The 6th grade program is exploratory in design. Students select one language (either French or Spanish) and focus on that language daily for the entire school year. After a review of phrases and vocabulary from the 5th grade language curriculum, students are introduced to additional phrases to help them communicate in the target language. They learn to use simple vocabulary to write and tell short stories. Students also mime and draw to reinforce what they have learned. Students are assessed throughout the year. Minimal homework is assigned at this level.
The 7th grade program is not an exploratory program. They have class everyday all year and it is considered an academic subject. Students select either French or Spanish and they follow a two-year sequence of that language. Students will receive homework most nights as well as preparing for assessments and projects. Their grades will be based on the ACFTL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) standards:
Interpretive- listening & reading comprehension Language Comparison - grammar and vocabulary
Presentational - memorized speaking and writing Cultural - practices and perspectives
The 8th grade program is the second year of a two year sequence. Students continue the language they studied in 7th grade by expanding and building on their knowledge from the 7th grade curriculum. The focus of the program is to have the students use the target language to communicate about their daily lives and activities. They have class everyday all year and it is considered an academic subject which allows students to complete, level I of the language at the middle school. Students who successfully complete both years may take level II at the high school. Students continue their study of the language by expanding and building on their knowledge from 7th grade. Students will receive homework most nights as well as preparing for quizzes, tests, and projects. Their grades will be based on the ACFTL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) Standards:
Interpersonal - Conversations between two or more people Language Comparison - Grammar and Vocabulary
Presentational - Memorized Speaking and Writing Cultural - Practices and Perspectives
Interpretive - Listening and Reading Comprehension