The foundational philosophy of the World Language courses is that language, discussion, reflection, and imagination lead to the development of skills which help students understand and interpret the human experience.
The curriculum requires that students develop a personal consciousness or an active sense of civic duty through the acquisition and employment of language; the ability to understand the human experience outside of one’s own individual social and cultural context allows students to develop a conscience more suited to the multicultural world in which they live.
Students have the choice to pursue one of two languages at The Academy: French and Spanish. AP French and Spanish are offered to fourth-year students upon the approval of their instructor.
World Languages Department Courses
French II focuses on the expansion of basic vocabulary themes and basic grammatical structure in order to facilitate further development of basic language skills. The course is designed to help students build on the basic foundation of the French language previously acquired and to expand their vocabulary range. Students are equipped with several important grammar tools essential for communication in all time planes: past, present, and future, as they continue to practice French in speaking, writing, listening, and reading. At the completion of French II, students should be able to produce simple narration in speech and writing, as well as to comprehend and react to longer aural and written cues. Students continue to learn about various aspects of French and Francophone culture.
French III introduces students to more complex vocabulary (including a variety of idiomatic expressions) and grammatical structures necessary for more sophisticated language application. This course focuses on the training and cultivating of independent language users who are able to function within spontaneous language exchanges. French III follows the two introductory and mandatory courses and is designated and designed for those students who wish to continue their studies of French in preparation for university level instruction. The goal of French III is to produce the necessary bridge between the communication skills based more heavily on imitation and limited variation of learned response (French I & II) and more sophisticated and spontaneous use of the target language essential for further, higher level development. Students will continue to build their vocabulary in French as they are exposed to complex structures such as the use of conditional and subjunctive moods, a variety of tenses, and their coexistence in a sentence. Students will continue to learn about various aspects of the French and Francophone culture.
French IV, a course conducted almost exclusively in French, is designed as an advanced level course in which students continue to cultivate their speaking and writing skills, as well as to expand their proficiency in listening and reading comprehension. The emphasis in French IV is on encouraging and enabling each student to function independently in French. During the course of studies in French IV, students will be exposed to a variety of French texts in original French press (in print and on line), French radio podcasts, video segments in original French, and Francophone cinéma. Students will also participate, in French, in daily classroom discussions and debate, and will complete compositions in French as part of their grade. The French IV curriculum includes a review of all main grammar points. The choice of a college-level textbook supports the transition toward college level instruction.
This advanced section of French is created to help the students get familiar with the actual AP exam format. Time in class is dedicated to introduction and practice of all the individual French AP exam tasks and additional work is assigned as homework. While being enrolled in French IV/ AP French/Independent Study, students must be enrolled concurrently in French IV: Honors Language and Culture or must have taken French IV: Honors Language and Culture as prerequisite prior to being enrolled in the AP section.
Spanish I introduces students to basic vocabulary themes and basic grammatical structures in order to facilitate the development of basic language skills. Students are familiarized with the Spanish pronunciation, basic vocabulary, and simple expressions. Emphasis falls on repetition, reading, choral practice, imitation, and aural identifications with the goal of getting students comfortable with the new sounds, syntax, and spelling. Semester Two progresses students from strict imitations and simple labeling to being able to communicate with simple but authentic sentences. Students will engage in a series of projects throughout the school year and will also learn about various aspects of the Spanish culture.
Spanish II provides students with an expansion of the basic vocabulary themes and basic grammatical structures in order to facilitate further development of basic language skills. This course is designed to help students build on the basic foundation of the Spanish language previously acquired and expand their vocabulary range. Students are equipped with several important grammar tools essential for communication in all time planes: past, present, and future, as they continue to practice Spanish through speaking, writing, listening, and reading. At the completion of Spanish II, students should be able to produce simple narration in speech and writing, as well as to comprehend and react to longer aural and written cues. Students continue to learn about various aspects of the Spanish culture as they engage in different projects throughout the school year.
Spanish III introduces students to more complex vocabulary (including a variety of idiomatic expressions) and grammatical structures necessary for more sophisticated language application. This course focuses on training and cultivating of independent language users who are able to function within spontaneous language exchanges. Spanish III follows the two introductory and mandatory courses and is designated and designed for those students who wish to continue their studies of Spanish in preparation for university-level instruction. The goal of Spanish III is to produce the necessary bridge between the communication skills based more heavily on imitation and limited variation of learned response (Spanish I & II) and more sophisticated and spontaneous use of the target language essential for further, higher level development. Students will continue to build their vocabulary in Spanish as they are exposed to complex structures such as the use of conditional and subjunctive moods, variety of tenses, and their coexistence in a sentence. Students will continue to learn about various aspects of the Spanish culture as they engage in a series of projects throughout the school year.
Spanish IV, a course conducted almost exclusively in Spanish, is designed as an advanced course in which students continue to cultivate their speaking and writing skills, as well as to expand their proficiency in listening and reading comprehension. The emphasis in Spanish IV is on encouraging and enabling each student to function independently in Spanish. During the course of studies in Spanish IV, students will be exposed to a variety of original Spanish texts in original Spanish press (in print and on line), Spanish radio podcasts, original video segments, and Spanish films. Students will also participate, in Spanish, in daily classroom discussions and debate, and will complete compositions in Spanish as part of their grade. Spanish IV curriculum includes a review of all main grammar points. The choice of a college-level textbook supports the transition toward college level instruction. Students will also engage in a series of projects throughout the school year.
This advanced section of Spanish is created to help the students get familiar with the actual AP exam format. Time in class is dedicated to introduction and practice of all the individual Spanish AP exam tasks and additional work is assigned as homework. While being enrolled in Spanish IV/ AP Spanish/Independent Study, students must be enrolled concurrently in Spanish IV: Honors Language and Culture or must have taken Spanish IV: Honors Language and Culture as prerequisite prior to being enrolled in the AP section.
French I provides students with an introduction to basic vocabulary themes and grammatical structures in the French language in order to equip students with basic French language skills. Students will be familiarized with the French pronunciation and simple expressions. In this course, emphasis is placed on repetition, reading, choral practice, imitation, and aural identifications with the goal of getting students comfortable with the new sounds, syntax, and spelling. Semester Two progresses students from strict imitations and simple labeling to communication of simple but authentic sentences. Students will also learn about various aspects of the French and Francophone culture.