Foreign Language
	The foreign language program exposes students to diverse cultures and aims to nurture creative learning and risk taking within an age-appropriate, rigorous curriculum. At each level, students are expected to increase language development as well as cultural awareness. While the main objective of the department is to increase both comprehension and communication, other objectives include increasing exposure to Spanish, French and Mandarin speaking countries, the history and legacy of Latin in our language and culture, vocabulary acquisition, reading and writing of simple phrases, and the development of a general interest in other languages and cultures. Technology plays a strong role in developing skills.

	Sixth Grade: French or Spanish These introductory courses focus on the linguistic foundations and cultural aspects of each language with an emphasis on oral and aural skills. Through skits, projects, games, text and technology students acquire these basic language skills. The four basic skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing are practiced daily, but at the sixth grade level, there is more emphasis placed on speaking and listening. Highly communicative and interactive in design, these classes lay the foundation for the completion of either French I or Spanish I by the end of eighth grade. French Resources: Allez, Viens! 1(first half), (text, tape manual and writing workbook), short story reader. Spanish Resources: ¡Ven conmigo!1 (first half), (text, tape manual and writing workbook), short story reader.

	Seventh Grade, French or Spanish with Mandarin IA Students in the seventh grade continue with French or Spanish but may add Mandarin to their course-load as sixth course (with Middle School Head’s approval). Seventh grade Spanish and French students are ready for a more formal and fast paced program that places equal value and emphasis on all four basic skills of learning a foreign language: speaking, listening, reading and writing. Basic structures and vocabulary are taught through communicative activities. Students will complete French I, Spanish I or Mandarin I by the end of eighth grade. Students embarking on Mandarin will cover the first part of a Mandarin I course in seventh grade using the same communicative activities, while learning pinyin and simplified characters. French resources: Allez, Viens! 1(second half), (text, tape manual and writing workbook), short story reader. Spanish resources: ¡Ven conmigo!1 (second half), (text, tape manual and writing workbook), short story reader. Mandarin resources: Chinese Made Easy One as well as a reader and a computer program.

	Eighth Grade, French or Spanish, with Mandarin IB or an Upper School level course, Latin I Students in the eighth grade continue with Spanish and French and may add Latin to their course-load as a sixth course (with the Middle School Head’s approval), except for those students who have already added and will continue with Mandarin. Attention in these courses is paid to communication in the target language on a daily basis. The amount of grammar and related vocabulary increases significantly as students continue to practice the four basic skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing. French resources: Allez, Viens! 2 (text, tape manual and writing workbook), supplementary short story readers, magazines, videos, movies and music. Spanish resources: ¡Ven conmigo! (second half), ¡Ven conmigo! (tape manual and writing workbook), supplementary short story readers, magazines, videos, movies and music. Mandarin resources: Chinese Made Easy One continued as well as a reader and a computer program. Latin resources: Cambridge Latin Book One.