Skip To Main Content

Course Catalog

WORLD LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT

Lorraine Minotti

(914)241-6185

 

The World Language Department offers sequential courses in French, Italian, and Spanish. Students who begin their study of French, Italian or Spanish during middle school can continue their studies in high school.  Additionally, students are encouraged to add the study of a new world language in addition to their continued study of language from middle school. 

 

MODERN WORLD LANGUAGES 

The course content in all languages has been developed in accordance with the New York State syllabus: Modern Languages for Communication. Using the communicative approach, with emphasis on oral proficiency, efforts are devoted to developing the four basic language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Using culturally authentic materials based on everyday situations, students develop the ability to communicate with increasing proficiency.  



LEVEL ONE (SPANISH ONLY)

(1 unit) The emphasis in Spanish 1 is on understanding and speaking the language. Students work toward the mastery of these skills at an elementary level and are supported by reading and writing activities. The goal of all activities is to develop the ability to communicate in the world language. Structure of the language, vocabulary mastery, and culture of the countries in which each language is spoken are the basic components of course content. 

 

LEVEL TWO  

(1 unit) The development of the basic skills is continued: reading, writing, speaking, listening and culture areas are expanded. 

 

LEVEL THREE  

(1 unit) While maintaining emphasis on listening and oral skills, reading and writing are given particular additional attention at this level. Students take the locally developed Checkpoint B Examination at the end of Level Three. Successful completion of this level and a passing grade on the locally developed assessment fulfill a requirement and are necessary for an Advanced Regents Diploma. 

 

LEVEL FOUR H  

(1 unit) All four language skills are expanded as students begin their advanced level of study. Reading and writing competency receive increased emphasis. Readings may include short stories, short novels, selections from periodicals, and short plays. A survey of art, history and contemporary society (in the target countries) is an integral part of the course content. A major goal at this level is a substantive increase in the students’ oral proficiency and the target language is used almost exclusively in class. 

 

LEVEL FIVE H  

(1 unit) All four language skills continue to be expanded at an advanced level of study. Readings may include novels, plays, short stories, and poetry, as well as periodicals which stress current aspects of cultural studies. Increased attention is given to the development of fluent oral communication, as well as expository writing in the language. This course is the culmination of high school level work for seniors and for juniors who plan to take the college level Advanced Placement course in their senior year.

 

ADVANCED PLACEMENT LANGUAGE AND CULTURE  

(1 unit) The Advanced Placement Course in French, Italian and Spanish is a senior level course for those who wish to pursue college-level studies in high school. The course will stress development of comprehension of spoken French/Italian/Spanish in conversational situations, mastery of vocabulary necessary to comprehend contemporary literature and periodicals, and the fluent expression of ideas orally and in writing. Students in this course will take the Advanced Placement Examination given by the College Board in May.

 

Suggested guidelines: Successful completion of French 5H/Italian 5H/Spanish 5H or special permission from the World Language Dept. based on an evaluation of previous course work and the completion of summer studies.

 

SPANISH LANGUAGE ARTS PROGRAM 

 

SPANISH LANGUAGE ARTS 1 (SLA 1)

(1 unit) This course is an introduction of Spanish for native or heritage speakers who already speak informally but with no previous study of the language.  This course will be conducted entirely in Spanish.  Students will acquire basic grammar, build vocabulary and practice formal conversation using academic language. AVID-based strategies will be utilized to help students succeed in an academic setting. During the course of study we will focus on developing students' communicative skills as well as their understanding of hispanic culture in the United States. This course will serve the needs of a wide range of cultural and academic backgrounds. Upon completion of this course will be prepared to enroll in the more advanced and demanding levels of the Spanish Language Arts sequence. 

 

SPANISH LANGUAGE ARTS 2 (SLA 2)

(1 unit) The goal of the course is to continue building literacy skills in Spanish, all of which are easily transferable to the development of skills in the area of English Language Arts.  Grammar and academic vocabulary will be taught in context through the reading of short stories, periodicals, thematic essays and poetry. Students will continue to improve their reading and writing skills, focusing on the use of academic language across language modalities.

 

SPANISH LANGUAGE ARTS 3 (SLA 3)

(1 unit) This is a full year class recommended for students who have successfully completed the SLA 1-2 course in middle school. All four language skills continue to be expanded at an advanced level of study. Readings may include novels, plays, short stories, and poetry, as well as periodicals which stress current aspects of cultural studies. Increased attention is given to the development of fluent oral communication, as well as expository writing in the language. 

 

Suggested Guidelines:  Successful completion of SLA 2

 

SPANISH LANGUAGE ARTS 4 Honors (SLA 4H)

(1 unit) This is a full year course recommended for students who have successfully completed the SLA 3 course at the high school.  Students will explore the literature of Spain, Central and South America, as well as the culture, history, geography, politics and economics of these countries. They will also develop their skills in expository writing and will master the more sophisticated and complex grammatical structures of the Spanish language. Attention will be given to public speaking, preparing oral presentations and reports, and to overall communications skills.  

 

ADVANCED PLACEMENT SPANISH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE (SLA Program)

(1 unit) This is a full year course recommended for native Spanish-speaking 11th and 12th graders who have successfully completed both Iberian Studies and Latin American Studies. Students will continue to explore and analyze the literature of Spain and South America while advancing their knowledge of Hispanic culture. Students will develop their skills in creative writing, analytical writing, expository writing, reading comprehension and listening comprehension. They will continue to improve their oral communication skills as well. All advanced and complex grammatical structures will be mastered. Students will take the AP Exam in Spanish Language and Culture in May.

 

Suggested Guidelines: Successful completion of SLA 3, SLA 4H, and summer work.

 

ADVANCED PLACEMENT SPANISH LITERATURE (SLA Program)

(1 unit) This is a full year course available to all native Spanish-speaking students who have successfully completed the Native Language Arts 1, 2, and 3 courses as described above, and have the recommendation of their teachers. Students will read authentic editions of selected works from the literature of Spain and Spanish America during the Medieval and Golden Ages as well as the 19th and 20th centuries. Although the course will be taught as a college level survey course, the principal authors read will include Cervantes, Juan Manuel, Tirso de Molina, Garcilaso de la Vega, Bécquer, Darío, Martí, Pardo Bazán, Allende, Borges, Cortazar, Lorca, García Márquez, Machado, Neruda, Ulibarrí, and Unamuno. Students will read and analyze the literature orally and in writing. Students will learn to comprehend college-type lectures; to participate actively in discussions on literary topics; to do close readings of literary texts of all genres; to analyze critically the form and content of literary works orally and in writing using appropriate terminology. Students will take the Advanced Placement exam in Spanish Literature.

 

Suggested Guidelines: Successful completion of AP Spanish Language and Culture (SLA program) and summer work

 

ELECTIVES

 

INTRODUCTION TO LATIN & GREEK  

(1 unit) It is designed for sophomores, juniors, and seniors who would like to improve their linguistic skills and gain cultural and historical background about the Ancient World. Students will study Latin and Greek bases, prefixes and suffixes, with the goal of improving their reading comprehension skills and increasing their knowledge of English vocabulary. Students will use their newly expanded vocabulary to explore the more specialized vocabularies of science, math, history, geography, English and classical literature, business, government, sports, art, medicine and other modern languages. They will also be introduced to the culture and history of the ancient, classical societies of Rome and Greece through a study of celebrated literary works of the time. 

 

ACCELERATED FRENCH, ITALIAN AND SPANISH  

(1 unit) Accelerated language courses in new languages are available to students who have excelled in their current modern language.  The emphasis is on building foundational skills and understanding and speaking the language.  The goal of all activities is to develop the ability to communicate in the world language. Structure of the language, vocabulary mastery, and culture are the basic components of course content.  The pace is quick, as students are learning a great deal of new material within a short period of time, with classmates who have a more extensive background in the particular language.  These courses are recommended for tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grade students who wish to pursue a second language. Special teacher recommendation will be based upon department evaluation of the student’s performance in his/her first modern language class. Students who are recommended for this course demonstrate superior language aptitude and have performed at the highest level in their previous language studies at Fox Lane. Note: Students are required to maintain their enrollment in their first modern language course in order to be accepted into these accelerated programs.  

 

CONVERSATIONAL ITALIAN

(1/2 UNIT) This Italian semester elective course offers a way to learn language through contextual conversation. It creates a natural continuum within the language learning path of our students by placing an emphasis on leveraging acquired or heritage skills to then build a new expansion into a 3rd language.  This course will teach vocabulary and communication in context to students who already have a solid base in a romance language.  This course will be delivered through thematic units, which are geared toward conversational skills in everyday settings using the Italian language. Connections will be made between the romance languages of the student's backgrounds and Italian to promote language acquisition.  

 

Suggested Guidelines: Students whose home language is Spanish, successful completion of at least 3 levels of a romance language (French or Spanish), or in conjunction with another language class.   

 

ITALIAN CULTURE AND LANGUAGE THROUGH CUISINE

This course is open to students of all levels who are interested in learning about Italian culture and the regional differences that impact everything from weather to tourism, dialect to agriculture, and famous people to famous cuisine. Special emphasis will be placed on the culinary differences of each region.   This is a great course for all the foodies who are also interested in understanding age-old traditions as well as learning how to create their own delicacies at home with a deeper and more appreciative understanding of this wonderful country, steeped in history.  Our studies will also bring heightened awareness and appreciation of the many contributions of Italians and Italian Americans to our everyday world and society.  Each unit will end with a culminating hands-on activity that will include the planning and preparing of regional dishes to celebrate the differences of each region and the community we will be building within our classroom.  The Italian language will be introduced and enriched for students through the vocabulary and idiomatic language used throughout Italy.

 

Suggested Guidelines: Successful completion of a world language through level 3 or in conjunction with another language class.