Modern and Classical Languages

List of 4 items.

• Chinese

  Grade 5
  Chinese 5 is the introductory level course for the only non-western language in our program. The course introduces learners to the ideographic writing symbols and the melodic pronunciation system. Through videos, animations, cooking projects and board games, students build their language foundation and begin to gain familiarity with the cultures influenced by the language. Learners explore a series of dialogues and video clips from our textbook Integrated Chinese. They will learn basic tones and sentence structures needed for daily conversations related to greetings and asking questions. The course exposes the students to a variety of learning strategies that will help them to design their individual learning plans and to reflect on their plans along the way. The course also offers graded readers and enrichment activities for more experienced learners.
  
  

  Grade 6
  Chinese 6 is the second year of the Middle School Chinese program. Following a thorough review of the previous year, this course presents new elements of language, culture and history. This course continues to stress the acquisition and development of four key communication skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Students continue to expand their mastery of the language through more frequent practice of speaking and listening exercises, creative writing and reading short paragraphs. Vocabulary and grammar concepts are presented and practiced in a thematic approach that includes the study of short stories. Major themes of study include time concepts and counting; hobbies and school life; changes in weather; and languages of the world.
  
  

  Grade 7
  Chinese 7 is the third year of the Middle School Chinese program and continues to explore fundamental Chinese grammar and various topics of vocabulary. In this course, students reinforce their language skills acquired from Chinese 5 and 6 and expand their studies in language patterns and sentence structures. Through discussions and practice of topics from the Integrated Chinese textbook and workbooks—including personal hobbies, making friends and booking appointments—students improve their communicative skills, reading comprehension and writing proficiency. Through stories, dialogues and projects, students also appreciate diverse aspects of Chinese culture and common social phrases that express respect, humility and appreciation.
  
  

  Grade 8
  Chinese 8, the fourth and final year of the Middle School Chinese program, provides students with a more in-depth understanding of Chinese vocabulary and syntax. In this course, students review the topics they have previously studied and find different ways to refine their communication by incorporating new language and forms that they explore this year. Through discussions and the practice of topics from the Integrated textbook and workbooks—including classroom experience, school life, shopping and transportation—students develop a wider range of vocabulary and fine-tune their reading and speaking skills according to varied contexts and customs. Dialogues about culture introduce students to traditional Chinese etiquette, modern Chinese civilization, and educational practices and the Chinese school system. At the end of this course, students are prepared to enter the third level course of Chinese in the Upper School, Chinese III.

• French

  Grade 5
  The primary goal of French 5 is to foster a love of the French language and Francophone culture. This course provides students with a formal introduction to the French language using deductive methods. Students receive and use their first text and workbooks, learn the names of grammatical structures, and begin conjugating simple verbs. They learn vocabulary related to school, the classroom, their friends and the home. Francophone culture is introduced through reading and movies, and comprehension is ensured by post-reading activities. A wide variety of methodologies are used to accommodate all learning styles.
  
  

  Grade 6
  French 6 is built around the four pillars of language acquired in French 5: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The thematic unit approach is used to reinforce the grammar rules and students learn more complex grammatical structures, including irregular verb conjugations and new vocabulary. They are also introduced to longer readings on aspects of the daily life of the French-speaking world. Movies are shown to stretch their understanding of grammar and make them fun. A wide variety of methodologies are used to accommodate all learning styles.
  
  

  Grade 7
  French 7 is the third year of the Middle School French program and continues to introduce new grammar and vocabulary at an accelerated pace. In this course, students consolidate the knowledge acquired in French 5 and 6 by structuring short compositions and speaking about the world around them. They also expand upon their interaction with the Francophone world by responding to more complex listening comprehension activities featuring different Francophone accents. Their grammar portfolio further expands as they learn to conjugate more irregular verbs as well as regular -ir verbs. A wide variety of methodologies are used to accommodate all learning styles.

  
  Grade 8
  French 8 is primarily a transitional course between the Middle and Upper School French programs. Students review and refine basic grammatical structures, with special attention to the usage of past tenses, and increase their vocabulary. They apply their skills spontaneously and in practical contexts such as talking about their leisure, clothes and travel. They start to rely on their own ability to speak, understand, read and write French, realizing that their oral and written skills are tightly intertwined while improving their French in a dynamic, interdisciplinary manner. The French 5-8 program prepares students to enter third-year French in the Upper School.

• Latin

  The Latin program fosters a detailed eye for language roots and structures as well as reading comprehension and historical empathy.
  
  Grade 7
  Latin 7 is designed as an introduction to the basic grammar, sentence patterns and vocabulary of Latin. Students also learn in-depth about the historical and cultural contexts of the Latin stories they read. There is regular examination of the relationship between the Latin and English languages, as well as the ancient and modern worlds. This course covers the first book of the Cambridge Latin Course.

       
  Grade 8
  Latin 8 provides students a fuller understanding of the basic mechanics of the Latin language and the breadth of the Roman world. Translation skills are refined, with emphasis on both grammar comprehension and reading comprehension. Cultural background extends to the far corners of the Roman Empire, particularly Roman Britain and Egypt. This course covers the second book of the Cambridge Latin Course. The Latin 7-8 program prepares students to enter second-year Latin in the Upper School, Latin II.

• Spanish

  Grade 5
  In Spanish 5 students build on the knowledge of Spanish that they acquired in the K-4 Lower School program. Students continue to practice and develop their speaking, listening, reading and writing skills through a variety of communicative exercises and thematic units. The class introduces them to grammatical concepts, such as verb conjugations, and students learn how to identify the elements that make up a sentence in order to develop their writing skills. The three verb groups, -ar/-er/-ir, and irregular verbs ser, estar, tener and ir are presented in an organic fashion. Cultural topics play an important role in the language learning process and are presented through thematic units and hands-on projects throughout the year. This allows the student to experience the culture of the target language.

  
  Grade 6
  At this level, students continue to work on grammatical structures and communication skills. The course begins with a review of the regular -ar/-er/-ir verbs. From there students are introduced to irregular verbs such as "estar" and "ir," to the "-go" verbs such as "hacer," "venir" and "tener," and to stem-changing verbs. Students also study "the near future" (ir+a+infinitive). Vocabulary and culture are introduced through short readings and videos, with special emphasis on daily life and the similarities and differences between the cultures of the United States and those of Spanish-speaking countries. The vocabulary includes food, health terms, places, after-school activities, family relationships, and possessive and descriptive adjectives. Throughout the year, students continue to develop their skills through individual and group projects and presentations.

  
  

  Grade 7
  In Spanish 7 the emphasis in listening, reading, writing and speaking will continue through the use of short books and magazines. Hands-on projects and the exploration of cultural aspects of Spanish-speaking countries will still be an integral part of the curriculum. This is a year of grammatical expansion. After two years of learning and reviewing different parts of the present indicative tense and near future indicative, Spanish 7 students initiate their studies of the preterite (past tense). Past, present and future indicative tenses will be integrated into their writing and readings. Besides, they will continue learning new grammatical structures such as: direct object pronouns, indirect object pronouns, demonstrative adjectives and pronouns, comparisons, and superlatives. Students will have the opportunity to review vocabulary such as countries and nationalities, physical descriptions and adjectives, numbers, calendar information, food, parts of the house and the weather. They will then add vocabulary to talk about vacations, moments in life, parts of the city and leisure activities.

  
  Grade 8
  Spanish 8, the final course in the Middle School sequence, provides students with opportunities to consolidate the vocabulary and grammar studied in previous years through an extensive review and learn new material that will deepen their written and oral expression. Usage of the target language is maximized through open class discussions and student presentations. New grammar includes the preterit tense, direct and indirect object pronouns, comparative expressions, and prepositional pronouns. In addition, their vocabulary and communication skills grow through various cultural topics, including how to order in a restaurant, describe the taste and quality of different foods, make a comparative study of the nutritional guidelines in the United States and Spanish-speaking countries, and investigate cultural celebrations in different countries among other topics. At the end of this course, students are prepared to enter the third level of Spanish in the Upper School, Spanish III.