Curriculum Detail

World Language

The World Language Department develops linguistic skills and builds cross-cultural awareness in Spanish, French, and Latin to prepare students to contribute to a global society. Working together, students and teachers learn to express themselves in new ways and appreciate different beliefs and practices.

Advanced Spanish Language and Culture
French 1

This course introduces the language through all four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The main goal is to develop the student’s confidence in using French as a means of communication. Participants are expected to work effectively in groups, as well as independently. Chemins 1 and the Vistas website are used to promote interpretive communication, presentational communication, and interpersonal communication. The presentational focus for beginning students is to be able to communicate autobiographical information both in the written and spoken form demonstrating mastery of the present tense, the immediate future, and basic foundational structures.
French 2

Intended for students who have acquired basic knowledge of French, this course places an equal emphasis on written and oral skills. Participants are expected to work effectively in groups, as well as independently, and to use primarily only French in the classroom. Chemins 2 and the Vistas website are used to promote interpretive communication, presentational communication, and interpersonal communication. The presentational focus for the students is to be able to communicate in dialogues and tell stories, fiction, and non-fiction, using the present, passé composé, and imperfect tenses.
French 3

Prerequisite French 2

Conducted entirely in French, this course asks students to move away from translating

from their native language into French to communicate. Emphasis is placed on all

areas; speaking, listening, writing, and reading, but special emphasis is placed on more

spontaneous speech and the expression of more complex ideas in writing. Students will

learn all verb tenses and moods and are asked to speak often and frequently in the

target language, French. In this class, students acquire new vocabulary and understand

new grammatical structures in order to become more sophisticated speakers and

writers as well as more confident language learners. The course focuses on

interpersonal, interpretative, and presentational communication via Chemins 3 and the

Vistas website. The primary presentational communication goal is to begin to discuss

and debate everyday topics as well as current events with classmates demonstrating

mastery of the future and conditional tenses as well as the subjunctive mood.
French 4 Honors

This course requires the approval of the department chair as well as a B or higher in

French 3.

Stressing the effective communication of thought and ideas through debate and

discussion of cultural, political, and literary topics, this course includes an in-depth study

of the subjunctive mood, the study of culture through literature and film from France and

other Francophone countries as well as an intense focus on sophisticated

presentational communication including cultural comparisons in oral and written forms.

Conducted entirely in French, this class uses Chemins 4 and the Vistas website but

takes advantage of utilizing other authentic sources. The primary presentational

communication goal is a final oral and written cultural comparison.
Latin 2/3
Spanish 1

This course introduces the language through all four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The main goal is to develop the student’s confidence in using Spanish as a means of communication. Participants are expected to work effectively in groups, as well as independently, and to maintain a self-corrected notebook for compositions.
Senderos and the Vistas website are used to promote interpretive communication, presentational communication, and interpersonal communication. The presentational focus for beginning students is to be able to communicate autobiographical information in written and spoken formats.
Spanish 2

Intended for students who have acquired basic knowledge in Spanish, this course offers an equal emphasis on written and oral skills. Participants are expected to work effectively in groups, as well as independently, and to maintain a self-corrected notebook for compositions. Senderos and the Vistas website are used to promote interpretive communication, presentational communication, and interpersonal communication. The presentational focus for the students is to be able to communicate in dialogues and tell stories using the present, preterit, and imperfect tenses.
Spanish 3

Prerequisite Spanish 2

Conducted entirely in Spanish, this course asks students to move away from translating

from their native language into Spanish to communicate. Emphasis is placed on all

areas; speaking, listening, writing, and reading, but special emphasis is placed on more

spontaneous speech and the expression of more complex ideas in writing. Students will

learn all verb tenses and moods and are asked to speak often and frequently in the

target language, Spanish. In this class, students acquire new vocabulary and

understand new grammatical structures in order to become more sophisticated

speakers and writers as well as more confident language learners. The course focuses

on interpersonal, interpretative, and presentational communication via Senderos and

the Vistas website. The primary presentational communication goal is to begin to

discuss and debate everyday topics as well as current events with classmates.

Department Faculty

Mamadou Cisse

French Faculty

Keene State College - BA

mcisse@vermontacademy.org
Adrian Diaz Guerrero '14

Dean of Student Life and Director of International Programs / Post Graduates Class Dean / Head Coach, Boys' Varsity Soccer

(802) 869-6236

Saint Michael’s College - BA
Saint Michael's College - MEd

adiaz@vermontacademy.org
Christine Gilbert

Spanish Faculty

Frostburg State University - BA
Frostburg State University - MEd

cgilbert@vermontacademy.org