The goal of our program is to introduce students to French, German and Spanish in a meaningful context that includes the four language skills:  listening, speaking, reading and writing.  Culture is presented along with language skills in a variety of ways that engage students in positive activities and study.

In the 7^th grade, students will take the EXPLORING phase of their foreign language courses.  This includes six weeks each of French, German and Spanish.  By being introduced to each language and its unique culture, it is hoped that individual students will be able to make an educated decision regarding which language to pursue at an advanced level later on in their schooling.

Students will use basic vocabulary and basic grammar may be introduced as they engage in short meaningful conversations.  Students will also compare and contrast cultural attitudes and perspectives about various topics.

Grammatical structures, vocabulary, and culture topics of immediate interest and use will be introduced.  Listening, speaking, reading, writing, and culture are all integral parts of the course.  Aspects of daily life and important contributions of the target-cultures will be introduced.   

Material covered in the Level I classrooms at Shanahan  and Orange Middle Schools will be presented in a middle school friendly format, so as to best meet the needs of our students.  However, since it is a high school level course, our students must be held to the same standards as high school students.   They will take semester and final exams that account for 20% of their semester averages and in order to successfully complete the course, they will be expected to maintain a C+ average or better.  Those students who do not meet this requirement will not be recommended for Level II in ninth grade.