World Languages

The curriculum of the French I course (1A and 1B) is built around the five C’s of language learning: communication, cultures, comparisons, connections, and communities. Students are given many opportunities to actively participate through games, skits, songs, and other activities. Students gain confidence while communicating in French and learning about French and Francophone cultures. Themes include: everyday life, school, family, travel, health, and relationships. Students actively explore these themes and make comparisons to other disciplines and to their own lives. Students are ready for French 1B upon successful completion of this course. 

Prerequisites: French 1A or equivalent 

Through communicatively-based activities, with a strong focus on speaking, students in French 1B build the vocabulary and irregular verbs that are used in everyday conversation. The themes of life in the city, shopping for food and clothing, leisure activities, and meals provide a lens through which to explore our own cultural practices and those of people in the French-speaking world. As students gain more confidence and facility with the present tense, they are introduced to the passé composé. By the end of French 1B, students are able to state facts in the present and the past, express opinions and tell stories about a wide variety of topics in French. 
 

Prerequisites: French 1B or equivalent 

Students begin French 2 with a good vocabulary and a firm grasp of regular and irregular verbs in the present and the passé composé. This gives them a solid base from which to jump into more complex vocabulary and structures. In French 2, students deepen their understanding of the passé composé and compare it with the imparfait. Direct and indirect object pronouns are introduced, along with relative pronouns. Through various cultural themes (including making friends, weekend activities, French meals, sports, travel, health, city life, personal relationships, and careers) students examine their own attitudes and practices while comparing them with those of people in the French-speaking world. At this level, students are ready to play with the language. They take what they’ve learned in other levels and piece it together in meaningful and original communication, which is a source of true joy in learning! This class is interactive with many opportunities to actively participate. Students are ready for French 3 upon successful completion of this course. 
 

Prerequisites: French 2A or appropriate score on placement test. 

Students will use prior knowledge of French for this course, which is the most advanced Middle School French class. We review the passé compsoé and the imparfait, and introduce the future, conditional, and subjunctive mood. This class is interactive with many opportunities to actively participate. Students gain confidence while communicating in French and learning about French and Francophone cultures. The themes of travel, health, city life, personal relationships, and careers are covered in this course. Students actively explore these themes and make comparisons to other disciplines and to their own lives. Students are ready for French III in the Upper School upon successful completion of this course. 
 

This course is designed for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students who are new to French or to MPA, or who need to review French 1A or 1B before moving on the French 2A. The curriculum is based on the everyday themes of family, school, leisure activities, and meals, incorporating useful vocab and essential grammatical structures. Students who complete French 1 successfully will move into French 2A (rising 7th and 8th graders) in Middle School or French II (rising 9th graders) in Upper School. 

Learning another language and culture can be fun and challenging. In Spanish 1A, students are introduced to the basics of the Spanish language through hands-on, culture-centered lessons. As they learn, they make connections and comparisons with their own cultures. Students delve into the alphabet, colors, numbers, weather expressions, seasons, school related vocabulary, food, family and house, daily chores, likes and dislikes. They are able to communicate effectively by learning about definite and indefinite articles, noun adjective agreement, possessive adjectives, subject pronouns, and present tense verbs and how to conjugate them and use them when speaking and writing. 

All vocabulary and grammar topics are presented through content-based instruction with embedded culture lessons.  

Language acquisition is achieved through songs, dances, games, online activities, videos, and skits. Students are assessed formally through written and oral tests and quizzes, projects, and skits. 

Our goal in Spanish IA, and in all our Spanish classes, is to teach what are called the five Cs: Communication, Connections, Cultures, Comparisons, and Communities. You can find a description of this here: http://www.actfl.org/publications/all/national-standards-foreign-language-education 

In Spanish 1A, upon completion of the course, the linguistic goal is to have students at the “novice low” to “novice mid” level according to ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language) guidelines. 
 

In Spanish 1B, students continue their study of Spanish language and culture through hands on learning and by making connections and comparisons to their own culture. Students delve into the school related vocabulary, food, family, daily chores, likes and dislikes. They are able to communicate effectively by learning about present tense verbs and exploring the basics of the preterit tense.

All vocabulary and grammar topics are presented through content-based instruction (http://iteslj.org/Articles/Davies-CBI.html) and culture based instruction (http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/articles/culture-fifth-language-skill).  The means used in order to achieve language acquisition will be activities such as: songs, dance, games, iPads (and apps that go along with them), videos, and skits.  Assessment will be through written and oral tests and quizzes as well as projects and skits.

Our goal in Spanish IB, and in all of our Spanish classes, is to teach what are called the five Cs: Communication, Connections, Cultures, Comparisons, and Communities. You can find a description of this here: http://www.actfl.org/publications/all/national-standards-foreign-language-education

In this course, our linguistic goal is to have our students at the “novice high” level according to ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language).
 

¡¿Comiste qué?! (You ate what?!)  In Spanish II, students are immersed in the sites and sounds of the Spanish language and culture from day one.  Through the use of the AVANCEMOS II textbook, students learn to become comfortable with daily life in Latin America or Spain and are able to listen, speak, read, and write about their personality and characteristics, daily activities, food, school and around town, feelings, daily routines, making plans, likes and dislikes, travel, vacation, sports, health, clothes, shopping, the market, legends and stories.  Through these many topics students also learn the grammar of: subject pronouns, present tense verbs, ser vs estar, direct and indirect object pronouns, preterit tense, imperfect, preterit vs imperfect, and commands of tú, Ud, Uds.

All vocabulary and grammar topics are presented through content-based instruction (http://iteslj.org/Articles/Davies-CBI.html) and culture based instruction (http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/articles/culture-fifth-language-skill).  The means used in order to achieve language acquisition will be activities such as: songs, dance, games, online activities, videos, and skits.  Assessment will be through written and oral tests and quizzes, essays, as well as projects and skits.

In Spanish II, and in all of Mounds Park Academy Spanish classes, students will learn what are called the five Cs: Communication, Connections, Cultures, Comparisons, and Communities.  You can find a description of this here: http://www.actfl.org/publications/all/national-standards-foreign-language-education

In Spanish II, the linguistic goal is to have students at the intermediate low level according to ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language). http://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/public/ACTFLProficiencyGuidelines2012_FINAL.pdf
 

The Middle School Spanish 3 class will study the Spanish language to expand comprehension in the skill areas of reading, speaking, writing, and listening. These will be learned through skits, games, writing/reading exercises, cultural presentations, videos, and some language/news websites. During the first quarter, we will review vocabulary and grammar skills (sentence structures) that students have acquired in previous levels. Specifically, this study will involve (among other grammar concepts) the present tense of regular and irregular (stem-changing) verb forms, the preterit and imperfect tenses, commands, the present progressive tense, and reflexive verbs. Study for the rest of the year will focus on new tenses (future, conditional, present subjunctive, past subjunctive, present perfect, past perfect, future perfect, conditional perfect and present and past subjunctive perfect,) vocabulary, some passive voice constructions and por/para.