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World LanguagesThe World Language Department of the Laboratory Schools has the following philosophy of teaching:
University High School offers French, German, Latin, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish. Every student is required to study at least one foreign language in a two-year consecutive sequence; however, the department encourages students to continue their study beyond this two-year requirement in order to develop true proficiency. Because we are a college preparatory school, most students continue their language study for a third and a fourth year. Students may, and many do, take more than one language. Students who are already fluent in a language must select another language at University High School. We do not offer a program for bi-lingual students. Such students may take the Advanced Placement Exam in the language in which they are fluent, but may not take the Advanced Placement course in that language. However, a one-year advanced course in Spanish for bi-lingual students is offered. University High School students will gain proficiency in and be exposed to the cultures of their chosen language in a number of ways. The instruction will include the four basic language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students who perform consistently well in the two-year sequence can expect to gain a sound foundation in grammar and the ability to function at an elementary level in speaking, understanding, reading and writing. Students may have the opportunity to travel abroad with the school-sponsored travel programs to use their language skills. Students new to University High School must list a first and second language choice. These students will be given a placement interview by an appropriate World Language Departent teacher who will make a recommendation to the department chair regarding the best placement for the student. Students must consult their current language teacher for correct course registration for the next year. The current teacher's permission will be necessary at registration. Placement in any course other than the next course in a sequence requires prior written approval by the student's current teacher together with the consent of the department chair. Students may not register for a language class or change to a different level language class after the fourth week of the Fall Quarter. Any changes must be made with consent of the department chair. All language courses are offered provided that there is sufficient enrollment or unless otherwise indicated.
Chinese 1 This course is intended for students with no previous experience in Mandarin Chinese. It will focus on basic reading, writing, speaking and listening skills, with special emphasis on tones and grammar. Chinese art, history and culture will also be discussed.
Chinese 2 This course continues the development of the skills introduced in the first year. It will continue to focus on basic reading, writing, speaking and listening skills, with special emphasis on tones and writing. Chinese art, history and culture will also be discussed.
French 1 This course is intended for students with no previous experience in French. It focuses on the formation of good linguistic habits (understanding, speaking, reading, and writing) through communicative practice. Supplementary materials include: short readings, tape recordings and videos by native speakers, and an exercise book stressing writing and application of basic points of grammar.
French 2 This course continues the development of the skills introduced in the first year course: listening, speaking, reading, and writing, but at a more advanced level. Conversation and accuracy in writing are emphasized. A reader with selections focusing on francophone culture, vocabulary building, and grammar may be used.
French 3 This course will progress from an emphasis on imitation, retention, and simple variation to a broader set of skills of aural and reading comprehension. Students will work on vocabulary from specific contexts and vocabulary-building skills. Accuracy in writing will be emphasized. The geography, customs, and daily life of France and francophone countries will be studied.
French 3 Advanced The course will include a review of grammatical structures, emphasis on vocabulary accretion, and on working toward "freer" oral and written expression. Readings will be from a wide variety of sources (cultural, the press, literary). Life in France and francophone countries will be studied in further detail.
French 4 This course will continue to focus on all language skills at a more advanced level. It will include work on grammar and vocabulary and longer reading selections. Accuracy in writing will be emphasized. The culture and history of francophone countries will be studied.
French 4 Advanced This course continues to develop speaking fluency, aural comprehension, reading and writing skills. Grammatical concepts are reviewed and expanded. Literary and cultural texts are read and discussed.
French 5 Grammar and vocabulary will be reviewed and expanded. Oral proficiency and reading skills will be emphasized. Much of the supplementary vocabulary, as well as the readings, conversation topics, and composition work will reflect the skills of the class members.
French 5 Advanced This course will continue the work of French 4 Advanced with increasing difficulty of the material, both oral and written. It will begin to prepare the students for the French AP class. A thorough review of grammar will be done, and an emphasis will be placed on reading longer passages to include both popular and literary texts.
French 6 This course will continue to review and expand the student's oral, aural and written skills and their knowledge of grammatical concepts and vocabulary. Students will continue reading and discussing literary and cultural texts.
French AP This course will continue the work of French 5 Advanced. Increasing emphasis will be placed on preparation for the AP French language exam, with exercises and activities based upon it. Students will do the following:
Intensive French This course is limited to juniors and seniors with previous foreign language experience who have already completed thier language requirement. It is designed to give these upperclassmen an opportunity to complete two years of work in French in one year, thus enabling them to be better prepared for college language courses and/or to go into French or French 3A the following year. The course will concentrate on all four skill areas: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The emphasis will be on an active use of the language by the teacher and the student. French will gradually become the language of instruction. This course will be offered in alternate years with Intensive Spanish.
German 1 In this beginning course, the student is trained in
A grammar text is used throughout the year providing the student with a solid foundation of German language structure. An important aspect of this course is the development of a personalized language learning method.
German 3 German 3 builds upon the foundation laid by the Middle School German curricula. The course aims to further increase the student's facility in the 4 language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Readings will cover a variety of genre such as: age-appropriate German magazines, Graded readers, and detective stories. Cultral components include German popular culture, daily life in Germany, foods and German schools. Students expand their knowledge of the German language through the systematic study of grammar focusing on verbs tenses, modal verbs, word order, case and prepositions.
German 4 German 4 builds upon the foundation laid by German 3 and aims to further increase the student's facility in the 4 language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Written expression and reading comprehension are expanded through a continued, rigorous study of German and English grammar. Grammar units will include such points as: idiomatic use of time expressions, subjunctive II, subordinating and coordinating conjunctions, reflexive verbs, comparative and superlative, recognize the passive voice. Editorial skills will be stressed Listening comprehension and speaking skills will be sharpened through formal presentation skills for oral presentations, role-playing and class discussion. Cultural components include 20th century short prose and related cultural background, contemporary German film, television programming for children, and current events.
German 5 German 5 reinforces the High School Curricula of German 3 and German 4. The course engages in a comprehensive and systematic review of German grammar including the case and declension systems, relative clauses, prepositions, adjectives and verbs in the present, simple past, past perfect and future tenses and the idiomatic use of these items. Listening and speaking skills will be honed through the use of authentic materials from the German press available on-line as well as thorough in depth classroom discussion. The course aims to challenge the student's reading skills and vocabulary through the study of authentic German texts including such items as the Grimm's fairy tales, German newspaper and magazine articles and continued readings in 20th century German literature. Writing in the target language will be developed through weekly essays, including literary analysis of fairy tales, summary and opion papers based on articles concerning current events and other topics as needed. Cultural compoonents include German fairy tales, an introduction to German politics and current events from the German perspective, German film. Deutsch macht absolut Spass!
German AP AP German prepares students to take the German Advanced Placement Exam. The course reinforces and completes comprehensive and systematic review of German grammar begun in German 5 and includes the subjunctive I and II, passive voice, verb prefixes, the use of flavoring particles, the use of prepositions as verbal complements and the idiomatic use of these items. Listening and speaking skills will be honed through the use of authentic materials from the German press available on-line as well as through in-depth classroom discussion of the course reading material. The course aims to challenge the student's reading skills and vocabulary through the study of authentic German texts including such items as Nichts Neues im Westen, Kafkas Erzahlungen and Der geteilite Himmel. The course aims to continue an investigation of current events and contemporary German culture through readings of German newspaper and magazine articles. Writing in the target language will be developed through weekly essays, including literary analysis, summary and opinion papers based on the course readings and other topics as needed. Cultural components include the historical and cultural contextualization of the reading materials. Deutsch macht bis zum Ende Spass!
Sprache in Bild und Wort
(German in Pictures and Words) Films and readings (which may include newspaper and magazine articles) will serve as the basis for classroom discussion in this German course which is meant for enrichment and enjoyment. Students in the course will decide with the teacher which contemporary films will be viewed. We will attempt to select films that are also available in book form or have English subtitles. This course is ideal for students who have fulfilled their language requirement and want to maintain their language skills through listening, or for those students who speak German at home, or have an interest in learning a little German informally.
Spanish 1 This course is intended for students with no previous experience in Spanish. Emphasis is on understanding spoken Spanish and speaking with correct pronunciation and structure. To develop their listening and speaking skills, students listen to recordings and songs, play games, perform skits and view videos by native speakers. Students also read short articles and complete thematic projects in Spanish. The textbook contains grammar, vocabulary, cultural readings and dialogues which form the basis for reading and conversation. A workbook is used to enhance comprehension of grammatical points and to develop writing skills.
Spanish 2 This course continues the development of the skills introduced in the first year including understanding, speaking, reading and writing, but at a more advanced level. A reader with more complex grammar, vocabulary, and cultural readings may be introduced. Conversation and a greater awareness of Hispanic culture is emphasized.
Spanish 3 This course will continue work on: grammar study and structure; vocabulary skills; dictionary skills; composition writing and organization and oral comprehension and proficiency. The geography, customs, and daily life of the Spanish-speaking world will be an integral part of the course.
Spanish 3 Advanced In this course, there will be a more intense, accelerated grammar study, more emphasis on composition skills and vocabulary acquisition. Oral comprehension and proficiency will be stressed. Readings will be from varied sources of the Spanish-speaking world with emphasis on active and passive vocabulary development. Spanish will become the language of instruction.
Spanish 4 This course will continue to work on the development of all language skills at a more advanced level than that of the previous course. It will include a review of grammatical structures, continued work on vocabulary accretion, and readings of short stories. Students will write compositions and work on personal oral expression. Geography, customs, and daily life in the Spanish-speaking world will continue to be studied.
Spanish 4 Advanced This course will stress proficiency in all language skills with a strong emphasis on grammar. The culture of the Spanish-speaking world will be examined as well as reading from a variety of sources. Literary excerpts will also be studied. Spanish will be the language of instruction.
Spanish 5 This course will continue to review and expand the students’ oral, aural, and written skills, and more complex grammatical concepts. New vocabulary will be introduced. Students will continue reading and discussing literary and cultural texts. Outside resources, such as newspapers and magazines, may also be used to highlight discussions of political, social, and cultural issues.
Spanish 5 Advanced This course will continue the work of Spanish 4 Advanced with increasing difficulty of the material, both oral and written. It will begin to prepare the students for the Spanish AP class. A thorough review of grammar will be done, and an emphasis will be placed on reading longer passages to include both popular and literary texts.
Spanish 6 This course will continue to review and to expand the students’ oral, aural, and written skills and their knowledge of more complex grammatical concepts. Students will continue reading and discussing Spanish texts that are arranged thematically. Such texts will solicit student reactions and will enable them to discuss contemporary cultural issues of the Hispanic world. The class will be conducted in Spanish.
Spanish AP This course will continue the work of Spanish 5 Advanced. Increasing emphasis will be placed on preparation for the AP Spanish language exam, with exercises and activities based upon it. The course will consist of the following:
Spanish for Spanish Speakers This course is limited to juniors and seniors who are heritage speakers of Spanish and have completed their language requirement. Students must already speak Spanish fluently but wish to perfect their ability to read and write the language. Grammatical concepts will be reviewed; readings in Spanish and Latin American Literature will be analyzed and discussed in Spanish.
Latin 1 This course begins to familiarize students with the basic structural features of the language. Students learn to focus upon individual structural signals indicating the function of words in the sentence. The first, second, and third declensions of nouns and the present, imperfect, and perfect tenses of verbs are covered. The Latin narrative (the primary vehicle through which the grammatical points are introduced and practiced) gives the students a sense of the truly cosmopolitan nature of the Roman world, being set first in Pompeii, moving next to rural Britain, and then on to Alexandria, Egypt. In addition, well-known myths of the Greek and Roman world are read and discussed.
Latin 2 This course furthers the work begun in Latin 1, with the gradual introduction of more complex structures, including participles, the passive voice, and the forms and uses of the subjunctive. The emphasis of the course is increasingly on reading and interpreting long passages in Latin. Some selections from Latin authors are read, and the cultural background material highlights the Roman Empire in the first century C.E.
Latin 3/4 The primary goals of this course are to complete the study of Latin grammar and to bring students into closer touch with the history, culture, and everyday life of the Roman world. The particular focus of the course, whether upon specific authors, literary genres, themes, historical periods, etc., will be determined by the instructor each year. In general, authors of prose, such as Pliny, Cicero, and Tacitus, and of poetry, such as Virgil, Ovid, and Catullus will be read in the original Latin. Since the course will vary each year, students may take it to fulfill both third and fourth years of their language credits. | |
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