EXPLORING MIDDLE SCHOOL WORLD LANGUAGE AND CULTURE (9-Week Course)
(Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, French, Latin, and Spanish – These courses may vary by school) 

This introductory course is for students who do not wish to start the high school sequence but would like to begin learning world languages and cultures in middle school. It is not a prerequisite for any other World Language course and does not allow a student to earn high school credit. This course should be taken only once during middle school. The course allows students to perform basic functions of the language being studied using increasingly complex structures as the student becomes familiar with some detailed elements of the culture. The emphasis is placed on the ongoing progressive development of listening, speaking, reading, writing, and viewing skills within a given context extending outside of the classroom setting. The context focuses on adolescents’ lives, needs, and experiences but also expands to other aspects of life and exposes students to a variety of customs and lifestyles. Grammar is integrated throughout the course and is based on thematic units. 

FRENCH I, PART I  
French I, Part I is offered as the first of a two-part series to enable motivated students to begin their world language studies at the 7th-grade level. It is an introduction to the French language with emphasis on acquiring accuracy in pronunciation, oral fluency, vocabulary development, and grammatical knowledge of the language. There will be numerous oral exercises with many personalized questions and a variety of classroom activities emphasizing personal expression. French culture and civilization are also taught. Included are such topics as geography, cities, historical sites, birthday customs, food, school, shopping habits, sports, hobbies, and entertainment. After the successful completion of French I, Part I, the student is expected to continue with French I, Part II as an eighth-grader. A proficiency exam will be given at the end of the course.

FRENCH I, PART II  (Prerequisite: French I, Part I)
This course is a continuation of French I, Part I and is designed for students who have successfully completed French I Part I. An introduction to the French language is continued, with emphasis on listening, pronunciation, oral fluency, vocabulary, and grammatical knowledge. There will be numerous oral exercises with many personalized questions and a variety of classroom activities emphasizing personal expression. Various media are used to introduce different aspects of French culture and civilization. Students who successfully complete French I, Parts I and II are awarded high school course credit and may have the opportunity to continue with levels II, III, IV, V, and AP in high school. A proficiency exam will be given at the end of the course.

FRENCH I (HS CREDIT)
This course is an introduction with emphasis on acquiring accuracy in pronunciation, oral fluency, vocabulary development, and grammatical knowledge of the language. There will be numerous oral exercises with many personalized questions and a variety of classroom activities emphasizing personal expression. French culture and civilization are also taught. Included are such topics as geography, cities, historical sites, birthday customs, foods, schools, shopping habits, sports, hobbies, and entertainment. High school course credit is awarded to students who successfully complete French I in the 8th grade. Students who successfully complete French I in the 8th grade may have the opportunity to continue with levels II, III, IV, V, and an AP-level course in high school. The course must consist of 135 instructional hours on a block schedule or 150 hours within a traditional schedule. A proficiency exam will be given at the end of the course.