World Languages Department

In Chinese I, students learn 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 of the Chinese classic books, and be able to understand Chinese culture from a wider perspective. Prerequisites: Chinese I, II, and teacher approval.

Spanish I focuses on the fundamentals of language through daily writing, speaking, listening, and reading. The course is taught entirely in Spanish in order to provide meaningful immersive contexts that promote the gradual acquisition of the language. Students will learn all that they would need to function on a basic level in Latin America, Spain, or any Latino enclave in the U.S. through a multitude of structured activities in the target language. Grammatical essentials are practiced daily through cultural contexts--the building blocks of language are paramount at this level. Students will develop high confidence in their abilities to use the language regardless of the context as well--at DCA, we teach Spanish to high-schoolers, not high-school Spanish.

Spanish II capitalizes on the accomplishments of those who have completed Spanish I and furthers the strength of the speaking, writing, listening, and reading skills promoted therein. An additional emphasis on cultural studies and traditional customs is a major part of the curriculum of this course. Students will learn to appreciate and consider the communities and core practices of the cultures that they study through numerous dives into the Latin American, Spanish, and Hispanic American/ Latino worlds. Students of Spanish II will continue to refine the linguistic abilities that they unfurled in Spanish I, conversing entirely in the target language during most classroom activities. This course is taught entirely in Spanish to continue to form the listening comprehension element established in the first-level classes. Students of Spanish II will be able to live in or travel throughout Latin America or Spain with their skills attained by the conclusion of their studies. Prerequisite: Spanish I

Students of Spanish III will graduate from the course able to speak Spanish fluently.  They will gain yet more experience in using already-acquired grammatical and cultural knowledge gleaned from Spanish I and II, and there is a strong focus on the use of spoken language in all contexts.  As in Spanish I and II, this course is given entirely in Spanish; the key difference in Honors Spanish III is that all students are required to speak exclusively Spanish during class. Beyond the continual practice of spoken daily usage, students will learn the few remaining verb tenses that they lack and master the three moods in Spanish. Another emphasis is developing an understanding of and familiarity with Spanish literature.  We use excerpts from Cervantes, Unamuno, Borges, and other masters of Spanish and Latin American literature and poetry.  Additionally, much emphasis will be given to regional culture and immersion into the living tapestries that are the Hispanic and Latino worlds. Students who complete this course should be academically prepared to take the AP Spanish Language exam.  Prerequisites: Spanish I, II, and teacher approval.