenses and more sophisticated grammar concepts to develop their interpretive, speaking, and writing skills. The proficiency targets for level III / III Honors students are designed for the Intermediate proficiency level.
FRENCH IV CP / FRENCH V CP1
Year Course 5 credits
Prerequisite: French III or French IV Open to: Jr., Sr.
Combined class and looped class. Content themes within year one will include education, work, relationships, contemporary life, and art and music. Content themes of year two include health and well-being, crime, sports, and world heritage sites. Content themes within year one will include education, work, relationships, contemporary life, and art
and music. Content themes of year two include health and well-being, crime, sports, and world heritage sites. Throughout the two courses students will read excerpts from Arsène Lupin, Le Petit Prince, La Leçon, Le Petit Nicolas, and la poésie africaine. Students will use the language lab to develop their listening and speaking skills. The proficiency targets for level IV students are designed for the Intermediate proficiency level.
FRENCH IV HONORS
Year Course
5 credits
Prerequisite: French III, grade of A, or III Honors grade of B or above
Open to: Jr., Sr.
Content themes include contemporary life, health and well-being, crime, sports, and world heritage sites. Students will read excerpts from Arsène Lupin, Le Petit Prince, and la poésie africaine as well as authentic newspaper, magazine, and internet articles. All verb tenses will be reviewed as well as more sophisticated grammar concepts. Students will use the language lab to develop their speaking and listening skills. The proficiency targets for level IVH students are designed for the Intermediate proficiency level.
FRENCH V HONORS or AP
Year Course
5 credits
Prerequisite: French IV HR, grade of B or above
Open to: Sr.
Combined class: Students will study the thematic units designated by the College Board AP curriculum while building their vocabulary and learning about how language and culture shape and reflect evolving ideas about identity in French-speaking societies. These units include “Families in Different Societies”; “The Influence of Language and Culture on Identity”; “The Influences of Beauty and Art”; “How Science and Technology Affect Our Lives”; “Factors That Impact the Quality of Life”; and “Environmental, Political, and Societal Challenges”. The proficiency targets for level VH / AP students are designed for the Intermediate - High proficiency level.
LATIN
LATIN
LATIN I CP & LATIN I HONORS
Year Course
5 credits
Prerequisite: Teacher Recommendation
Open to: All
Students will study the myths and culture of ancient Rome as the city evolved from a small iron-age hill settlement into the capital of a vast intercontinental empire. Content themes will include lessons on the Roman pantheon, daily life in the Roman family, and the mythical founding and development of early Rome. The main focus of Level I is the development of the basic grammatical structures and thematic vocabulary.
LATIN LANGUAGE and CULTURE I CP
Year Course
5 credits
Prerequisite: Teacher or Counselor recommendation and Department Chair approval only
Students will study the myths and culture of ancient Rome as the city evolved from a small iron-age hill settlement into the capital of a vast intercontinental empire. Content themes will include lessons on the Roman pantheon, daily life in the Roman family, and the mythical founding and development of early Rome. The main focus of Level I is the development of the basic grammatical structures and thematic vocabulary. This Latin course will fulfill the Walpole High School world language requirement for graduation.
LATIN II HONORS
Year course
5 credits
Prerequisite: Latin I Honors, grade of B or above
Open to: So., Jr., Sr.
Students will continue to advance their proficiency in reading Latin, engaging with both adapted readings and authentic texts. Many new aspects of life in the ancient Mediterranean will be examined, such as the Roman calendar, chariot racing, traditional Roman religion, and ancient folk magic. We shall also explore how Latin continued to serve as an important literary language throughout the Middle Ages in Western Europe.
LATIN II CP
Year Course
5 credits
Prerequisite: Latin I; Latin II Language and Culture CP grade of B
Open to: So., Jr., Sr.
Students will continue to advance their proficiency in reading Latin, engaging with both adapted readings and authentic texts. Many new aspects of life in the ancient Mediterranean will be examined, such as the Roman calendar, chariot racing, traditional
Roman religion, and ancient folk magic. We shall also explore how Latin continued to serve as an important literary language throughout the Middle Ages in Western Europe.
LATIN LANGUAGE and CULTURE II CP
Year Course
5 credits
Prerequisite: Teacher or Counselor recommendation and Department Chair approval only
This course is a continuation of the Latin Language and Culture I CP2 curriculum. The emphasis in this course will be on improving English vocabulary by studying prefixes, suffixes, and common word roots. The study of grammar from Latin I CP2 will continue and the focus will be on reading short stories in Latin. Each unit will be supplemented with the study of mythology and culture.
LATIN III HONORS
Year Course
5 credits
Prerequisite: Latin II Honors, grade of B or above
Open to: Jr., Sr.
or grade of A in Latin II CP
Our main objective in this course will be to build our proficiency in reading Latin of increasing complexity and authenticity in order to engage with the ancient world. The focus will be on vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension strategies with grammar as a support to understanding. In our readings, for example, we will examine the Essential Question, “What is a Hero?” and read Latin versions of the stories of Greek and Roman heroes in order to compare them to each other and to modern ideas of heroism.
LATIN III CP/ LATIN IV CP
Year Course
5 credits
Prerequisite: Latin II CP / Latin III CP
Open to: Jr., Sr.
Combined class and looped class: Students will build their proficiency in the Latin language, and explore the ancient and medieval worlds, through the reading a variety of selections -- modern short stories, adapted authentic texts, and unadapted authentic texts. Topics to be explored include Greek mythology, the history of the ancient Near East, Latin epigraphy, et cetera.
LATIN IV HONORS/LATIN IV DUAL ENROLLMENT WITH UMASS BOSTON
Year Course
5 credits
Prerequisite: grade of B in Latin III HR
Open to Sr.
This course will follow a thematic reading of some of the highlights of Latin Literature from a variety of authors. Our main objective is the reading, discussion and studying of Latin literature, both poetry and prose, in order to engage with the ancient world through these authentic texts. Students taking this class are eligible to receive dual enrollment credit from UMass Boston. Content themes include “Love”, “Wit and the Cutting Remark”, “Nature”, “Friendship” and “Response to Crisis”.
SPANISH
SPANISH
SPANISH I LANGUAGE AND CULTURE I CP
Year Course
5 credits
Prerequisite: Teacher or Counselor recommendation and Department Chair approval only
This course is designed to provide students with strategies for learning basic grammar and vocabulary. Class activities focus on communicative skills. Content themes include units on weather, school, extracurricular activities, home life, and eating in restaurants. Proficiency targets are designed for the Novice Mid Level.
SPANISH I CP
Year Course
5 credits
Prerequisite: Recommendation from teacher
Open to: All
This first year of Spanish will address themes relating to the daily life of a student in high school. Content themes include units on weather, school, extracurricular activities, home life, and eating in restaurants. Students will learn to communicate in the present tense and to engage in simple communicative activities using well-practiced, novice-level language.
SPANISH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE II CP
Year Course
5 credits
Prerequisite: Teacher or Counselor recommendation and Department Chair approval only
This course is a continuation of Spanish Language and Culture I. Content themes include sports, travel, and home life. Students will continue to develop interpretive, speaking and writing strategies. Proficiency targets are designed for the Novice Mid Level.
SPANISH II CP
Year Course
5 credits
Prerequisite: Spanish I Language and Culture CP, grade of A
Open to: All
Themes covered are the school day, travel, past, present and future vacations, a healthy lifestyle/sports, daily routine, shopping/clothing and legends. Students will develop their
interpretive skills as well as their ability to produce in Spanish. The proficiency targets for level II students are designed for the Novice High proficiency level.
SPANISH II HONORS
Year Course
5 credits
Prerequisite: Spanish I, grade of A
Open to: All
Themes covered are the school day, travel, past, present and future vacations, a healthy lifestyle/sports, daily routine, shopping/clothing and legends. Students will develop their
interpretive skills as well as their ability to produce in Spanish. The proficiency targets for level II students are designed for the Novice High proficiency level.
SPANISH III CP
Year Course 5 credits
Prerequisite: Spanish II CP Open to: So., Jr., Sr.
Themes covered in Spanish 3 include outdoor excursions, childhood/family, city and country life, and the environment. Students will communicate in the past, present and future tenses as it relates to the thematic and cultural units covered. Students will develop their interpretive skills as well as speaking and writing in Spanish. The proficiency targets for level III students are designed for the Intermediate proficiency level.
SPANISH III HONORS
Year Course
5 credits
Prerequisite: Spanish II CP, grade of A , or grade of B in
Open to: So., Jr., Sr.
Spanish II Honors
Themes covered in Spanish 3 include outdoor excursions, childhood/family, city and country life, and the environment. Students will communicate in the past, present and future tenses as it relates to the thematic and cultural units covered. Students will develop their interpretive skills as well as speaking and writing in Spanish. The proficiency targets for level III students are designed for the Intermediate proficiency level.
SPANISH IV CP / SPANISH IV HONORS
Year Course
5 credits
Prerequisite: Spanish III / Spanish III CP, grade of A or grade
of B in Spanish III Honors
Open to: Jr., Sr.
Themes covered in Spanish IV CP 1/Spanish IV Honors include relationships and personality traits, living in the city, the influence of the media and exploring and traveling the world. Students will also compare and contrast their world with the Spanish speaking world. Students will communicate in the past, present and future tenses as it relates to the thematic and cultural units covered.Students will continue to develop their interpretive skills with a strong focus on speaking and effective communication. The proficiency targets
for level IV students are designed for the Intermediate proficiency level.
SPANISH V CP / SPANISH V HONORS
Year Course
5 credits
Prerequisite: Spanish IV / Spanish IV, grade of A or grade of B
Spanish IV Honors
Open to: Sr.
Students will spend a large portion of the year focused on ideologies and beliefs as well as politics. They will do so through the lens of the Spanish Civil War, and the coup d’état in Chile. Students will read a novel, La Hija del Sastre and watch and analyze several films. We will end the year by discussing education and future plans. Students will develop their listening, reading, writing and speaking skills in Spanish to analyze authentic resources, as well as express opinions and reflections. The proficiency targets for level V students are designed for the Intermediate and Intermediate - High proficiency level.
AP SPANISH V
Year Course
5 credits
Prerequisite: Spanish IV Honors, grade of B or above
Open to: Sr.
AP Spanish V- is the equivalent of a fifth semester college course. The purpose of the course is twofold: (1) to bring students to an advanced proficiency level in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and (2) to prepare students for the Spanish Language Exam in the spring. Students taking this course will be required to write compositions on a regular basis, to make frequent recordings in the language lab, and to read both literary and non-literary texts, which are more difficult than those read in Spanish V Honors. An extensive review of grammar will also take place. Any student taking this course must take the Spanish Language AP Exam in May.
SPANISH for NATIVE SPEAKERS I CP
Year Course
5 credits
Prerequisite: Native or Heritage Language Speaker
Open to: All
This course focuses on the development of communicative competence in reading, writing, speaking and listening in Spanish with a focus on spelling, writing, and speaking in an academic setting. Students will develop an understanding of Hispanic cultures and issues of identity of native and heritage speakers of Spanish in the United States. Students will also develop an awareness and understanding of Hispanic cultures, including language variation, customs, geography, history, and current events. This course is designed for native/near native speakers/EL students in any grade and counts toward the World Language graduation requirement.
GREEK MYTHOLOGY
Semester Course
2.5 credits
Prerequisite: No prerequisite
Open to: All
In this comprehensive survey of Greek mythology, we will explore the countless tales woven in ancient Greece of gods and heroes, from the birth of the universe out of Chaos to the homecoming of Odysseus. We will study the three categories of myth and how mythologies of other cultures are similar to that of the Greeks. Additional focus will be the impact of Greek mythology on Western culture. Translated selections from Greek and Roman authors will be our primary texts, and students will be expected to complete nightly reading assignments in preparation for class discussions and assessments. This course does NOT fulfill the language requirement for graduation.
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