World Languages

Spanish 1 (Grade 9 – One Semester Length – 5 credits)

This course fosters the development of interpersonal and academic skills in a supportive environment. Students in their first year of Spanish are exposed to a combination of vocabulary building, basic grammar, conversation, and writing practice. Language instruction at this level focuses on proficiency, delivered by way of authentic, challenging tasks that provide meaningful learning experiences. These experiences lead students to understand broad concepts and to develop strategies for analyzing these concepts across disciplines. The orientation toward communication and cultural awareness is the primary focus of planning and instruction. Some teacher instruction will be presented in the target language.

Spanish 2 (Grades 10-12 – One Semester Length – 5 credits)

This course is a continuation of Spanish I. The grammatical structures learned in Spanish I are reviewed and refined. Students will improve their abilities in the target language in the four areas of communication: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Reading skills are strengthened by the introduction of level-appropriate and authentic reading materials. Students will acquire a greater understanding of cultural contexts within a global society. These experiences lead students to understand broad concepts and to develop strategies for analyzing these concepts across disciplines. The orientation toward communication and cultural awareness is the primary focus of planning and instruction. This course is conducted primarily in the target language.

Heritage Spanish A (Grade 9 – One Semester Length – 5 credits)

Heritage-language students may be newly-arrived immigrants to the United States, first-generation students whose home language is not English and who have been schooled primarily in the United States, or second- or third- generation students who have learned some aspects of a heritage language at home. Students have varying abilities and proficiencies in their respective heritage languages; they often carry on fluent and idiomatic conversations (interpersonal mode), but require instruction that allows them to develop strengths in reading (interpretive mode) and in formal speaking and writing (presentational mode). These students are held to the same standards for world languages as their English-speaking peers, and they should be provided with opportunities for developing skills in their native languages that are both developmentally supportive and rigorous. Designing curriculum to maintain and further develop native-language skills ensures that the skills of these students do not erode over time as English becomes their dominant language.

Heritage Spanish B (Grades 10-12 – One Semester Length – 5 credits)