World Language

Course Descriptions

Students are expected to learn to communicate in the target language by using the four basic skills – listening, speaking, reading and writing and to communicate in a culturally appropriate way. Teachers employ a variety of teaching methods as well as classroom organization models to attain this goal.  Students will be expected to communicate in diverse ways in the target language rather than merely showing knowledge about the language.  Students learn and practice receiving, formulating and sending real information in the target language.  The purpose of world language study is to prepare students in such a way as to make them both linguistically competent and culturally aware, and to enable them to experience personal fulfillment that comes through developing these skills.

(The following descriptions are generic and applicable to all world language course offerings.  However, Latin does not have a conversational component and instead focuses on literature.)

First year world language 1A - 1B

The beginning level course emphasizes the development of communication skills and awareness of cultural difference through materials and activities.  Emphasis is placed on listening and speaking skills as well as the initial development of reading and writing.  Students are expected to demonstrate their basic cultural knowledge. They should be able to respond spontaneously and orally to simple, real life conversational cues. 

Grade Level: 9 – 12  Prerequisites:  None

Second year world language 2A - 2B

The intermediate course continues to build upon structures, skills and cultural knowledge developed in the first year.  There is continued emphasis on listening and speaking skills.  Students begin to use the language to be creative, in both spoken and written formats, and by incorporating and expanding upon learned, high frequency linguistic patterns, which include daily activities, common events, and narrations in the present, past and future tenses.

Grade Level: 10-12  Prerequisites: World Language 1A-1B or Permission of Teacher

Third year world language 3A - 3B

In this advanced-intermediate course, the student continues to develop more advance linguistic skills and to expand on vocabulary as well as to review previous material. The class is taught in the target language.  Students are expected to expand their cultural knowledge. They are also expected to be able to understand and sustain more complex conversation, to formulate more complex question-answer patterns and to begin writing in the target language with coherence and correct grammatical application.  Besides daily oral grammatical exercise, students will develop critical thinking skills upon reading and discussing short stories, poems and dramas written in the target language.  Students will give brief, oral presentations to the class on a variety of topics which may be assigned or of their own choice. 

Grade Level:  11-12  Prerequisites:  World Languages 2A-2B or Permission of Teacher

Fourth year world language 4A - 4B

Emphasis is placed on advanced work in all skills.  Students read, comment on, criticize and present from authentic language newspaper and magazine articles, broadcasts, videos, films and literary selections.  Students will enhance their cultural awareness and appreciation for historical and contemporary society while further refining skills in the target language.  The class is conducted in the target language.

Grade Level: 11-12  Prerequisites:  World Languages 3A-3B or Permission of Teacher

Third year honors

The Honors course is an accelerated course designed to prepare students for the Advanced Placement coursework.  Students learn to communicate using more complex language structures, and are exposed to the process of writing short descriptive, reflective and interpretive essays.  Students further develop their interpersonal, interpretational and presentational language skills within appropriate cultural contexts, and gain a deeper understanding of the perspectives behind cultural practices and products. 

Lowell offers third year Honors courses in Chinese, French, Italian, Japanese and Spanish. ( An extra credit for weighted GPA does not apply to 9th graders)

Grade Level:  11-12  Prerequisites: World Languages 2A-2B or Permission of Teacher

Fourth year Advanced Placement

The College Board designs and specifies the coursework requirements in the world language courses. The curriculum prepares the student to take the annual Advanced Placement examination in May.  Upon passing the examination successfully (with a grade of 3, 4, or 5), the student receives one year of college credit equivalent to a second or third year college course in the target language.

Lowell offers Advanced Placement courses in Chinese, French, Italian, Latin, Japanese, and Spanish(These classes are only available if there is enough enrollment). 

Grade Level:  11-12  Prerequisites:  Permission of Teacher