World Languages
Overview
SPANISH - FRENCH - GERMAN - CHINESE
In our increasingly global society, the ability to communicate with other people in their own language becomes more and more important. The World Languages Department offers courses that enable students to take steps toward fluency in another language. CUSD 308 offers French, German, Chinese and Spanish language courses. These courses allow students to learn and utilize their new language on a daily basis through the skills of speaking, reading, writing, and listening. As students’ progress through course sequences the concepts build on each other. Retention of material throughout the course sequence is essential. Each language sequence culminates in a capstone experience of an Advanced Placement course that may afford the student the opportunity to earn college credit.
In order to be successful in a language course a student must be willing to put in the time and work required. Daily practice of each of the main communication skills is necessary to truly master another language. Time spent daily reading, speaking, hearing and writing Spanish is essential for a student to learn and retain a new language. In addition, time must be dedicated to the memorization of new vocabulary and grammar constructions.
Students enter language classes with varied experiences and backgrounds. A student may have certain skills or experiences with a language that make them eligible for higher level courses without going through the traditional sequence. For alternative placements outside the traditional sequence, please contact the department chair to discuss placement.
The World Languages Department has offerings in Chinese, French, German and Spanish. We also offer a Spanish for Spanish Speakers curriculum for students who speak Spanish in the home. Each of our programs ends with a capstone AP course which gives students the opportunity to earn college credit for their skills in the studied language. Our curriculum focuses on all aspects of languages including reading, writing, speaking, listening, and culture.
