Mobile Toggle

World Languages

Jennifer Egan , Director of World Languages & English as a New Language
914-630-3384
eganj@harrisoncsd.org

CURRICULUM OVERVIEW: WORLD LANGUAGES

The Department of World Languages provides students with the opportunity to study and appreciate the language and culture of other countries by broadening their personal and cultural perspectives. Within an interactive environment, students develop their listening, speaking, reading, and writing in skills in either French, Italian or Spanish.

Through authentic learning experiences and multimodal texts, students learn  to function independently, spontaneously and comprehensibly in the language. Teaching a language includes not only developing the learners’ language proficiency, but developing the learners’ cultural understanding and content knowledge as well. The study of an additional language empowers students to engage in meaningful, direct interaction with members of other cultures.

MYP 6-8: WORLD LANGUAGES

Our middle school learners begin language instruction in grade six in either French, Italian or Spanish.  Over three years, students acquire language through authentic tasks and activities designed to follow the MYP objectives and criteria of listening, reading, speaking and writing.  Students gradually acquire more and more language as they proceed from the emergent phases (phases 1 and 2) to the capable phases (phases 3 and 4) of language acquisition over the course of their studies.  Students also reflect on the process of learning a new language through inquiry and develop their conceptual understanding of the MYP key concepts of language acquisition: communication, culture, connection and creativity. 

Required Assessments:
Students complete the Checkpoint A exam at the end of grade seven.  

MYP 9-10: WORLD LANGUAGES

Students continue their study of French, Italian or Spanish when they enter Harrison High School.  Over the course of the remaining two years of the Middle Years Program, students continue to acquire language through authentic learning experiences and multimodal texts.  Assessments and activities are designed to follow the MYP objectives and criteria of listening, reading, speaking and writing in the capable and proficient phases (phases 4 and 5).  Students continue to reflect on the process of learning a new language through inquiry and develop their conceptual understanding of the MYP key concepts of language acquisition: communication, culture, connection and creativity.  

Required Assessments:
Students complete the Checkpoint B exam at the end of grade nine.

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE (11-12): WORLD LANGUAGES

In grades eleven and twelve, students continue their study of French, Italian or Spanish either at the Standard Level (SL) or Higher Level (HL).  Through the study of languages, cultures and ideas and issues of global significance, students develop international mindedness.  Through authentic tasks and activities, students are able to develop their skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking so that they can communicate clearly and effectively in a range of contexts and for a variety of purposes.  The distinction between SL and HL can be seen in the level of competency the student is expected to develop in the aforementioned language modalities as well as the study of two literary works originally written in the target language.  

Required Assessments:
Students complete IB Internal and External Assessments in grade twelve.