The Academic Program: Modern Languages

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| Spanish | German | French |

All of our students take four classes per week of either French, German or Spanish for three years; a fourth year of language for advanced placement may be taken on an elective basis. Students may also elect to take a second language. Foreign language instruction includes the study of grammar and vocabulary, the refinement of reading, writing, and verbal skills. Students gain fluency and confidence in speech through classroom conversations and dramatic performances. Writing skills are cultivated by composing essays, stories, poetry, and plays. By the end of their junior year, students should be able to read classics of French, Spanish and/or German literature in the original languages. They are also prepared to take the College Board's SAT II subject tests.

Spanish I

This course is for students with little or no knowledge of Spanish. An oral approach is stressed through the use of dialogues, structural patterns, and conversation. Chapter quizzes and tests are used to evaluate student performance on an ongoing basis, culminating in a final exam administered at the end of the academic year.

Spanish II

An intensive course in grammar and composition further develops oral skills. Discussions of literary texts, essays and articles on contemporary Spain and South America are included. Chapter quizzes and tests are used to evaluate student performance on an ongoing basis, culminating in a final exam administered at the end of the academic year.

Spanish III

The goal of this course is to improve technical skills in grammar to increase fluency in reading, writing, and oral communication. Systematic acquisition of vocabulary and improvement of listening skills are stressed. Selected cultural and literary texts are examined. Chapter quizzes and tests are used to evaluate student performance on an ongoing basis, culminating in a final project. Students may elect to take the SAT II in Spanish.

Spanish IV Elective

This is a course for advanced students in Spanish composition and conversation. This course focuses on extensive reading, the enrichment of vocabulary and idioms, and the further development of conversational skills. Students are expected to recognize and discuss the literary merits of highlighted authors and their contributions and influence on Spanish culture. There is a great deal of emphasis placed on sentence structure, especially the most difficult points of grammar and usage. Chapter quizzes and tests are used to evaluate student performance on an ongoing basis, culminating in a final project at the end of the academic year. Students may prepare to take the Spanish Advanced Placement Test in May.

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German I

This course is an introduction to the German language. The aim of this course is to develop a facility in speaking and an understanding of elementary German with a sound basis in grammar. Quizzes and tests are used to evaluate student performance on an ongoing basis, culminating in a final exam administered at the end of the academic year.

German II

This course further develops the students' communicative abilities in spoken and written German within a broad intercultural context. Quizzes and tests are used to evaluate student performance on an ongoing basis, culminating in a final exam administered at the end of the academic year.

German III

This course offers practice with the expressive functions of German language structures and the acquisition of more sophisticated and varied vocabulary with a view to refining and enriching the students' overall linguistic and intercultural experiences. The students read a selection of modern German authors. Oral and written summaries and original compositions are required. At the end of the year students must submit a formal written report. Students may elect to take the SAT II in German.

German IV Elective

In this course acquired knowledge and skills in German communication are practiced in a wide variety of contexts. Selected readings based on society and institutions in Germany are discussed. Students cover the history of German literature from the Nibelungelied to the present time. Reading assignments are analyzed, discussed, and compared. Students are required to write a formal book report and, if they choose, may prepare to take the German Advanced Placement Test in May.

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French I

French I focuses on the acquisition of the basic communication skills in French (both written and spoken) and the study of grammar and vocabulary. Grammar topics include: present tense of regular and irregular verbs; passé and futur immediate; passé compose; agreement of adjectives; possessive and demonstrative adjectives; articles, prepositions and numbers. Students work on vocabulary and pronunciation through reading and discussions of assigned texts from the textbook, the book La famille Martin, and the story (as well as the movie) Le ballon rouge. Students are evaluated on both the results of their tests and the execution of their homework. Their grade depends on their reading and participation in class. Students are also administered the final examination, which includes the essential grammar topics studied throughout the school year.

French II

The curriculum of French II includes the study of grammar topics (passé composé, imparfait, plus-que-parfait, futur simple, conditionnel présent, direct and indirect pronouns, and reflexive verbs), French idioms and vocabulary. This course also focuses on the development of writing essays, reading and conversational skills. The students recite French poems and sing French songs on a regular basis. The students are evaluated on both the results of their tests and on the execution of their homework. The grade also depends on their reading, speech, and participation in class. Students are administered the final examination, which includes the essential grammar topics and vocabulary studied throughout the school year.

French III

The first semester of this course focuses on the study of advanced French grammar (passé simple, agreement of tenses, indirect speech, subjonctif présent, subjonctif passé, possessive, demonstrative, and relative pronouns). The course also includes a thorough review of all the grammar material studied in levels I & II. Students read French authors' short stories as well as Suivez la piste, a detective thriller based on a television French language course produced by the BBC. All this material aims at the development of the vocabulary and conversational and writing skills through numerous class discussions and written assignments. The second semester focuses on students' preparation for SAT II and the final examination for the course. Grades are based on test results, the quality of students' essays and homework, and class participation.

French IV Elective

French IV aims to develop further students' proficiency in speech and comprehension skills. Students read and discuss unabridged short stories and a novel by a French author. Students also study the geography of France, read and discuss articles from the French media, and make oral and written reports on the studied material. The course grade is based on the quality of the essays and the reports. This course may prepare students for the French Advanced Placement Test.

French V Elective

French V promotes a greater understanding of French culture and nuances of the French language. The course focuses on the French history and literature at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries, the period known as "La Belle Epoque." Works studied include: excerpts from the Histoire de la France textbook, the biography of the French painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir written by his son, the film director Jean Renoir, and the letters of Vincent Van Gogh to his brother Théo; the unabridged novels by Guy de Maupassant (Bel Ami), Marcel Proust (Du côté de chez Swann), and Colette (Cheri). In addition students watch the movie The Impressionists or The Other French Revolution about the artists who formed the core of the movement: Degas; Pissaro; Renoir; and Monet. Students discuss and analyze the books and the movie in class and write essays and reports based on the material studied at home. The essays and the reports contribute directly to their grade.

Foreign Exchange Program—Tenth Grade

In our Exchange Program, Steiner students in good standing, who have progficiency in a foreign language, can spend a semester at a Waldorf school in Switzerland, Austria, France, Germany or Spain. In return, a student from the cooperating European Waldorf School enrolls at Steiner for the same period. On bothends of the exchange, the visiting learners live in the homes of host famlies associated with their schools.

Because Waldorf education the world over uses the same teaching methods and essentially the same curriculum, exchange students continue their established course of study - but with the exciting difference of a new social and physical environment around them, and the inspiring challange of using their alternative language for daily communication. Improved competence in that native tongue. and the encompanying enrichment of new encounters and perceptions, yeild insights into the host country and its people unobtainable in any other way. Interested students apply for the program in ninth grade, and need recommendation by their language teacher.

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