World Language
While incorporating the essential elements of dignity, the World Language department facilitates the development of linguistic, cultural and global competency skills. Students learn to speak, write, listen and read in the target language to be able to function with confidence in a Spanish, French or Mandarin-speaking country. Proficiency in the world language is measured by assessing the student’s ability to perform in real-world situations and non-rehearsed contexts in three modes of communication: interpersonal, interpretive and presentational. Students must successfully complete a minimum of three consecutive credits of the same language.
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2 semesters, 1 credit
Prerequisite: Mandarin IV Honors with a minimum grade of B+ and department recommendation. Grades 10-12 only.
This Advanced Studies course is equivalent to intermediate, high or advanced low-level university courses. It is designed to equip students to communicate with ease and confidence in the interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational modes across a variety of real-life contexts. Students acquire, exchange, and present information in the target language on factual topics of public interest and general academic content across disciplines. In addition, students are introduced to the works of selected literary authors and further develop critical thinking and analytical skills in Mandarin. The course is conducted entirely in Mandarin.
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2 semesters, 1 credit
Prerequisite: A demonstrated ability to understand and produce French at an advanced mid-proficiency level or higher, as defined by ACTFL guidelines. Grades 10–12 only. Counts as an elective.
This course is designed for students with a strong French background, such as those who use French at home or have attended a French-American school, to further develop and refine their language skills, with an emphasis on writing. The main objective of this class is to develop communicative competence in the three modes—interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational—while fostering a strong connection to the student’s own culture and identity. While this elective course does not count toward the world language graduation requirement, it provides a unique opportunity to explore French at an advanced level and to engage deeply with francophone cultures. Students expand their personal horizons by learning about other francophone cultures through history, literature, music, the arts, and the critical analysis of current events as portrayed in the news media and social networks. This class is conducted entirely in French.
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2 semesters, 1 credit
Prerequisite: A demonstrated ability to understand and produce Spanish at an advanced mid-proficiency level or higher, as defined by ACTFL guidelines. Grades 10–12 only. Counts as an elective.
This elective course is designed for fluent Spanish speakers who wish to refine their literacy and communication skills while deepening their understanding of the Spanish-speaking world. Through literature, history, current events, and interdisciplinary approaches, students develop critical thinking, cultural analysis, and reflective skills, exploring their own identities, values, and perspectives. The course emphasizes advanced reading, writing, listening, and speaking in formal and academic contexts, preparing students to engage thoughtfully with complex texts and discussions. While it does not fulfill the world language graduation requirement, students emerge as confident and articulate bilingual individuals, ready for advanced Spanish studies and for professional or academic environments that require high linguistic and cultural competence. This class is conducted entirely in Spanish.
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2 semesters, 1 credit
Prerequisite: French Intensive Honors with a minimum grade of B+ and department recommendation. Grades 10–12 only.
This Advanced Studies course is equivalent to intermediate-high or advanced low-level university courses. It is designed to equip students to communicate with ease and confidence in interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational modes across a variety of contexts and real-life situations. Students acquire, exchange, and present information in the target language on factual topics of public interest and general academic content across disciplines. In addition, students are introduced to the works of selected literary authors and further develop critical thinking and analytical skills in French. The course is conducted entirely in French.
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2 semesters, 1 credit
Prerequisite: AP French Language and Culture with a minimum grade of B+ and/or department recommendation. Grades 10-12 only.
Students who take this course have strong knowledge of the languages and cultures of French-speaking countries and have attained considerable proficiency in three modes: interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational. Those who qualify for this course must have the energy and the determination to carry out independent work and research. This course aims to further develop students’ critical reading and analytical writing skills in French as well as their ability to make interdisciplinary connections and explore linguistic and cultural comparisons. French literary texts, in various oral and written forms, are presented and discussed within their historical, sociocultural, and geopolitical contexts. This class is conducted entirely in French.
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2 semesters, 1 credit
Prerequisite: Spanish Intensive Honors with a minimum grade of B+ and department recommendation. Grades 10-12 only.
This Advanced Studies course is equivalent to intermediate-high or advanced low-level university courses. It is designed to equip students to communicate with ease and confidence in the interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational modes across a variety of real-life contexts. Students acquire, exchange, and present information in the target language on factual topics of public interest and general academic content across disciplines. In addition, students are introduced to the works of selected literary authors and further develop critical thinking and analytical skills in Spanish. The course is conducted entirely in Spanish.
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2 semesters, 1 credit
Prerequisite: AP Spanish Language and Culture with a minimum of B+ and department recommendation. Grades 10-12 only.
This class is equal to a college-level course in Latin American, Peninsular, and U.S. Latino literature and culture. Students who take this class demonstrate strong proficiency across all linguistic skills and high cultural competence in the Spanish-speaking world. They also have the energy and determination to carry out significant independent work and research. This course aims to further develop students’ critical reading and analytical writing skills in Spanish, as well as their ability to make interdisciplinary connections and explore linguistic and cultural comparisons in creative and meaningful contexts. Spanish literary texts, articles, art, and films are analyzed and discussed within their different historical, sociocultural, and geopolitical contexts. This class is conducted entirely in Spanish.
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2 semesters, 1 credit
Prerequisite: French III or beyond with a minimum grade of C and/or department recommendation; alternates themes and movies every other year
The French Cinema course further develops the student’s ability to communicate in major time frames in the interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational modes, while strengthening the overall knowledge of French culture. Students learn to analyze through a critical lens the diverse perspectives and distinctive viewpoints presented in selected feature and short films from around the francophone world. In addition, works of literature, film criticism, and other advanced-level readings prompt students to discuss, compare, and hypothesize about French-speaking products, perspectives, and practices and how they change when cultures come into contact. Classes are conducted exclusively in French. This course is designed to be taken in consecutive years, as the films and the rest of the curriculum alternate every other year.
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2 semesters, 1 credit
Prerequisite: none
In this introductory course, students start developing cross-cultural appreciation by learning about products, practices, and perspectives of the French-speaking world. Students also begin to develop linguistic competency in all modes of communication—interpersonal, presentational and interpretive—to be able to express information about themselves and their community. Students learn to convey basic needs related to everyday activities, express their likes and dislikes, and react to those of others. The class is conducted in both English and French to ensure students understand explanations and structures and develop their aural-oral competency.
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2 semesters, 1 credit
Prerequisite: French I or French IB (Middle School) with a minimum grade of C
French II builds upon the skills already acquired in level I and further develops students’ cross-cultural appreciation of the French-speaking world. Students learn to identify similarities and differences among familiar, common products, daily practices and perspectives between francophone cultures and their own. Students are able to communicate in contexts relevant to themselves, others, and their immediate community in all modes of communication: interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational. The class is conducted entirely in French except when complex structures require clarification in English.
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2 semesters, 1 credit
Prerequisite: French II with a minimum grade of C
This course incorporates the skills developed in level II and expands upon them to enable students to communicate in major time frames on most informal and formal matters of general public interest. Students learn to interpret language, make simple presentations, and interact in culturally-appropriate ways on transactional and informal topics. In addition to this, using authentic francophone materials, students identify diverse perspectives and distinctive viewpoints on issues related to themselves and their environment. The class is conducted entirely in French.
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2 semesters, 1 credit
Prerequisite: French II with a minimum grade of B+, French III with a minimum grade of B and/or department recommendation
This course is designed to build upon the skills already acquired in previous levels to equip students to interact with cultural competence in most informal and formal settings. Students deepen their cultural and linguistic understanding. The French language is used as a vehicle to learn about history, literature, music, current affairs, art, the environment, and social issues of the francophone world. Students work at a faster pace than in a non-honors course, and they are expected to interact in all modes of communication—interpersonal, presentational, and interpretive—in culturally-authentic, real-world, and academic contexts. The class is conducted entirely in French.
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2 semesters, 1 credit
Prerequisite: none
In this introductory course, students start developing cross-cultural appreciation by learning about products, practices, and perspectives of the Chinese-speaking world. Students also begin to develop linguistic competency in all modes of communication—interpersonal, presentational, and interpretive—to be able to express information about themselves and others. Students learn to convey basic needs related to everyday activities, express their likes and dislikes, and react to those of others. Emphasis is placed on mastering the pinyin Romanization system, developing skills for character writing, and acquiring basic sentence structures for daily communication. Most of the class is conducted in Mandarin to develop students’ aural-oral competency.
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2 semesters, 1 credit
Prerequisite: Mandarin I or Mandarin IB (Middle School) with a minimum grade of C+
Mandarin II builds upon the skills already acquired in level I and further develops students’ cross-cultural appreciation of the Chinese-speaking world. Students learn to identify similarities and differences among familiar, common products, daily practices and perspectives between the Chinese culture and their own. Students are able to communicate in contexts relevant to themselves, others, and their immediate community in all modes of communication: interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational. The class is conducted in Mandarin except when complex structures require clarification in English.
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2 semesters, 1 credit
Prerequisite: Mandarin II with a minimum grade of C+
This course is designed to build upon the skills already acquired in previous levels to equip students to deepen their cultural and linguistic understanding. Students learn to interpret language, make simple presentations, and interact in culturally-appropriate ways on transactional and informal topics. In addition, students identify diverse perspectives and distinctive viewpoints on Chinese cultural issues related to themselves and their community. The class is conducted entirely in Mandarin.
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2 semesters, 1 credit
Prerequisite: Mandarin II with a minimum grade of B+ and/or department recommendation
This course is designed to build upon the skills already acquired in previous levels to equip students to deepen their cultural and linguistic understanding. Students learn to interpret language, make simple presentations, and interact in culturally-appropriate ways in all three modes on transactional and informal topics. In addition, students identify diverse perspectives and distinctive viewpoints on Chinese cultural issues related to themselves and their community. Students work at a faster pace and in more complex contexts than in a non-honors course. The class is conducted entirely in Mandarin.
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2 semesters, 1 credit
Prerequisite: Mandarin III with a minimum grade of C+ and/or department recommendation
This course is designed for students who have successfully completed Mandarin III or beyond and would like to further their knowledge of Chinese and the Chinese-speaking world. The goals of this course are to further develop students’ proficiency across the full range of language skills, advance their critical thinking ability, and enhance their cultural and global awareness. In this course, language proficiency is interwoven with level- and age-appropriate cultural studies. Instructional materials and activities are carefully and strategically adapted from authentic sources to support the linguistic and cultural goals of the course. This class is conducted exclusively in Mandarin.
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2 semesters, 1 credit
Prerequisite: Mandarin III Honors with a minimum grade of B+ and/or department recommendation
This honors course is a continuation of Mandarin III Honors and moves at a faster pace than the Mandarin IV course. In addition to using the textbook, students read more extensively from various resources including newspaper articles, short stories, and other documents and literary selections appropriate to the level of study. Students learn to differentiate between the formal and informal registers in both speaking and writing. The goals of this course are to continue to develop students’ proficiency across the full range of language skills, to advance their critical thinking ability, and to strengthen their cultural knowledge and global awareness. In this course, materials and activities are designed to help students master more advanced language structures, expressive styles, and conventions of communication. These concepts are gleaned from topics and resources reflecting multiple aspects of Chinese society and culture and the use of various authentic multimedia materials in different linguistic registers. This class is conducted exclusively in Mandarin.
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1 semester, 1 credit
Prerequisite: Mandarin IV with a minimum grade of C+ and/or department recommendation
This course is designed for students who have successfully completed Mandarin IV and would like to further expand their knowledge of Chinese and the Chinese-speaking world. The goals of this course are to continue developing students’ proficiency across the full range of language skills, advance their critical thinking ability, and increase their cultural and global awareness. Students apply 21st-century skills to research and analyze diverse perspectives on topics of general public interest in Chinese. This class is conducted exclusively in Mandarin.
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2 semesters, 1 credit
Prerequisite: Mandarin IV Honors with a minimum grade of B+ and/or department recommendation
This advanced course is designed for students who have reached a high intermediate to advanced level of proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking Chinese. With an emphasis on learning thematic units, students will explore Chinese history, culture, literature, art, and newspaper articles with a focus on news or stories about society and the humanities. Understanding social linguistic norms and idiomatic expressions will assist students in communicating effectively in real-world encounters. The curriculum also includes reading short stories, novels, ancient and modern poetry, Chinese comic books, and songs. Students will present on current events from the perspective of both the U.S. and China using different genres of writing, digital media, and visual displays. Through formal and informal oral presentations and discussions, students will reflect on and answer thematic questions using critical thinking. This will enable them to deepen their language ability and understand Chinese culture and social norms. Students will also be able to compare and contrast their own culture with that of Chinese culture by researching global issues while integrating cross-cultural perspectives.
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2 semesters, 1 credit
Prerequisite: Spanish IV or beyond with teacher recommendation; curriculum alternates every other year
The Spanish Cinema course further develops the student’s ability to communicate in major time frames in the interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational modes, while strengthening the overall knowledge of Spanish culture. Students learn to analyze through a critical lens the diverse perspectives and distinctive viewpoints presented on selected feature and short films. In addition, works of literature and other advanced-level readings prompt students to discuss, compare, and hypothesize about Spanish-speaking products, perspectives, and practices and how they change when cultures come into contact. Classes are conducted exclusively in Spanish. This course is designed to be taken in consecutive years, as the films and the rest of the curriculum alternate every other year.
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2 semesters, 1 credit
Prerequisite: None
In this introductory course, students start developing cross-cultural appreciation by learning about products, practices, and perspectives of the Spanish-speaking world. Students also begin to develop linguistic competency in all modes of communication—interpersonal, presentational, and interpretive—to be able to express information about themselves and their community. Students learn to convey basic needs related to everyday activities, express their likes and dislikes, and react to those of others. Most of the class is conducted in Spanish to develop students’ aural-oral competency.
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2 semesters, 1 credit
Prerequisite: Spanish I or Spanish IB (Middle School) with a minimum grade of C+
Spanish II builds upon the skills already acquired in level I and further develops students’ cross-cultural appreciation of the Spanish-speaking world. Students learn to identify similarities and differences among familiar, common products, daily practices and perspectives between the Spanish culture and their own. Students are able to communicate in contexts relevant to themselves, others, and their immediate community in all modes of communication: interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational. The class is conducted entirely in Spanish except when complex structures require clarification in English.
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2 semesters, 1 credit
Prerequisite: Spanish II or Spanish IIB (Middle School) with a minimum grade of C+
This course incorporates the skills developed from level II and expands upon them to enable students to communicate in major time frames on most informal and formal matters of general public interest. Students learn to interpret language, make simple presentations, and interact in culturally-appropriate ways on transactional and informal topics. In addition, students identify diverse perspectives and distinctive viewpoints on issues related to themselves and their environment in the target language from authentic materials from the target cultures. The class is conducted entirely in Spanish.
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2 semesters, 1 credit
Prerequisite: Spanish II or Spanish IIB (Middle School) with a minimum grade of B+; Spanish III with a minimum grade of B and/or department recommendation
This course is designed to build upon previously acquired skills and equip students to interact with cultural competence in most informal and formal settings. Students deepen their cultural and linguistic understanding, and language is used as a vehicle to learn about history, literature, music, current affairs, art, the environment, and social issues of Spain and Latin America. Students work at a faster pace than in a non-honors course, and they are expected to interact in all modes of communication—interpersonal, presentational, and interpretive—in culturally-authentic, real-world, and academic contexts. Successful completion of this course prepares the student for the AP Spanish Language and Culture Honors course. The class is conducted entirely in Spanish.
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2 semesters, 1 credit
Prerequisite: Spanish III with a minimum grade of C+
This course provides learners with opportunities to interact and engage with authentic materials and adolescent speakers of the language. It aims to prepare learners to communicate, explore, and connect across cultures in order to foster attitudes of mutual understanding and respect. By learning in an intercultural context, students acquire communication skills and content knowledge while exploring the products, practices, and perspectives of Spanish-speaking cultures. The vision is a world where language learning takes place through the lens of interculturality, so students can discover appropriate ways to interact with others whose perspectives may be different from their own. This course is conducted entirely in Spanish.
