Modern Languages

The Modern Language Program at Loyola Blakefield has been designed to meet the needs of students at varying levels of academic ability. Thus, the department offers both standard college preparatory courses and an honors program in modern foreign language. In both programs, however, the general goals and objectives of the department are to provide for an oral comprehension level commensurate with the student’s ability, to instill a basic mastery of the vocabulary and structure of the language and to cultivate in the student an understanding of and appreciation for the cultures of the people who speak the language. In addition, a Spanish A Program is offered to students in grades 9 through 12 who have certain documented language learning differences. The department views communication in an oral and written form in the modern foreign language as its ultimate goal. All Modern Language students regularly utilize the Language Lab, which allows them to engage in interactive communicative exercises in their target language.

Loyola Blakefield requires its students to complete three levels of the same modern foreign language. As Loyola’s middle school students complete level one over the course of the seventh and eighth grades, they are required to complete at least two additional levels in grades nine and ten. All incoming students who have studied a foreign language at other schools are given the opportunity to take a placement test, if the language they studied is offered at Loyola. As a result of their achievement on this placement test, some students may need to begin their study of a foreign language at Loyola’s level one. Others may be admitted into the second level of their language and thus would be required to complete only levels two and three. Students who complete the three level modern language requirement by the end of grade ten or eleven are strongly encouraged to continue studying their language at advanced levels through elective courses. Doing so will remove or reduce the gap between their study of modern language in high school and college, and it may also allow them to place out of certain college levels. Students achieving a grade of “B” or better in one foreign language may, with departmental approval, take a course in a second modern language.

The department also offers several exciting opportunities for students to practice and develop their language skills outside the classroom. Linguistic and cultural immersion trips to Spanish-speaking countries and Italy are periodically offered during the summer months. In addition, during the school year, students from Italy and Spanish-speaking countries attend classes at Loyola and live with Loyola families. Loyola students and their families are invited to consider hosting these international students.

AP Italian Language

AP Italian Language and Culture is the equivalent of a “Italian Composition and Conversation” class, which is typically taken in the fifth semester of collegiate language studies. The course is designed to help students achieve a high level of proficiency in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, which will prepares them for the Advanced Placement Examination in Italian Language and for travel throughout the Italian-speaking world. In addition to reviewing and refining subtle grammar points and increasing their vocabulary, students will practice their listening skills by exposure to the speech of native speakers. They will narrate stories and speak about complex and advanced themes such as those found on the examination. They will be exposed to various types of literature and film, including novels, plays, poems, essays, song lyrics, and newspaper articles. They will write often and on a variety of themes so that they can write cogent and sophisticated essays and speak extemporaneously on a wide variety of topics. This class is conducted entirely in Italian.
AP Spanish Language

AP Spanish Language and Culture is the equivalent of a “Spanish Composition and Conversation” class, which is typically taken in the fifth semester of collegiate language studies. The course is designed to help students achieve a high level of proficiency in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, which will prepares them for the Advanced Placement Examination in Spanish Language and for travel throughout the Spanish-speaking world. In addition to reviewing and refining subtle grammar points and increasing their vocabulary, students will practice their listening skills by exposure to the speech of native speakers. They will narrate stories and speak about complex and advanced themes such as those found on the examination. They will be exposed to various types of literature and film, including novels, plays, poems, essays, song lyrics, and newspaper articles.
AP Spanish Literature

AP Spanish Literature and Culture is the equivalent of a
“Survey of Hispanic Literature” class, which is typically taken in the sixth semester of collegiate language studies. The course is designed to expose students to prominent literary works from Spain and Latin America, thereby preparing them for the Advanced Placement Examination in Spanish Literature. Literature encompassing various genres and authors from the Middle Ages to the present day will be covered in accordance with the reading list from the College Board. History, art, philosophy, geography, and other cultural topics will also be studied as they pertain to the reading list. Students will improve upon their written skills as they analyze literary works and write critically about them, and they will improve upon their oral/aural skills by analyzing and discussing the works in class. This class is conducted entirely in Spanish.
Film & Music in Spanish Culture Honors

The course is designed to familiarize our students with Spanish film, literature, and music. In this course, students will develop their listening, critical reading, writing, and argumentation skills through engagement with a rich corpus of Spain and Latin American cultural production.

The main goal of the class will be to develop conversational and writing fluency through movies, literature, and music of the Hispanic world. The result will be a student who has a broader vision of the world, better understands and respects diversity and has improved his Spanish language conversational skills.
Italian 7

In Italian 7, students are introduced to the four basic skills of language acquisition: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students are introduced to basic vocabulary and grammatical structures and are able, in a limited way, to express themselves orally and in writing in the present and perfect tenses. Aspects of Italian culture, art, geography, history, and other related topics will be presented.
Italian I

ITALIAN I / ITALIAN I HONORS. In these courses, students begin to develop the four basic skills of language acquisition: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students are introduced to basic vocabulary and grammatical structures and are able, in a limited way, to express themselves orally and in writing in the present and perfect tenses. Aspects of Italian culture, art, geography, history, and other related topics will be presented. Performance-based activities and assessments will be integrated into the program which has as its goal the development of communicative competence.
Italian I Honors

ITALIAN I / ITALIAN I HONORS. In these courses, students begin to develop the four basic skills of language acquisition: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students are introduced to basic vocabulary and grammatical structures and are able, in a limited way, to express themselves orally and in writing in the present and perfect tenses. Aspects of Italian culture, art, geography, history, and other related topics will be presented. Performance-based activities and assessments will be integrated into the program which has as its goal the development of communicative competence.
Italian II

After a thorough review of Italian I, students will learn to express themselves in a variety of moods and tenses. They also begin to use more complex grammatical structures while their vocabulary expands to address a wider variety of topics. The use of audio-visual materials gives students the opportunity to listen to the speech of native speakers. Students are given increased opportunities to practice their writing and speaking skills using performance-based and communicative-based activities and assessments, and they continue to learn more about Italian culture.
Italian II Honors

After a thorough review of Italian I Honors that reinforces the students’ ability to speak in the present and past, most of the remaining verb structures of the grammar are introduced. Students build confidence to express themselves in the future or in other verb forms suitable to communicate wishes, commands, or hypothesis, and they enjoy creating more elaborate sentence both in writing and speaking. Students are also able to use a broader range of pronouns, and to make comparisons of adjectives describing people and things. Their vocabulary expands to address a wider variety of topics including jobs, travel, shopping, food, musical instruments, performing arts. The use of CDs and videos with songs, or scenes from Italian contemporary life, give students the opportunity to listen to the speech of native speakers. Students are given increased opportunities to practice their writing and speaking skills using performance-based and communicative-based activities and assessments, and they continue to learn more about Italian culture.
Italian III

Italian III is a continuation and refinement of Italian II. Students learn to express themselves in a variety of tenses and moods and by using more complex grammatical structures. Their vocabulary continues to expand to permit increased mastery of the four skills. They continue their study of Italian history and culture.
Italian III Honors

Italian III Honors offers students the opportunity to synthesize the grammatical and lexical concepts taught in previous years. As such, they expand their ability to communicate in both written and spoken forms. Grammar taught in previous years is reviewed thoroughly with a special emphasis on the subtleties of the language. Students continue their study of Italian history and culture, which includes an introduction to reading and analyzing prose and poetry, film discussions, and research projects. The four language skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing assume increased importance. This class in conducted almost entirely in Italian.
Italian IV

Italian IV is the continuation of Italian III. After a thorough grammatical review, more advanced topics are included. While exploring greater detail the cultures of Italy, students continue to develop each of the four skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) necessary for increased ability to communicate. Students are exposed to a variety of reading assignments which include dialogues, cultural essays, and newspaper articles. They will continue to develop listening skills by frequent use of multimedia. This class is conducted entirely in Italian.
Italian IV Honors

Italian IV Honors is a continuation of Italian III Honors. After a thorough grammatical review, more advanced topics are included. While exploring Italian culture in greater detail, students continue to develop each of the four skills necessary for increased ability to communicate. Students are exposed to a variety of reading assignments which include dialogues, cultural essays, short stories, song lyrics and newspaper articles. They will continue to develop listening skills by frequent use of multimedia. Italian-language films are viewed, examined, and discussed in class. Writing assignments, such as compositions and research papers, reinforce competence, vocabulary, and writing skills. This class is conducted entirely in Italian.
Spanish 7

Seventh grade Spanish is an introduction to the Spanish language and elements of Hispanic culture. Students learn how to have basic conversations in Spanish through class discussions, workbook activities, songs, short stories, and other communicative activities. They begin to develop an understanding of basic grammatical structures such as noun-adjective agreement and conjugation of verbs in the preset tense. They also practice pronunciation of the Spanish language through listening and speaking activities.
Spanish I

SPANISH I / SPANISH I HONORS. In these courses, students begin to develop the four basic skills of language acquisition: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Students are introduced to basic vocabulary and grammatical structures and are able, in a limited way, to express themselves orally and in writing. Aspects of the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world will be presented. Performance-based activities and assessments are integrated into the program, which has as its goal the development of communicative competence.
Spanish I A

In this course, students begin to develop the four basic skills of language acquisition: listening, speaking, reading, and writing, with a greater emphasis on listening and speaking. Students are introduced to basic vocabulary and grammatical structures within context and are able, in a limited way, to express themselves orally and in writing in a variety of tenses and moods. Aspects of the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world will be presented. Performance-based activities and assessments are integrated into the program, which has as its goal the development of communicative competence.
Spanish I Honors

SPANISH I / SPANISH I HONORS. In these courses, students begin to develop the four basic skills of language acquisition: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Students are introduced to basic vocabulary and grammatical structures and are able, in a limited way, to express themselves orally and in writing. Aspects of the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world will be presented. Performance-based activities and assessments are integrated into the program, which has as its goal the development of communicative competence.
Spanish II

SPANISH II / SPANISH II HONORS. After a thorough review of Spanish I, students will learn to express themselves in a variety of moods and tenses. They also begin to use more complex grammatical structures that include adjectives, adverbs, and prepositions. Their vocabulary expands to address a wider variety of topics. The use of audio-visual materials gives students the opportunity to listen to the speech of native speakers. Students are given increased opportunities to practice their writing and speaking skills using performance-based and communicative-based activities and assessments, and they continue to learn more about the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world.
Spanish II A

This course begins with a thorough review of Spanish I A. Students continue to learn to express themselves in a variety of tenses and moods, and they begin to use more complex grammatical structures. They develop a larger vocabulary to address familiar topics. The use of audio-visual materials gives students the opportunity to listen to the speech of native speakers. Students are given increased opportunities to practice their writing and speaking skills using performance-based and communicative-based activities and assessments, and they continue to learn more about the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world.
Spanish II Honors

SPANISH II / SPANISH II HONORS. After a thorough review of Spanish I, students will learn to express themselves in a variety of moods and tenses. They also begin to use more complex grammatical structures that include adjectives, adverbs, and prepositions. Their vocabulary expands to address a wider variety of topics. The use of audio-visual materials gives students the opportunity to listen to the speech of native speakers. Students are given increased opportunities to practice their writing and speaking skills using performance-based and communicative-based activities and assessments, and they continue to learn more about the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world.
Spanish III

Spanish III is a continuation and refinement of Spanish II. After a thorough review of Spanish II, students learn to express themselves in a greater variety of tenses and moods and by using more complex grammatical structures. Their vocabulary continues to expand to permit increased mastery of the four skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). They continue their study of the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world.
Spanish III A

This course is a continuation and refinement of Spanish II A. Students learn to express themselves in a variety of tenses and moods and by using more complex grammatical structures. Their vocabulary continues to expand to permit increased mastery of the four skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) with more emphasis placed on their listening and speaking skills. They continue their study of the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world.
Spanish III Honors

Building upon the concepts taught in Spanish II Honors, Spanish III Honors offers students the opportunity to synthesize the grammatical and lexical concepts. As such, they expand their ability to communicate in both written and spoken forms. Grammar taught in previous years is reviewed thoroughly with a special emphasis on the subtleties of the language. Students continue their study of the history and culture of the Spanish-speaking world, which includes an introduction to reading and analyzing prose and poetry. The four language skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking assume increased importance. This class in conducted almost entirely in Spanish.
Spanish IV

Spanish IV is the continuation of Spanish III. After a thorough grammatical review, more advanced topics are included. While exploring greater detail the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world, students continue to develop each of the four skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) necessary for increased ability to communicate. Students are exposed to a variety of reading assignments which include dialogues, cultural essays, and newspaper articles. They will continue to develop listening skills by frequent use of multimedia. This class is conducted entirely in Spanish
Spanish IV Honors

This course is designed to apply all the skills learned during the first three years.
Students will review the grammar with particular emphasis on nuances. A greater emphasis will be placed on reading, as students will read a novel, poetry, short stories, excerpts from plays, and newspaper articles. They will use the Internet to keep informed about current events in the Spanish-speaking world. They will continue to develop their ability to express themselves in speech and in writing and will develop greater ability to understand the speech of native speakers. This class is conducted entirely in Spanish.