International Languages

In French IB students continue building on their language skills and on the content they have acquired in the seventh grade course. Level 1B expands the communication skills already acquired and broadens awareness of history and culture in the Francophone world. Through texts, discussion, partner work, games, Internet resources, audio files and videos, all four language skills- reading, writing, listening, and speaking- are practiced daily. Our program offers in-class opportunities for students to engage in communicative activities as they work towards mastering instructional objectives. Students use a shared OneNote notebook to organize resources, notes, and homework.

Prerequisites: successful completion of French 1A

Year-long

French I is an introductory course to the French language and Francophone culture. Students learn to communicate in the present and past about themselves, their family, their environment and many other aspects of daily life. Through a variety of communicative and proficiency-oriented activities in speaking, listening, reading and writing, this course aims to provide students with a solid foundation in the fundamental structures of the language as well as broaden their cultural understanding.

Prerequisite: None  
Grade level: Open to all students
Credit Earned:  1.0 International Language

French II                   

French III      

Course format for French IV and V will be determined by enrollment. Insufficient enrollment means the course will be offered through One Schoolhouse. Student will be notified of format before the school year begins.

French IV

Year-long

Students develop the awareness of cultural, social, and political issues. This course allows students to communicate effectively in a range of situations, demonstrating linguistic competence and international understanding. Using a variety of media (readings, TV broadcasts, video clips) and text types (essays, articles, debates, brochures), students continue to work on the development of oral and written expression in order to be able to express themselves accurately and resourcefully in French, using correct register and format for a variety of written text types which include - formal - informal letters, journal entries, articles, interviews, speeches etc. Interactive oral activities, personal research and presentations are also included. This class is conducted in French and students are expected to communicate only in French.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of French III or Forest Ridge teacher recommendation 
Grade level: Open to all qualified students
Credit Earned:  1.0 International Language

French V - Survey of French Literature     

Chinese I is designed for students with little or no experience in learning Chinese. Students develop basic language skills in a cultural context by understanding and responding to structured social conversations. Starting with the introduction of the Chinese language system including Pinyin, tones, radicals and characters, this course focuses on students' performance of producing simple sentences and brief paragraphs related to the topics of greeting, sharing personal information and preferences, introducing others, making plans about and discussing school life. The corresponding cultural knowledge is introduced at appropriate intervals to enrich students' understanding of Chinese culture.

Chinese II students continue to improve their Chinese skills by using both structured and created language. Cultural connections are made at appropriate intervals to familiarize students with the Chinese speaking world. Students learn to initiate and participate in daily communication, apply new vocabulary and more complex sentence patterns to fulfill the functions of expressing individual needs, describe circumstances, compare the similarities and differences of phenomenon, and demonstrate culturally contextualized understanding. Students improve character literacy, authentic language production and cultural competency.

Chinese III students develop their essential Chinese language skills while gaining a deeper understanding of Chinese culture through engaging with various audio, visual, textual materials and increasing authentic language application experience. The course is designed for students who have had at least two years of Chinese study and takes them into structured communication through comprehensive skill-enhancement with abundant task-based practical grammatical structures and sentence patterns.

This course prepares students to develop increased language competencies, while building proficiency and fluency in applying Mandarin in a variety of real-life situations. The course builds language skills and enriches learning experiences through applying authentic listening and reading texts, engaging essays, projects, presentations, classroom discussions and debate. Moreover, a variety of audio, visual, and textual materials are carefully selected based on the interests and preferences to support students’ learning. Students are prepared for a range of collaborative and individual activities each week, including speaking in real time with each other and the instructor. Students expand their learning on topics related to everyday life such as describing appearances, talking about personalities, introducing school life, facilities, population, customs, history, geography, folk music and art, food, neighborhood, transportation, making travel plans, handling emergency, and discussing social, environmental, and global issues. Students will deepen their understanding of the unique Chinese culture as well.

This course prepares students to demonstrate their level of Chinese proficiency across the interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational communicative mode at an advanced level. It focuses on introducing modern Chinese literature to students through the lens of a rich variety of short literary works by famous Chinese writers throughout the twentieth century. Learning materials are arranged in a chronological order with genres including poetry, prose, play, and short stories. Students further develop their language fluency in speaking, listening, communication, and writing. Students also deepen their understanding on broad topics that are reflected in the literature work they explore. Students are expected to achieve an advanced language proficiency, intellectual and intercultural competency to compare, examine, evaluate, and appreciate the literary work throughout their learning experiences.

This course is designed for students to begin the development of their linguistic skills in a foreign language. The approach to learning in Spanish I is both situational and cultural - the theme of each unit encourages immediate use of practical expressions and broadens awareness of Spanish-speaking people's culture. The proficiency-based program offers in-class opportunities for students to engage in communicative activities as they work toward mastering the instructional objectives. Interdisciplinary readings, video clips, and skit preparations add variety to the program.

Spanish II students will continue expanding their vocabulary and grammatical knowledge of the Spanish language. The goal of this course, gradually conducted more and more in Spanish, is to increase the oral and written use of Spanish as well as to further listening and reading comprehension. In order to achieve these goals, students will work individually and in a team in a number of presentations, projects, songs, games and hands-on activities that will take them onto cultural fields such as Hispanic markets, legends, food, movies, and family and relationships.

Students in Spanish III will strengthen their vocabulary and grammatical tools of the Spanish language by reading and watching cultural documents, reflecting upon traditions of the Spanish speaking world. By the end of our course, mostly conducted in Spanish, students will have been able to research and discuss environmental issues, social matters, technology conditions and professions. Through our adventure in Spanish, they will exercise their analytical thinking in substantiating opinions, emotions and decision-making as a foundation for their global leadership role.

In this advanced course, students continue to develop their conversational skills while increasing their mastery of correct grammatical usage and reading comprehension. Students research and discuss current events not only in the Spanish-speaking countries but in the global community, using newspaper and magazine articles. Supplementary activities include memorizing famous poems, reading short novels and stories, and viewing video segments and films.

In this advanced course, students continue to develop their conversational skills while increasing their mastery of correct grammatical usage and reading comprehension. Students research and discuss current events not only in the Spanish speaking countries but in the global community, using newspaper and magazine articles. Supplementary activities include memorizing famous poems, reading short novels, stories and viewing video segments and films.