Modern and Classical Languages

This introductory Latin course aims to teach study skills and consistency in terms of daily & nightly learning, to teach students to understand the grammatical structures of languages as a whole, to promote a more mature learner who will challenge himself and be challenged, and to develop resiliency by giving frequent opportunities for assessments (2x/week). Utilizing the Latin for the New Millennium 1 Series, the course will guide students through all five noun declensions and genders, standard adjectives and pronouns, and the indicative, infinitive, and imperative verb moods. Students will learn vocabulary and basic grammar of Latin, create links to native language, and begin the study of etymology. They will also expand their understanding of “the other” through culture, history, and myth. Full year course. Grades: 9 or 10. Prerequisites: None.

Spanish 1 is a full immersion class. From the very first day, students will hear only Spanish. Success in an immersion class takes a willingness to look a little goofy and stumble along the way as well as dedication to daily review of new words, phrases, and grammar.  The class will focus on present tense, the "to be" and "to go" verbs, and will build a large working vocabulary by way of presented stories. The course will also invite students to uncover the rich culture and traditions across a range of Spanish-speaking countries. By the end of Spanish 1, students should be able to understand and ask questions about fairly simple day-to-day interactions. Full year course. Grades: 9 -11. Prerequisites: None.

Mandarin Chinese is a foreign language spoken by nearly 25% of the earth's population and is the major mode of communication within one of the world's great superpowers. Language is inherent in culture and being as such, knowledge and respect for both Chinese culture and tradition are essential to students building successful rapport with the Chinese. Emphasis on speaking and listening skills will be at a primary, especially during the first couple months of the semester to ensure students have a solid linguistic foundation before Chinese characters are introduced into the curriculum. By year's end, students will be able to engage in basic communicative activities in a culturally appropriate manner, and will have be able to recognize and read between 300 and 400 of the most commonly used Chinese characters. Year long course. Grade 9-12. Prerequisites: None.

The Ancient Greek elective offers students who have already completed, or are concurrently completing, their language requirement an opportunity to study the classical language of Greece. Students will study the basic tenses for verbs as well as the standard cases and uses for nouns and adjectives while developing their translation abilities. Students will also study many of the key historical events and social aspects of Greek life around the time of Pericles & Socrates, including the events of the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars. Finally, we will introduce the Greek pantheon of gods and several of the main Greek myths and epics. We use the Athenaze Level 1 textbook, which is the same text that is used at most universities. This text provides plenty of exercises and practice for each new grammatical topic, as well as sufficient vocabulary help. We will even get some New Testament readings towards the end of the course. Semester course. Grades: 11-12. Prerequisites: None.

German 1 is the first encounter students have with the German language and culture. Students will study topics such as the present tense, the declension system and adjective agreement as well as other basic concepts. Students will learn how to study the language especially given its dissimilarity to English in certain respects. Students will explore vocabulary themes dealing with talking about themselves, their families, and school. Our online text Mosaik 1 provides not only the framework for these endeavors, it also provides a wealth of activities, many of which are self graded, which help the student understand how well he understands the themes encountered. Full year course. Grades: 9-10. Prerequisites: None.

Giacomo Leopardi (Italian poet, 1798-1837) wrote, "Un vocabolario puo contenere solo una piccolo parte del patrimonio di una lingua," or, "a dictionary can embrace only a small part of the vast tapestry of a language." Introduction to Italian is to be a communicative, culture-based approach for beginning students of Italian. Traditionally, language instructors have sought ways to teach and assess the four skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. One of the goals of this course, using the Pronti…Via textbook and its supplementary materials, is to develop concurrently a fifth skill we want our students to achieve: cultural competency. Semester course. Grades: 11-12. Prerequisites: None, though background in Latin is useful. 

In this middle-level Latin course, students will continue to reinforce study skills and consistency of learning, in groups and on their own, develop partner work, so that students can teach/learn from their peers, and continue to develop resiliency by receiving frequent opportunities for assessments (1-2x/week). The Latin for the New Millennium Level 2 Text will take students into study of the subjunctive mood, degrees of adjectives, and a variety of subordinate clauses and constructions. The course will reinforce prior and continue new vocabulary studies, continue the study of etymology, and explore compound words in both Latin and English. Students will continue the study of culture, history, and myth, and also focus on important historical figures in Roman history. Grammar study will move into more complex structures and syntax. Full year course. Grades: 9-11. Prerequisites: Completion of Latin 1.

Spanish 2 is a full immersion class. Students are expected to participate and respond to a variety of general questions and, as the year progresses, specific topics introduced through homework and prior class discussions. The class will review the present tense, working with some of the present irregulars and by the end of the first semester students will be working with various past tenses. We will also build on, clarify and practice (lots) the use of indirect and direct object pronouns. By the end of Spanish 2 students should be able to understand and participate in, if haltingly at times, conversations about themselves, their likes/dislikes, their family and traditions, holidays here and abroad, ask for help in any situation and narrate a cohesive story both in the present and past tenses. Full year course. Grades: 9 -11. Prerequisites: Spanish 1.

Spanish 2 Honors is a full immersion class. Beginning on the first day, students are expected to participate and respond to a variety of general questions and, as the year progresses, specific topics introduced through homework and prior class discussions. The class will quickly build from a solid understanding of the present tense, to working with some of the present irregulars and by the end of the first semester students will be working with various past tenses. We will also build on, clarify and practice (lots) the use of indirect and direct object pronouns. By the end of Spanish 2 Honors students should be able to have fluent conversations about themselves, their likes/dislikes, their family and traditions, holidays here and abroad, ask for help in any situation and narrate a cohesive story both in the present and past tenses. Students will be presented with multiple authentic cultural experiences through which they will discuss bias, understanding and compassion. Full year course. Grades: 9-11. Prerequisites: Excellent grades in Spanish 1. See AP/Honors Course Prerequisites

Students in Chinese 2 continue to develop their language skills through intense interaction with Chinese in both writing and speaking. . Class is conducted nearly entirely in Chinese, and students are pushed to gain a stronger grasp of linguistic complexities. More frequent use of culturally authentic materials, periodicals, and video, enhances cultural awareness and offers topics for class discussion. A fundamental aspect of the course is the move toward communicative proficiency in past tense as well as present tense narration of events. Year long course. Grade 9-12. Prerequisites: Chinese 1.

German 2 is the grammar year. The bulk of the grammatical structures of German are studied in this year. This can be a very challenging year of German which is why a solid foundation in the first year of study is crucial to success. Grammatical themes covered include the past tenses, adjective agreement, continuing to hone skills with the case system, pronouns of all kind, and separable and inseparable prefix verbs. Students will also learn how to talk about traveling, different parts of the house, technology, the seasons, and different modes of transportation. If time permits students will begin to read Grimm's Fairy Tales as they continue learning about the German states. Full year course. Grades: 9-11. Prerequisites: German 1

In Latin 3, students will continue to review and gain mastery of Latin grammar and vocabulary while transitioning to the reading of Latin texts. Emphasis on translation increases throughout the year by focusing on a number of Latin authors. The course uses a variety of methods and techniques in and out of class to help students better engage with and understand Latin sentences and extended Latin prose. The teacher will help students make connections among skills learned in Latin that are transferable to other courses. Some time will be devoted to better understanding the ancient world. Habits of mind emphasized include: critical thinking, problem solving, communication, rhetoric/argumentation, and cross-cultural understanding. Periodic assessments. Full year course. Grades: 10-12. Prerequisites: Successful completion of Latin 2.

In Spanish 3 students review the past tenses of Spanish 2 and then expand grammar tenses by learning the future tense, conditional tense and subjunctive. In this class students will explore Spanish Language programming on streaming networks for the first time as well as interacting with native speakers around the Chattanooga area, possibly preparing to take advantage of a trip overseas with family or with the school. The course will be conducted with a total immersion mindset, where almost all dialogue will be in Spanish. Students will encounter authentic materials such as commercials, recordings of native speakers in the target language, projects, a full length feature film and an adapted popular novel. Full year course. Grades: 10-12. Prerequisites: Spanish 2.

The primary goal of this course is to prepare the students to function more effectively and communicate more accurately in Mandarin-speaking environments. The course focuses on all four communication skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and intends to improve the students’ Chinese to the Intermediate low level. Building on second year Chinese, CHN 3 will further introduce several dozen grammatical patterns and functional words, and will add more than 300 words to the Chinese vocabulary. Students will read both dialogues and texts pertaining to a variety of topics in contemporary China and discuss the social and cultural concerns of the Chinese that relate to these topics. In addition, culturally authentic materials and music, periodicals, and video, will be used more frequently to enhance cultural awareness and offer topics for class discussion. Year long course. Grade 10-12. Prerequisites: Chinese 2.

German 3 is focused once again on using the structures learned in German 2. Students will refine their knowledge of grammar. Vocabulary, always important, comes more in focus this year. Students will begin / continue to read fairy tales as a way of learning the culture behind the meaning of the stories as well as how they relate to the region from which they come. Excerpts from other works are also used. The readings also serve as a conversational point of focus. Full year course. Grades: 10-12. Prerequisites: German 2.

Latin 3 Honors introduces students to the Roman prose authors Julius Caesar and Cicero and a variety of poets such as Ovid and Vergil, the historical context in which they wrote, and the types of study and assessments they will meet in AP Latin and Latin Literature. In addition to reading original Latin texts in class and at home, students will practice sight translations. They will be challenged with larger assessments, including history and maps, essay composition, and analyzing Latin texts, and they will begin to discuss rhetorical, poetic, and literary devices, both in Latin in English. Full year course. Grades: 10-12. Prerequisites: Strong grades in Latin 2 Honors. See AP/Honors Course Prerequisites

In Spanish 3 Honors, students are at a point in their linguistic and cultural journey where they have more confidence in knowledge and skills. The idea of being a Spanish speaker is perhaps becoming a part of how they see themselves in the world. They might enjoy listening to Spanish language music, watching Spanish language movies/series, going to Hispanic restaurants and interacting with native Spanish language speakers. They are open to opportunities for travel abroad during vacations. This course helps students improve control over the language through the immersion approach (99.9% of class is conducted in Spanish by both students and teachers) and uses a wealth of authentic materials (blogs, articles, jokes, news videos, current events, songs, letters, two movies and a novel). Spanish 3H is also the precursor to “AP Spanish Language and Culture” and is intentionally structured to prepare students for success in that college level course. This is typically the leg of the journey in which students will begin to feel all the pieces coming together in a more natural and automatic way. Full year course. Grades: 10-12. Prerequisites: Strong grades in Spanish 2 Honors. See AP/Honors Course Prerequisites

Latin 4 occurs within the same classroom as Latin 3 Honors. It introduces students to the Roman prose authors Julius Caesar and Cicero and a variety of poets such as Ovid and Vergil, the historical context in which they wrote, and the types of study and assessments they will meet in AP Latin and Latin Literature. In addition to reading original Latin texts in class and at home, students will practice sight translations. They will be challenged with larger assessments, including history and maps, essay composition, and analyzing Latin texts, and they will begin to discuss rhetorical, poetic, and literary devices, both in Latin in English. Full year course. Grades: 10-12. Prerequisites: Strong grades in Latin 3.

A capstone of high-school Latin study, AP Latin provides students with the opportunity to earn college credit in the language. Students will develop comfort with AP-style questions and exams in preparation for the AP exam at the end of the year, but they will also develop an appreciation for the texts and authors studied beyond the requirements of the exam. AP Latin pushes students to understand, not just to memorize. Students will encounter and discuss meter and metrical nuance and choices for the first time, and continue to develop understanding of the use of and reason for rhetorical, poetic, and literary devices, both in Latin and English, and they will continue to develop their essay-writing skills based on Latin texts. Sight-reading is also a focus of the course. Full year course. Grades: 11-12. Prerequisites: Strong grades in Latin 3 Honors. See AP/Honors Course Prerequisites

Spanish 4 explores topics in advanced composition and conversation, with an emphasis on refining and integrating advanced grammar into daily communication. This course is designed for students who desire to continue developing their Spanish and to further develop their intercultural competence through listening, reading, and viewing of authentic Hispanic material. This course embarks on developing the ability to function effectively across cultures, to think and act appropriately, and to communicate and work with people from different cultural backgrounds – at home or abroad. We will use authentic text, audio and video materials to provide opportunities for strengthening reading and listening skills while bringing Hispanic culture into the classroom. Spanish 4 is taught exclusively in Spanish. Full year course. Grades: 10-12. Prerequisites: Spanish 3.

The well known saying, “If you don’t use it, you lose it!” certainly applies to this linguistic journey in which students have invested 3 or more years of hard work. Why abandon the ship at this point, just when the seas and the winds turn fully in their favor? Students are equipped with a reliable working vocabulary and have decent control over all of the basic structures of Spanish and are beginning to understand the cultural forces that have shaped who they are. This course provides students the time and the materials to increase control over everything learned in Spanish 1-3 so they can better express their unique selves to the world. New vocabularies are presented in themes like politics, community service, cultural heritage, bullfighting, humor, Hispanic festivals, technology, self-discovery, public health and art. The class is all Spanish immersion, every period, every day, all year. Full year course. Grade 11-12. Prerequisites: Strong grades in Spanish 3 Honors. See AP/Honors Course Prerequisites

Chinese 4 is an advanced and challenging Chinese language class, which prepares students to take the AP class the following year. The primary goal of this course is to prepare students to function effectively and accurately in Chinese-speaking environments. The course focuses on all four communication skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and intends to improve Chinese to the Intermediate-Mid or Intermediate-High level. Chinese 4 will further introduce several dozens of grammatical patterns and functional words, and will add around 300 words to a student's Chinese vocabulary. Students will read both dialogues and articles pertaining to a variety of issues in contemporary China and discuss the ethical, moral, aesthetic, social, and cultural concerns of the Chinese that relate to these issues. In addition, we will begin the study of (1) the conversion of traditional and simplified characters, (2) Chinese computing skills such as inputting Chinese characters, using Chinese e-mails and newsgroups, viewing Chinese websites, and using social media and searching online resources, (3) presentation skills in Chinese, (4) narrate stories and write short essays, (5) write Chinese resumes and conduct college or job interviews in Chinese. Year long course. Grade 11-12. Prerequisites: Chinese 3.

German 4 continues the trend of a heavy focus on vocabulary acquisition. Students will have more freedom and flexibility not only on what vocabulary they add to their repertoire but also the readings we cover in the class. Students are often given the freedom to work outside of class either individually or in groups on various projects involving readings and/or videos from Germany. Topics can include politics in Germany, current events, and many others that students express an interest in. A text is not used in this year of study as the students will use the various readings and videos to complete their work. Full year course. Grades: 10-12. Prerequisites: German 3

A capstone of high-school Latin study, Latin Literature provides students with the opportunity to explore Latin lyric poetry. Students will develop an appreciation for the texts and authors studied and enjoy the fruits of multiple years of language study by reading authors such as Catullus, Ovid, and Horace in the original Latin. Latin literature pushes students to understand the authors as people and their works as art and applicable to modern life, not just as objects of study. Students will encounter and discuss meter and metrical nuance and choices for the first time, and continue to develop understanding of the use of and reason for rhetorical, poetic, and literary devices, both in Latin and English, and they will continue to develop their essay-writing skills based on Latin texts. Sight-reading is also a focus of the course. Full year course. Grades: 11-12. Prerequisites: Strong grades in Latin 3 Honors.

AP Chinese Language and Culture is equivalent to an intermediate-level college course in Chinese. Students cultivate their understanding of Chinese language and culture by applying the interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational modes of communication in real-life situations as they explore concepts related to family and community, personal and public identity, beauty and aesthetics, science and technology, contemporary life, and global challenges. The AP Chinese class follows College Board guidelines for AP Chinese language and culture exam and students are expected to finish much of the work in an independent, lab format. Year long course. Grade 11-12. Prerequisites: Chinese 4.

This course continues in the same vein as the AP Spanish Language and Culture course with the notable addition of some of the best literary works in the Spanish language, short stories, poems and one full length novel. Students will read authors including Márquez, Borges, Neruda, Storni, Quiroga, Cortázar, Allende, Zafón, Machado, Bazán, Cervantes and more. They will keep the rust off of speaking and listening by exploring current events from all over the Hispanic world with an eye toward their cultural significance as well as choosing a Spanish language T.V. series to follow online each week. The overall goal is further development in the knowledge and skills as a global citizen. Full year course. Grades: 11-12. Prerequisites: AP Spanish.