+ World Languages
(four 50-minute periods per week)
In Grade 7, students choose among the study of French, Mandarin or Spanish.
French I at Shady Hill is a study of French and Francophone culture through its language. The four language skills – listening, speaking, reading and writing – are developed concurrently throughout the year through the use of comprehensive input and sheltered immersion combined with a proficiency approach. Students progress from being able to speak or read in words (novice low level) to being able to speak or write in complete sentences on familiar and researched topics (intermediate mid level). They understand the main idea and key information in short straightforward texts and conversations.
We follow the textbook D’accord 1 which 8 units revolves around a topic that is examined through the lenses of an essential question and is accompanied by a number of linguistic and grammatical objectives. As real communicative competency is the ultimate goal, lessons are presented almost exclusively in French, and students engage in a wide variety of activities, which are all designed to encourage the growth of all four of the language skill areas.
The goals for the first year student are: to develop a broad basic vocabulary relating to life at home, at school and in the community; to explore the differences between American and Francophone cultures in everyday interactions; to compare and contrast various aspects of basic French and English rules of grammar and forms of verbal expression; to become aware of and increasingly comfortable generating an authentic accent; and ultimately to develop real communicative competencies in the target language.
To further these goals, students engage in a wide range of activities and projects and interact with a broad variety of published and teacher generated materials, including videos, songs, games, realia, and art/writing projects.
Spanish I at Shady Hill is an introduction to Hispanic cultures through its language. The four language skills –listening, speaking, reading, and writing – are developed concurrently throughout the year with an emphasis on speaking and listening. By the end of the first trimester, Spanish is well on its way to becoming the primary language of the classroom. During the first year, the focus will be on Chapters 1-4 of the Descubre textbook. With this text, the language is taught in context with numerous supplementary materials that support the development of each skill. The goal in the first year is to provide students with a strong grammatical foundation and a broad range of vocabulary. This will allow them to express themselves in the target language while talking about: everyday activities, life at school and in the community, the family, and pastimes. We will do this through a variety of verbal presentations. Through the cultural readings and video components of the text, students are able to explore the differences between American and Hispanic cultures in everyday situations. At home students will continue to develop their skills with the Descubre online workbook. With the features of a traditional workbook, students will practice reading and writing skills; additionally, students will practice speaking and listening skills. Many of the activities provide instant feedback. This real-time feature enables students to see which areas need their attention and to work at their own pace.
Mandarin I This is a beginning Mandarin course intended for students with little or no prior knowledge of any Chinese dialect or written Chinese. It is based on the Beijing dialect and is the official language of the People’s Republic of China. The course builds up students’ basic conversational skills in Chinese. Pinyin, a Romanization of Chinese, is the tool for understanding written dialogues from the textbook. The students will learn basic conversational skills like introducing themselves, talking about their family and gaining and providing important information like age, grade and nationality, etc. Class instruction emphasizes situational activities and performances. Each unit will include reading, speaking, listening, and writing the language, as well as games and varied activities to learn about Chinese culture.
At the end of first-year Mandarin, students will be able to comprehend short, spoken dialogues and written passages with familiar vocabulary, talk about simple everyday activities and introduce oneself and family to others. Students are expected to learn how to write 100 characters and be able to utilize 200 words in conversation, and be knowledgeable of the principles (e.g., stroke orders, basic radicals, etc.) of character writing. They will be able to discuss topics of general interest beyond daily routines, such as presenting a short story and describing cultural traditions in general terms.
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