World Languages

• Credits: 10

• College Prep Course

This course serves an introduction to the French language and culture. Students are exposed to elementary vocabulary and structure of the language. Students become acquainted with the four basic tenets of language — listening, speaking, reading and writing and begin to attain proficiency in each of these skills. Instruction is student centered and communication-based. Upon completion of this course, the students will be able to:

1. Use French language in everyday situations

2. Interpret meaning through various authentic resources

3. Write brief constructed responses and dialogues

4. Have basic knowledge of the French-speaking world

5. Compare cultures to better understand the importance of learning another language

• Recommended Placement: 70% or above in previous course

• Credits: 10

• College Prep Course

In this course, the students continue to develop their proficiency in the basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing in French thematic topics. The language used is authentic and current, reflecting the language spoken and read in a French speaking society. Instruction is student centered and communication-based. Upon completion of the course, the students will be able to:

1. Use the French language in everyday situations

2. Interpret meaning of various authentic resources

3. Create videos and oral presentations in French

4. Demonstrate greater knowledge of French culture

5. Compare cultures to better understand the importance of learning another language

• Recommended Placement: 70% or above in previous course

• Credits: 10

• College Prep Course

This intermediate level reinforces and strengthens the basic objectives of French 1 and 2. The course is based on thematic units that will prepare the students for the next level of French. Students will read short stories, poems, and excerpts from French classics. French movies will be viewed as appropriate to each unit of study. Conversational French is encouraged in class to improve fluency and comprehension. Instruction is student centered and communication-based. Upon completion of the course, the students will be able to:

1. Use the French language in more complex situations

2. Interpret meaning of various authentic resources

3. Create videos and oral presentations in French

4. Compare cultures to better understand the importance of learning another language

• Recommended Placement: 70% or above in French 3

• Credits: 10 (Weighted Grade)

• College Prep Course

This class is offered as a combo class with AP French Language, a rotating curriculum is used, therefore, students will not repeat material if they take both classes sequentially. All units of study are based on the AP themes; Families and Communities, Science and Technology, Beauty and Esthetics, Global Challenges, Personal and Public Identities, Contemporary Life. Students will be expected to read novels, short stories, poems, and plays in French. Students will explore French culture by watching French movies and discussing the different themes and genres. It is expected that students will converse in French while in class. Upon completion of the course, the students will be able to:

1. Use advanced structures in conversational French

2. Read and discuss various genres of literature

3. Write well-developed compositions

4. Defend their opinions with supporting details

Successful completion of this course will satisfy the requirements for the California Seal of Biliteracy.

• Recommended Placement: 70% or above in Honors French 4

• Credits: 10 (Weighted Grade)

• College Prep Course

Conversational French is required in class. This class is offered as a combo class with Honors French 4, a rotating curriculum is used. All units of study are based on the AP themes; Families and Communities, Science and Technology, Beauty and Esthetics, Global Challenges, Personal and Public Identities, Contemporary Life. Students will be preparing for the AP French Language exam. Upon completion of the course, the students will be able to:

1. Use advanced structures in conversational and written French

2. Read, analyze and discuss a variety of genres

3. Write well-developed compositions

4. Take the AP French Language exam

Successful completion of this course will satisfy the requirements for the California Seal of Biliteracy.

• Credits: 10

• College Prep Course

This course is designed to assist students to develop low-beginning level skills in the Korean language. These skills are speaking, listening, reading, and writing, as well as cultural understanding. This course will begin by introducing the writing and sound system of the Korean language. The remainder of the course will focus on grammatical patterns such as basic sentence structures, some grammatical points, and expressions. Upon completion of this course, the students will be able to:

1. Use basic structure and simple conversational Korean

2. Understand familiar words in limited social contexts

3. Read short dialogues and passages

4. Write short dialogues and paragraphs

5. Have basic knowledge of Korean culture

• Recommended Placement: 70% or above in previous course

• Credits: 10

• College Prep Course

This course is designed to assist students to develop mid-beginning level skills in the Korean language. These skills are speaking, listening, reading, and writing, as well as cultural understanding.  The students are expected to participate in class activities using the target language.  Emphasis is placed on improving language skills through the introduction of various tenses and expressions, and on expanding oral and written communication skills.  Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Use basic conversational Korean 

2. Understand some short learned utterances in familiar contexts although misunderstandings and pauses for assimilation are frequent

3. Read short dialogues and passages.

4. Write short compositions

5. Demonstrate greater knowledge of Korean culture

• Recommended Placement: 70% or above in previous course

• Credits: 10

• College Prep Course

This course is designed to assist students to develop high-beginning level skills in the Korean language. These skills are speaking, listening, reading, and writing, as well as cultural understanding.  Emphasis is placed on grammatical structures and reading short stories, cultural pieces, and literary excerpts.  Conversational Korean is encouraged in class to improve fluency and comprehension.  Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Use intermediate structure and conversational Korean.

2. Understand some short learned utterances in familiar contexts although misunderstandings and pauses for assimilation are frequent

3. Read intermediate stories and excerpts 

4. Write 2-4 paragraph compositions and detailed dialogues

5. Demonstrate intermediate knowledge of Korean culture

6. Take the Topik I (Level 1-2) exam

• Recommended Placement: 70% or above in previous course

• Credits: 10 (Weighted Grade)

• College Prep Course

Students in this intermediate course are assumed to have previous knowledge of Korean, which was taught in Korean 1, 2 and 3.  Students in this course will learn intermediate level skills in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, and writing in Korean, as well as expand their cultural understanding. Upon completion of this course, students are expected to acquire and use more vocabulary, expressions and sentence structures and to have a good command of Korean in various conversational situations. Students are expected to write short essays using the vocabulary, expressions, and sentence structures introduced. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Understand and use the spoken language in a large range of situations 

2. Understand main ideas and/or some details from conversations related to a variety of contexts

3. Understand and use a variety of sentence structure.

4. Analyze and evaluate a variety of writings

5. Write well-organized compositions in Korean

6. Demonstrate an increased awareness of Korean culture

7. Take the TOPIK  (level 3-6) exam

• Recommended Placement: 70% or above in previous course

• Credits: 10 (Weighted Grade)

• College Prep Course

This course is a continuation of Korean 4 and is equivalent in difficulty to an Advanced Placement course.  After the completion of this advanced course, students are expected to acquire and use more vocabulary, expressions, and sentence structures. Students are also expected to write well-organized full-length compositions. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Comprehend native daily spoken Korean in selected social situations.

2. Recognize and utilize advanced grammatical structures.

3. Comprehend reading of selected written passages in Korean.

4. Compare and contrast general aspects of culture and daily life of Korean speaking population.

5. Identify a wide variety of Korean cultural characteristics and out-looks.

6. Develop appreciation for historic, political and artistic individuals.

7. Identify and describe the influence of Korean culture upon America and the world.

8. Take the TOPIK (Level 3-6) exam

• Credits: 10

• College Prep Course

This introductory language course uses as a guide the National Standards of World Languages which assist the students in developing basic skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing. The students communicate in the target language using basic vocabulary. The students explore the various cultures of Hispanic people around the world including a study of geography, history, cultural traditions, art, music and daily life. Oral participation is stressed. Upon completion of this course, the students will be able to:

1. Use basic structure and simple conversational Spanish

2. Read short dialogues

3. Write short dialogues and paragraphs

4. Demonstrate an increased awareness and sensitivity of the various Hispanic cultures

5. Give short oral presentations

• Recommended Placement: 70% or above in previous course

• Credits: 10

• College Prep Course

In this course, the students continue to develop basic speaking and listening skills and broaden their knowledge of grammar. The students are expected to participate in class activities using the target language. Emphasis is placed on improving language skills through the introduction of various tenses and idioms, and on improving oral and written communication skills. The students do more in-depth study of Hispanic cultures through the use of media, technology and reading materials. Upon completion of this course, the students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the basic structure of the language

2. Use basic conversational Spanish

3. Read, write and present dialogues

4. Read short passages

5. Write short compositions

• Recommended Placement: 70% or above in previous course

• Credits: 10

• College Prep Course

In compliance with the National Standards, the student will develop advanced listening and speaking skills and increase the knowledge and application of Spanish grammar. Emphasis is placed on advanced grammatical principles such as the subjunctive mood and the conditional tense. The students are expected to participate in conversational activities in class and commit to speaking the target language consistently and progressively. The students continue to study the culture and geography of Hispanic countries in the target language through the use of media, film, technology, and reading materials. Upon completion of the course, the students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of language structure in Spanish

2. Demonstrate an increased proficiency in conversational Spanish

3. Read and write well organized compositions, as well as written commentary of films

4. Create and present dialogues and interviews

• Recommended Placement: 70% or above in previous course

• Credits: 10 (Weighted Grade)

• College Prep Course

This course is designed to develop each student’s communicative abilities by extending the basic knowledge they have acquired of the Spanish language and complementing it with a rich introduction to the broader cultural, historic and geographic experiences that will serve as a larger framework for a lifetime appreciation of the Spanish-speaking communities around the globe. A special emphasis on communication, cultural expression and the current and historical experiences of the diverse Spanish- speaking communities is present throughout the course. This course is conducted entirely in Spanish. The course is divided into four distinct units that include:

1. An intensive review of Spanish grammar, the geographies of Latin America and Spain and personal communication skills

2. A broad introduction to the histories of Spain and the Spanish-speaking countries in Latin American with a special emphasis on contemporary issues

3. A basic introduction to the history of visual arts in Spanish-speaking countries including significant aesthetic movements and their impact

4. A unit on current events and conversational skills that utilizes a variety of news sources to develop a multimedia communicative and cultural competency in Spanish

5. An introduction to the formal study of Spanish-speaking cinema, including its histories, a basic theoretical approach to film and an intense study of diverse periods in the cinemas of Spanish-speaking countries

Students who successfully complete this course are well positioned for advanced study in the language including Advanced Placement courses, upper division university courses and immersion-based extended study-abroad experiences. Students may also satisfy requirements for the California Seal of Biliteracy upon successful completion of this course.

• Credits: 10

• College Prep Course

Students who can demonstrate oral fluency and a basic knowledge of written Spanish will improve their skills in composition, grammar and speaking.  Effective study skills will be emphasized.  Students will increase their reading comprehension skills through various published reading selections, both fiction and non-fiction, as well as social media and news streaming platforms.  Students will write to comment, describe, narrate and explain.  Students will develop speaking skills through discussions, interviews and presentations.  Students will listen to a variety of media, such as podcasts, radio, live-streaming and film, to improve their understanding of spoken Spanish.  The culture of various Spanish- speaking countries will be studied as well as their independent identities.  At the end of this course students may advance to Spanish for Native Speakers 2. Upon completion of this course students will be able to:

1. Communicate effectively through spoken Spanish in a large range of situations

2. Communicate intentionally and effectively through written Spanish

3. Read and interpret authentic texts in Spanish with a greater cultural understanding  

4. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the varied cultural identities throughout the Spanish speaking world

• Recommended Placement: Completion of Spanish for Native Speakers 1 with a 70% or above or teacher evaluation

• Credits: 10 (Weighted Grade)

• College Prep Course

Students who demonstrate oral fluency and increased knowledge and application of grammar structures in Spanish will be introduced to literature and film from Spain and Latin America. Students will read and listen to short stories, articles, plays, poetry and movies.  Students will also continue to improve their skills in composition by writing to compare, contrast and persuade.  Students will continue to study the culture of various Spanish speaking countries and will recognize cultural influences in the literary selections.  Students will continue to improve their understanding of spoken Spanish and their ability to speak through discussions, interviews and presentations.  At the end of this course students may advance to A.P. Spanish Language & Culture or A.P. Spanish Literature. Upon completion of this course students will be able to:

1. Read and understand advanced literature selections

2. Write a well-organized composition to compare/contrast and to persuade

3. Communicate and support ideas coherently through spoken Spanish in a presentational mode

4. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the culture of various Spanish-speaking countries and recognize the influences that literature, social and news media have on a culture and society

• Recommended Placement: 70% or above in previous course

• Credits: 10 (Weighted Grade)

• College Prep Course

This course provides students with opportunities to develop language proficiency across the three modes of communication:  interpretive, interpersonal and presentational.  Students learn about culture through the use of authentic materials that are representative of the Spanish-speaking world.  Materials include journalistic and literary works, podcasts, interviews, movies, charts and graphs.  The course is conducted entirely in Spanish.

The course is divided into thematic units which are guided by essential questions.  Corresponding cultural elements are integrated into the study of the units and activities are directed with those cultural connections in mind.  Discussion of the topics completely in Spanish is a requirement for this course.  It is assumed that students have been previously exposed to advanced language structures in the courses leading up to the AP Spanish Language and Culture course; however, review of the mechanics is done within the contextual framework of each unit. At the end of this course students will be prepared to take the AP Spanish Language and Culture Exam.

1. Develop and refine listening, reading, writing and speaking skills

2. Experience the spoken language in a large range of situations

3. Express ideas, opinions and feelings orally

4. Prepare for the Advanced Placement test for Spanish Language in the spring

5. Read and analyze literature written by Hispanic authors