Eliot Middle School

WORLD LANGUAGE - Spanish and French

Spanish – Level I Grades 6, 7, or 8

All sixth grade students at Eliot continue to participate in the Level I Spanish Program begun at the elementary school level. Students in sixth grade meet two times a week with one additional class monthly, for a total of nine classes per month. Students in seventh and eighth grade meet daily. For this class, students are required to bring their materials to class (notebooks, pencils and folder with handouts, when appropriate) and participate actively in class.  Class participation is graded based on the successful completion of listening, writing and speaking activities performed either individually or in small groups. Sixth-grade students in Spanish Level I are expected to complete homework and online activities to help them master vocabulary. All students are assessed using a variety of formal and informal oral, written and listening assessments throughout the school year.  In May, the sixth-grade teacher makes a recommendation for students to continue with Spanish I, Spanish II, Spanish Foundations or French I. Seventh grade students will continue in Spanish I in eighth grade provided they have a C- or better for the year. Students recommended to continue to take Spanish I at the end of sixth grade will complete a more in-depth Spanish I in seventh and eighth grade. Students in eighth grade will begin Spanish II in ninth grade provided they have a C- average for the year.

Spanish  II  Grades 7 and 8

The Spanish II program for grade seven and eight students is by teacher recommendation and is the equivalent of the High School Curriculum. Students meet every day and are required to bring their materials to class (notebooks, pencils, folder with handouts, textbooks and workbooks, when appropriate) and participate actively in class. Students in Spanish II continue their study of Spanish by learning more complex grammatical structures. Thematic units of study include: chores, transportation, childhood, illnesses, sports and television, food and cooking and the environment.  At this level, students are expected to speak, listen, read and write in Spanish. Class participation is graded based on the successful completion of listening, writing and speaking activities performed individually or in small groups. Students enrolled in the Spanish II program are expected to complete the year maintaining an overall grade of C- or better, this grade will appear on the student’s high school transcript. Any request for withdrawal will require a meeting with the student, parent, teacher and school counselor. Successful completion of the seventh and eighth grade High School Curriculum program will allow the student the opportunity to move to Spanish III in grade nine. Based on teacher recommendation, students have the opportunity to participate in either Honors or College Prep Spanish III at the high school.

Spanish Foundations

Enrollment in the Spanish Foundations program is by teacher recommendation for students in grades seven and eight. The goal of this program is to expose students to World Language in addition to the culture and customs of Spanish-speaking countries. Students meet twice a week.  

French I Grades 7 and 8 

Upon completion of sixth grade Spanish, students have the option to study French in seventh and eighth grade. Students taking French meet daily and complete the first half of French I in seventh grade and the second half of French I in eighth grade. Students enrolled in seventh and eighth grade French learn to speak, listen, read and write in French. Students learn to talk about themselves, their friends and families, school, their homes, clothing, food and a variety of authentic French culture. Here, students correspond with peers in France via letters, emails and videos. In order for students to learn French effectively, the teacher and students use the target language as exclusively as possible (90% or more). The teacher provides comprehensible input in the language that is directed toward communicative goals, makes meaning clear through body language, gestures, and visual support, and checks for understanding regularly. Upon completion of eighth grade French, students with a C- average or better will be eligible to enroll in French II (Honors or College Prep) at the high school level.

Philosophy of World Language

• Enables students to interact and communicate with others while gaining a greater understanding of and respect for the products, practices, and perspectives of different cultures;
• Strengthens critical-thinking skills through problem-solving, conceptualizing, and reasoning;
• Affords opportunity to see connections among the various disciplines by incorporating visual and performing arts, health and physical education, language arts literacy, mathematics, science, social studies and workplace readiness into the world language classroom;
• Provides students with a sense of personal satisfaction and enjoyment in their ability to communicate with people from other cultures;
• Allows students to learn the language as they use language;
• Creates competency in more than one language and culture and enables students to look beyond their customary borders;
  
• Assists students in developing insights into their own language and culture;
• Creates the opportunity for students participate more fully in the global community and marketplace;
• Benefits all students as they develop and maintain proficiency in more than one language;
  
• Develops and enhances basic communication skills and higher-order thinking skills; and
  
• Provides the opportunity to study language and culture education as part of the core curriculum.
  
  As a result of this K-12 World Language Curriculum, students will:
  
  1. Engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.
  2. Understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics.
  3. Present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics.
  4. Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship among the products, practices and perspectives of the culture studied.
  5. Reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through the world language.
  6. Acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the foreign language and its cultures.
  7. Demonstrate understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of the language studies and their own.
  8. Demonstrate an understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons across cultures.
  9. Use the language both within and beyond the school setting.
  10. Show evidence of becoming lifelong learners by using the language for personal enjoyment and enrichment.