LANGUAGES

FRENCH 8
The Core French 8 curriculum provides students an opportunity to engage in learning experiences through which they can become proficient users of French, gain new perspectives, and engage with Francophone communities. All levels of French will incorporate the four essential skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing at steadily increasing levels of complexity. Some of the goals of this area of learning are that students will: communicate with purpose and confidence in French, appreciate the interconnectedness of language and culture, and understand the educational, travel, and career opportunities that learning an additional language offers.

FRENCH 9
French 9 builds on the language competencies from French 8. Students engage in learning experiences through which they can become proficient users of French, gain new perspectives, and engage with Francophone communities. All levels of French incorporate the four essential skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing at steadily increasing levels of complexity. Some of the goals of this area of learning are that students will communicate with purpose and confidence in French, appreciate the interconnectedness of language and culture, and understand the educational, travel, and career opportunities that learning another language offers.

JAPANESE 9
The Japanese 9 curriculum gives students the opportunity to interact with others to explore their own identity and culture from a new perspective. In this introductory course, students will begin to recognize the relationships between Japanese characters, sounds and meanings. They will recognize the importance of story in personal, family and community identity as they exchange ideas and information, both orally and in writing.

SPANISH 9
Spanish 9 is an introductory language course. This course allows students to engage in learning experiences through which they can become proficient users of Spanish, gain new perspectives, and engage with Spanish-speaking communities. All Spanish courses use an integrated approach to language learning and focus on the four essential skills of reading, writing, listening, speaking and interacting. Opportunities are provided for students to participate in short conversations, ask for and share information about activities and interests, listen to authentic audio scripts, watch films, learn dance and music, read various texts and express themselves in the written language.

Students in Spanish 9 will explore:

• Spanish-speaking areas in the world
• Spanish-speaking populations and culture
• School life in Spanish-speaking regions
• Spanish language songs and films
• Formal and informal forms of address in different social situations

FRENCH 10
In this course students will develop their ability in the four skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. This course gives students the opportunity to use a range of useful vocabulary in oral and written form. Students continue to learn how to use grammar concepts as a tool to help them communicate in an effective and more sophisticated manner. Emphasis will be on further developing communication skills in both present and past tenses through the exploration of francophone cultures from around the world.

JAPANESE 10
In Japanese 10, students will come to acquire the courage to engage in conversation in the new language using increasingly complex vocabulary and expressions. All levels of Japanese incorporate the four essential skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing at steadily increasing levels of complexity. Using these skills, students will be able to engage in experiences with Japanese people and communities and explore the contributions of Japanese Canadians to society. They will learn to write using both hiragana and katakana along with an increasing range of kanji and express everyday events in the past, present and future time frames.

MANDARIN 10
This is the second of a four-level curriculum and it is designed for students who are continuing to learn Mandarin Chinese as an additional language. Students will strengthen and expand the communication skills they have acquired in Mandarin 9. The course focuses on developing students’ abilities in speaking, listening comprehension, reading comprehension and writing.

SPANISH 10
Spanish 10 builds on the basis language skills acquired in Spanish 9. In this course students explore a variety of Spanish-language texts and continue to expand their understanding of Hispanic cultures. All Spanish courses focus on the four essential skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing.

Some of the big ideas include:
• Cultural expression can take many different forms.
• Expressing ourselves and engaging in conversation in a new language require courage, risk-taking and perseverance.
• Listening and viewing with intent supports our acquisition and understanding of a new language.

FRENCH 11
The main goal of the French language program is to develop communications skills so that students will have the ability to express themselves in real-life situations. Students will interact with growing confidence in French and will be able to navigate through and use French resources for research. Grammar increases in complexity and continues to be used as a tool to help students communicate in speaking and writing in an effective and more sophisticated manner. Written skills are emphasised through informal written reflection and formal compositions. Reading skills are emphasised through authentic documents in print and online.

Note:   Students should be aware that a grade 11 language course is a prerequisite for many universities. Most college programs do not require a second language.

INTRODUCTION TO JAPANESE 11
Japanese 11 Intro is an intensive introductory course combining the content of Japanese 9 and 10 into a single course. Students who complete this course typically enroll in Japanese 11 if they choose to continue their studies in the language. In this introductory course, students will learn to recognize the relationships between Japanese characters, sounds and meanings and the importance of story in personal, family and community identity. Using all four major skills, speaking, listening, reading and writing, students will be able to describe regional, cultural and linguistic practices of Japanese communities and talk about various activities, situations and events.

JAPANESE 11
In Japanese 11, students will deepen their understanding of the relationships between Japanese characters, sounds and meanings and acquire an increasing range of kanji characters. They will continue to exchange ideas and information, both orally and in writing to describe the sequence of events of a story and to explain and justify their opinion on matters of Japanese history, identity and place. They will identify and explore educational and personal/professional opportunities requiring proficiency in Japanese.

MANDARIN 11
This is the third of a four-level curriculum for student learning Mandarin Chinese as an additional language. Expanding on the basic skills acquired in Mandarin 10 or Intro 11, students will practice on dialogues, writing notes, letters and small paragraphs. Students will be introduced to about 560 Chinese characters and expressions.

BEGINNER SPANISH 11
Beginner Spanish 11 is an intensive introductory course, covering two years in one (Spanish 9 and Spanish 10). The focus of this course is communication through listening, speaking, reading and writing activities, in order to develop the necessary language structures and vocabulary. The cultures, customs and traditions of Spanish-speaking countries will also be explored enriching the authentic language-learning experience. Please consult with chosen post-secondary institutions to see if this course satisfies the language pre-requisite for program admission.

SPANISH 11/12
Spanish 11 and 12 are higher-level courses concentrating on developing students’ language proficiency through listening, speaking, reading and writing. By the end of these courses, students will be able to use Spanish to complete a variety of written and performance-based tasks. Grammar and vocabulary are taught more extensively, in order to clarify and enhance communication skills. Students will examine Spanish-speaking culture around the world. This course satisfies university entrance requirements and therefore as an academic class it requires daily study and practice in order to succeed.

Students will have the opportunity to:

• Learn about Spanish culture through music, film and dance
• Practice conversational language
• Learn and practice grammatical structure
• Learn and put into practice new grammatical structures and verb tenses
• Use a variety of verb tenses together both in written and oral contexts

FRENCH 12
This course is the culmination of the study of French language and culture at the secondary level. More complex facets of language and literature are introduced, and francophone culture is explored in greater detail. As in previous levels, students are learning about the topics themselves as well as learning the French needed for practical communication about the topic. Students will be expected to reflect on authentic francophone works hat they have read, viewed or heard, and work on improving writing skills through informal written reflection and formal compositions.

AP FRENCH LANGUAGE & CULTURE
The AP French Language and Culture course emphasizes communication (understanding and being understood by others) by applying interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational skills in real-life situations. This includes vocabulary usage, language control, communication strategies, and cultural awareness. The AP French Language and Culture course strives not to overemphasize grammatical accuracy at the expense of communication.

The AP French Language and Culture course engages students in an exploration of culture in both contemporary and historical contexts. The course develops students’ awareness and appreciation of cultural products (e.g., tools, books, music, laws, conventions, institutions); practices (patterns of social interactions within a culture); and perspectives (values, attitudes, and assumptions).

Students enrolled in AP French may take the Advanced Placement exam, which can grant them one semester of language credit at many major universities. Only students writing the Advanced Placement exam will receive the AP French designation in addition to French 12 on their transcript.

JAPANESE 12
In Japanese 12, students will be able to negotiate meaning and perspectives in a wide variety of contexts. They will explore a variety of authentic Japanese texts with increasingly complex vocabulary and develop their understanding of language formality and etiquette. They will continue to exchange ideas and information, both orally and in writing in the past, present and future time frames to explain and justify their opinion on matters of Japanese history, identity, and place. They will identify and explore opportunities to continue language acquisition beyond graduation

MANDARIN 12
This is the fourth of a four-level curriculum for students who have prerequisite of Mandarin 11 or equivalent. Students in this course are learning Mandarin Chinese as an additional language and will continue learning Chinese expressions, idioms, sentences and practicing computer input with pinyin. Students will work on more advanced reading and writing exercises that include dialogues, notes, letters, and paragraphs.

AP CHINESE LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
AP Chinese is a course that covers the equivalent of a second-year college or university level Chinese course. It includes aural/oral skills, reading comprehension, grammar, essay and journal writing and Chinese cultural and history research projects.

*Students enrolled in AP Chinese may take the Advanced Placement exam, which can grant them one semester of language credit at many major universities. Only students writing the Advanced Placement exam will receive the AP Chinese designation in addition to French 12 on their transcript.