World Languages
In the Foreign Languages department at The Storm King School, equal emphasis is placed on oral proficiency, competency in written expression and cultural literacy. First and second levels stress rapid acquisition of vocabulary, fundamental grammatical skills, and cultural awareness. Third-year courses provide a comprehensive review of grammatical structures and an introduction to reading and composition. Fourth-year courses are usually devoted to the development of oral proficiency and literary skills. In the fifth and sixth level courses, students delve into the literature originally written in the language they are studying.
Classes Offered
(typically taken by eighth graders)
The World Languages course is an experience that traverses three culturally unique languages—American Sign Language, Chinese, and Spanish—whose influences, applications, and diversity have had a tremendous impact across the globe. During each of the three trimesters, 8th grade students will have the opportunity to experience one of these languages and discover the excitement and rigor that each has to offer. The course creates an intensive, multicultural, cross-classroom approach that challenges students to examine the fundamentals of language through its cultural origins as well as ask questions about the nature of language and its usage. Along with preparing students for the intensity of a prep school language curriculum, World Languages parallels the school’s mission to immerse all students in a community that emphasizes personal experience and discovery.
Texts: Realidades 1 Textbook and Realidades 1 Practice Workbook Pearson Prentice Hall
This course builds upon basic Spanish grammar and language structures as well as knowledge of a variety of Hispanic cultures. The class is also designed to give students ample practice in the four important skill areas in learning a language: speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing. Students will enhance your command of the Spanish language through listening exercises, homework, quizzes and tests, and short writing and reading assignments. Also, activities will expand understanding of Hispanic cultures through Spanish language films and music, group projects, and current news from the Spanish speaking world.
Text: Realidades 1 Practice Workbook Pearson- Prentice Hall, Realidades 1 Textbook
This course is meant to improve student proficiency in Spanish and advance command of grammar and language structures as well as knowledge of a variety of Hispanic cultures. The class is also designed to give ample practice in the four important skill areas in learning a language: speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing. Students will enhance their command of the Spanish language through listening exercises, homework, quizzes and tests, and short writing and reading assignments. Also, activities will expand understanding of Hispanic cultures through Spanish language films and music as well as cultural projects.
This course gives students a survey of Latin American and Spanish literature. Students will gain practice in reading difficult texts as well as a deeper understanding of Hispanic culture through a literary lens. Students will learn more sophisticated grammar and be asked to apply it through their writing and speech. Throughout the year, students will write analytical, creative, and personal compositions that help them build on their writing skills in Spanish. The course will be primarily discussion based which will give students ample practice in communicating more complex ideas verbally. Students will also explore Hispanic culture through films and research based assignments. The teacher will provide all of the readings and materials for this course.
Chinese is one of three language courses offered at Storm King School. The program was started in order to meet the rising demand for a more integrated study and understanding of both the Chinese language as well as the cultures in which it is spoken. The course has several overarching goals, which are bolstered by a singular focus during each term of study. The first semester introduces students to the Chinese language and assumes no knowledge of the subject content. Students are taught the basics of the phonetic Pinyin pronunciation system, character writing, and elementary grammar. After this foundational work, instruction shifts to a heavy focus on the mastery of the major elements of grammar so that students are able to communicate effectively through the use of simple statements, questions, and expressions. The Second Semester of the year revolves around solidifying student understanding of Chinese exemplified by conversation, video presentations, and continued work through our textbook and workbook.
Texts:
- Integrated Chinese Level 1 Textbook- Cheng&Tsui Company
- Character Workbook- Cheng & Tsui Company
- Workbook –Cheng & Tsui Company
Chinese is one of three language courses offered at Storm King School. The program was started in order to meet the rising demand for a more integrated study and understanding of both the Chinese language as well as the cultures in which it is spoken. The course has several overarching goals, which are bolstered by a singular focus during each semester of study. As with most language study only a constant, maintained engagement with the material will result in progress and memorization. During the first semester students are refocused on the Chinese language and the first piece of coursework is an expansion and review of the several hundred characters learned during year 1, with particular emphasis on some of the more difficult and challenging grammar points. When the second semester begins students have finished Level 1 of the Integrated Chinese textbook, and move onto the second edition which consists of a much more difficult curriculum of study. Alongside the advanced grammar instruction, students also begin to read short stories and are introduced to the complexity of reading Chinese. In the second semester students work on finishing the Level 2 textbook, and engage in the more fluent classroom conversations as a way to prepare for potential class trips, vacations, and immersion experiences in Chinese speaking parts of the world.
Once students reach Chinese 3 it is expected that they have a complete understanding of basic grammar concepts and are familiar with intermediate constructions. In order to further their experience, reading becomes a weekly activity as students move through a variety of stories, poems, and articles during the fall semester. The third level of Chinese also sees a surge in vocabulary memorization, as students focus on the most common nouns in daily life, from living situations, to the workplace and the natural world. When the second semester arrives students are prepared to tackle their first short novel in Chinese while beginning to learn complex grammar structures and colloquialisms. By the end of Chinese 3 students are meant to feel comfortable both speaking the language and constructing their own ideas through the study of various textual and audio sources.
This course introduces the students to American Sign Language and Deaf Culture. Within this class, the students will learn and develop fluency with fingerspelling. Students will also learn basic vocabulary and simple expressions. Through practice, students will increase their comfort level with this language and begin to think conceptually. The students will also be exposed to various aspects of Deaf Culture. This will include some background and an historical perspective as well as comments on the deaf community today.
This course continues the proficiency level that was begun in the previous ASL 2. Within this class, the students will utilize their vocabulary and fingerspelling base in order to begin communicating in simple ASL grammatical structures. Students will practice both their receptive and expressive skills in pairs, small groups, as well as full class exercises. Equal in importance to learning effective communication will be the expansion of knowledge with regards to Deaf history and culture. Students will gain an appreciation for important events and significant individuals’ contributions to history. In addition, new technology and its impact upon the deaf community will be explored.
Videos from the Classroom