Languages

Modern Foreign Languages

York’s modern foreign language program employs a conversational and immersive approach that focuses on achieving communication skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The goal is to acquire the ability to function—to speak, be understood, and comprehend—in the target language. In addition, being exposed to a new culture helps develop an awareness and appreciation of the richness of other cultures. All language programs integrate interactive video and audio materials with workbooks and textbooks that combine oral and written exercises. The focus is on development of communicative competency and linguistic proficiency.

Chinese I, II, and III
Chinese I, II, and III are all taught via Integrated Chinese, a balanced program which integrates pedagogical and authentic materials, Chinese written style and spoken style, traditional and simplified characters, and teaching approaches to maximize teaching results. The program gives the students grammatical tools and provides coordinate practice in the four language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. It covers 3+ years of instruction, with smooth transitions from one level to the next. It first covers everyday life topics and gradually moves to more abstract subject matters. Two types of exercises are used: traditional exercises (fill-in-the-blanks, sentence completion, translation) to help students build a solid grammatical foundation; and communication exercises (listening quizzes, speaking drills, discussion topics, etc) to prepare students to function in a Chinese language environment. At the completion of this program, students will be able to carry out conversations in Chinese on a wider range of topics. They will be able to read articles from newspapers and magazines, as well as literary works, and they will be able to write at paragraph level (by hand and by computer).

Chinese III Honors
Chinese III Honors is designed for students who have achieved a B or higher grade in Chinese II. In addition to completing the regular Chinese III course, the students in Chinese III Honors are required to read a monthly supplementary material, complete a written assignment related to the reading material, and present it orally to the class. They must master four hundred and fifty characters, which make up six hundred and fifty new words. The grading standards in listening, speaking, reading comprehension, and writing composition for the students in Chinese III Honors are higher than the regular class. The quizzes and tests which are designed for the honors class are twenty percent longer than regular ones. They usually include sentence translation in the vocabulary quizzes and paragraph writing on tests.

Chinese IV
This course is designed for students who have successfully completed Chinese III course or who can demonstrate that they have acquired a knowledge of the language to the required level. This course will continue to help students develop their five language skills of aurally understanding, speaking, reading, writing, and computer communication from an intermediate level to an advanced level. The course contains fifteen lessons which fifteen narratives, fifteen dialogues and twelve readings on various topics. Many of the grammatical constructions introduced in previous Chinese courses will be repeated in this course with increasing sophistication in terms of style and usage. While many of the linguistic tasks the students are required to handle are similar to those of the previous years of Chinese, the level of language required to carry out those tasks are more advanced. New sentence structures and many important words and phrases will be introduced in this course. The students will expand their vocabulary from fifteen hundred to two thousand three hundred words (Approx.). They will have stronger aural-oral skills to carry out conversations on diverse topics with a wide range of vocabulary and culture appropriateness as well as writing skills, with grammatical accuracy, and reading skills to comprehend authentic materials. In this course, students are required to produce paragraph-level Chinese with accuracy and fluency.

Chinese IV AP
This course is designed for students who have successfully completed Chinese III and have earned a grade of B or higher, or who can demonstrate that they have acquired a knowledge of the language to the required level. This course will help students continue to develop their five language skills of aurally understanding, speaking, reading, writing, and computer communication from an intermediate level to an advanced level. The course contains eighteen narratives, eighteen dialogues, and twenty readings on various topics. Many of the grammatical constructions introduced in previous Chinese courses will be repeated in this course with increasing sophistication in terms of style and usage. While many of the linguistic tasks the students will learn to handle are similar to those of previous years of Chinese, the level of language required to carry out these tasks is more advanced. New sentence structures and many important words and phrases will be introduced in this course. The students will expand their vocabulary from fifteen hundred to two thousand eight hundred words (Approx.). They will have stronger oral-aural skills to carry out conversations on diverse topics including social and cultural phenomena with linguistic accuracy in a wide range of vocabulary and culture appropriateness, as well as writing skills, with grammatical accuracy, and reading skills to comprehend authentic materials. In this course students are required to produce paragraph level Chinese with accuracy and fluency. Rigorous practice of spoken and written Chinese in complex communicative activities will be conducted; the students will also do intensive reading of expository writing on a variety of cultural topics.

Chinese V
Students who are qualified and interested in extending their study of Chinese beyond Chinese IV should speak with Chinese teacher or Academic Dean. 

French I, II, and III
The first three years of French are all taught via the methodology of French in Action, a well-integrated program of fifty-two dvds, mp3, two texts (which reprise the video dialogs and contain cultural reading), and two workbooks (containing written and oral / aural exercises). As the title suggests, students experience the language in action: the language is presented in the immediate and authentic framework of a soap opera, where the episodes are structured around authentic and very useful thematic vocabulary. In that proficiency in French is the expected outcome, instruction is almost exclusively in French from the very beginning, and translation is neither relied upon nor tested. There is purposeful redundancy both among the episodes of this cyclical program and between visual and aural cues in order to address different learning styles and to make the use of English unnecessary.

French IV and French IV Advanced Placement 
Both French IV and French IV Advanced Placement are designed to cement the skills acquired over the strong foundation provided by the three years of the language requirement and thereby prepare students for the advanced placement exam. By means of in-depth grammar text, Une fois pour toutes, students review and perfect grammatical concepts, ninety-five percent of which they have already encountered. Students read literary texts of varying genres, lengths, and difficulty, such as Le Petit Prince, l’Etranger, Voltaire, Baudelaire, Maupassant, Sartre, etc; listen to a large variety of music, including opera, and watch films. Besides textual interpretation, there is increased emphasis placed on lengthy writing, particularly creative writing, both lengthy pieces as well the shorter “situations active” that come after the grammar lessons. Students have to frequently do five-minute oral presentations and also teach sections of the novels they read, French V French V is designed for students who have already completed the Advanced Placement exam. Its content varies with the students who are enrolled, and consists of studying French slang, movies, literature, and music. Conversation is emphasized, and there a frequent writing assignments on the texts read and studied.

Spanish I
Spanish 1 at York provides the solid foundation of our Spanish language program. It is designed for students who have never studied Spanish, or those who may have had some exposure to the language, but have not advanced far enough for Spanish 2. Students are introduced to Spanish through the first textbook in the Adelante series, a user-friendly multi-media program with interactive online and audiovisual components, which supplements the dynamic, communicative approach of our classroom teaching. Our program is immersive and as far as possible, classes are taught in the target language from the very beginning of the first semester. Students are encouraged to take risks and embrace the Spanish-only classroom. Drilling and grammar exercises are decentered in favor of a more communicative approach. Students will learn by putting language into practice in genuinely communicative situations facilitated by the teacher to maximize the amount of time they spend speaking Spanish. In the Fotonovela, we follow four university students as they travel around Ecuador, sharing experiences and getting to know each other. Students also watch and comment on mini documentaries that take them to different locations and explore the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world. By the end of the year students can express themselves on a variety of topics, including the family, classes and school life, their pastimes, and their vacations. They will also be able to perform the basic interactions required when traveling, such as negotiating a price, making a purchase, and reserving a hotel room.

Spanish II
In Spanish II students continue, with Adelante II, the journey they started the previous year. They will talk about a broad variety of topics: daily routines, personal hygiene, time, food, parties and celebrations, personal relationships, health, technology and house chores. They learn about the culture of Peru, Guatemala, Chile, Argentina, Costa Rica and Panama. Students write about past events, make comparisons, and give and receive formal and informal commands. They will also learn to use more advanced verb tenses and complex grammar structures, such as the subjunctive mood and double object pronouns in order to communicate effectively in more complex, nuanced situations.

Spanish III
Spanish III (Honors) gives students the opportunity to advance to a more sophisticated level of communication in the target language. We work intensively on the subjunctive mood, which allows students to express complex opinions on a range of topics relevant to the contemporary Spanish-speaking world. Those topics include nature and the environment, city life, health and wellbeing, the workplace, the arts, current events and politics, and the media. Spanish 3 uses the third textbook in the Adelante series, a user-friendly multi-media program with interactive online and audiovisual components, which supplements the dynamic, communicative approach of our classroom teaching. In addition to this program, students are encouraged to explore authentic Spanish language media sources and film culture, and begin to read both peninsular and Latin American poetry and narrative. Authors featured include Federico García Lorca, Miguel de Cervantes, Carmen Laforet, and Gabriel García Márquez. Each component of this class promotes student autonomy as they reach a new level of comfort with debating, writing, and engaging with a wide range of sources in Spanish, in preparation for Spanish 4 AP.

Spanish IV / Spanish IV AP
The Spanish IV / IV AP course covers the equivalent of a third-year college course in advanced composition and conversation. It encompasses aural/oral skills, reading comprehension, grammar and composition. It emphasizes the use of Spanish for active communication and has the following objectives: 1. To increase the ability to comprehend formal and informal spoken Spanish; 2. The acquisition of vocabulary and grasp of structure to allow the easy, accurate reading of newspaper and magazine articles, as well as of modern literature in Spanish; 3. The ability to compose expository passages; 4. The ability to express ideas orally with accuracy and fluency. The course seeks to develop language skills that are useful in themselves and that can be applied to various activities and disciplines rather than to the mastery of any specific subject matter. To reach these objectives, students are expected to review daily, read Spanish papers and watch or listen to Spanish broadcasts, participate as often as they can and listen attentively when other students are participating. Students are also encouraged to use their Spanish as often as they can and to talk to the teacher in Spanish in and out of class. In addition to the regular Spanish IV work, A.P. students have to complete the assigned exercises from the A.P. Manual. Speaking, writing, reading and listening comprehension skills for regular Spanish IV and A.P. students will be evaluated separately.

Classical Languages

York believes that the study of ancient languages helps students build literacy in modern languages. Since Latin is the foundation of English, Latin is required for one year in the 9th grade after which students may continue through their senior year. Ancient Greek is offered as an elective.

Latin I
The Cambridge Latin Series developed in Great Britain with the expressed purpose of bringing students quickly to the point where they can read Latin with confidence and to give some insight into life in the early Roman Empire by following and participating in the daily lives of the Caecilius family. An additional goal is to strengthen vocabulary skills in English through the study of derivatives and cognates. Exercises of various types reinforce grammar and vocabulary and provide continuous review information from earlier chapters. All four-language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) reinforce one another. Cultural themes include the family, the treatment of slaves, education, the baths, hospitality, and the city of Pompeii in 79 b.c.

Latin II
Latin II is a continuation of the Cambridge Latin Series. In each chapter the reading passages carry the story forward and introduces new linguistic material as well as new vocabulary, morphology, idiom, structure, and syntax. The story shifts to Britain and then to Rome during the reign of Domitian. The class also builds upon its basic framework of Roman culture by studying government, religion, treatment of provincials, et al. Towards the end of the year, students will begin to translate some unmodified passages from Classical Latin authors.

Latin III
Latin III treats Latin literature from early comedy to the early empire. They present a number of genres and vivid images of both men and women of Roman history and poetic imagination. Of paramount importance is the gripping human interest of these masterpieces of the Roman world. The political, social, moral, and philosophical ideals of the Romans as presented in these works have since antiquity been touchstones against which generations have tested themselves. Students are challenged to think critically about the past and to reflect on their own values and their relation to others. The selections from Ovid provide an excellent introduction to the reading of Latin poetry with attention to metrics and the artifices of style. The works of Martial are a mirror of his time. To receive a more personal glimpse into Roman life, students also read letters, essays, histories, etc. by such authors as Pliny and Cicero and Livy.

AP Latin IV
This course aims at an in-depth study of one of the great classics of western civilization, the Aeneid of Vergil. Discussion of the poem’s major themes and study of its poetic techniques add depth to the translating of the Latin verse. Linguistic accuracy, speed, and comprehension, together with facility in communication of ideas in critical analysis, will be expected. In spite of an emphasis on translation as a basis for the study, translation per se is not a priority. Rather, priorities include developing the ability to analyze the Aeneid as to content -- what Vergil says; style -- how Vergil says it; and interpretation --what Vergil means (or what scholars say he means). This course also helps advanced students to gain new insights into linguistics and to improve their development in English.

Latin V
Those students who would like to extend their study of Latin after completion of Latin IV should make their interest known to Mr. Hunt and the Academic Dean. Greek I and II (A Reading Course in Homeric Greek) The aim of this course, as the title emphasizes, is to enable the student to read Homer in the original with understanding and a real sense of satisfaction. The course seeks to bring out more clearly to the beginning student both the interest and the special educative value of Greek. As literary background to other authors, and as a vivid introduction to what poetry really is, Homer has particular importance in the process of education.