Course Descriptions and Syllabus

General Description

Acquiring another language incorporates communication skills such as listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing, and showing.  Students develop these communication skills by using knowledge of the language (including grammar), knowledge of the culture, communication and learning strategies, technology, and content from other subject areas to socialize, to acquire and provide information, to express feelings and opinions, and to get others to adopt a course of action.  While knowledge of other cultures, connections to other disciplines, comparisons between languages and cultures, and community interaction all contribute to and enhance the communicative language learning experience, communication skills are the primary focus of language acquisition.  Two years of a foreign language is required for graduation.

Spanish 1 Grades: 9-11 Credit:  1

Spanish 2 Grades: 10-12 Credit:  1

In level 1 and 2 courses, students will demonstrate an understanding of simple, clearly spoken, and written language.  Students will develop an understanding of the practices and perspectives of the cultures studied; use the language to obtain, reinforce, or expand knowledge of other subject areas; demonstrate an understanding of the influence of language and culture on another, and use the language both within and beyond the school setting through activities such as participating in cultural events and using technology to communicate.

Course weight: 1.0 Prerequisite:  Spanish 1 – none/Spanish 2 – Spanish 1

Spanish 3 Grades:  11-12 Credit:  1

Spanish 4 Grade: 12 Credit:  1

In levels 3 and 4 foreign language courses, emphasize the use of language for active communication.  The objectives for these courses are the ability to understand the spoken language in various contexts; a vocabulary in that language which is sufficiently ample for reading newspaper and magazine articles, literary texts, and other non-technical writings without dependence on a dictionary; and the ability to express oneself coherently, resourcefully, and with reasonable fluency and accuracy in both the written and spoken language.  These courses seek to develop language skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) that can be used in various activities and disciplines and to emphasize extensive training in the organization and writing of compositions.

Course weight: 1.2  Prerequisite:  Spanish 3 – Spanish 2/Spanish 4 – Spanish 3