World Languages

 

Vicki McAlpine

Pilar Ripley

Carl Boisvert

Welcome to Windham Middle School's World Language Program!

6th Graders may choose to take one or both world languages, or may opt to postpone language study until Gr. 7.  Those who elect French and/or Spanish participate in classes daily for one quarter as part of students' Unified Arts schedule. This program works to introduce and/or expand world language background by developing some basic speaking and writing skills with introductory topics such as greetings, the alphabet, numbers, colors, and simple phrases and conversation.   In addition, students will learn about the countries and cultures in which their new language is spoken.  Along the way, it is hoped that they will also gain some insights into the English language and American culture as they begin to see both from a slightly different perspective.

7th Grade students who elect French or Spanish find themselves in a instructional program which is a regular academic class that meets throughout the year.  What an exciting time!  The course seeks a balanced approach, developing several important language skills simultaneously.  Students learn to speak, understand, read, and write their new language.  They will also become familiar with some of the basic geography of countries that speak French or Spanish as well as a bit about its culture.

In addition to some review of material in Gr. 6, topics of study will include:  days of the week, months of the year, seasons, weather, time, the family, classroom and school vocabulary, forms of the verbs "to have", "to be", and regular first conjugation verbs; negation, question formation, prepositions, and common expressions.  The addition, technology will also enable us to use the Internet to help bring the French/Spanish-speaking world into our classroom.

Another aspect of the program is the development of organizational and study skills.  Because students have little background on which to rely, and due to the cumulative nature of any world language study, these strategies are especially important.  It is hoped that these newly acquired or more fully developed skills will also serve students well as they continue in their academic experience.

Overall, the seventh grade studies represent the first half of a two-year program.  For that reason, students who do not select a world language in 7^th grade may not begin the program in Grade 8. 

Grade 8.  This year's course is a continuation of the work begun last year and is the equivalent of the second half of a high school level French I/Spanish I program.   As in seventh grade, the course seeks a balanced approach, developing several important language skills simultaneously.  Students will continue to develop and expand their skills in speaking, reading, writing, and oral comprehension.  Grammar constructions become a bit more complex.  Students will also learn some additional irregular verbs, verbs in the second and third conjugations, and forms for the past tense.  These foundations, along with additional vocabulary, give students a greater "repertoire" for their spoken language.

Successful completion of the WMS program provides students with a strong introduction to a world language and a firm foundation for the future study.  The staff strives to develop skills in the middle school classes that have valuable applications for continuing a student's chosen language or acquiring another new language at the high school level.

If you have any questions about the program, please feel free to contact us through the Windham Middle School office at 893-2636.