The study of a world language provides an opportunity for students to view a culture other than their own through the language of that culture. It is recommended that for maximum benefit students devote four years of study to the world language. The ability to communicate in a second or third language is increasingly important in the global village in which we live.
We currently provide a four-year sequence of study in two modern languages - German and Spanish. (For the class of 2012 this will increase to a five-year sequence, with the fifth year being AP German/AP Spanish.) Level 1 introduces
the comprehension skills of listening and reading as well as the production skills of speaking and writing, and the refinement of these skills occurs in the subsequent levels. Students use the language as a means of communication.
Daily instruction includes cultural material related to the language so that students become sensitive to the cultural appropriateness of the language as well as the linguistic accuracy. We recommend that native speakers of Spanish take
German I to familiarize themselves with the structural terminology of language learners. They may then enter Spanish IV (see Spanish IV course description regarding native speakers).
Along with German and Spanish we are offering the opportunity to begin the study of Mandarin Chinese for a select number of 10th, 11th and 12th graders who maintain enrollment in their first language. The Chinese program would be a
distance learning partnership that uses technology to interact with the Chinese teacher and students from other schools. Interested and eligible students may obtain program details during course selection.
- Spanish Video Assignments
- German and Spanish National Honor Societies
- German and Spanish European Trips