Foreign Language Curriculum
The Foreign Language study starts in grade seven in French, Italian and Spanish. Students receive one unit of credit upon successful completion of Checkpoint A in grade eight, after taking and passing the New York State Proficiency Examination. At the high school level, the Foreign Language Department offers programs in French, Italian, Spanish and Latin. Students who wish to obtain a Regents Diploma with an Advanced Designation must complete a three-year Foreign Language sequence (Checkpoint B) and pass the Regents Exam.
Students may enroll in Foreign Language courses at the Checkpoint C level in French, Italian and Spanish. In these advanced courses, eligible seniors have the opportunity to take AP courses in Italian and Spanish. At the same time, they can obtain college credit by taking the Foreign Language College course and by paying a fee to Adelphi University.
French
FRENCH NINE (1 Year - 1 Credit) 5 per. weekly Offered to: Grade 9 Prerequisite: French Eight (Middle School) and successful completion of the New York State Proficiency Examination. First half of Checkpoint B. A continuation of the Middle School course with continued practice in listening and speaking and with more emphasis on reading and writing. Aspects of French culture will also be taught.
FRENCH TEN (1 Year -1 Credit) 5 per. weekly Offered to: Grade 10 Prerequisite: Successful completion of French Nine. Second half of Checkpoint B. Emphasis on using listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in more complex situations. Students will learn to improve “survival skills” in the culture where the second language is spoken. The students take the Regents exam in June as the final exam.
FRENCH TEN HONORS (1 Year - 1 Credit) 5 per. weekly Offered to: Grade 10 Prerequisite: Successful completion of French Nine with a final grade of 90 and teacher recommendation. Second half of Checkpoint B. The students will cover the French Ten curriculum. In addition, they will do short readings of French literature and will be responsible for writing reports. The students receive Pre-AP preparation during the second half of the year. The students take the Regents Exam in June as the final exam.
FRENCH SHORT STORIES, POEMS, ART & HISTORY Rgts, Hnrs & College (1 Year -1 Credit) 5 per. weekly Offered to: Grade 11 & 12 Prerequisite: Successful completion of French 10.H: A final grade of 85 in French 10 H or 11/12, or 90 in French 10 or 11/12 with teacher recommendation. This course will help students improve the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, with special emphasis on the development of conversational competence. Through the use of short stories, poetry, and selections from authentic French Literature, the students will broaden their knowledge and appreciation of French culture. Students will be able to augment their vocabulary through their study of literature and art. Students will review and expand the knowledge of previously learned grammatical structures. The curriculum has been approved by Adelphi University, therefore students can obtain 6 college credits for a fee payable to Adelphi.
ADVANCED PLACEMENT FRENCH (1Year - 1 Credit) 5 per. weekly Offered to: Grade 12 Prerequisite: Successful completion of French Short Stories, Poems, Art & History with a final grde of 90 at the Regents level or 85 at the Honors level with teacher recommendation. This course is designed to offer the students the opportunity to demonstrate competence in all four language skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) in accordance with AP guidelines. These skills will be used in various activities and disciplines rather than to cover anay specific body of subject matter. Course content reflects interests shared by teachers and students (the arts, current events, literature, sports, etc). Students will be expected to do extensive amount of independent reading and writing and demonstrate excellent oral and listening skills. The course emphasizes the use of language for active communication and helps students develop the ability to understand spoken French in various contexts; a French vocabulary sufficiently ample for reading of newspaper and magazine articles, literary texts and other non-technical writings without dependence on a dictionary; and the ability to express themselves coherently, resourcefully, and with reasonable fluency and accuracy in both written and spoken French. The students take the AP test offered by the College Board in May.
Italian
ITALIAN NINE (1 Year -1 Credit) 5 per. weekly Offered to: Grade 9 Prerequisite: Italian Eight (Middle School) and successful completion of the New York State Proficiency Examination. First half of Checkpoint B. A continuation of the Middle School course with continued practice in listening and speaking and with more emphasis on reading and writing. Aspects of Italian culture will also be taught.
ITALIAN TEN (1 Year -1 Credit) 5 per. weekly Offered to: Grade 10 Prerequisite: Successful completion of Italian Nine. Second half of Checkpoint B. Emphasis on using listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in more complex situations. Students will learn to improve “survival skills” in the culture where the second language is spoken. The students take the Regents exam in June as the final exam.
ITALIAN TEN HONORS (1 Year - 1 Credit) 5 per. weekly Offered to: Grade 10 Prerequisite: Successful completion of Italian Nine with a final grade of 90 and teacher recommendation. Second half of Checkpoint B. The students will cover the Italian Ten curriculum. In addition, they will do short readings of Italian literature and will be responsible for writing reports.The students receive Pre-AP preparation during the second half of the year. The students take the Regents Exam in June as the final exam.
ITALIAN THROUGH LITERATURE & ART Rgts, Hnrs & College (1 Year -1 Credit) 5 per. weekly Offered to: Grades 11 & 12 Prerequisite: Successful completion of Italian 10 or Italian Through Literature and Art.Honors Level: A final grade of 85 in Italian 10 H or11/12,or 90 in Italian 10 or 11/12 with teacher recommendation. This course will help students to further develop the skills of listening, speaking, contemporary reading and writing, with special emphasis on the development of conversational competence. Through the use of short stories, poetry, selections from authentic Italian literature and virtual visits to Italian museums, the students will broaden their knowledge and appreciation of Italian culture. Students will be able to augment their vocabulary through their study of literature and art. They will learn more advanced grammatical structures asthey improve their speaking skills. They will develop vocabulary and expressions based on the topics. Use of the computer lab, both for research and projects, is an essential part of this course. The curriculum has been approved by Adelphi University, therefore the students can obtain 6 college credits for a fee payable to Adelphi.
ADVANCED PLACEMENT ITALIAN (1 Year - 1 Credit) 5 per. weekly Offered to: Grade 12 Prerequisite: Successful completion of Italian through Literature and Art with a final grade of 90 at the Regents level or 85 at the Honors level with teacher recommendation. This course is designed to offer the students the opportunity to demonstrate competence in all four language skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) in accordance with AP guidelines. These skills will be used in various activities and disciplines rather than to cover any specific body of subject matter. Course content reflects interests shared by the teaches and students(the arts, current events, literature, sports, etc). Students will be expected to do extensive amount of independent reading and writing and demonstrate excellent oral and listening skills. The course emphasizes the use of language for active communication and helps students develop the ability to comprehend formal and informal spoken Italian; the acquisition of vocabulary and a grasp of structure to allow the easy, accurate reading of newspaper and magazine articles, as well as the modern literature in Italian; the ability to compose expository passages; and the ability to express ideas orally with accuracy and fluency. The students take the AP test offered by the College Board in May.
Latin
MODERN LATIN I (1 Year -1 Credit) 5 per. weekly Offered to: Grades 10-12 Prerequisite: Open to 10th graders with a final grade of 90 in their current modern language and/or 11th and 12th graders who have successfully completed a Regents exam in a modern language (French, Italian or Spanish). This is an intensive introductory course to the Latin language and its impact on English today. This course will offer students an opportunity to learn hundreds of vocabulary items which appear on the PSAT and SATs. It is inclusive of grammar, syntax, morphology (the study of words) roots, suffixes etc. Reading of simple prose selections from Latin authors and Roman culture are also included. Students take a midterm exam in January and a final exam in June.
MODERN LATIN II (1 Year -1 Credit) 5 per. weekly Offered to: Grades 11& 12 Prerequisite: Latin I; This is an accelerated Latin course with an emphasis on grammar. Students will be able to read works from classical Latin authors such as Pliny, Plataus, Ovid, Horace and Catullus. Students take a midterm exam in January and a final exam in June. 13 ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
MODERN LATIN III (1 Year -1 Credit) 5 per. weekly Offered to: Grades 11& 12 Prerequisite: Latin II; The accelerated study of Latin Language and Literature continues. Attention is focused on the ways Latin has entered English and influenced English linguistically and culturally. With Latin, reading takes priority. Listening and speaking skills in Latin are generally limited to reading aloud, repeating, answering questions and oral interpretation of text. At this level, the students read with general and specific comprehension adapted Latin authors and Latin prose authors; use conversational and formal english and write english that incorporates Latin elements “prefixes, bases and suffixes”. The cultural information discussed in the two previous years is expanded this year: Roman baths, sports, the Games, the Coliseum, Art, Georgraphy, Roman weddings, Roman religion and Roman Funeral, Slaves and the Late Roman Empire. Students takethe Regents Exam in June as a final exam.
Spanish
SPANISH 1B (1 Year -1 Credit) 5 per. weekly Offered to: Grades 9-10-11-12 Prerequisite: This course is offered to students who did not pass the NYS Proficiency exam in 8th grade, or who have taken less than two years of foreign language at the middle school level. Checkpoint A. Emphasis on using reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. Students will also study Spanish culture. Students can take the Spanish Proficiency test in June if they wish to “buy back” one high school credit.
SPANISH NINE (1 Year -1 Credit) 5 per. weekly Offered to: Grade 9 Prerequisite: Spanish Eight (Middle School) and a passing grade on the NYS Proficiency Test or successful completion of Spanish 1B with teacher recommendation only. First half of Checkpoint B. A continuation of the Middle School course with continued practice in listening and speaking with more emphasis on reading and writing. Aspects of Spanish culture will also be taught.
SPANISH TEN (1 Year -1 Credit) 5 per. weekly Offered to: Grade 10 Prerequisite: Successful completion of Spanish Nine. Second half of Checkpoint B. Emphasis on using listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in more complex situations. Students will learn to improve “survival skills” in the culture where the second language is spoken. The students take the Regents Exam in June as the final exam.
SPANISH TEN HONORS (1 Year -1 Credit) 5 per. weekly Offered to: Grade 10 Prerequisite: Successful completion of Spanish Nine with a final grade of 90 or higher in and teacher recommendation. Second half of Checkpoint B. The first half of the year, the course will cover the Spanish Ten curriculum at an accelerated pace in preparation for the January Regents exam. The second half of the year will be devoted to the practical use of Spanish in different settings. Emphasis is placed on speaking, but students will do reading and writing as well. Students will take the Regents Exam in January.
SPANISH ELEVEN (1 Year -1 Credit) 5 per. weekly Offered to: Grade 11 Prerequisite: Successful completion of Spanish 10. First half of Checkpoint C. The students will cover the Spanish Eleven curriculum. In addition, they will be doing work on Spanish literature and writing reports.
SPANISH ELEVEN HONORS (1 Year -1 Credit) 5 per. weekly Offered to: Grade 11 Prerequisite: Successful completion of Spanish 10. Honors level:A final grade of 85 in Spanish 10 H or 90 in Spanish 10 with teacher recommendation. First half of Checkpoint C. The students will cover the Spanish Eleven curriculum. In addition, they will do extensive readings of Spanish literature and will be responsible for writing several reports.
SPANISH TWELVE (1 Year -1 Credit) 5 per. weekly Offered to: Grade 12 Prerequisite: Successful completion of Spanish 11. Second half of Checkpoint C. The students will cover the Spanish Twelve curriculum. Students will be doing readings of Spanish literature and writing reports.
SPANISH TWELVE HONORS/ COLLEGE (1 Year -1 Credit) 5 per. weekly Offered to: Grade 12 Prerequisite: Successful completion of Spanish 11. Honors level: A final grade of 85 in Spanish 11H or 90 in Spanish 11 and teacher recommendation. Advanced study of Spanish language and literature.In addition, they will do extensive readings and will be responsible for writing serveral reports. The students obtain high school and college credit. The curriculum hasbeen approved by Adelphi University, therefore the students can obtain up to 6 college credits for a fee payable to Adelphi.
ADVANCED PLACEMENT SPANISH (1 Year -1 Credit) 5 per. weekly Offered to: Grade 12 Prerequisite: Successful completion of Spanish 11. Honors College with a final grade of 85 with teacher recommendation. This course is designed to offer the students the opportunity to demonstrate competence in all four language skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) in accordance with AP guidelines. These skills will be used in various activities and disciplines rather than to cover any specific body of subject matter. Course content reflects interests shared by the teaches and students(the arts, current events, literature, sports, etc). Students will be expected to do extensive amount of independent reading and writing and demonstrate excellent oral and listening skills. The course emphasizes the use of language for active communication and helps students develop the ability to comprehend formal and informal spoken Spanish; the acquisition of vocabulary and a grasp of structure to allow the easy, accurate reading of newspaper and magazine articles, as well as the modern literature in Italian; the ability to compose expository passages; and the ability to express ideas orally with accuracy and fluency. The students take the AP test offered by the College Board in May.
SPANISH FOR NATIVE SPEAKERS I / HONORS (1 Year - 1 Credit) 5 per weekly Offered to: Grades 9-12 This course is designed for students whose native language is Spanish and is equivalent to Spanish 9. Students will familiarize themselves with Spanish literature by reading titles from Spanish authors. Reading and writing skills will be emphasized; these improved skills will enhance their already well-developed oral proficiency of the language.
SPANISH FOR NATIVE SPEAKERS II / HONORS 1 Year - 1 Credit 5 Per. weekly Offered to: Grades10 - 12 Prerequisite: Successful completion of Spanish for Natives I with a final grade of 90 with teacher recommendation. This course is designed for students whose native language is Spanish and is equivalent to Spanish 10 and 10 Honors. Students will familiarize themselves with Spanish literature by reading titles from Spanish authors. Reading and writing skills will be emphasized; these improved skills will enhance their already well-developed oral proficiency of the language. Students will take the Regents in June.
Middle School
Finley Middle School offers its students a choice of three languages - French, Italian and Spanish.
FRENCH 7 (40 Weeks) This introductory course (first half of level 1) is designed to acquaint students with the basic elements of the French language. Much emphasis will be placed on learning key phrases and expressions in order to enable students to begin to understand and speak French in actual situations. Pronunciation, correct usage and fluency are particularly stressed. Some outside and authentic materials will be used, such as audio-visual materials, tapes, realia, etc. to supplement instruction. Aspects of French culture will be introduced as well.
French 8 (40 Weeks) This second year course (second half of level 1) is a continuation of the subject matter begun in the first year. Reading, writing, listening, and speaking are emphasized for a more comprehensive understanding of French. There is an expansion of vocabulary as well as an introduction of culture. Short stories, articles, and complementary material in French are introduced. Students take the French Proficiency test at the end of the year.
ITALIAN 7 (40 Weeks) This introductory course (first half of level 1) is designed to acquaint students with the basic elements of the Italian language. Much emphasis will be placed on learning key phrases and expressions in order to enable students to begin to understand and speak Italian in actual situations. Pronunciation, correct usage and fluency are particularly stressed. Some outside and authentic materials will be used, such as audio-visual materials, tapes, etc. to supplement instruction. Aspects of Italian culture will be introduced as well.
ITALIAN 8 (40 Weeks) This second year course (second half of level 1) is a continuation of the subject matter begun in the first year. Reading, writing, listening, and speaking are emphasized for a more comprehensive understanding of Italian. There is an expansion of vocabulary as well as an introduction of culture. Short stories, articles, and complementary materials in Italian are introduced. Students take the Proficiency test at the end of the year.
SPANISH 7 (40 Weeks) This introductory course (first half of level 1) is designed to acquaint students with the basic elements of the Spanish language. Much emphasis will be placed on learning key phrases and expressions in order to enable students to begin to understand and speak Spanish in actual situations. Pronunciation, correct usage and fluency are particularly stressed. Some outside and authentic materials will be used, such as audio-visual materials, tapes, realia, etc. to supplement instruction. Aspects of Spanish culture will be introduced as well.
SPANISH 8 (40 Weeks) This second year course (second half of level 1) is a continuation of the subject matter begun in the first year. Reading, writing, listening, and speaking are emphasized for a more comprehensive understanding of Spanish. There is an expansion of vocabulary as well as an introduction of culture. Short stories, articles, and complementary materials in Spanish are introduced. Students take the Proficiency test at the end of the year.
SPANISH IA (40 Weeks) This course is for 8th grade students who failed Spanish I or couldn’t take Spanish I because of AIS. These students will continue the study of Spanish at the high school level to finish level 1. This first course in Spanish is designed to develop the students’ ability to understand and express ideas and thoughts that are generally found in every day conversations. Pronunciation, correct usage and fluency are particularly stressed. Certain aspects of culture are also introduced.