World Languages
The study of a foreign language is preparation not only for college but also for future employment and world travel. Your teacher will expect you to understand, to speak, to read and to write in the foreign language. You will also study the culture of the foreign countries. You will be assigned written homework, oral presentations, and projects. Nightly review is expected of all foreign-language students to ensure their success. College-bound students are reminded that you will be required to take a foreign language placement test as you enter the university. Students who have done well in upper level high school classes (usually IV or V) can expect to test out of some credit in college which will save them time and money on their degree program. To maintain your foreign language skills, you should sign up for at least two semesters each school year whenever possible. General Prerequisite for French, German, Latin and Spanish, all levels: A minimum GPA of 2.0 is highly recommended at the end of each term to continue in these classes. In order to proceed to second, third and fourth levels, students must have a teacher's signature. All freshmen must have a C (2.3) in English to take a foreign language.
FRENCH
French 1, 2 semesters, 2 credits Course #2020
Grades 9, 10, 11, 12
French I, a course based on Indiana’s Academic Standards for World Languages, introduces
students to effective strategies for beginning French language learning, and to various aspects
of French-speaking cultures. This course encourages interpersonal communication through
speaking and writing, providing opportunities to make and respond to basic requests and
questions, understand and use appropriate greetings and forms of address, participate in brief
guided conversations on familiar topics, and write short passages with guidance. This course
also emphasizes the development of reading and listening comprehension skills, such as
reading phrases to paragraph-length documents (both authentic and inauthentic), as well as
non-literary documents such as menus, brochures, etc.in a situation context and
comprehending brief written or oral directions. Additionally, students will examine the practices,
products, and perspectives of French-speaking cultures; recognize basic routine practices of the
target cultures; and recognize and use situation-appropriate non-verbal communication. This
course further emphasizes making connections across areas and the application of
understanding French language and culture outside of the classroom.
French 2, 2 semesters, 2 credits Course #2022
Grades 10, 11, 12
Prerequisite: French 1
We continue our focus on real-life French. We begin by visiting Paris again, and then move on to the chateau region of France. Conversational topics include talking about feelings, expressing satisfaction and frustration, sympathizing with someone, giving reasons for your actions, doubting something, and asking for information. Students will learn to respond and participate appropriately and creatively in various social situations, family celebrations, and crisis situations. Students will gain practice reading authentic materials from popular media and traditional literature. They will complete authentic forms and taken notes using familiar vocabulary and structures. They will also be able to write brief compositions and summaries. Students will describe aspects of French culture, using French where appropriate and almost exclusively in the classroom.
Note: A French-English/English-French dictionary is recommended
French 3, 2 semesters, 2 credits * Course #2024
Grades 11, 12
Prerequisite: French 2; teacher's signature required.
In this course, students visit French-speaking Europe, Africa, and America to learn about the various ways French is spoken around the world. Focus is almost exclusively on communication, and students are expected to speak French only in the classroom. They begin the year by talking about what their summer vacations were like and asking and answering questions with their classmates. They will be able to ask for and give directions, express impatience, reassure someone, express enthusiasm, and ask and tell where things are. In addition, they will take on the role of the parent by granting and refusing permission, expressing obligation, forbidding, reproaching, and justifying actions. In this course, students also learn to speak in the future about their plans and write a formal letter to a business or perspective employer. Students will also learn the subjunctive mood, so they will be able to express doubt, make suppositions, express astonishment, fear, relief, and caution someone. Much of the course is spent on learning about the culture of the French-speaking world, making comparisons among cultures, and explaining differences. At this level students also begin a more serious and in-depth study of Francophone literature.
*Dual Credit: this course is offered for dual credit through PNC. Students may receive 3 college credits per semester.
French 4 Honors, 2 semesters, 2 credits * Course #2026
Grades 11, 12
Prerequisite French 3; teacher's signature required
In this course, students spend the year communicating exclusively in French. They read authentic literature from the French-speaking world, and then discuss plot, story details, and structure with the class. They evaluate works of literature and debate in French about the quality of pieces they read. Students discover the world of French art, focusing on 19th and 20th century French works, and speak and write about their feelings on chosen pieces of art. Students also study a unit on music from France and the French-speaking world. All of the functions studied and practiced in French 1 3 are worked on and perfected at this level. Assessments are authentic, as the level of the course is more rigorous. French IV Honors students are expected to write and speak French throughout the class, using the language to discuss questions in understanding, support their opinions, and relate past experiences as well as future plans and hopes. They will write impromptu compositions and give impromptu speeches in which they support their opinions on a given topic. They will use authentic sources, such as French sites on the Internet, to research and report on topics in French culture, history, and current events.
*Dual Credit: This course is offered for dual credit through PNC. Students may receive 3 college credits per semester.
Note: A French-English dictionary is required.
SPANISH
Spanish 1, 2 semesters, 2 credits Course #2120
Grades 9, 10, 11, 12
Spanish I, a course based on Indiana’s Academic Standards for World Languages, introduces students to effective strategies for beginning Spanish language learning, and to various aspects of Spanish-speaking cultures. This course encourages interpersonal communication through speaking and writing, providing opportunities to make and respond to basic requests and questions, understand and use appropriate greetings and forms of address, participate in brief guided conversations on familiar topics, and write short passages with guidance. This course also emphasizes the development of reading and listening comprehension skills, such as reading phrases to paragraph-length documents (both authentic and inauthentic), as well as non-literary documents such as menus, brochures, etc., in a situation context and comprehending brief written or oral directions. Additionally, students will examine the practices, products, and perspectives of Spanish-speaking cultures; recognize basic routine practices of the target cultures; and recognize and use situation-appropriate non-verbal communication. This course further emphasizes making connections across areas and the application of understanding Spanish language and culture outside of the classroom.
Spanish 2, 2 semesters, 2 credits Course #2122
Grades 10, 11, 12
Prerequisite: Spanish 1
In this course students will continue to learn the written and spoken forms of Spanish with an opportunity for you to express yourself on a wider range of topics. Students will become familiar with areas of the United States where Spanish is spoken as frequently as English. They will also learn about how to prepare for travel to a Spanish-speaking country. Through this course, students are able to ask questions about everyday activities, participate in various topics of conversation, relate simple experiences, interact in situations in which someone asks for permission, help or information, and express preferences. They will understand readings on familiar topics, read aloud with appropriate pronunciation and intonation, and write brief situational responses, such as notes, directions, and letters. With special focus on Texas, Puerto Rico, and particular regions of Spain and Mexico, students will also examine culture in semesters of geographical features, historical events, and political structures. They will become familiar with traditions in art, architecture, literature, and music, and will learn about everyday life in the Spanish-speaking world.
Spanish 3, 2 semesters, 2 credits * Course #2124
Grades 11, 12
Prerequisite: Spanish 2; teacher's signature required
This intermediate course will place emphasis on greater use of Spanish in a variety of settings. Students will have opportunities to respond and participate appropriately and creatively in various social situations, family celebrations, and crisis situations. They will gain practice discussing and reacting to news events and environmental issues, recalling childhood memories, and talking about entertainment and recreation. Students will gain practice reading authentic materials from popular media and traditional literature. They will complete authentic forms and take notes using familiar vocabulary and structures. They will also be able to write summaries, reports, and a fairy tale or science fiction story. With special focus on Mexico, the United States, the Caribbean, and the Andean countries of South America, students will use Spanish to describe aspects of the target culture.
*Dual Credit: This course is offered for dual credit through PNC. Students may receive 3 college credits per semester.
Spanish 4 Honors, 2 semesters, 2 credits * Course #2126
Grades 11, 12
Prerequisite: Spanish 3, honors criteria
Students in Spanish 4 Honors will give presentations on cultural topics. They will be able to paraphrase or restate what someone else has said. They will read literary selections from our textbook (written in Spanish only), and they will frequently practice creative writing in the language. They are aware of connections between at least one historical period and its art forms, and of major art forms, musical styles, and literary forms in one of the countries studied. They can participate in a variety of situations in the culture, and can adjust their speech according to the demands of the situation or audience. A general review of Spanish grammar and the tense system will be embedded in a theme-based curriculum. For their required Honors projects, students will use authentic sources to research and report on topics in Hispanic culture, history and current events. They will view and discuss movies with topics pertaining to the Hispanic culture. Spanish IV Honors students are expected to write and speak Spanish throughout the class, using the language to discuss questions in understanding, support their opinions, and relate past experiences as well as future plans and hopes. They will write impromptu compositions and give impromptu speeches in which they support their opinions on a given topic.
*Dual Credit: This course is offered for dual credit through PNC. Students may receive 3 college credits per semester.