French I
1 Foreign Language elective credit
Course Description: Students will learn how to
communicate in French on a basic level, using the present and near future
tenses. Vocabulary and phrases learned will include how to order in a
restaurant (plus an extensive bank of vocabulary of food), how to give
directions, how to describe how a person looks, feels, etc., what that person
likes and doesn’t like, how to describe activities, sports and games, how to
tell what subjects one studies at school, how to say where one lives, etc. The
textbook used will be Discovering French
- Bleu. Students will learn songs
and poetry. There will be a poetry recitation competition in the department as
precursor to the state competition.
Description of Activities and Student Projects. In addition to the above stated
description of daily work, students will memorize a poem, to be presented at
the COLT Foreign Language Competition in the spring. There will be one large
research project in the fourth quarter.
Students will be able to:
Meet
the requirements and abilities as stated above and as based upon the New Haven
Public Schools format of criteria.
Students will be required to:
Perform
at a level conducive to language learning:
·
Respect
teacher and peers
·
Participate
in oral activities
·
Purchase
a French notebook
·
Complete
all required work, including homework, projects, vocabulary lists or cards
·
Make
up missed quizzes and homework
·
Refrain
from lateness, gum chewing, beauty care and socializing during class.
French II
1 Foreign Language elective credit
Course Description: French II is an intermediate level course designed to help students
further develop their speaking, reading and writing skills. More advanced grammar concepts and cultural
readings from the French-speaking world are presented. Special emphasis is
placed on reading comprehension and composition skills. Students read short passages from literature,
magazines and other contemporary sources.
They also memorize poems and songs in French. Video lessons accompany the
text for listening and pronunciation practice. French II Honors includes
additional cultural readings, translation, and poetry and research
projects. French cuisine is also enjoyed
during the course. We will be using Discovering French: Bleu: Valette; D.C. Heath & Co. during the first quarter and Discovering French Blanc: Valette; D.C. Heath & Co. for the rest of the year.
Additional texts will be included for enrichment.
Description of Activities and
projects: Students will also do a research project (with
an oral component), memorize French songs and poems and use the computer lab
for on-line research and re-writes of French journals. Students will
participate in a poetry recitation competition within the department as
preparation for the statewide poetry recitation competition. Students will use
the CD ROMS that accompany the textbook once a week in the computer lab as an
enhancement to the textbook. Oral and written assignments will be reviewed by
the teacher and graded.
Classroom Requirements: Students will be required to:
1. Write out all new vocabulary and
expressions in their French notebooks or flashcards on a regular basis. This
will be checked.
2. Complete all homework. Students will
be given two days to make up any homework missed due to excused absences. Other
missed assignments will not be tolerated and may result in an F for the course.
3. Keep a composition notebook of
personal journals in French, and a loose-leaf notebook of class notes and
completed work.
4. Come to class prepared to work.
Students will be able to:
Meet
the requirements and abilities as stated above, based upon the New Haven Public
Schools format of criteria.
Students will be required to:
Perform
at a level conducive to language learning:
·
Respect
teacher and peers
·
Participate
in oral activities
·
Complete
all required work, including homework, projects, vocabulary lists or cards
·
Make
up missed quizzes and homework.
1 Foreign Language credit
Course Description: French III is offered during the
fall term. The textbook used will be Discovering French: Blanc. The course will include the further study of
verb tenses (from the present to complex compound tenses and an introduction to
the subjunctive), idiomatic expressions and advanced grammatical concepts in
the French syntax. Supplementary texts,
short stories, poems and fables, as well as newspapers and current events will
be incorporated into the weekly syllabus. Students will read one short story: La Belle et la
Bête, Le Petit Prince or Au Revoir, les Enfants (filmaerobics) during
the second marking period. An extensive study of Impressionism will be a part
of the second marking period as well, and we will join the Art department for
collaboration on a “chef d’oeuvre” (masterpiece)!
Description of Activities and
Student Projects:
Students will memorize a fable from La
Fontaine, participate in regular skits and cooperative learning exercises,
prepare for and participate in the Foreign language
festival in February, produce a research project, play or film in French, and
finally, create a work of art in the Impressionist style. There will be at
least two field trips, and a trip to
Homework Requirements: Students will be required to:
1. Purchase and use a French notebook;
2. Complete or make up all quizzes and
tests within a week, homework within two days (or as determined by the student
and teacher);
3. Have a positive attitude, an
eagerness to participate orally and exhibit honesty in their work;
4. Do their homework daily. A separate
grade will be given for homework assignments. Two days will be given for each
day missed due to excused absences. Homework is necessary and required for the
course; failure to do homework will result in an F;
5. Memorize new materials; write down
new vocabulary, idioms, grammatical lessons and class notes in their notebooks
or on flash cards, and review each day’s class work that evening.
Students will be able to:
Meet
the requirements and abilities as stated above and as based upon the New Haven
Public Schools format of criteria.
Students will be required to:
Perform
at a level conducive to language learning:
·
Respect
teacher and peers
·
Participate
in oral activities
·
Complete
all required work, including homework, projects, vocabulary lists or cards
·
Make
up missed quizzes and homework within a week.
1 Foreign Language credit
Course Description: The focus will be on oral
comprehension and communication, the acquisition of advanced grammar, and as an
in-depth study of the French syntax.
Description of Activities and
Student Projects: Students
will speak French in class. Projects will be determined at a later date,
depending upon time. A final quarter extensive research project is required.
Finally, students should exhibit a positive attitude, a willingness to
participate orally, and complete all work with honesty and competence. Needless
to say, students should exhibit a commitment to hard work and to speaking
French in class. Students will read one novel, L’Etranger, and will be required to read every night, and to answer questions
and “analyse guidées” as
assigned. Furthermore, students will learn the French “explication de texte” and how to use it.
Finally, if the course becomes AP, students will use the AP guidebook, Une fois pour toutes and Connaissances et réactions
as their daily textbooks.
Students will be able to:
Meet
the requirements and abilities as based upon the New Haven Public Schools
format of criteria.
Students will be required to:
Perform
at a level conducive to language learning:
·
Respect
teacher and peers
·
Participate
in oral activities
·
Complete
all required work
·
Make
up missed quizzes and homework within a week
·
Exhibit
an interest and commitment to excellence in French.
Latin I
1 Foreign Language
elective credit
Course
Description: An introductory course to Latin
grammar and history/mythology of the late Republic and early Empire in
Description of
Activities and Student Projects: Students will be
required to analyze one major Latin passage toward the end of the second
semester, with most of the work done in class.
Homework
Requirements: There will be homework almost every
night, usually consisting of 5-10 sentences to be translated, and in the second
semester, short passages to be analyzed.
Students are also expected to study vocabulary every night.
1 Foreign Language/elective credit
Prerequisite: Latin 1
Course Description: An introduction to Latin literature
from the early Republic into the Middle Ages.
The emphasis is on reading original Latin texts as a way of
understanding how Latin grammar was applied to the expression of the
development of the language and the richness of literature available.
Description of
Activities and Student Projects: Each student will be expected to do
a grammar analysis of major passage first semester and a recitation of a short
passage second semester. Classtime will be given almost entirely to the actual
reading of Latin texts.
Homework Requirements: There will be homework almost every
night, which will consist of grammatical analysis and short translation
exercises designed to compliment the texts being discussed in class.
Spanish
I
1 Foreign Language elective credit
Course Description: The primary goals of this course is
to foster an excitement and appreciation towards learning how to communicate in
the Spanish language and to become acquainted with the varied cultures of
Spanish speaking peoples in the United States and abroad. Listening
comprehension, speaking and grammar skills will be emphasized and supported
through the text, Juntos,
as well as a variety of other reading materials, activities, and audio/video
sources. In addition, the frequent use
of music will enhance an appreciation and understanding of many cultural and
linguistic nuances of the Spanish language and culture. The development of good pronunciation will be
stressed!
Description of Activities and
Student Projects: Varied
classroom activities include: daily journal reflections, discussions on issues
and points of interest in Hispanic culture, participation in role-play
situations, the compilation of individual Spanish Portfolios, individual and
group presentations, quarterly research paper/projects on student selected
topics, music and art activities and of course, daily home assignments!
Homework requirements: Home assignments are given on a
daily basis to reinforce skills and inquiries introduced in class. Daily Journals, reading, preparation for
paper/projects and oral presentations are considered homework. Completion of home assignments is essential
to success in this course!
Students are expected to meet the Content Standards for
Spanish I as outlined in the New Haven Public Schools Course Curriculum Outline.
1 Foreign Language elective credit
Course Description: The major goal of this course is to increase oral proficiency in
Spanish, while providing an in-depth understanding of how Spanish works. Through growing vocabulary and contact with
the language, students' cross-cultural awareness will be expanded to comprehend
the many and varied Spanish-speaking areas of the world. Students will develop
the vocabulary and grammatical constructions that will enable them to talk,
read and write about the weather, student life, activities and hobbies, the
media and communications, while traveling through Puerto Rico, Spain, Mexico,
and the Spanish-speaking areas of the U.S.
Course work includes daily homework, mini-projects for each unit, tests,
quizzes, oral presentations, and a final project and exam. The principle textbook for the course is Juntos which is
accompanied by a workbook, tapes, videos and a magazine. Students will also be working in a
specialized journal.
Description of Activities and Student Projects: Many and varied art, music and
cultural activities are a fundamental part of the course. A final project based on the student's
interest is required.
Homework: Homework is assigned daily. Any reading, oral, or journal assignment is
considered homework as well as workbook and textbook assignments. Homework is an important part of this
course! The academic grade is determined
by a point system whereby all assignments, quizzes, tests, oral presentations,
journal entries, projects, etc., are worth a pre-determined number of
points. Homework is due the day it is
due, and will be docked points if it is late, except in the case of excused
absences.
Students are expected to meet the Content Standards for Spanish II as
outlined in the New Haven Public Schools Course Curriculum Outline.
Spanish III /
Course Description: The major goals of this course are: increased oral proficiency in
Spanish, cultural understanding of the Spanish-speaking areas of the world, and
increased fluency in the ability to express oneself in the written form. The principle textbook is the second book of
the series, JUNTOS, which is accompanied by audio and video tapes, a workbook
and a magazine. Students will also be
keeping a journal in Spanish.
Description of Activities and Student Projects: Participation in the Columbus School Project,
where HSC students work once a week in a local ,bilingual
classroom, is an essential element of this class. Students will be required to keep a journal
in Spanish of their weekly visits to
Homework Requirements: Homework is assigned nightly, and is essential to the students'
success in the course. Oral report
preparation and journal writing are both considered homework. The academic grade is determined by a point
system whereby each written, oral assignment, test, quiz, journal entry and
project is worth a pre-determined number of points. Late work is docked points, except in the
case of excused absences.
Students will be expected to meet the Content Standards for Spanish III
as outlined in The New Haven Public Schools Foreign Language Course Curriculum
Outline.
Spanish IV (AP)
1 Foreign Language elective credit
Course Description: Spanish IV/AP Spanish is an
honors level course
designed to intensify the journey to
varied areas of the Spanish-speaking world that students began in
Spanish IV. Using the Spanish language as its tool, students will amplify their
vocabulary, and become more proficient with Spanish grammar and syntax, while
learning more about the history, art, music, literature, and contemporary
culture of the people who speak Spanish.
Description of Activities and Student Projects: This year we will use the text, DIME! PASAPORTE al MUNDO 21 which is organized around
the 21 areas of the world where Spanish is the major language. The text is accompanied by a workbook, audio
tapes and exercises, and video tapes, all of which we will use
consistently. For the Advanced Placement
portion of the class, we will use the text and tapes for AP SPANISH-PREPARING for the LANGUAGE EXAMINATION materials, in
addition to our regular text. I will
also use Barron’s – How to Prepare for
the SAT II in SPANISH materials. I
have many primary source materials available for use, as does our library.
The AP language examination
preparation materials will be introduced after the preliminary unit and part of
the first unit have been completed. This
way, students will have a chance to review, and to read, write, listen to and
speak Spanish, while studying fore complicated grammatical structures. It is my hope that students will feel more
confident as they undertake this advanced study. As we sample different parts of the AP exam,
we will continue with our work in DIME!. This class ends at the end of January, and
the AP test is given in May. Students in
this class may decide to take the test, or not.
Those who feel prepared will be encouraged to take it.
Spanish for Spanish Speakers
.5 Foreign Language credit
Prerequisites:
Native Spanish speaker
Description of Course Content and Major Goals: Spanish for Spanish Speakers is
designed to foster solid reading and writing skills in Spanish for those
students whose first, home, or dominant language is Spanish, but who are in
need or interested in becoming better readers and writers in Spanish. Through
the use of primary source materials in Spanish, we will explore many areas of
the Spanish speaking world, but primarily
Description of Activities and Student Projects: Students will work on reading and
writing skills through letter writing, journal keeping and other student
centered activities. Student writing
will be put together to create a class book as a final project. Students’
artwork will also be included.
Homework Requirements:
All
homework is due the day it is due, and will be docked points when it is late,
except in the case of excused absences.