Foreign Language Department

Chinese I features daily language in various topics and settings.  Students learn reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. Student textbooks and workbooks are reinforced through digital software exercises.  Students are introduced to idioms and proverbs, as well as various aspects of Chinese culture and traditions.

Chinese II continues to develop conversational language for various topics and settings.  As in Chinese I, students use textbooks and workbooks with digital software exercises to reinforce the learning of reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills.  Students also continue to learn from Chinese  idioms and proverbs, as well as various aspects of Chinese culture and traditions. Prerequisite: Chinese I

Students develop and extend four communicative skills in standard (Mandarin) Chinese, attaining approximately the Intermediate-Low to Intermediate-Mid level. They will be able to handle a variety of communicative tasks and social situations.  They will also be able to produce statements about personal preferences, everyday events, and other topics grounded in personal experience. Additionally, students will be exposed to a few Chinese classic books, and be able to understand Chinese culture from a wider perspective. Prerequisites: Chinese I, II, and teacher approval.

Spanish I includes the use of the four language skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking.  This course primarily emphasizes grammar and vocabulary.  Elements of culture and geography are also included.

Spanish II is a review and continuation of the skills introduced in Spanish I with an emphasis on the study of several verb tenses and more complex grammatical concepts. Prerequisite: Spanish I  

Students of Spanish III will graduate the course able to speak Spanish fluently.  They will gain much experience in using already-acquired grammatical and cultural knowledge gleaned from Spanish I and II, and there will be a strong focus on the use of spoken language.  Another emphasis will be on developing an understanding of and familiarity with Spanish literature.  We will use excerpts from Cervantes, Unamuno, Borges, and other masters of Spanish literature and poetry.  Beyond the continual practice of daily usage, students will learn the few remaining verb tenses that they lack and master the three moods in Spanish.  Additionally, much emphasis will be given to regional culture and immersion into the living tapestries that are the Hispanic and Latino worlds. Prerequisites: Spanish I, II, and teacher approval.