CNG HS Academic Program Guide 2024 - 2025: WORLD LANGUAGES

___________ FRENCH AS FOREIGN LANGUAGE ___________

FRANÇAIS A1

A & B - BEGINNERS 9 - 12

WLG100/WLG101                                                                                                     0.5 credit each

In this beginning level course students are introduced to the French Language and culture through a conversational, hands-on approach. Elementary oral and written survival skills regarding varied topics such as greetings, introducing oneself and others, filling out travel formats, ordering foods and drinks, asking price, time, and weather, understanding and using numbers, expressing likes, dislikes, agreement, disagreement, requesting information in a variety of settings, describing friends and family, and making weekend plans are developed and studied in this course. All content is based on a solid grammar foundation and presented within a cultural context.

Students  coming  from  Middle  School  with  one  or  two  semesters of French should sign up for this fast- paced beginners course. French  I for  12th  graders  with  teacher  interview  and  approval  only.

FRANÇAIS B1

A & B - INTEMEDIATE 9 - 12

WLG130/WLG131                                                                                                     0.5 credit each

In this intermediate level of French, students strengthen their confidence in communicating with accuracy given meaningful cultural contexts. Family relationships, daily activities and routines,  descriptions,  leisure  activities  and  entertainment, vacation and travel are some of the subjects studied. An exploration of recreational reading, recognized French authors’ works, world current events and French cultural practices are introduced or studied in more depth. In this intermediate level the interpersonal, interpretive and presentational modes of oral and written communication skills gain importance. Since this is a course that prepares students for the AP French option, daily contact and practice with French resources is a must.

Students successfully completed French II with a 3.0 or higher in the end of the year exit exam. Students coming from Middle School with four semesters of French should sign up for this fast-paced intermediate course. Students need to get approval from teacher to sign up for this course.

___________ MANDARIN AS FOREIGN LANGUAGE ___________

MANDARIN I

A & B - BEGINNERS 9 - 12

WLG200/WLG201                                                                                                     0.5 credit each

This course will cover the basics of the language, using standard textbook for HSK 1, including pronunciation, characters, and daily expressions. Basic survival skills, such as: how to introduce oneself; how to order food and drinks in Chinese; learning to use numbers and to know about  number  culture;  making  plans  for  the  weekend; making telephone calls; typing Chinese characters on the computer; as well as talking about weather and hobbies.

MANDARIN III

A & B - ADVANCED BEGINNERS A 9 - 12

WLG220/WLG221                                                                                                     0.5 credit each

This  course will allow students to continue in their study of Chinese. Using the standard textbook for HSK 3, students will learn to narrate past, present, and future events. They describe daily routines and give detailed descriptions of people and things. More topics like reserving a room or table, arranging the transport, making a travel plan will be explored. Students focus work on their reading and writing, and focus their efforts and time on Chinese grammar and structures.

Students have completed Mandarin II successfully. Middle School with four semesters of Mandarin should sign up for this fast-paced advanced beginner course. Students should get approval from teacher to sign up for this course.

MANDARIN V

A & B - INTERMEDIATE 9 - 12

WLG224/WLG225                                                                                                     0.5 credit each

In this intermediate level of Mandarin, using the standard textbook for HSK 4, students strengthen their confidence in communicating with accuracy given meaningful cultural contexts. Family relationships, daily activities and routines, leisure activities and entertainment, are still the subjects. In addition, students learn how to express their opinions, doubts, and emotions about familiar topics. Varied readings offer students deeper understanding and help acquire more knowledge of target language and culture.

Students have successfully completed Mandarin IV with a 2.5 or higher. Middle School with six semesters of Mandarin should sign up for this fast-paced intermediate course. Students should get approval from teacher to sign up for this course.

___________ SPANISH AS NEW LANGUAGE ___________

SNL I   A & B  9 - 12

WLG500/WLG501                                                                                                           0.5 credit 

This course is designed for students who are non-Spanish speaking, and who have received little or no training in Spanish. The focus of this course is to help students be able to communicate basic information in oral and in written form such as asking and answering questions about personal information, given the time and date, likes and dislikes, describing the weather, ordering food in a restaurant, the school's Snack Shack and Bookstore, and using cardinal and ordinal numbers, among other information. All content is based on a solid grammar foundation and presented within a cultural context. This not only helps students explore a variety of major Spanish speaking countries but it also helps them identify differences in greetings, weather conditions, and friendship. Students will gradually acquire vocabulary, grammar, and knowledge of everyday life experiences and will be able to use it in a new cultural environment. The short stories read throughout the course emphasize the culture of the Spanish speaking world. By the end of this course, students will be able to demonstrate appropriate use of different grammar structures and tenses and will have a beginner level knowledge of culture of the major countries where Spanish is spoken.

*Students should get approval from the SNL teacher to sign up for this course.

Oral and written testing will be used to determine level in SNL classes.

SNL III  A & B - 9 - 12

WLG520/WLG521                                                                                                               0.5 credit 

In this intermediate level of Spanish, students strengthen their confidence in communicating with accuracy when given meaningful cultural contexts. A general but profound grammar review is included in the program as well and more complex structures such as the use of the present subjunctive are introduced through these themes: Families and Communities, Personal and Public Identities, Beauty and Aesthetics, Science and Technology, Contemporary Life, and Global Challenges. An exploration of recreational reading, recognized Spanish authors' works, world current events, and Spanish cultural practices are introduced or studied in more depth. In this intermediate level, the interpersonal, interpretive and presentational modes of oral and written communication skills gain importance. The cultural component of this course involves continued contact with short literary excerpts from various Hispanic cultures. By the end of the course, students will have had some limited experience with the skills and abilities necessary for literary analysis and will also be able to write short reflections, stories, and simple essays. Students will also be prepared to work with literature in a more formal way and should be well on the path to being independent users of the language. Since this is a course that prepares students for the AP Spanish Language and Culture option, daily contact and practice with Spanish resources is a must.

*Students should get approval from the SNL teacher to sign up for this course.

Oral and written testing will be used to determine level in SNL classes.

AP SPANISH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

A & B -  ADVANCED 10 - 12

WLG554/WLG555                                                                                             0.5 credit each

Prerequisites: HS SNL 3 or individual testing and interview if coming from another school.

Summer work: Summer reading and grammar review package.

Average workload: 2-3 hours per week.

This course is intended for students who have already taken Spanish as a New Language level 1, 2 and 3, and are in 10th, 11th or 12th grade.

This is the final course for students in the SNL program. This course emphasizes communication by applying the interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational modes of communication in real-life situations. Students will work on strategies for effective communication, vocabulary usage, language control, and cultural awareness. To best facilities the study of language and culture, the course is taught exclusively in Spanish. Students in this course will explore culture in both contemporary and historical contexts. They will develop awareness and appreciation of cultural products, such as music, books, as well as practices and perspectives (attitudes and assumptions) of a variety of cultures. As in SNL III, students will be exposed to some more literary content and work on improving critical thinking skills via the reading of some novels, short stories and poetry from Latin-American authors as well as articles, videos, and blog posts. Extensive work is done on reflecting upon and responding to all kinds of texts via formal and informal writing and discussions. Although students will improve their grammar control via the various tasks to be completed, this course will not overemphasize grammatical accuracy at the expense of communication. Students will be well prepared to take the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam at the end of the year.

Students need to take a placement test.

This AP is only offered to students that have already taken Spanish as a New Language.

Spanish as a New Language Teacher's recommendation.

Students must have maintained a 3.5 average or higher in SNL III for the year.

___________ FRENCH AS FOREIGN LANGUAGE ___________

FRANÇAIS A2

A & B -  ADVANCED BEGINNERS 9 - 12

WLG120/WLG121                                                                                                     0.5 credit each

In this continuation of the beginning level of French, students review material and continue to develop their interpersonal, interpretive  and presentational  modes  of  oral  and  written communication skills through a conversational, hands-on approach which emphasizes the culture of the French speaking world. The sustained progress of pronunciation and intonation patterns, vocabulary, grammar structures and verb tenses are essential components of the topics examined such as schools and education, oneself and others, daily routines, weekend activities and sports, housing, cities and city life, foods, meals and eating habits, fashion and clothes, shopping, childhood experiences, present and future life dreams and projects.

Students successfully completed French I with a 2.7 or higher in the end of the year grade. Students coming from Middle School with two semesters of French should sign up for this fast-paced advanced beginners course.

AP FRANÇAIS LANGUAGE AND CULTURE 

A & B 9 - 12

WLG140/WLG141                                                                                                     0.5 credit each

Prerequisites:  HS French 3 or individual testing and interview if coming from another school.

Summer work: Summer reading and grammar review package.

Average workload: 1-2 hours per week.

This course is intended for students who are engaged, independent, high achievers, excellent readers in English and Spanish, make quick interdisciplinary connections, are interested in varied cultural perspectives and are willing to embrace challenging topics and tasks to perform in French.
The main objective of the AP French Language and Culture course is to promote oral and written proficiency in the 3 modes of communication: Interpersonal, Interpretive and Presentational, while exploring and developing appreciation of diverse cultural aspects of the French—speaking world. A wide-range of motivating themes such as global challenges, science and technology, contemporary life, families and communities will be studied during this challenging course. In order to attain the level of language proficiency, students are required to practice the language daily by consulting websites, newspapers and magazines, films, literature, television programs.

___________ MANDARIN AS FOREIGN LANGUAGE ___________

MANDARIN II

A & B - INTERMEDIATE BEGINNERS 9 - 12

WLG210/WLG211                                                                                                     0.5 credit each

In  this  intermediate  beginning  level,  using  standard textbook for HSK 2, the students review and continue to develop their oral and written skills through a conversational,  communicative  approach.  Students  are  offered continued opportunity to enlarge vocabulary on previous topics and new topics like making appointments, talking about their activities and schedules in detail. Students will learn vocabulary related to seeing the doctor or organizing a birthday party. The focus of this course is continued training in Chinese writing and reading as well as speaking and listening.

Students have completed Mandarin I A & B successfully

MANDARIN IV

A & B - ADVANCED BEGINNERS 9 - 12

WLG222/WLG223                                                                                                     0.5 credit each

This course  will  allow students to continue in their study of Chinese. Using the standard textbook for HSK 3, students will learn to narrate past, present, and future events. They describe daily routines and give detailed descriptions of people and things. More topics like reserving a room or table, arranging the transport, making a travel plan will be explored. Students focus work on their reading and writing, and focus their efforts and time on Chinese grammar and structures.

Students have successfully completed Mandarin III with a 2.5 or higher. Middle School with six semesters of Mandarin should sign up for this fast-paced intermediate course. Students should get approval from teacher to sign up for this course.

MANDARIN VI

A & B - INTERMEDIATE 9 - 12

WLGTBC/WLGTBC                                                                                                     0.5 credit each

In this intermediate level of Mandarin, using the standard textbook for HSK 4 (Volume 2), students strengthen their confidence in communicating with accuracy given meaningful cultural contexts. Family relationships, daily activities and routines, leisure activities and entertainment, are still the subjects. In addition, students learn how to express their opinions, doubts, and emotions about familiar topics. Varied readings offer students deeper understanding and help acquire more knowledge of their target language and culture.

Students have successfully completed Mandarin V with a 3 or higher. Middle schoolers with six semesters of Mandarin should sign up for this fast-paced intermediate course. Students should get approval from the teacher to sign up for this course.

SNL II A & B - 9 - 12

WLG510/WLG511                                                                                                       0.5 credit  

In this continuation of the beginning level of Spanish as a New Language, students review material and continue to develop their interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational modes of oral and written communication skills through a conversational, hands-on approach which emphasizes the culture of the Spanish speaking world. The sustained progress of pronunciation and intonation patterns, vocabulary, grammar structures and verb tenses are essential components of the topics examined such as schools and education, oneself and others, daily routines, weekend activities and sports, housing, cities and city life, foods, meals and eating habits, fashion and clothes, shopping, childhood experiences, present and future life, dreams, and projects.

*Students should get approval from the SNL teacher to sign up for this course.

Oral and written testing will be used to determine level in SNL classes.