History
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Is your student ready?
All students must realize that world language study absolutely requires nightly work and memorization. Many are the students who think they can succeed without doing any of it, and many are the students who fail by January.
If a student is recommended for non-collaborative classes for ninth grade, s/he is ready, provided s/he can commit to the above.
If a student is recommended for literacy or numeracy, a collaborative class or needs to develop study skills, s/he may be ready, but careful consideration of that student’s strengths must be made: Is s/he diligent and motivated? Is s/he willing to get occasional help
after school? Ms. Hedman can help.
Very often students need a year to get used to the differences and demands of high school. World language study is very different from anything they have done before, and a year’s wait is a positive step towards being successful.
So which one?
No one language is easier than the others. We have all heard that Spanish is easy, or at least easier than the others, but the truth is that each language has its "easier" aspects and its "harder" aspects in relation to the others. All require serious commitment to doing all the work, memorizing, practicing with friends, meeting deadlines and even getting extra help at times.
Which one is most useful? Who knows?
Two years of a world language barely scratches the surface of proficiency. It is an acquaintance with a language that we hope will encourage students to continue to become real speakers of that
language through further study here, abroad, and through travel.
Many people living in the U.S. speak Spanish, so Spanish proficiency could be helpful in
careers in the fields of health, law enforcement, social services, retail, hospitality, among others.
French proficiency is an asset for those interested in career opportunities in Quebec (Canada is our most important trading partner) and the world outside of this hemisphere as well as in art, literature, fashion, history, culinary arts, technology
and the developing world.
Italian proficiency is valuable in the fields of fashion, graphic and mechanical design, art, history, music, literature, culinary arts.
Students have no idea which direction they will take. Happily, once you have studied one romance language, it is very easy to learn another.
So which one?
We have learned that students do best in the language that interests them. A family connection makes using the language more real. A student named DePasquale who calls her grandmother “Nonna” would have a reason to study Italian.
That is a very important factor in student success. The “usefulness” of studying a different language is secondary, especially because if the student must study a different one later to enhance a career decision, the change is extremely easy.
Here is a site to help acquaint students with the cultures of the Franco - , Hispano-, and Italophone cultures. http://www.geobeats.com/ Choose the destination and then the topic from the drop-down menus.
Here are some sites to acquaint students with the sounds of the languages available at SKHS:
French:
Typically Parisian! A crêpe-maker at the Place de l’Odéon:http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xc2v4z_le-vendeur-de-crepes-a-odeon_lifestyle
Spanish:Skating in Sevilla, Spain: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xb3h53_trailer-sevilla-89-09_creation
Italian:
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