Foreign Language
(301) 649-2867
Resource Teacher: Arlette Loomis
Arlette_Loomis@mcpsmd.org
The Staff:
Arabic
- Sawsan Darwish – Sawsan_Darwish@mcpsmd.org
French
- Laura Bodin – Laura_V_Bodin@mcpsmd.org
- Michael Honigsberg – Michael_E_Honigsberg@mcpsmd.org
- Mbaya Kabemba – Mbaya_Kabemba@mcpsmd.org
- Arlette Loomis – Arlette_Loomis@mcpsmd.org
Japanese
- Kenneth Seat – Kenneth_W_Seat@mcpsmd.org
- Yoko Zoll – Yoko_H_Zoll@mcpsmd.org
Latin
- Wayne Miller – Wayne_Miller@mcpsmd.org
Spanish
- Laura Bodin – Laura_V_Bodin@mcpsmd.org
- María Cuadrado Corrales – Maria_A_CuadradoCorrales@mcpsmd.org
- Karla Cuellar – Karla_E_Cuellar@mcpsmd.org
- Kerri Galloway – Kerri_Galloway@mcpsmd.org
- Dora González – Dora_N_Gonzalez@mcpsmd.org
- Sabrina Keenan – Sabrina_A_Keenan@mcpsmd.org
- Gale Shipp – Gale_R_Shipp@mcpsmd.org
- Maria Yordán-Torres – Maria_YordanTorres@mcpsmd.org
Departmental Goals:
The goal of the Montgomery Blair School modern foreign language program
is to expose students to a language and culture in order to make them
knowledgeable and active members of a global society. Students will
learn to use modern foreign languages for meaningful communication
in both spoken and written form. The foreign language program emphasizes
language as it is used in various real-life situations that students
are most likely to encounter. Through foreign language study, students
develop sensitivity to the cultural and linguistic heritage of other
groups and their influence on our own, and are prepared to participate
in a society characterized by linguistic and cultural diversity.
Overarching Enduring Understandings:
- As the world moves towards a global community, it is increasingly
important to be able to communicate in languages other than
English.
- It is important to understand the perspectives of a culture
that generate its patterns of behavior, ways of life, world
views and contributions.
- Proficiency in a foreign language is a vehicle to gaining
knowledge that can only be acquired through that language and
its culture.
- The study of a modern foreign language enables students to
develop insights into the nature of language and culture.
- Learning a modern foreign language enables an individual
to participate in multilingual communities.
Courses:
French/Spanish 1, 2, & 3 –(1 credit each; level 3
is an Honors level course) In levels 1 – 3, the vocabulary that
the students learn is directly related to the purposes and situations
identified with each topic. Teachers will also select vocabulary to
reflect the students’ needs and interests in each thematic
topic. Vocabulary instruction is heavily emphasized over linguistic
competence at these levels, although a greater emphasis on structural
accuracy to enhance communication occurs in each year of successive
language study.
The Foreign Language Curriculum Framework delineates the performance
indicators for levels 1 – 3 of modern foreign languages
at Montgomery Blair High School. The performance indicators state
what the students should know and be able to do at each level
of instruction. In order to achieve these indicators, a thematic
content base with accompanying vocabulary topics and essential
structures has been identified. Within a given theme area, the
performance indicators of the communication goal are the primary
focus and the performance indicators in the goal areas of culture,
comparisons, connections, and communities provide broader connections
for the student in which to learn the language.
Instructional Approach
The study of a language system involves learning vocabulary and structures
in the context of the meaning one wishes to convey. It also involves
nonverbal communication, knowledge of status and discourse style, and
at times, the learning of a whole new alphabet. Communication strategies
must be taught to enable students to circumlocute, and to derive meaning
from context. Direct instruction in language learning strategies should
be a part of the experience.
Frequent on-going assessment of students’ progress in the foreign
language is essential. Teachers pre-assess the students’ knowledge
of vocabulary, structures, and reading content before actual
instruction begins. Formative assessments take place at regular
intervals during the instructional stage to check for understanding
and mastery of the material being taught. Summative assessments
evaluate all the goals in the standards and mirror the activities
used to teach the topics.
French/Spanish 4 & 5 – (1 credit each; Honors
level) The instruction is based on a broad arrange of interdisciplinary
context and themes with increasing emphasis on refining language
use appropriate to various sociocultural contexts. At each level
of instruction, students learn to communicate using themes areas
or content. Students at this level, work with an increasing number
of authentic listening materials selected by the teacher. Students
continue to expand and refine their ability to communicate in
both oral and written form, to understand as well as produce
language, and to do it in ways that reflect an understanding
and appreciation of the target culture. Increasingly, literature
may serve as a vehicle of attaining course objectives.
Instructional Approach
Content spheres are the vehicles for achieving the course objectives
listed below. The teacher will select four of the six spheres each
semester in order to attain a particular objective and several spheres
may be integrated within one unit. The only exception is in the courses
preparing students for the Advance Placement (AP) Literature examination
in which literature may be the sole content sphere. A wide range of
materials (films, video, movies, non-fiction, fiction, etc.) should
be used in every course. Content spheres for levels 4-6 are:
- History, geography, politics, economics
- Music, art, architecture, film, theater
- Literature, philosophy
- Social conditions, everyday life, social institutions
- Career awareness, contributions to science and technology
- Current events, contemporary issues
The Advance Placement courses place high emphasis on the mastery of
linguistic competencies at a very high level of proficiency.
AP French Language – (1 credit; Honors
level) Please go to the following web site for course information: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/french/ap03_french.pdf
AP Spanish Language – (1 credit; Honors
level) Please go to the following website for course information: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/spanish/ap_cd_spanish.pdf
AP French Literature – (1 credit; Honors
level) Please go to the following website for course information: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/french/ap03_french.pdf
AP Spanish Literature – (1 credit; Honors
level) Please go to the following website for course information: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/spanish/ap_cd_spanish.pdf
Latin 1 & 2 – (1 credit each) In levels 1 – 2,
the concentration is on the basic elements of Latin grammar.
Students continue to master the basic structures of Latin, using
listening speaking and writing as means of increasing their reading
comprehension and translating skills. Attention is focused on
Latin word building (roots, prefixes, spelling changes in compounds,
and word families) and related patterns in English and modern
languages. Through the reading in text and enrichment translations
and activities, students continue to learn about the daily life
and values of the early Romans, gain insights into the classical
heritage of the Western world, and the events of Roman world
and its impact on contemporary life.
Instructional Approach
The study of a language system involves learning vocabulary and structures
in the context of the meaning one wishes to convey. It also involves
nonverbal communication, and knowledge of status and discourse style.
Communication strategies must be taught to enable students to circumlocute,
and to derive meaning from context. Direct instruction in language
learning strategies should be a part of the experience.
Frequent on-going assessment of students’ progress in the foreign
language is essential. Teachers pre-assess the students’ knowledge
of vocabulary, structures, and reading content before actual
instruction begins. Formative assessments take place at regular
intervals during the instructional stage to check for understanding
and mastery of the material being taught. Summative assessments
evaluate all the goals in the standards and mirror the activities
used to teach the topics.
Latin 3 – (1 credit; Honors level) In this course
students concentrate on the prose writings of some major Latin
authors. They translate at least one major writing of Cicero
(an oration or philosophical essay) and learn the hallmarks of
his style. They also read selections from Sallust, the historian,
and Pliny, the letter writer. Readings in medieval Latin or Roman
satire complete the study of Latin prose writers. Students master
the advanced grammatical structures found in the writings of
Cicero. They also focus on the use of rhythm, word placement,
and rhetorical devices as tools in the lands of a Latin orator
or prose writer. In the second semester, the course focuses on
poetry and the lighter themes of Latin literature. Students read
the lyric poems of Horace and Catullus, the elegies of Propertius
and Tibullus, and the verses of Ovid. They also may read scenes
from a comedy by Plautus. In connection with their readings,
students learn basic metrical schemes, poetic devices, and special
grammatical forms used by poets.
A.P. Latin Literature – (1 credit; Honors
level) This course prepares students for the A.P. Latin Literature
test. The course offers selections from Catullus, Cicero, Horace,
or Ovid. The examination is designed to test the candidate's
ability to read, translate, understand, analyze, and interpret
the required selections. In addition, AP Latin courses include
the study of the cultural, social, and political context of the
literature on the syllabus.
Spanish for Spanish Speakers 1/2/3 – (1 credit each;
level 3 is an Honors level course) Spanish for Spanish speakers
provides continuing language instruction for students who have
a developed proficiency in Spanish. This course utilizes a language
arts approach comparable to that of English courses offered to
English-speaking students.
Instructional Approach
The curriculum is based on a three-year cycle. Four thematic units
of study have been developed to assist students in achieving ht specified
learner outcomes. Within each year, each of the four themes that constitute
the curriculum is taught (Heritage, Identity, Family Relationships,
and Community). Within each thematic unit, there are three levels of
performance corresponding to levels I-III of Spanish for Spanish Speakers.
Thus, all students encounter the same themes but may used differentiated
materials and engage in differentiated tasks that reflect their ability
and needs. A student who takes three levels of this course will encounter
the same themes for each of the three years, but increasingly difficult
levels and without repeating the content of previous courses.
Useful Links:
French:
http://www.fll.vt.edu/french/whyfrench.html
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/Unofficial/Canadiana/README.html
http://www.info-france.org/
http://www.urich.edu/~jpaulsen/civfrw3.html
http://www.edu.leeds.ac.uk/~jjsh/web-fr.htm
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/rene.oster/indexnoel.htm
TV/Radio/Communication
http://www.lemonde.fr/
http://www.liberation.com/
http://www.lefigaro.fr/
http://www.parismatch.com/
African Unit
http:/users.skynet.be/african/
Latin:
http://www.julen.net/ancient/
http://library.thinkquest.org/11402/
http://www.clubs.psu.edu/aegsa/rome/romec.html
http://www.ghgcorp.com/shetler/rome/
http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/x/wxk116/romeball.html
Dictionaries:
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/
http://www.csbsju.edu/library/internet/latin.html
Spanish:
http://www.sispain.org/SiSpain/english/
Dictionaries
http://tradu.scig.uniovi.es/conjuga.html
http://www.rae.es
http://www.diccionarios.com
TV/Radio/Communication
http://www.elpais.es
http://www.abc.es
http://www.mega.com
http://www.telemundo.com
http://www.univision.co
