Academics

SPANISH I – Full-year course
Taught simultaneously with SL ab initio Spanish, Spanish I is an introduction to the Spanish language and Latino culture. The course concentrates on the fundamentals of grammar, usage, and vocabulary with an emphasis on learning the skills of speaking, reading, writing, and listening. One of our goals in teaching Spanish is to instill an appreciation for another culture and to promote good social relationships.

SPANISH II – Full-year course
This course rigorously reviews the basics of the language, giving students a firm foundation upon which to build more advanced skills. Students’ reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills improve through frequent drills, tests, essays, reading assignments, and practice exercises. We include the cultural and historical context of speakers of the language.

FRENCH I – Full-year course
Taught simultaneously with SL ab initio French, the course emphasizes listening comprehension and the use of basic conversational patterns of French speech. It introduces elementary grammatical and idiomatic structures, as well as appropriate reading material. Students make extensive use of video and audio materials both in and out of class.  Understanding of the culture is also emphasized.

FRENCH II – Full-year course
This course continues the study of the basic structures of spoken and written French, with increasing emphasis on the development of writing. Other points of emphasis are grammar, usage, vocabulary, speaking, and culture.  Students continue to make extensive use of video and audio materials both in and out of class.


GERMAN I  – Full-year course
Taught simultaneously with SL ab initio German, German I takes students from the beginning of learning the language and provides them with a foundation for further study while developing their ability to speak and write German so that they can deal adequately with familiar and practical needs.  It stresses listening, speaking, writing and reading skills, and also introduces students to the culture

11TH AND 12TH GRADE IB GROUP 2:

(Spanish, French, German)

SL Ab Initio Spanish – Two year sequence
Over the course of two years (for a total of 150 hours of instruction) students develop the knowledge and skills necessary to communicate clearly with Spanish speakers and understand the broader aspects of Spanish and Latin American cultures, as well to effectively navigate most common cultural situations. They recognize and effectively make use of different registers of speech, and are able to express their ideas logically and persuasively. Students also learn to react to and interact with others whose viewpoints may not coincide with their own.

Standard Level Spanish B – Two-year sequence
In this course, students go beyond listening and practicing speaking by pursuing self-expression in a second language.  They develop practical reading and writing skills, and build and regularly use a diverse Spanish vocabulary. They also learn to understand many aspects of cultural and historical contexts relating to the Spanish language.

Higher Level Spanish B – Two-year sequence
Students develop a practical and useful mastery of the oral and written Spanish language through the proper use of a broad vocabulary, all verb tenses, and grammatical structures that allow for normal communication. They also become familiar with Hispanic culture and history, thereby allowing them to understand themselves and others more fully. Emphasis is on the development of Spanish speaking, listening, writing, and reading skills. The curriculum instills a profound intellectual internationalism, as stressed by the IB Learner Profile.

HL and SL SPANISH A2  – Two-year sequence
Spanish A2 is intended for native speakers of Spanish or advanced non-native speakers with a high level of ability.  Students study a wide range of texts, primarily literary,  chosen by the teacher, and perform oral and written assessments to demonstrate understanding of the culture, their ability to express themselves with clarity, coherence, and fluency, and their ability to engage in critical examination of texts.  HL Spanish A2 will have at least one additional meeting per week than SL, and will require more challenging work.

HL and SL FRENCH A2
French A2 is intended for native speakers of French or advanced non-native speakers with a high level of ability.  Students study a wide range of texts, primarily literary,  chosen by the teacher, and perform oral and written assessments to demonstrate understanding of the culture, their ability to express themselves with clarity, coherence, and fluency, and their ability to engage in critical examination of texts.  HL French A2 will have at least one additional meeting per week than SL, and will require more challenging work.

HL FRENCH
Higher Level French is intended for foreign language learners who are proficient at French.  It is a literature-based course which aims to bring students to fluency or near-fluency, and to prepare them to use the language in a range of contexts and for a variety of purposes.  Listening, speaking, reading and writing are equally emphasized through the study of a range of authentic texts chosen by the teacher.

HL and SL French A2 – Two year sequence
French A2 is intended for native speakers of French or advanced non-native speakers with a high level of ability.  Students study a wide range of texts, primarily literary,  chosen by the teacher, and perform oral and written assessments to demonstrate understanding of the culture, their ability to express themselves with clarity, coherence, and fluency, and their ability to engage in critical examination of texts.  HL French A2 will have at least one additional meeting per week than SL, and will require more challenging work.

Standard Level French B – Two year sequence
Students develop the knowledge and skills necessary to communicate clearly with French speakers and understand the broader aspects of French and Francophone culture. They also learn to effectively navigate common cultural situations. They recognize and effectively make use of different registers of speech, are able to express their ideas logically and persuasively, and to react to and interact with others whose viewpoints may not coincide with their own.

Higher Level French B – Two year sequence
Higher Level French is intended for foreign language learners who are proficient at French.  It is a literature-based course which aims to bring students to fluency or near-fluency, and to prepare them to use the language in a range of contexts and for a variety of purposes.  Listening, speaking, reading and writing are equally emphasized through the study of a range of authentic texts chosen by the teacher.

SL Ab Initio French – Two year sequence
Over the course of two years students develop the knowledge and skills necessary to communicate clearly with French speakers and understand the broader aspects of French and Francophone culture. They also learn to effectively navigate most common cultural situations. They learn to recognize and effectively make use of different registers of speech, and are able to express their ideas logically and persuasively, and to react to and interact with others whose viewpoints may not coincide with their own.

HL and SL German A2  – Two-year sequence
German A2 is intended for native speakers of German or advanced non-native speakers with a high level of ability.  Students study a wide range of texts, primarily literary,  chosen by the teacher, and perform oral and written assessments to demonstrate understanding of the culture, their ability to express themselves with clarity, coherence, and fluency, and their ability to engage in critical examination of texts.  HL German A2 will have at least one extra meeting per week and will require more challenging work.

SL Ab Initio German  – Two-year sequence
Ab initio German is designed for students with no previous instruction in German.  Taught simultaneously with German 1, it takes students from the beginning of learning the language and provides them with a foundation for further study while developing their ability to speak and write German so that they can deal adequately with familiar and practical needs.  It stresses listening, speaking, writing and reading skills, and also introduces students to the culture.

ESL Support
International students in IB classes may be required to attend this class.  It will provide support for classes heavy with reading and writing assignments in English.  Students will work on writing five paragraph essays, as well as skills that enhance their ability to read and comprehend content-based course work.  They will also study idiomatic expressions, vocabulary, and grammar.  It will meet three times per week.