Curriculum Guide 2020-2021

course based in conversation, students also
receive supplemental lessons in grammar.
The focus is to produce articulate and wellrounded
speakers and writers of Spanish.
Middle School Spanish
Middle School French
Grades 6-8
Students learn Spanish and French
through songs, games, and role play in an
environment where the focus is on creating
community and enjoying the learning
process. Verbal practice and confidence
building begin the process of creating
passionate, engaged, life-long language
learners. In French, students collaborate in
an immersion atmosphere to build objects
from Rube Goldberg machines to Parisian
Monuments. In Spanish, students explore
the culture and ecology of Costa Rica as a
means of preparing for the opportunity to
travel to Costa Rica in 8th grade.
Heritage Spanish 2
Grades 8-9
This course is for students that have been
raised in a Spanish-speaking community
or who have several years of experience
in a dual language program in elementary
school and have completed Heritage
Language for 6th and 7th graders. Thematic
units will explore Latino Identity in a
variety of contexts. Class activities will
involve exploring and researching primary
sources from different genres such as
literature, popular music, poetry, visual
culture, and performance arts. This class
will extend students’ abilities in speaking,
listening, reading, and writing. Students
will interview and showcase the lives
of local Latino leaders. Activities will
include poetry writing, essay writing, and
performing self-created skits.
Heritage Spanish 3
Grade 10-12
The primary purpose of this course is to
develop all four language skills: listening,
reading, writing, and speaking. This class
is designed for learners who have been
exposed to Spanish in their homes, schools,
or communities from a young age. This
course provides intensive composition
and conversation practice in Spanish. We
will use a variety of readings, films, and
documentaries from Latin American authors
and filmmakers. The goal is to continue
to expand the command of Spanish
grammar and vocabulary and develop
communicative and rhetorical skills,
fluency, and pronunciation.
UPPER SCHOOL LANGUAGE
French 1-5
Grades 9-12
From the beginning level of study, learning
basic vocabulary and verb conjugations, to
our advanced classes that include the study
of French literature, each level of instruction
offers a continued, ever-deepening study of
the language and culture of francophone
countries. Students work together to write
dialogue and stories, build fictional cities,
and cook French meals. French is primarily
spoken in an immersion environment, even
in the beginning levels, so our students’
listening proficiency is highly developed.
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