| FRENCH I
French I is an introduction to the French language and culture.
Students learn to express themselves in present, past, and future
tenses. At the beginning levels the basic skills of communication
are stressed. Although emphasis is on speaking and understanding
useful French sentences, the skills of reading and writing are
not neglected. The students are also exposed to the cultures of
the Francophone world through reports, documentaries and feature-length
movies.
FRENCH II
French II continues to develop speaking and listening skills.
Second-year students begin to build the strong vocabulary and
grammatical background needed for reading and writing French.
Through frequent and varied conversations in French and some informal
presentations, students work on fluency and pronunciation. Written
expression is developed through brief essays. For the final project
of the year, students compose their own fairy tales.
FRENCH III
French III is a review of basic grammar, with attention paid to
the more advanced grammatical structures found in written and
spoken French. With the exception of some grammatical explanations,
French is used exclusively in the third-year classroom. Frequent
conversation is a point of both practice and emphasis, and students
regularly write compositions of 150 to 300 words. Students continue
their study of French and francophone cultures through reading,
lectures, film, and research projects. Students focus on letter
writing in French at the beginning of the year. Other long-term
topics of study include medieval history, the French Revolution
and the First World War in France. Students are also exposed to
a wide variety of examples of literary excerpts from Francophone
African works.
FRENCH IV
French IV reviews French grammar with emphasis on complex structures
and attention to idiomatic expressions. While continuing to write
frequent compositions, students also make oral presentations and
participate in class discussions on contemporary topics. French
culture and major events in French history are addressed through
the medium of feature movies. Readings include excerpts from medieval
through twentieth century writings and full-length works which
may vary year to year, but usually include writings of Camus,
Zola, Ionesco, Labro, Sarraute, Colette and others. Students also
read articles from magazines, newspapers and internet sites. Students
may choose to take the Advanced Placement Test in French Language
for which college credit may be received.
FRENCH V
French V prepares students for the Advanced Placement Test in
French Literature for which college credit may be received. The
literature includes works from the Renaissance through the twentieth
century. Each work is studied in its historical and artistic context.
Students write frequent literary analyses, prepare written and
oral explications de texte and, for some works, lead class discussions.
Readings include works by Maupassant, Moliere, Beaumarchais, Baudelaire,
Rimbaud, Ronsard, Voltaire, and others.
FRENCH CULTURE AND COMMUNICATION
This is a course designed for students with advanced proficiency
in French who wish to continue their studies in the language while
exploring social, political and cultural issues of importance
to young people growing up in France and francophone regions,
such as North Africa, Quebec and the French Caribbean. Through
works of fiction and non-fiction, films, print media, and Internet
resources, students will develop a deeper understanding of these
cultures, while improving their language skills. Written and oral
communications will be stressed through regular written assignments
(compositions, essays, creative writing exercises), oral presentations,
and video projects. The study of grammar topics and the mechanics
of writing will be incorporated into assignments and class presentations.
Enrollment is by permission of the instructor.
SPANISH I
First year Spanish is a student’s first introduction to
the Spanish language and Hispanic cultures. At the beginning levels
the basic skills of communication are stressed, and students work
towards speaking and understanding Spanish necessary to communicate
in real life situations. Students learn to express themselves
in present, past and future time frames. As students study the
language they begin to understand and appreciate the way of life,
customs, values and cultures of people from many different areas
of the world.
SPANISH II
Spanish II emphasizes the Spanish language as a means of personal
communication. It begins to build the strong vocabulary and grammatical
background needed for reading and writing the language. A knowledge
of basic Spanish grammar is completed, including common verb tenses.
Students begin to make short oral presentations and to write their
first compositions, usually summaries or descriptions of situations.
Students continue their study of the culture and customs of Spanish-speaking
peoples.
SPANISH III
Spanish III is a review of basic grammar with attention to the
more advanced grammatical structures found in written and spoken
Spanish. With the exception of some grammatical explanations,
Spanish is used exclusively in the third-year classrooms. Frequent
conversation is a point of both practice and emphasis and students
regularly write compositions of 200 words. At this level students
begin to integrate literature into their studies, reading short
stories and articles from a variety of sources.
SPANISH IV
Spanish IV emphasizes the use of the Spanish language for active
communication. The objectives of the class stress the ability
to comprehend formal and informal spoken Spanish, the acquisition
of vocabulary and a grasp of structure to allow the easy and accurate
reading of Hispanic literature, the ability to compose expository
passages and the ability to express ideas orally with accuracy
and fluency. Materials include films, recordings, newspapers,
and magazines as well as short stories, essays, poetry, drama
and excerpts from novels. Students may choose to take the Advanced
Placement exam in Spanish Language for which college credit may
be given.
SPANISH V
The AP Spanish Literature course is intended to be the equivalent
of a third-year college Introduction to Hispanic Literature course.
It covers selected authors and works from seven centuries of literature
from Spain and Latin America and centers on the understanding
and analysis of literary texts. Students read and analyze literature
of all genres in Spanish including poetry. By the end of the course,
student language ability can generally be equated to that of college
students who have completed the typical fifth or sixth semester
Spanish Language course in composition, conversation and grammar.
In many colleges and universities this level marks the break between
upper and lower division work.
JAPANESE I
This introductory level of Japanese emphasizes learning the basics of the Japanese language and culture. Students study two different sets of Japanese letters as well as pronunciation and basic sentence construction in the Japanese language. During the second semester students study the elementary level of 40 kanji. In order to strengthen their memorization in Japanese writing system, hand writing is expected. Through projects on Japanese holidays and festivals students learn about the countries and culture of Japan.
JAPANESE II
In Japanese II, the volume of grammar and its complexity increase as the students are more familiar with Japanese. Different levels of speech style, from normal polite to plain verb forms, are introduced. In order to be gain knowledge in geography and various cities in Japan, a project is conducted. This is also the introduction of writing Japanese on the computer. While practicing previous kanji, 60 new kanji are introduced.
JAPANESE III
Japanese III begins with a review of grammatical concepts and
usage learned in Japanese II. The class will continue to learn
grammar which will enable them to express their opinions, intentions,
and desires, and will continue to acquire more vocabulary and
kanji. With the exception of grammatical explanations, Japanese
will be the official language of the classroom. The students will
be expected to write longer and more complex essays and journal
entries.
JAPANESE IV
Japanese IV begins with a review of grammatical concepts and previously learned structures, and uses these concepts as the building blocks for new and more complex constructions. Students continue to increase the volume of Kanji, totaling 300 by the end of this year. Students practice conversational skills in both formal and informal settings.
In order to introduce Japanese history, individual students explore different eras, and share the information with other students. In-class writing and in-class discussion are assigned. Writing is mostly done by computer.
JAPANESE V
The goal of Japanese V is to develop conversational competence and listening with more accuracy. Students write short essays, and increase their knowledge of Kanji. 100 new kanji are introduced to help students read articles, posters, advertisements, and other authentic reading materials. This prepares the students for Advanced Placement test of Japanese language and culture, for which they might be credited a 1st year of Japanese language study in college level.
MANDARIN I
Mandarin I uses a communicative approach to language teaching which strikes a balance between language forms and language functions. Culture is not treated as a separate entity apart from phonology, syntax and discourse. At the elementary level the focus is on listening and speaking. Chinese is connected to English, enabling students to find a bridge to reach the “strange” language. Technology is used in the form of websites and chat rooms in Chinese. At the end of first year Chinese, students should be able to comprehend short dialogues and passages read or spoken by Chinese natives at normal speed with familiar vocabulary, talk about simple everyday activities and be able to handle simple survival situations (asking for direction, shopping and eating), write Chinese phonetic symbols (pinyin), and be knowledgeable of the principles (e.g., stroke orders, basic radicals, etc.) of writing Chinese. In addition students should be able to comprehend short written dialogues and reading passages with familiar vocabulary and discuss topics of general interest beyond daily routines (e.g., presenting a short story, describing cultural traditions in general terms).
Mandarin II
This course is a continuation of Chinese I with a review of grammar and further development of reading and writing skills in Mandarin. Students will gain additional proficiency in their four skills of aurally understanding, speaking, reading and writing. Emphasizes building lexicon in spoken and written forms, and using context and strategies to ascertain meaning without knowing the structures and lexicon of an authentic text. Students are expected to handle some tasks such as discussing daily routines, asking for and giving simple directions, shopping, talking on the phone, reading and writing notes and letters. Levels II will be required to produce a 15- 20 minute video project all in Chinese. The class will be taught using Total Physical Response Story-telling combined with extended reading. Some stories are created together with the students in class, so student participation is a key part of the course. |