Foreign Language

The foreign languages offered are French and Spanish. The Foreign Language department strives to instill a love of language and culture. To this end, the courses take a conversational approach creating a pro-active classroom. Classes are taught exclusively in the target language. The department incorporates the most current media in order to motivate students. The department also provides language clinics after school for those students who need to reinforce what they have been taught in the classroom.

I.

FRENCH FRESHMAN YEAR First Year French The aim of this course is to develop enthusiasm for learning a new language and to cultivate an appreciation of its culture. Students study the present tense of regular, as well as frequently used irregular verbs. Lessons cover the introduction of personal pronouns, possessive adjectives, the numbers and the calendar. The aim of the course is to enable students to express themselves both in written and oral form about the world around them. Students acquire vocabulary, structures, and necessary idiomatic expressions to describe the weather, the human body, the family, occupations, food, clothing, colors, leisure activities and cultural pursuits. The passé composé and futur are introduced at the end of the year. Different educational media are used to reinforce the learning process. Second Year French This course is a continuation of the First Year French and assumes prior completion of a full year of French. Listening, speaking, reading and communication skills are incorporated in a graded curriculum, using a variety of educational materials. The topics presented include shopping, food, the home and the restaurant, travel, directions, leisure activities and cultural pursuits. These topics are used in activities such as dictation, conversation, dialogues and original compositions. Reading selections and films further reinforce the language experience. Grammar includes the passé composé with avoir and être, the future tense, reflexive verbs, negatives, personal pronouns, "y" and "en," the imperfect tense, relative and interrogative pronouns, adverbs, prepositions and numerous idioms. SOPHOMORE YEAR Second Year French This course is a continuation of the freshman First Year French curriculum. The goal is the further development of skills, including writing and dialogues based on every day situations. The aim is to incorporate a broad base of vocabulary into speaking and writing skills. Grammatical and linguistic structures include a variety of irregular verbs, the past tense, the present subjunctive, use of direct and indirect object pronouns and reflexive verbs and adverbs. Writing assignments reflect the grammar structures. Compositions begin to reflect personal attitudes, tastes and goals. Students listen to standardized passages of various lengths and difficulty and answer questions to build up both oral comprehension and writing skills. Prose and poetry selections are introduced as well. Third Year French This course is for tenth graders who are now in their third year of French studies. In the first part of the year, concentration is on mastery of grammatical usage including all simple and compound terms of regular verbs, subjunctive and passé simple, verbal structures such as infinitives and participles with prepositions and relative, demonstrative, interrogative pronouns, etc. The grammar is studied in the context of poems, short stories and songs. Emphasis is placed on comprehension at near native pace as well as on verbal communication skills. Conversations and oral reports are presented by students. Vocabulary and structures range from concrete to abstract use of the language. Reading selections include poetry, short stories from literary texts as well as some magazine articles. Compositions based on current events, personal experiences and reactions to the literature are written on a regular basis to form an individual student portfolio. JUNIOR YEAR Third Year French The goal of this course is to enable students to communicate about themselves and their environment and, in addition, to understand and elicit information of a similar nature about the French and their society. Written assignments become more complex, stylistically as well as intellectually. French culture, history and current events are integral parts of the curriculum studied through texts, magazines and the internet. Fourth Year French This course emphasizes reading comprehension and the perfecting of oral skills, while de-emphasizing formal grammar lessons. Grammar is taught as it arises from the readings and as it is illustrated in texts. French civilization and its artistic, literary and musical contributions are presented in individual reports by students. Texts that illustrate contributions of particular figures are discussed in these reports. Presentations with slides, tapes and records are encouraged. Discussions are held on subjects that arise from the readings. The students' compositions are either résumés of the stories or, once again, discussions of issues raised from the reading. The oral exercises begun in the second year are expanded in length and complexity to perfect skills. An effort is made to expose students to various literary genres. Works or excerpts from works by Molière, Camus, de Maupassant and Mérimée are studied. Students are introduced to methods of literary criticism and explication of texts which they can apply to their own efforts at literary criticism, both oral and written.

II.

SPANISH FRESHMAN YEAR First Year Spanish The first year of the Spanish language curriculum seeks to develop excitement for learning a new language and an appreciation of the culture of that language. Students are taught the fundamentals of the spoken language. Reading and writing skills are also stressed. Grammatical concepts include present tense, introduction of the past tenses, commands and introduction to the subjunctive. Lessons cover the use of personal pronouns, adjectives and idiomatic expressions. Vocabulary deals with everyday situations. Second Year Spanish This intermediate course is designed for students who have previously studied the equivalent of a full year of Spanish. It seeks to develop proficiency in all of the language skills and further knowledge of Spanish-speaking cultures. There is a concise grammar review followed by a discussion of various points of Spanish grammar including the compound tenses and the subjunctive. Conversation is stressed as are reading and composition skills. Prose and poetry selections are studied as well. SOPHOMORE YEAR Second Year Spanish This course is a continuation of the freshman First Year Spanish curriculum. Students are expected to master more complex concepts of the spoken and written language and to increase their appreciation of Spanish-speaking cultures. The majority of grammatical forms including the subjunctive mood are studied. There are formal exercises of listening to passages of various lengths and answering questions orally and in writing. Prose and poetry selections are introduced. There are two levels of this course. One is geared toward those who have displayed a facility in the target language and is a more comprehensive study of the language. Third Year Spanish This advanced level course is for students who have successfully completed freshman Second Year Spanish. Students complete the study of Spanish grammar. Communicative proficiency is stressed. More complicated literary texts are introduced as are current events topics. JUNIOR YEAR Third Year Spanish Having completed Spanish grammar in their sophomore year, students are expected to master more advanced concepts of the spoken language. Third Year Spanish is an introduction to the study of Spanish and Latin American culture, history and current events using available sources from texts, magazines and the internet. There are two levels of Third Year Spanish. One is a more rigorous course designed for students who have already achieved a level of fluency. Literary selections, as well as contemporary selections, enhance discussions and appreciation of the Hispanic heritage. Fourth Year Spanish This is an intensive course for students who have successfully completed Third Year Spanish. Oral proficiency is stressed. Presentations with slides, tapes and different media are encouraged. Discussions and compositions arise from readings. Oral exercises are expanded in length and complexity to perfect skills. Students are introduced to various literary genres. Hebrew | Judaism | Talmud | Tanakh | Art and Music | English Foreign Languages | Health and Physical Education | History Math and Computer Science | Science