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. 

LANGUAGE AND CULTURE (Semester or Year-Long)

Students begin their introduction to Spanish with fundamental building blocks in key areas of world language study: listening comprehension, speaking, reading, writing, and viewing. Students master common vocabulary terms and phrases; comprehend a wide range of grammar patterns; initiate and continue simple conversations, and respond appropriately to basic conversational prompts, and generate language incorporating basic vocabulary and a limited range of grammar patterns. This is an interdisciplinary course that explores ethnic and cultural diversity and culture within Latin American and Caribbean societies. It explores historical, geographic, and social experiences. Emphasis is placed on high cultural manifestations such as art and literature, as well as on the everyday habits of the people. The course will provide multimedia cultural presentations covering Hispanic-speaking countries.

SPANISH FOR NATIVE SPEAKERS I, PART I (Year-Long – Dual Immersion Program)
Pre-requisite: Rising E.E. Miller or W.H. Owen 6th Grade Immersion Students and Spanish/Heritage Speaking students who have formally studied Spanish in an academic setting in the same way that native English-speaking students study English Language Arts. A placement examination will be administered at the beginning of the course.

This course is based on the AP Thematic Units such as Beauty and Aesthetics, Global Challenges, Science and Technology, Families and Communities, Personal and Public Identities, and Contemporary Life. It focuses on the development of communicative competence in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing, as well as an understanding of Hispanic cultures and issues of identity of heritage speakers of Spanish in the United States. Students will also develop an awareness and understanding of Hispanic cultures, including language variation, customs, geography, history, and current events. During this course, students will gain confidence using Spanish to express their own thoughts on social and academic themes, interact with other speakers of the language, understand oral and written messages, make oral and written presentations, reflect on language variation, and critically view and evaluate media resources and web sites. Students will be able to understand the material presented on a variety of topics related to contemporary events and issues in Hispanic communities through the study of Hispanic literary texts representing the Spanish-speaking world: Spain, South America, Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico. A proficiency exam will be given at the end of the course.

SPANISH FOR NATIVE SPEAKERS I (HS CREDIT) – YEAR-LONG
Although this course description is identical to the prior one, the courses differ in their level of rigor. Students completing this course will move to a Spanish Level III Honors course. A proficiency exam will be given at the end of the course.

SPANISH FOR NATIVE SPEAKERS I, PART II (Year-Long)
Prerequisite: Spanish for Native Speakers I, Part I (Dual Immersion Program) or Spanish/Heritage Speaking students who have formally studied Spanish in an academic setting in the same way that native English-speaking students study English Language Arts.

This is a sequential course. It will continue exploring the AP Thematic Units such as Beauty and Aesthetics, Global Challenges, Science and Technology, Families and Communities, Personal and Public Identities and Contemporary Life. Students deepen their functional skills in comprehending, speaking, reading, and writing Spanish. It fosters an appreciation of Hispanic cultural-linguistic heritage. Students critically will analyze, solve problems, communicate and create using the target language in a variety of settings. A proficiency exam will be given at the end of the course.

SPANISH AS LANGUAGE ARTS (Year-Long) 
Pre-requisite: Rising E.E. Miller or W.H. Owen 6th Grade Immersion Students
A placement examination will be administered at the beginning of the course. 

Spanish at this level continues to utilize the Literacy Collaborative Framework as a model of instruction. At the middle school level, listening, speaking, reading, and writing are previewed, viewed, and reviewed. Both communicative and academic skills are developed and reinforced at higher levels to extend students’ comprehension, content vocabulary, and writing. There is a greater emphasis on thematic units that reflect students’ interests and experiences. The course increases emphasis on students’ ability to utilize correct Spanish grammar, both orally and in writing. A proficiency exam will be given at the end of the course.  

SPANISH I, PART I  
Spanish I, Part I is offered as part one 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 Spanish 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. Spanish 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 successful completion of Spanish I, Part I, the student is expected to continue with Spanish I, Part II as an eighth-grader. A proficiency exam will be given at the end of the course.

SPANISH I, PART II  (Prerequisite: Spanish I, Part I)
This course is a continuation of Spanish I, Part I and is designed for students who have successfully completed Spanish I, Part I. This course continues and includes an introduction to the Spanish language with an emphasis on speaking, pronunciation, and the fundamentals of Spanish grammar. The course is taught mainly from an oral standpoint. Therefore, the class spends some time mastering expressions used in everyday conversation. Cultural similarities, as well as differences between the Spanish-speaking countries and the United States, are studied. Students who successfully complete Spanish I, Parts I and II are awarded high school credit and may have the opportunity to continue with levels II, III, IV, V, and an AP-level course in high school. A proficiency exam will be given at the end of the course.

SPANISH II, PART I
Students continue to further develop and improve listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Emphasis is placed on comprehension of Spanish as well as reading and writing practice in the target language using a variety of activities incorporating familiar vocabulary and structures. Supplementary materials are introduced to enhance language use. Aspects of contemporary Spanish culture are introduced through the use of media, games, and adapted readings and in small or large group discussions. In addition to written/oral tests and quizzes, students are assessed using a variety of formats: oral dialogues, presentations, written compositions, and other means. Homework assignments are an integral part of this course, as they not only reinforce concepts and skills that are introduced in class, but also enable students to participate in class discussions. A proficiency exam will be given at the end of the course.

SPANISH I (HS CREDIT)
This course is an introduction to the Spanish language with an emphasis on speaking, pronunciation, and the fundamentals of Spanish grammar. The course is taught mainly from an oral standpoint; therefore, the class spends some time in mastering expressions used in everyday conversation. The cultural similarities and differences between Spanish-speaking countries and the United States are studied. High school course credit is awarded to students who successfully complete Spanish I in the 8th grade. Students who successfully complete Spanish 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. Classroom activities are highly interactive and focus on speaking and listening. Reading about Hispanic cultures is emphasized, as is informal writing (to develop fluency) and brief compositions (to develop accuracy). 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.