Course Description
Each student elects upon faculty recommendation or availability of course either French or Spanish for Middle School study.
Spanish Textbook: Paso A Paso, Prentice Hall
French Textbook: Nouveaux Copains, Harcourt Brace
Overview:
Language B (French or Spanish) is offered to all Year 1, 2, and 3 students as an inclusive course that promotes intercultural understanding through basic knowledge and appreciation of the World around us. In the Year 3 course oral communication is expected; and the students express themselves by speaking French/Spanish using vocabulary-rich practical everyday language. Each classroom unit builds on skills used and knowledge learned in prior units and years. Role-playing, dialogue supplement, written and oral drills, and exercises are used to promote understanding. Audiovisual materials are employed to improve the students' listening skills. Grammar and writing skills are acquired to complement French/Spanish conversation. In addition to language acquisition, students explore the similarities and diversities of other cultures, as well as customs and holidays. Throughout the year various IB MYP projects are designed to highlight the cultures of Spanish/French-speaking countries.
Topics Covered:
Year 3 covers Chapters 9 - 12 in Paso A Paso or Nouveaux Copains as well as cultural and grammatical concepts to supplement those chapters. The following is an example of some of the topics that will be covered throughout the year:
Classroom vocabulary; Likes/Dislikes (activities), Cultural Appreciation: The Day of the Dead, Pascua – Easter, Cinco de Mayo, Location of Spanish/French-speaking countries, School vocabulary, Personal pronouns, Verb conjunction, noun gender, verb conjugations, irregular verbs, Activities throughout the year (seasons and how they are celebrated), Expressing possession
Formative Assessment:
Class work, homework, quizzes, oral games, written and/or oral reflections, communication skills
Summative Assessment:
Unit tests, mid-term and final exams, MYP projects
ATL’s: Note taking; Language acquisition skills; Improving written communication skills; Reading for understanding and responding effectively
Community & Service: Promote in others an intercultural understanding, appreciation for, and respect of different cultures so that they may help create a better and more peaceful World
Human Ingenuity: Through creative holiday celebrations understand connections to other disciplines and situations by applying the knowledge learned in World Language class
Environments: Understand the environments of countries whom speak Spanish and/or French; Environmental & cultural differences / similarities affect our social choices
Health & Social Education: Comparing and contrasting social issues in different parts of the world and how the different cultures deal with them
IB MYP Year 3 Aims and Objectives:
At the end of this Year 3 course students should be able to:
• engage actively in oral production using comprehensible pronunciation and
communicate information, ideas, and opinions;
• understand and appropriately use structures and vocabulary;
• request and provide information in both spoken and written contexts;
• engage actively in oral production using comprehensible pronunciation and intonation;
• express understanding through correctly responding to familiar and spontaneous situations;
• student's pronunciation and/or intonation have occasional mistakes, but these do not interfere with comprehensibility;
• structure their work clearly and effectively, which adds to the clarity and coherence of the message;
• use language(s) effectively as a means of practical communication, providing a sound base of communication skills necessary for future study, work and leisure;
• understand the nature of language and the process of total language learning, which comprises the integration of linguistic, cultural, and social components;
• encourage an awareness and understanding of the perspectives of people from other cultures.