AP French IV will prepare students to take the AP French exam.  The first semester will be spent covering grammar concepts in depth and teaching students how to use those concepts in a way that produces more native-like speaking abilities.  The second semester will be spent working on vocabulary, common idioms, phrases, clichés that are commonly used in French speaking countries, and native sentence structure.  Throughout the whole year, a large emphasis will be placed upon speaking, listening, reading, and writing.  Students will take oral and written exams that mimic the AP exam and they will listen to native speakers in order to prepare for the listening portion of the exam.  This course demands the highest level of commitment from its students, as it will require extensive studying in and outside of class.  The entire class will be taught and conducted in French and the students are expected to communicate in French.

AP Spanish Language and Culture course is a rigorous class taught exclusively in Spanish that requires students to improve their proficiency across the three modes of communication to prepare students to pass the AP Spanish exam in early May. The course is organized around six overlapping themes: families and communities; contemporary life; beauty and aesthetics; science and technology; global challenges; and personal and public identities. Each semester will cover 3 of the themes, with the focus on being the students integrating authentic resources including online print, audio, and audiovisual resources; as well as traditional print resources that include literature, essays, and magazine and newspaper articles; and also a combination of visual/print resources such as charts, tables, and graphs; all with the goal of providing a diverse learning experience. Through reading, writing, speaking and listening, students gain a deeper understanding of the cultures and people of the Spanish-speaking world through their practices, products and perspectives. When communicating, students demonstrate an understanding of the culture(s), incorporate interdisciplinary topics (Connections), make comparisons between the native language and the target language and between cultures (Comparisons), and use the target language in real-life settings (Communities).

The study of French at this level introduces the sound system, vocabulary, grammar, and culture.  This course will help the student reach a level of proficiency in French, which allows the student to express herself/himself freely, ask and answer questions, and participate in short conversations.  This will be done in the context of everyday survival topics and courtesy requirements.  Students will be required to continually strive for the proficiency outlined above by actively participating in the four areas of foreign language: listening, writing, reading and speaking.  At this level, the latter two areas will be stressed within the course context.

This class is a continuation of the French I program objectives.  Speaking and basic reading will again be stressed with an added emphasis on listening in order to prepare students for active interaction with French-speaking people.

The goal of French III Honors is to complete all of the verb tenses as well as to prepare the students for French IV AP.  In this fast-paced class, students will complete Discovering French Rouge book, focusing on grammar, reading, writing, and speaking.  Reading activities will vary from basic to advanced short readings and literary passages.  Writing activities will include essays, and speaking activities will include presentations on impressionism and Francophone African countries.  Focus will be given to fluency and pronunciation. Students will listen to audio presentations to enhance oral comprehension.

This course is a basic introduction to the Spanish language.  It is designed to present students who have never taken a foreign language with the foundations for language learning.  Students will be introduced to basic grammar, vocabulary, and cultural concepts.  English grammar, as well as Spanish grammar, will be explained, and the two languages will be shown in constant juxtaposition in order to help students make connections between their native language and the language being learned.  This course focuses on developing proficiency in the target language through the four domains of language: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Each skill will be developed and reinforced through daily conversation, reflection, and application in the target language. Students will apply their knowledge in a wide range of performance tasks such as interpersonal communication, compositions, projects, and formal communication assessments.

Spanish II will build on all of the concepts presented in Spanish I to complete the introduction to the Spanish language.  Students will be introduced to new vocabulary as well as more challenging grammatical concepts such as the past and imperative tenses, the subjunctive mood, and other concepts dealing with pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs.  Speaking and listening abilities will be enhanced, and more reading and writing will take place in the target language.  This course focuses on developing proficiency in the target language through the four domains of language: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Each skill will be developed and reinforced through daily conversation, reflection, and application in the target language. Students will apply their knowledge in a wide range of performance tasks such as interpersonal communication, compositions, projects, and formal communication assessments.

Spanish III Honors will build on knowledge presented in Spanish II.  Students will speak in Spanish, read authentic texts, and be introduced to more complex grammatical structures.  Students will be required to write three compositions each semester.  Two will be in class and one will be written outside of class.  Compositions will include vocabulary and grammar being studied at the time.  Students will be required to complete a project each semester enhancing their speaking, writing, listening, and reading while incorporating their own creativity. Students entering Spanish III Honors should be preparing to take AP Spanish the following school year.  Course work will be demanding and students will be expected to express themselves in Spanish, understand intermediate to advanced level conversations, understand and analyze literary works, as well as constantly interact with authentic texts and broadcasts. The class will be conducted almost exclusively in Spanish, with some grammar explanation in English, when needed.