Foreign Language
Horizon Middle School Foreign Languages
Phase 1 Language Acquisition – Year 1 Spanish (Sixth Grade): In this course students will acquire the Spanish language by engaging in conversations, and developing and interpreting written and spoken language on a variety of topics, both within and beyond the school settings. Topics include likes and dislikes regarding after-school activities and sports, personality traits, weather, calendar, school subjects and schedules, classroom items, and foods and beverages for breakfast and lunch. Students will gain knowledge and understanding of Spanish-speaking cultures. They will learn how to conjugate regular present tense verbs. They will learn how to write sentences, poems, and short paragraphs, and read letters and poems. The three fundamental concepts of the MYP are embraced within the curriculum through Holistic Learning (Helping the students to find connections in Language Acquisition with their every day life through learning about the culture); through Intercultural Awareness (Learning about Spanish-speaking cultures and how to respect them) Resources from Spanish-speaking countries will be used to teach culture. Through opportunities for students to role-play and have conversations in the language, students will learn to communicate by reading, writing, speaking, and listening in the target language.
Phase 2—3 Language Acquisition – Year 3 Spanish (Eighth Grade): In this course students will acquire the Spanish language by engaging in conversations, and developing and interpreting written and spoken language on a variety of topics, both within and beyond the school settings. These topics include clothing and shopping, sports, family, travel, environment and community service, and entertainment and the media. Students will gain knowledge and understanding of Spanish-speaking cultures. They will learn how to conjugate regular and irregular present and past tense verbs. They will learn how to write short paragraphs and read short novels and poems, and interpret visual and written texts. The three fundamental concepts of the MYP are embraced within the curriculum through Holistic Learning (Helping the students to find connections in Language Acquisition with their every day life through learning about the culture); through Intercultural Awareness (Learning about Spanish-speaking cultures and how to respect them Resources from Language B countries will be used to teach culture. Through opportunities for students to role-play and have conversations in the language, students will learn to communicate by reading, writing, speaking, and listening in the target language.
French Sixth Grade: This course is designed to provide an introduction to the French language and French-speaking cultures and to prepare students for living in a global society. Classroom instruction focuses on the International Baccalaureate assessment criteria of speaking, listening, reading and writing. Students will learn the French alphabet, numbers, basic classroom vocabulary, and basic greetings through a wide range of interactive experiences. Students will also be introduced to several nations of the French-speaking world. All students will take one quarter of 6th Grade French as part of Horizon Middle School’s “Language Carousel” program, with the option to continue the course in the second semester.
French Seventh Grade: This is a one year course designed to build on the French language skills acquired in 6th Grade French, as well as to prepare students to be members of the global community. Classroom instruction increasingly focuses on speaking, listening, reading and writing. Students will be introduced to interdisciplinary activities with other subjects to develop new perspectives in our interconnected world. Students will explore aspects of French history and culture, as well as traditions of other French-speaking nations through a wide range of interactive experiences.
French Eighth Grade: This is a one year course designed to build on the French language skills acquired in 7th Grade French, as well as foster curiosity, inquiry and a lifelong interest in language learning. This course continues to develop the student’s ability to communicate on everyday topics in French through a continued emphasis on speaking, listening, reading and writing. Students will continue their inquiry into the French language and French-speaking communities through various activities, projects, grade-appropriate literature and films, multimedia and guest speakers.
Phase 2 Language Acquisition – Year 2 Spanish (Seventh Grade): In this course students will acquire the Spanish language by engaging in conversations, and developing and interpreting written and spoken language on a variety of topics, both within and beyond the school settings. These topics include places in the community and leisure activities, family, restaurants, and the house and household chores. Students will gain knowledge and understanding of Spanish-speaking cultures. They will learn how to conjugate regular and irregular present tense verbs. They will learn how to write short paragraphs and poems, and read short stories. The three fundamental concepts of the MYP are embraced within the curriculum through Holistic Learning (Helping the students to find connections in Language Acquisition with their every day life through learning about the culture); through Intercultural Awareness (Learning about Spanish-speaking cultures and how to respect them Resources from Spanish-speaking countries will be used to teach culture. Through opportunities for students to role-play and have conversations in the language, students will learn to communicate by reading, writing, speaking, and listening in the target language.
Phase 2—3 Language Acquisition – Year 3 Spanish (Eighth Grade): In this course students will acquire the Spanish language by engaging in conversations, and developing and interpreting written and spoken language on a variety of topics, both within and beyond the school settings. These topics include clothing and shopping, sports, family, travel, environment and community service, and entertainment and the media. Students will gain knowledge and understanding of Spanish-speaking cultures. They will learn how to conjugate regular and irregular present and past tense verbs. They will learn how to write short paragraphs and read short novels and poems, and interpret visual and written texts. The three fundamental concepts of the MYP are embraced within the curriculum through Holistic Learning (Helping the students to find connections in Language Acquisition with their every day life through learning about the culture); through Intercultural Awareness (Learning about Spanish-speaking cultures and how to respect them Resources from Language B countries will be used to teach culture. Through opportunities for students to role-play and have conversations in the language, students will learn to communicate by reading, writing, speaking, and listening in the target language.
French Sixth Grade: This course is designed to provide an introduction to the French language and French-speaking cultures and to prepare students for living in a global society. Classroom instruction focuses on the International Baccalaureate assessment criteria of speaking, listening, reading and writing. Students will learn the French alphabet, numbers, basic classroom vocabulary, and basic greetings through a wide range of interactive experiences. Students will also be introduced to several nations of the French-speaking world. All students will take one quarter of 6th Grade French as part of Horizon Middle School’s “Language Carousel” program, with the option to continue the course in the second semester.
French Seventh Grade: This is a one year course designed to build on the French language skills acquired in 6th Grade French, as well as to prepare students to be members of the global community. Classroom instruction increasingly focuses on speaking, listening, reading and writing. Students will be introduced to interdisciplinary activities with other subjects to develop new perspectives in our interconnected world. Students will explore aspects of French history and culture, as well as traditions of other French-speaking nations through a wide range of interactive experiences.
French Eighth Grade: This is a one year course designed to build on the French language skills acquired in 7th Grade French, as well as foster curiosity, inquiry and a lifelong interest in language learning. This course continues to develop the student’s ability to communicate on everyday topics in French through a continued emphasis on speaking, listening, reading and writing. Students will continue their inquiry into the French language and French-speaking communities through various activities, projects, grade-appropriate literature and films, multimedia and guest speakers.
Foreign Language Department Overview
A foreign language is a language indigenous to another country. It is also a language not spoken in the native country of the person referred to, i.e., an English speaker living in Japan can say that Japanese is a foreign language to him or her. These two characterizations do not exhaust the possible definitions, however, and the label is occasionally applied in ways that are variously misleading or factually inaccurate. Some children learn more than one language from birth or from a young age: they are bilingual or multilingual. These children can be said to have two, three or more mother tongues: neither language is foreign to that child, even if one language is a foreign language for the vast majority of people in the child's birth country. For example, a child learning English from her English father and Japanese at school in Japan can speak both English and Japanese, but neither is a foreign language to her.
Most schools around the world teach at least one foreign language. Compulsory lessons in a foreign language normally start at the end of primary school or the start of secondary school. In some countries, learners have lessons taken entirely in a foreign language.
In the 21st century the ability to communicate in more than one language is an essential skill for all Colorado learners. Learning multiple world languages, developing multiple perspectives and understanding other cultures are vital skills needed to both collaborate and compete in our global community. Languages link people locally and internationally. Interactions in languages and cultures introduce learners to new ways of thinking about, questioning, and interpreting the world. Through such interactions, learners acquire knowledge, skills, and attitudes that equip them for living and working in a world of diverse peoples, languages and cultures.
Most schools around the world teach at least one foreign language. Compulsory lessons in a foreign language normally start at the end of primary school or the start of secondary school. In some countries, learners have lessons taken entirely in a foreign language.
In the 21st century the ability to communicate in more than one language is an essential skill for all Colorado learners. Learning multiple world languages, developing multiple perspectives and understanding other cultures are vital skills needed to both collaborate and compete in our global community. Languages link people locally and internationally. Interactions in languages and cultures introduce learners to new ways of thinking about, questioning, and interpreting the world. Through such interactions, learners acquire knowledge, skills, and attitudes that equip them for living and working in a world of diverse peoples, languages and cultures.
Educational Content Areas
The power of Colorado’s education improvement efforts lies in having a comprehensive system consisting of relevant and rigorous standards, aligned and meaningful assessments, excellent teachers and school leaders, and high-performing schools and districts. All aspects of the system are continuously improving to advance student learning and prepare students to succeed in an increasingly competitive workforce The Colorado Academic Standards are the expectations of what students need to know and be able to do at the end of each grade. They also stand as the values and content organizers of what Colorado sees as the future skills and essential knowledge for our next generation to be more successful. State standards are the basis of the annual state assessment.
Colorado has 10 content areas:
Colorado has 10 content areas:
- Colorado Arts
- Music
- Visual Arts
- Theatre
- Dance
- Comprehensive Health and Physical Education
- Mathematics
- Reading, Writing, and Communicating
- Science
- Social Studies
- World Languages