Modern Languages
Aims/Objectives
- to enable students to communicate in every day situations with the use of basic and more complex sentence patterns
- to develop the students' aural comprehension skills
- to develop the basic and more advanced reading and writing skills
- to help students to continue to develop their awareness of grammatical structures
- to enable students to acquire confidence as they communicate
- to help students become culturally knowledgeable and to develop an awareness of differences and similarities between the target culture and their own
Skills
The four primary language skills, namely listening, speaking, reading and writing are developed in an integrated way. The balance between these language skills is adapted to the needs of the students and the level. Competence in each of the primary skills involves an understanding of three interrelated areas:
- Language: handling the language system accurately (grammar, syntax, etc.)
- Cultural interaction: selecting language appropriate to a particular cultural and social context
- Message: understanding ideas and how they are organized in order to communicate them appropriately
Assessment
In order to give the students the chance to demonstrate their proficiency in the languages, they will complete a range of assessment tasks. These will be adapted to the level of the course. Some of the assessment tasks are:
- Writing: dialogues, letters, postcards, paragraphs on a variety of topics
- Listening: comprehension questions accompanying interviews, conversations and dialogues
- Reading: comprehension exercises accompanying dialogues, ads and short articles, postcards with a focus on scanning, using root words, context and making relationships between ideas
- Speaking: oral presentations, skits, communicative activities with partners
Course Descriptions
French 6 (Level 1)
French for 6th graders is a complete beginner's course, meeting three times per week. It is the first year of a sequential program leading to the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) examination at the end of 10th grade and the International Baccalaureate (IB) examination at the end of 12th grade. It places emphasis upon communicative competence in everyday or relevant situations, especially in speech but also in writing. Functional expressions, vocabulary and grammar are integrated into the program. In this course the students are familiarized with the culture of the French-speaking world. Textbook: Allez viens I
French 7 (Level 2)
This one school year course is geared for students who have successfully completed French 6. Students will limited or no knowledge of the language are still accepted, but will need to try to catch up, because the course builds on language and contexts covered in French 6. This course develops the students' skills to express themselves in more elaborate sentences and meets four times per week. Textbook: Allez viens I
French 8 (Level 3)
This daily course is geared for students who have successfully completed French 7 and therefore should already be able to manipulate quite complex structures and express themselves in the target language. It builds on the students' prior learning, placing emphasis upon communicative competence in everyday or relevant situations, especially in speech but also in writing. Functional expressions, vocabulary and grammar are integrated into the program. Textbook: Allez viens I and II
Spanish 6 (Level 1)
Spanish 6 is a beginner's course, meeting three times per week, continues for five years until the International Public Examination at the end of 10th grade (IGCSE). The course places emphasis upon communicative competence in everyday or relevant situations, especially in speech but also in writing. Functional expressions, vocabulary and grammar are integrated into the program, which is based upon the course book "Avancemos", Book 1, Unidad 1-2.
Spanish 7 (Level 2)
Spanish 7 is the second year of a beginners' course, which normally continues for five years until the International Public Examination at the end of 10th grade (IGCSE). It meets 4 lessons per week. Students will limited or no knowledge of the language are still accepted, but will need to try to catch up, because the course builds on language and contexts covered in French 6. This course places emphasis upon communicative competence in everyday or relevant situations, especially in speech but also in writing. Functional expressions, vocabulary and grammar are integrated into the program, which is based upon the course book "Avancemos", from Unidad 3.
Spanish 8 (Level 3)
This daily course is geared for students who have successfully completed Spanish 7 and therefore should already be able to manipulate quite complex structures and express themselves in the target language. It builds on the students' prior learning, placing emphasis upon communicative competence in everyday or relevant situations, especially in speech but also in writing. Functional expressions, vocabulary and grammar are integrated into the programme. Coursebook "Avancemos" 2.
Chinese 6 (Level 1)
Chinese for 6th graders is a complete beginner's course, meeting three times per week. It is the first year of a sequential program. It places emphasis upon communicative competence in everyday or relevant situations, especially in speech but also in writing. Functional expressions, vocabulary and grammar are integrated into the program.In this course the students are familiarized with the culture of the Chinese-speaking world. Textbook: Ni Hao 1
Chinese 7 (Level 2)
This one school year course is geared for students who have successfully completed Chinese 6. Students will limited or no knowledge of the language are still accepted, but will need to try to catch up, because the course builds on language and contexts covered in Chinese 6. This course develops the students' skills to express themselves in more elaborate sentences and meets four times per week. Textbook: Ni Hao 1 and 2
Chinese 8 (Level 3)
This daily course is geared for students who have successfully completed Chinese 7 and therefore should already be able to manipulate quite complex structures and express themselves in the target language. It builds on the students' prior learning, placing emphasis upon communicative competence in everyday or relevant situations, especially in speech but also in writing. Functional expressions, vocabulary and grammar are integrated into the program. Textbook: Ni Hao 2 and 3
