GRADE 7 LATIN The seventh-grade Latin class is the second of two consecutive years in the Middle School language program, corresponding to the Upper School Level I Latin course. The class is designed for students to pursue the study of Latin, to reinforce their English grammar and to build a strong vocabulary. Students use the Cambridge Latin Course (Cambridge University Press), a reading program designed to help them acquire Latin vocabulary and to read Latin easily. Students build on the grammar structures that are taught in Grade 7 English, enabling them to make connections between English and the root language, as well as to increase their vocabulary and grammar skills in both languages. The Cambridge Latin Course text provides insight into Roman culture and history through stories centered around the destruction of Pompeii and its effects on a particular Roman family. The text also includes Greek and Roman mythology. A variety of activities, projects and a Roman festival of the gods enrich the student’s experience in the course. Students may take this class with no prior training in Latin.
GRADE 8 SPANISH
GRADE 8 FRENCH The eighth-grade French class is the third of three consecutive years in the Middle School language program, corresponding to the Upper School Level I French course. Building a core vocabulary and a strong foundation in grammar is critical as students develop language proficiency. Students learn to ask and answer simple questions, to speak and write about activities and people that relate to daily life. Opportunities for creative expression are provided through the integration of listening, speaking, writing and reading activities in French. The development of deeper cultural awareness is an integral part of daily class activities as well. In addition to regular World Language classes, eighth-grade students participate in Language Lab, which is an opportunity for additional work and enrichment exercises.
MIDDLE SCHOOL
The eighth-grade Spanish class is the third of three consecutive years in the Middle School language program, corresponding to the Upper School Level I Spanish course. The study of the language progresses with the communicative approach in a program oriented to provide opportunities to develop conversational and listening comprehension skills. Concurrently, writing skills and grammar are emphasized. The students continue to develop an appreciation for the culture of the Spanish-speaking countries around the world. Building a core vocabulary and a strong foundation in grammar is a fundamental building block for students to move toward language proficiency. They learn to ask and answer simple questions, to speak in Spanish, and to write in the present and preterite tenses about activities and people that relate to daily life. In addition to regular World Language classes, eighth-grade students participate in Language Lab.
GRADE 8 LATIN The eighth-grade Latin class is the third of three consecutive years in the Middle School language program, corresponding to the Upper School Level I Latin course. This class enables students to pursue the study of Latin, to reinforce their English grammar and to build a strong vocabulary. Students use the Cambridge Latin Course (Cambridge University Press), a reading program designed to help them build Latin vocabulary and to read Latin easily. Students study the grammar structures that are being taught in their Grade 8 English classes, enabling them to make connections between English and the root language as well as to increase their vocabulary and grammar skills in both languages. The Cambridge Latin Course text provides insight into Roman culture and history through stories centered around the destruction of Pompeii and its effects on a particular Roman family. The text also includes Greek and Roman mythology. Students compete in the Certamen at Princeton University and they take the National Latin Exam in March. In addition to regular World Language classes, eighth-grade students participate in Language Lab, which is an opportunity for additional work and enrichment exercises.
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