Middle School Curriculum Guide

As students progress into the fifth-grade Modern Languages program, they continue to build upon their previous learning in French or Spanish and to develop their receptive and expressive language skills while expanding their connections to and appreciation of the people, traditions, and cultures of French and Spanish-speaking countries. Students’ grammatical awareness increases as they speak, read, and write in the target language. They are exposed to grammatical terms and concepts, start to understand the elements that make up sentences, apply the agreement rules of articles, nouns, and adjectives, and practice verb conjugation patterns while building on a vocabulary base that includes autobiographical information and terms related to sports, school, friends, numbers, weather, feelings, and emotions. Students engage in diverse learning experiences that combine speech and action, including musical, verbal, visual, kinesthetic, or game-based activities, as well as reading, storytelling, drawing, producing skits, and using interactive digital tools. Both French and Spanish classes use the Symtalk method of magnetic symbol cards, which help students to create increasingly complex sentences and paragraphs. Teacher-created materials such as songs, rhymes, short stories, and games are also important components of the fifth-grade experience. Fifth-grade French and Spanish classes meet twice in a six-day cycle for forty-five minutes each period.

In sixth-grade French, students deepen their understanding of all aspects of the language and culture by actively engaging with French in a variety of ways, including skits and presentations. Over the course of the year, sixth-grade French students perform their skits for other French classes in both the Lower and Upper Schools, as well as for French-speaking members of the school community. Students continue their exploration of cultures and traditions of the francophone world beyond France. Students’ confidence and proficiency develop through conversations, songs, reading, and writing. Classes meet daily and are conducted in French. Many connections are made between French and English words and expressions. Students are encouraged to recognize cognates, as well as words with the same derivation. The core text is Discovering French, and several short readers with companion audio CDs are added to the textbook throughout the year in order to practice aural comprehension and reading skills, as well as to enrich vocabulary.

By the end of the year, sixth-grade students should able to demonstrate reasonable proficiency as they:

• participate in an immersion environment by communicating in French with their classmates and instructor
• understand and apply the concepts of masculine and feminine forms and agreements
• conjugate and use regular “-ER” verbs in the present tense, as well as several common irregular verbs
• introduce themselves, their friends, and family orally and in writing
• talk and write about their schedules and favorite activities
• explain what they have (possessions), how old they are, what they like to do
• use context clues to aid in aural and written comprehension

In seventh-grade French, students review, refine, and enrich previously acquired skills, adding verb conjugations and new verb tenses as they continue to improve oral/aural proficiency. Classroom communication takes place in French. Daily practice in listening, reading, speaking, and writing enhances students’ confidence and ability to communicate in French. Seventh-grade students are encouraged to compare and contrast French and American cultural habits, such as school menus, clothing catalogs, movies, and exhibitions. Throughout the year, students work on multimedia projects and presentations that allow them to demonstrate their grammatical and oral skills and the ability to use the Internet for research. Students watch several DVDs, including Monsieur Batignole in French with English subtitles. This film ties in with the seventh-grade Social Studies curriculum on the Holocaust. As this viewing takes place toward the end of the year, it helps to review all the grammar and most of the vocabulary studied during the course of the year.

By the end of the year, seventh-grade students should demonstrate reasonable proficiency as they:

• participate in an immersion environment by communicating in French with their classmates and instructor in brief conversations on familiar topics
• understand and apply the concepts of gender, singular and plural forms
• conjugate and use correctly "ER" verbs, "IR" verbs, "RE" verbs, as well as several irregular verbs
• understand and write in the present, passé compose, and immediate future tenses
• write short dialogues and paragraphs with the proper sentence structure
• comprehend and respond to beginner level readings

Students in eighth-grade French strengthen all four language skills - listening, speaking, reading, and writing - through a variety of activities including working with dialogues, writing short biographies and creative pieces, and reading short stories. Students continue to study the culture and traditions of France and francophone countries. They often use the Internet to do research on cultural, artistic, and sporting events that span the French-speaking world. Eighth-grade French students study the passé compose and the imparfait, reflexive verbs in the present tense, and demonstrative adjectives. They perfect their use of the future tense and negative and affirmative command forms of regular and irregular verbs. Emphasis is placed on the use of direct and indirect object pronouns with all verb tenses. Vocabulary comes largely from a variety of readings in the core text, Discovering French, and includes such topics as weekend activities, going camping with friends, traveling, and ordering at a restaurant. Les Misérables and Les Choristes are two feature films that students view in French with English subtitles.

Each year, the entire eighth grade participates in a language field trip to New York City during which students visit an exhibit or cultural event related to the language they study, including, when possible, a docent-guided experience in the target language. Students then enjoy lunch in an ethnic restaurant where they interact with wait staff in the language they study.

Successful completion of eighth-grade French enables students to enter Level 2 in the Upper School. Placement approval for Level 2 Honors courses requires a year-end average of 90 percent or higher. Students appropriately placed in Level 2 Honors show motivation, maturity, responsibility, and hard work, and they make consistent efforts to use solely the target language in class. They display excellence in the four main language skills - listening, speaking, reading and writing - and meet all commitments in a timely manner.

In sixth-grade Spanish, students deepen their understanding of all aspects of the language and culture by actively engaging with Spanish in a variety of ways, including skits and presentations. Over the course of the year, sixth-grade Spanish students perform their skits for other Spanish classes in both the Lower and Upper Schools, as well as for Spanish-speaking members of the school community. An in-depth presentation of students’ family trees is an annual event. Students continue their exploration of cultures and traditions of Spanish-speaking countries. Students’ confidence and proficiency develop through conversations, songs, reading, and writing. Opportunities for creative written and oral expression are numerous and include work with VoiceThread, an interactive collaboration tool that allows students to write and record responses to visual and written prompts. Classes meet daily and are conducted in Spanish.

By the end of the year, sixth-grade students should able to demonstrate reasonable proficiency as they:

• participate in an immersion environment by communicating in Spanish with classmates and instructor
• use basic vocabulary introduced throughout the course (topics such as school, family, clothing, colors, telling time, dates, descriptions of people, and numbers)
• correctly apply concepts of gender and number agreement and possession
• introduce themselves, their friends, and family orally and in writing
• talk and write about their schedules and favorite activities
• use context clues to aid in aural and written comprehension

In seventh-grade Spanish, students review, refine, and enrich previously acquired skills, adding verb conjugations and new verb tenses as they continue to improve oral/aural proficiency. Classroom communication takes place in Spanish. Work on listening, speaking, writing, and reading skills as well as cultural awareness continues with the use of DVDs, websites, songs, short readers, and oral exercises. Students prepare projects on a variety of topics including pastimes, sports, and interpretations of stories that have been read and discussed in class. Students also create their own menus and perform skits in a restaurant setting. Throughout the year, short stories are discussed and analyzed in class. Students act out scenes to enhance their ease of expression and write plot summaries to develop their writing skills. They also work on multimedia projects and presentations to demonstrate their growing grammatical and oral skills as well as the ability to use the Internet for research. Work on pronouns coincides with similar study in the Language Arts curriculum.

By the end of the year, seventh-grade students should demonstrate reasonable proficiency as they:

• participate in an immersion environment by communicating in Spanish with classmates and instructor in brief conversations on familiar topics
• understand and apply the concepts of gender, singular and plural forms
• form and use the present and immediate future tenses of regular and many irregular verbs
• write short dialogues and paragraphs with the proper sentence structure
• comprehend and respond to beginner-level readings
• properly substitute direct object pronouns in a sentence
• use large numbers and comparative forms

Students in eighth-grade Spanish strengthen all four language skills - listening, speaking, reading, and writing - through a variety of activities including writing and performing dialogues and news broadcasts, participating in role playing activities, such as acting out trips to a doctor’s office and emergency room, watching DVDs in Spanish and answering related comprehension questions, and reading short stories. Students write brief essays related to their readings as well as on topics that include notable Hispanic figures and traditions from around the Spanish-speaking world. Annual service projects offer eighth-grade students the opportunity to interact with Spanish-speaking members of our local community. Students gain proficiency in the use of the present, present progressive, past, and immediate future tenses of regular and irregular verbs, negative and positive commands, and reflexive verbs. They also continue to work on direct and indirect object pronouns, demonstrative adjectives and pronouns, and affirmative and negative words. The core text is Así Se Dice, and the reader La Gran Aventura de Alejandro offers rich cultural and vocabulary enrichment in an entertaining and accessible format.

Each year, the entire eighth grade participates in a language field trip to New York City during which students visit an exhibit or cultural event related to the language they study, including, when possible, a docent-guided experience in the target language. Students then enjoy lunch in an ethnic restaurant and interact with wait staff in the language they study.

Successful completion of eighth-grade Spanish enables students to enter Level 2 in the Upper School. Placement approval for Level 2 Honors courses requires a year-end average of 90 percent or higher. Students appropriately placed in Level 2 Honors show motivation, maturity, responsibility, and hard work, and they make consistent efforts to use solely the target language in class. They display excellence in the four main language skills - listening, speaking, reading and writing - and meet all commitments in a timely manner.

The Mandarin Chinese program begins in sixth grade. Classes meet daily and emphasize listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing (both handwriting and computer writing). Students are introduced to the important links between language and Chinese culture and gain proficiency and confidence through target language activities, including songs, skits, and dialogues. Opportunities for creative expression in Chinese include projects such as taking on the role of a tour guide for a popular tourist attraction in Beijing and presenting the site to classmates, and group work such as restaurant role-play scenarios.

By the end of the year, sixth-grade students should able to demonstrate reasonable proficiency as they:

• respond to instructions in the target language
• hold simple conversations on topics such as school, family, food, possessions
• recognize and write at least 110 characters
• read short texts with simplified Chinese characters
• use the Pin Yin system in computer writing

The Mandarin Chinese program for seventh grade builds on previously acquired skills and develops students’ proficiency in listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing (both handwriting and computer writing) of the Mandarin Chinese language. Classes are taught almost entirely in the target language, and students are encouraged to express themselves in Chinese. Daily practice in listening, reading, speaking, writing and cultural awareness continues with the use of DVDs, websites, songs, and presentations, which enhances students’ confidence and ability to communicate in Chinese. Grammar and vocabulary related to sports, clothing, pets and animals, transportation, asking for and giving directions, weather, shopping, body parts, and making comparisons form the major content of the seventh-grade course. Students engage in several creative projects that allow them to put to immediate use the concepts presented in class. For example, following the annual seventh-grade trip, students write journal entries in Chinese using related grammar and vocabulary to describe their hotel, meals, and sites visited. Seventh-grade students also research one of China’s 56 ethnic groups and present their projects to their classmates. During the unit on weather, students create and present forecasts.

By the end of the year, seventh-grade students should demonstrate reasonable proficiency as they:

• ask questions and respond to oral commands given by the instructor in Chinese
• hold basic conversations and read simple texts on a variety of topics, including clothing, activities, comparisons, and transportation
• add to the number of Chinese characters they can recognize and write
• use the Pin Yin system in computer writing
• comprehend and respond to beginner-level readings

Students in eighth-grade Mandarin Chinese continue to strengthen all five Chinese language skills - listening, speaking, reading, writing, and computer typing - through a variety of activities including working with dialogues, watching DVDs in Chinese with subtitles in Chinese or English, writing creative pieces, and reading short stories or newspaper articles that highlight Chinese culture and traditions. Projects include a presentation on a favorite character from one of the movies viewed and a travelogue in Chinese that sums up students’ experiences during the eighth-grade class trip. Grammar and vocabulary studied relate to real-life situations such as eating in a Chinese restaurant, describing one’s home, making phone calls, extending invitations. Students learn Chinese measure words and increase their skills in dictionary use.

Each year, the entire eighth grade participates in a language field trip to New York City during which students visit an exhibit or cultural event related to the language they study, including, when possible, a docent-guided experience in the target language. Students then enjoy lunch in an ethnic restaurant where they interact with wait staff in the language they study.

Successful completion of eighth grade Chinese enables students to enter Level 2 in the Upper School.