Middle School World Languages Courses
World Languages
Spanish 1
This fun, interactive course for middle school students is filled with diverse, multimedia language activities. Students begin their introduction to Spanish by focusing on the four key areas of foreign language study: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The course represents an ideal blend of language learning pedagogy and online learning. Each unit consists of a new vocabulary theme and grammar concept, reading and listening comprehension activities, speaking and writing activities, multimedia cultural presentations, and interactive activities and practices that reinforce vocabulary and grammar. There is a strong emphasis on providing context and conversational examples for the language concepts presented in each unit.
Students should expect to be actively engaged in their own language learning, become familiar with common vocabulary terms and phrases, comprehend a wide range of grammar patterns, participate in simple conversations and respond appropriately to basic conversational prompts, analyze and compare cultural practices, products, and perspectives of various Spanish speaking countries, and take frequent assessments where their language progression can be monitored. The course has been carefully aligned to national standards as set forth by ACTFL (the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages).
Spanish 2
Students continue their language learning adventure by progressing to the next level of middle school Spanish. Throughout the course, students focus on the four key areas of foreign language study: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The course represents an ideal blend of language learning pedagogy and online learning. Each unit consists of a new vocabulary theme and grammar concept, reading and listening comprehension activities, speaking and writing activities, multimedia cultural presentations, and interactive activities and practices which reinforce vocabulary and grammar.
There is a strong emphasis on providing context and conversational examples for the language concepts engaged in their own language learning, become familiar with common vocabulary terms and phrases, comprehend a wide range of grammar patterns, participate in simple conversations and respond appropriately to basic conversational prompts, analyze and compare cultural practices, products, and perspectives of various Spanish-speaking countries, and take frequent assessments where their language progression can be monitored. The course has been carefully aligned to national standards as set forth by ACTFL (the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages).
Prerequisite: Successful completion of Middle School Spanish 1
French 1
This fun, interactive course for middle school students is filled with diverse, multimedia language activities. Students begin their introduction to French by focusing on the four key areas of foreign language study: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The course represents an ideal blend of language learning pedagogy and online learning. Each unit consists of a new vocabulary theme and grammar concept, reading and listening comprehension activities, speaking and writing activities, multimedia cultural presentations, and interactive activities and practices which reinforce vocabulary and grammar.
There is a strong emphasis on providing context and conversational examples for the language concepts presented in each unit. Students should expect to be actively engaged in their own language learning, become familiar with common vocabulary terms and phrases, comprehend a wide range of grammar patterns, participate in simple conversations and respond appropriately to basic conversational prompts, analyze and compare cultural practices, products, and perspectives of various French-speaking countries, and take frequent assessments where their language progression can be monitored. The course has been carefully aligned to national standards as set forth by ACTFL (the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages).
French 2
Students continue their language-learning adventure by progressing to this next level of middle school French. Throughout the course, students will focus on listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Each unit consists of a new vocabulary theme and grammar concept, reading and listening comprehension activities, speaking and writing activities, multimedia cultural presentations, and task-based activities to reinforce vocabulary and grammar.
There is a strong emphasis on providing context and conversational examples for the language concepts presented in each unit. Students will be actively engaged in their own learning, become familiar with common vocabulary terms and phrases, comprehend a wide range of grammar patterns, participate in simple conversations, compare cultural practices and perspectives of various French-speaking countries and take frequent assessments to monitor progress.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of Middle School French 1
Latin 1
This fun, interactive course for middle school students is filled with diverse, multimedia language activities. Since mastering a classical language presents different challenges from learning a spoken world language, students learn Latin through ancient, time-honored, classical language approaches which include repetition, parsing, written composition, and listening exercises. These techniques, combined with a modern multimedia approach to learning grammar, syntax, and vocabulary, provide students with a strong foundation for learning Latin. Each unit consists of a new vocabulary theme and grammar concept, reading comprehension activities, writing activities, multimedia culture, history, and mythology presentations, and interactive activities and practices which reinforce vocabulary and grammar.
There is a strong emphasis on engaging with authentic classical Latin through weekly encounters with ancient passages from such prestigious authors as Virgil, Ovid, and Lucretius. The curriculum concurs with the Cambridge school of Latin; therefore, students will learn ancient high classical styles of pronunciation and grammar in lieu of generally less sophisticated medieval styles, making it possible for students to comprehend the most Latin from the widest range of time periods. Students should expect to be actively engaged in their own language learning, become familiar with common vocabulary terms and phrases, comprehend a wide range of grammar patterns, understand and analyze the cultural and historical contexts of the ancient sources they study, and take frequent assessments where their language progression can be monitored. The course has been carefully aligned to national standards as set forth by ACTFL (the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages).
Latin 2
Students continue their language-learning adventure by progressing to this next level of middle school Latin. Since mastering a classical language presents different challenges from learning a spoken world language, students learn Latin through ancient, time-honored, classical language approaches which include repetition, parsing, written composition, and listening exercises. These techniques, combined with a modern multimedia approach to learning grammar, syntax, and vocabulary, provide students with a strong foundation for learning Latin. Each unit consists of a new vocabulary theme and grammar concept, reading comprehension activities, writing activities, multimedia culture, history, and mythology presentations, and interactive activities and practices which reinforce vocabulary and grammar.
There is a strong emphasis on engaging with authentic classical Latin through weekly encounters with ancient passages from such prestigious authors as Virgil, Ovid, and Lucretius. The curriculum concurs with the Cambridge school of Latin; therefore, students will learn ancient high classical styles of pronunciation and grammar in lieu of generally less sophisticated medieval styles, making it possible for students to comprehend the most Latin from the widest range of time periods. Students should expect to be actively engaged in their own language learning, become familiar with common vocabulary terms and phrases, comprehend a wide range of grammar patterns, understand and analyze the cultural and historical contexts of the ancient sources they study, and take frequent assessments where their language progression can be monitored. The course has been carefully aligned to national standards as set forth by ACTFL (the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages).
Prerequisite: Successful completion of Middle School Latin 1
Chinese 1
This Chinese course for middle school students is filled with engaging language activities. Students focus on the four key areas of language study: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Each unit consists of a new vocabulary theme and grammar concept, reading and listening comprehension activities, speaking and writing activities, multimedia cultural presentations, and task-based activities to reinforce vocabulary and grammar.
Both Chinese characters and pinyin are presented together throughout the course, and specific character practices are introduced after the first quarter. Students will become familiar with common vocabulary terms and phrases, comprehend a wide range of grammar patterns, participate in simple conversations and respond appropriately to basic conversational prompts, analyze and compare cultural practices and perspectives of various Chinese-speaking countries, and take frequent assessments to monitor language progression. The course is suitable for other ages, depending on background and experience.
Chinese 2
Students continue their language-learning adventure by progressing to this next level of middle school Chinese. With a focus on listening, speaking, reading, and writing, each unit consists of a new vocabulary theme and grammar concept, reading and listening comprehension activities, speaking and writing activities, multimedia cultural presentations, and task-based activities to reinforce vocabulary and grammar.
There is a strong emphasis on providing context and conversational examples for the language concepts presented in each unit. Both Chinese characters and pinyin are presented together throughout the course, and specific character practices are introduced after the first quarter. Students will gain familiarity with common vocabulary terms and phrases, comprehend a wider range of grammar patterns, participate in simple conversations, analyze and compare cultural practices and perspectives of various Chinese-speaking countries, and take frequent assessments.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of Middle School Chinese 1
German 1
In MS German 1, students will begin their language-learning journey by gaining the skills needed to talk about themselves and their immediate environment. Students will learn to introduce themselves, share some basic personal information, talk about their family and friends, discuss what they like to do for fun, and describe their daily routine at home and school.
The class takes a proficiency-based approach, which is informed by current language acquisition research and the ACTFL performance descriptors for novice language learners. A heavy focus is put on German-speaking cultures around the world, with grammar being learned implicitly through input and meaning-based activities. Throughout the 4 Modules, each containing 3 units, students’ language learning is guided by Can Do statements which focus on specific language abilities, such as “I can greet others and introduce myself.”
Available after August 1, 2024
German 2
In MS German 2, students will continue their language-learning journey by gaining the skills needed to talk about themselves, their immediate environment, and German-speaking communities. Students will learn to share some basic personal information about topics including healthy eating habits, family traditions, and pop culture preferences. In addition, students will gather information about a German-speaking community and use this information for a presentation. To prepare for this, students will gain the skills necessary to discuss culture, geography, and governments.
The class takes a proficiency-based approach, which is informed by current language acquisition research and the ACTFL performance descriptors for novice language learners. A heavy focus is put on German-speaking cultures around the world, with grammar being learned implicitly through input and meaning-based activities. Throughout the 4 Modules, each containing 3 units, students’ language learning is guided by Can Do statements which focus on specific language abilities, such as “I can greet others and introduce myself.”
Prerequisite: Successful completion of Middle School German 1
Available after August 1, 2024
