World Language

Scarsdale Middle School offers a first level course of study in French and Spanish, which begins in the sixth grade. Arriving sixth graders are either continuing their study of Spanish as begun in first grade at the elementary level or beginning the study of French. Sixth graders have Spanish or French class five days over a ten day cycle.  Seventh and eighth graders have class five days a week. Upon successful completion of this course at the end of eighth grade, students receive one unit of credit, and the final grade appears on their high school transcript as Course #313. Students are then recommended to either the advanced or honors sequence for the second level of high school language.

The course emphasizes listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. In the beginning weeks of sixth grade, students continue their Spanish study and in French class are introduced to the sound system, emphasizing listening and speaking. All students become conversant in topics such as name, age, health, residence, use of the alphabet, calendar, classroom objects, colors, numbers 1-100, time, weather, and seasons. Students also review the distinction between the informal and formal “you,” and various social amenities with greetings and farewells.

As students progress in the program, they are able to communicate effectively in a variety of situations. By the end of eighth grade, they are able to discuss aspects of their school day, favorite sports, pastimes, their home, family, food, clothing, shopping, their town, and the movies. They can offer opinions, and make requests and suggestions. Students learn and practice grammatical structures as related to the vocabulary themes and topics they are studying.

The culture of the French and Spanish-speaking world is an integral part of the program. Students compare and contrast their culture with those of other countries where French or Spanish is spoken.

Supplemental Activities

The World Language Department incorporates a variety of materials in the curriculum, such as cultural videos and feature-length movies. Seventh grade students complete a country project that combines library and computer technology skills. Eighth grade students devise an imaginary trip to Madrid or Paris with the assistance of the library and computer center.

Annual Activities

Annual activities to which students look forward include World Language Month in March, Spanish and French eighth grade culinary experiences, Human Rights Day initiatives, and the French pique-nique.

Sixth  Grade

Students communicate in Spanish or French as they listen and repeat, much as they do when they learn their native language. The goal is to give students a strong aural/oral exposure to the language upon which they may build, adding reading and writing skills as the course develops.  The major focus of the sixth grade program is to continue to advance students’ oral proficiency.  The course is divided into mini-units.

At the end of mini-unit one, students are able to:

• greet others
• tell how they feel (health)
• identify other classmates
• tell the day, date, month, year
• identify classroom objects
• tell the color of these objects
• spell their names and others' names
• count in and out of sequence from 0 to 100
• talk about the day's weather and tell the season
• ask and answer questions regarding name, health, age, residence
• use the first, second, and third person singular

Cultural Understandings - students are able to:

• identify countries where French and Spanish are spoken
• greet others with an understanding of social amenities
• use “you” properly in formal/informal situations
• tell the differences between a “European” and an American calendar

At the end of mini-unit two, students are able to:

·       ask and say how old someone is

·       ask where someone is from and tell where that person is from

·       ask and say how old someone is

·       perform a skit using the above topics

·       present an interview

Cultural Understandings - students are able to:

·       discuss birthday information

·       discuss the “quinceañera”

·       discuss the name day celebration

At the end of mini-unit three, students are able to:

·       talk about what they like and do not like

·       talk about sports, food, music, and classes

·       create a skit, which highlights sharing with a friend likes and dislikes

Cultural Understandings - Students are able to:

·       discuss differences between American food and food in countries where Spanish and French are spoken

·       understand the importance of soccer in these countries

At the end of mini-unit 4, students are able to:

·       talk about needs and wants

·       identify school supplies and tell what they use in school

·       use singular pronouns in first, second, and third person

Cultural Understandings - students are able to:

·       Discuss differences in the school experience between America and countries where Spanish and French are spoken.

·       Compare a typical school day

At the end of mini-unit 5, students are able to

·       Continue to talk about their needs and wants

·       Name items in their rooms at home

·       Use indefinite articles in conversations

Cultural Understandings - students are able to:

·       Compare and contrast their bedrooms with counterparts where Spanish and French are spoken.

At the end of mini-unit 6, students are able to:

·       talk about their plans for the day

·       tell what they need to do and what they want to do

·       talk about plans that their friends may have

·       say prices for their room inventories

Cultural Understandings -students are able to:

·       differentiate between the American and European monetary units

At the end of mini-unit 7, students are able to:

·       discuss the subjects they have in school

·       tell time

·       tell what time they have the various classes

Cultural Understandings - students are able to:

·       compare the courses that they take to those that students in other countries take

·       compare the school days and schedules

At the end of mini-unit 8, students are able to:

·       tell at what time various activities begin

·       use the possessive in conversation

·       look at movie listings and tell what time the showings begin

Cultural Understandings - students are able to:

·       tell time conversationally and using the 24 hour clock

At the end of mini-unit 9, students are able to:

·       describe themselves

·       describe their friends

·       use plural subject pronouns in their descriptions

Cultural Understandings - students are able to:

·       compare and contrast family dynamics