World Languages Department

This beginning Chinese course is designed to develop student’s basic Chinese proficiency in the four modalities of language learning: listening, speaking, reading and writing. The Course is designed for the High school level students who have had no prior experience to Chinese language and are interested in learning basic Chinese language as well as culture. This introductory Chinese course will cover Hanyu Pinyin (Chinese pronunciation system), Chinese writing system, and Chinese typing. Students will acquire Chinese communication skills through a myriad of contextualized and personalized mini-situations. Since this is an introductory Chinese course, the ultimate emphasis will be put on cultivating students’ interest in learning the language and on introducing them to the fun customs and the beauty of Chinese culture. Textbook: Integrated Chinese 1

Chinese II course builds upon the skills developed in Chinese I, extending students’ ability to understand and express themselves in Chinese with richer vocabulary and sentence structures. This second-year course continues to develop the overview of Chinese language and culture through listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Through the development of receptive, productive, and interactive skills, students acquire the ability to respond and interact appropriately in real life situations. Its objective is for students to achieve communicative competence in a variety of everyday situations. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to communicate effectively with native Mandarin Chinese speakers in simple conversations on the following topics:  Talking about shopping, transportation, the weather, dining, asking directions, birthday parties, seeing a doctor, dating, renting an apartment. At the end of the course, students will be able to give extended information about themselves, families and friends, daily life, and the immediate environment. Students will also explore the customs, history, and art forms of Chinese people to deepen their understanding of the culture. Textbook: Integrated Chinese 2 Prerequisite: Chinese I

Chinese III course builds upon the skills developed in Chinese I and II, continuing to enrich students' learning of Chinese vocabulary and intermediate level of sentence structures. This course elevates students' understanding of more complex Chinese syntax and grammatical concepts. Students' communicative competence will be further advanced through performing longer dialogues in a variety of interactive activities in real life situations. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to communicate more in depth in those topics that they learned in Chinese I and II, such as school life, making friends, shopping, dining and travel.  They will have the opportunity to apply the Chinese they already learned and to acquire more advanced phrases to express themselves coherently in a series of sentences. Textbook: Integrated Chinese 3 Prerequisites: Chinese I, II, and teacher approval.

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

This course is being moved to a hybrid summer course format and will not be taught until Summer 2025. 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.