World Languages
DEPARTMENT CHAIR
Spanish
TEACHERS
Spanish
Spanish
Spanish
Japanese
Vietnamese
Spanish
Vietnamese
French
French 1
Grades 9 – 12 (year): G, CSU, UC (E)
Prerequisites: None
The first level of the French language class introduces and teaches students to listen, speak, read, and write in French. Instruction emphasizes pronunciation and elementary communication. Students will develop basic survival skills through the study of grammar and vocabulary necessary. An integral component is a cultural introduction to the traditions and customs of French-speaking people.
French 2
Grades 10 – 12 (year): G, CSU, UC (E)
Prerequisites: Successful completion of French 1 course (C- or better)
The second level of the French language continues the traditional college preparatory sequence. The course begins with a systematic review of the materials presented in Level 1. Subsequent units present new material to provide greater depth in the skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking with an emphasis on grammar.
French 3
Grades 11, 12 (year): G, CSU, UC (E)
Prerequisites: Successful completion of French 2 course (C- or better)
This is an advanced course in French. Its goal is intermediate proficiency in all four of the skill areas: listening, speaking, reading and writing. This includes grammar review, idiomatic speech and expressions, and some literature. Ability to express oneself both orally and in writing is the primary goal of French 3.
French Language (Advanced Placement)
Grade 12 (year): G, CSU, UC (E)
Prerequisites: Successful completion of previous French courses
This advanced course is for fourth-year French language students. It will provide students with a learning experience equivalent to that of a third-year college course in the French language. The course will develop students’ reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. Instructional materials will include a variety of audio and/or video recordings that develop students’ listening abilities. The course provides instruction and frequent opportunities to write a variety of compositions in French. Students will be prepared to take the Advanced Placement French Language exam in May.
Japanese 1
Grades 9 – 12 (year): G, CSU, UC (E)
Prerequisites: None
This first level of Japanese introduces students to the fundamentals of the Japanese language and culture. Students will learn the key interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational skills needed to begin their exploration of both the language and culture of Japan. Students will learn the two core writing systems, hiragana, and katakana, in addition to the foundational grammar and vocabulary of Japanese while also learning about the elements of Japanese culture that are fundamentally intertwined with the language. Upon completion of Japanese 1 students will be able to read and write 60 kanji (Chinese characters.) Students will learn how to write in Japanese both by hand as well as on computers and mobile devices.
Japanese 2
Grades 10 – 12 (year): G, CSU, UC (E)
Prerequisites: Successful completion of Japanese 1 course (C- or better) or teacher recommendation
This second level of Japanese allows students to deepen their relationship to Japanese language and culture. Students will continue to develop their interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational skills as they explore the language and culture of Japan. In addition to intermediate-level Japanese grammar and vocabulary, students will explore complex cultural practices which find their expression in the Japanese language. In Japanese 2 students will learn how to read and write 102 more kanji (Chinese characters) bringing the total number of kanji mastered to 162. Throughout Japanese 2 students will use their oral and written presentational skills to educate each other about areas of Japanese culture which interest them. By the end of the first semester, students will be prepared to take the N5 level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test.
Japanese 3
Grades 10 – 12 (year): G, CSU, UC (E)
Prerequisites: Successful completion of Japanese 2 course (C- or better) or teacher recommendation
This third level of Japanese allows students to continue deepening their relationship to the Japanese language and culture. Students will continue to develop their interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational skills as they explore the language and culture of Japan. In addition to advanced-level Japanese grammar and vocabulary, students will explore complex cultural practices that find their expression in the Japanese language. In Japanese 3 students will learn how to read and write 112 more kanji (Chinese characters) bringing the total number of kanji mastered to 274. Throughout Japanese 3 students will use their oral and written presentational skills to educate each other about areas of Japanese culture which interest them. By the end of the first semester, students will be prepared to take the N4 level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test.
Japanese (Advanced Placement)
Grades 11, 12 (year): G, CSU, UC (e)
Prerequisites: Successful completion of Japanese 3 course (C- or better)
The AP Japanese Language and Culture Course is the capstone course of the Japanese program. Unlike the three foundational courses, the AP course relies almost exclusively on authentic Japanese linguistic and cultural material to enrich students’ understanding of the 6 AP themes (Global Challenges, Science and Technology, Contemporary Life, Personal and Public Identities, Families and Communities, Beauty and Aesthetics). In AP Japanese students will learn how to read and write 136 more kanji (Chinese characters) bringing the total number of kanji mastered to 410, the number of kanji contained in the College Board’s AP Kanji List. Upon completion of AP Japanese, students will have the skills necessary to take the AP Japanese Language and Culture Exam. By the end of the first semester, students will be prepared to take the N3 level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test.
Spanish 1
Grades 9 – 12 (year): G, CSU, UC (E)
Prerequisites: None
The first level of the Spanish language class is the beginning of the traditional college preparatory sequence and gives students the opportunity to listen, speak, read, and write in Spanish. Instruction emphasizes accurate pronunciation and fluency and seeks to develop basic survival skills through the study of grammar and vocabulary necessary for elementary communication. An integral component is a cultural introduction to the traditions and customs of the Spanish-speaking people.
Spanish 2
Grades 9 – 12 (year): G, CSU, UC (E)
Prerequisites: Successful completion of Spanish 1 course (C- or better) or teacher recommendation
The second level of the Spanish language is the second year of the traditional college preparatory sequence. This course begins with a systematic review of the materials presented in Level 1. Subsequent units present new material to provide greater depth in the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing with an emphasis on grammar and the understanding and appreciation of the cultures of Spanish-speaking countries.
Spanish 3
Grades 9 - 12 (year): G, CSU, UC (E)
Prerequisites: Successful completion of Spanish 2 course (C- or better) or teacher recommendation
Spanish 3 is the third year of the traditional college preparatory sequence. Its goal is intermediate proficiency in all four areas of communication expanding knowledge of grammar and vocabulary as well as idiomatic speech and expressions. Activities include conversations, role-plays, presentations, and writings, which emphasize the ability to express oneself, as well as literary readings.
Spanish For Heritage Speakers
Grades 9 - 12 (year): G, CSU, UC (E)
Prerequisites: Native speaker or near-native fluency
The primary focus of the course is to enhance and refine the Spanish language skills of Spanish-speaking students. This is a two-semester, college-prep course for native Spanish speakers. It provides an intensive involvement in the development of the following skills in Spanish: 1) reading, 2) writing, 3) speaking/listening, 4) correct usage of grammar, and 5) critical thinking. The main goal of this course is proficiency in all of the above areas.
Spanish Language (Advanced Placement)
Grades 10 - 12 (year): G, CSU, UC (E)
Prerequisites: Successful completion of Spanish for Heritage Speakers or Spanish 3 with a C- or better or teacher recommendation
This is an advanced class. The primary focus of the course is to enhance and refine the Spanish language skills of students in preparation for the Spanish Language Advanced Placement Test. Activities in the course are designed to enhance all skills, including writing, listening, speaking, and grammar study. Students will also read and analyze Spanish and Latin American literature and write compositions in Spanish. Students will be prepared to take the advanced placement test in the Spanish language in May.
Spanish Literature (Advanced Placement)
Grades 10 - 12 (year): G, CSU, UC (E)
Prerequisites: Teacher recommendation or passing Spanish Language (Advanced Placement) with a C- or better
This is the most advanced Spanish class offered at Silver Creek. The primary focus of the course is to enhance and refine the Spanish language/literature skills of students in preparation for the Spanish Literature Advanced Placement Test. Activities in the course will include reading a survey of Spanish and Latin American literature as mandated by the College Board. Students will engage in classroom discussions, analysis of literary works and compose essays reflecting upon those works. Students will be prepared to take the advanced placement test in Spanish literature in May.
Vietnamese 1
Grades 9 – 12 (year): G, CSU, UC (E)
Prerequisites: None
In this first-year language, stress is placed upon the ability to communicate accurately and appropriately with people of other cultures, the ability to understand the individual as shaped by a particular language and with sensitivity to cultural differences. Students will be able to understand vocabulary including, but not limited to, basic objects, color, clothing, family members, numbers, dates, greetings, and common classroom expression. Students will be able to read printed versions of oral materials, sentences, to ask simple questions, and describe common objects, write biographical information and phrases using correct grammar, vocabulary and language structures.
Vietnamese 2
Grades 9 – 12 (year): G, CSU, UC (e)
Prerequisites: Successful completion of Vietnamese 1 (C- or better) or equivalent
This second year of the course students get to review language contents from Viet 1 like greetings and introductions, family and friends, home and neighborhood, calendar, seasons, and weather, leisure, hobbies and activities, games, sports, food, meals, restaurants, clothes, colors, and sizes etc. Students will be able to use their novice target language and the information learned to write a basic children’s picture book. They also can write a simple letter of interest inquiring about a job posting and role play the interview for that job. Students will produce an individual travel guide “ Destination Viet Nam” with information about the connection between seasons, weather and geography of Vietnam. They also will be able to communicate in the target language in the event of illness or emergency while traveling abroad or within the Viet Community in the U.S.
Vietnamese 3
Grades 9 – 12 (year): G, CSU, UC (E)
Prerequisites: Successful completion of Vietnamese 2 (C- or better) or equivalent
This third year of the course students get to review language contents from Vietnamese 2 and advance them to a higher level of language. Students will be able to use their intermediate target language and the information learned to publish a blog about their childhood memories, making an infographic about the Vietnamese traditional dress “Áo Dài" or “Bronze Drums", and respond to an email request about their heroes/heroines. They also can conduct a presentation and persuade others to vote for their favorite actions to meet the “safe and healthy environment" goal. Students will respond to a letter related to “unhealthy choices". They also will be able to communicate, to do a presentation about subjects they researched in the target language. The whole class will put together a class-book about “Ways to be Earth Friendly".
*Vietnamese 4 → Enroll in Vietnamese 3 for Vietnamese Speaker
*For the 4th year of language study, students in the Vietnamese Standards program enroll in Vietnamese 3 for Vietnamese Speakers for their 4th year.
Grades 9 – 12 (year): G, CSU, UC (E)
Prerequisites: Successful completion of Vietnamese 3 (C- or better) or equivalent
This 4th year of the course students will recycle all the topics learned from Vietnamese 1-3 like: Schooling in Vietnam, Relationships, Vietnamese Residential and Geography, Love, Health, Business, Vietnamese New Year, Environmental Protection, Fashion, Travel. In this course, students will continue to refine their reading, writing, and oral skills through the study of Vietnamese culture and literature. Cultural study promotes a deeper understanding of the people who speak the language. Students will continue to develop the ability to understand the language spoken at the pace of a native speaker. Students will use “Tiếng Việt Mến Yêu, book C" as a textbook.
Vietnamese 1 For Vietnamese Speakers
Grades 9 – 12 (year): G, CSU, UC (E)
Prerequisites: At least one parent who speaks Vietnamese
The first level of the Vietnamese language class gives students the opportunity to listen, speak, read and write in Vietnamese. Instruction emphasizes accurate pronunciation and fluency and seeks to develop basic survival skills through the study of grammatical structures, usage forms and vocabulary necessary for elementary communication. An added component is the cultural introduction to the traditions and customs of the people who speak Vietnamese.
Vietnamese 2 For Vietnamese Speakers
Grades 9 – 12 (year): G, CSU, UC (E)
Prerequisites: Successful completion of Vietnamese 1 (C- or better) or teacher recommendation
The second level of the Vietnamese language is the second year of the traditional college preparatory sequence. The course begins with a systematic review of the materials presented in Level 1. Subsequent units present new material to provide greater depth in the skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking, and in the understanding and appreciation of the cultural content of Vietnam.
Vietnamese 3 For Vietnamese Speakers
Grades 9 – 12 (year): G, CSU, UC (E)
Prerequisites: Successful completion of Vietnamese 2 (C- or better) or teacher recommendation
This is an advanced two-semester, college-prep course for native Vietnamese speakers. The main goal of this course is the continuing proficiency development of various skill areas. The study and analysis of Vietnamese literature is emphasized. Students at this level write compositions, poems, and book reports. They also make presentations and write research papers.
Vietnamese 4 For Vietnamese Speakers
Grades 9 – 12 (year): G, CSU, UC (E)
Prerequisites: Students should have Vietnamese as their primary language
This is an advanced two-semester, college-prep course for native Vietnamese speakers. The main goal of this course is the analytical study of Vietnamese literature. The students who enroll in this course should already have competence in the analysis of grammar and have superior competence in listening, speaking, reading, and writing.