World Language Classes

Note:  Each of the languages offered at West Ottawa High School provides students with outstanding opportunities, including travel, partner schools, e-mail partnerships, active language clubs, guest speakers, community mentors, and more.  Please ask the foreign language teachers for more information.

• Spanish Course Sequence (non-heritage/non-native speakers):  Spanish 1-4, IB, AP (Students desiring to take a different sequence of courses MUST have a Spanish teacher recommendation)
• Spanish Course Sequence (heritage/native speakers): Spanish for Spanish Speakers, AP
• IMPORTANT NOTE to heritage/native speakers of Spanish:  At WOHS we are privileged to have many heritage/native speakers of Spanish in our midst.  It should be noted however that our Spanish language courses (non-heritage/non-native speakers) are taught as a FOREIGN language, and therefore are usually not the appropriate option for our heritage/native speakers of Spanish.  WOHS is proud to be able to offer our heritage/native speaking students some options:
  1) Test-Out: Every year our students can sign-up to take an  online, comprehensive 4-skill (listening, reading, writing, speaking) proficiency exam called the AAPPL.  The results of this exam determine if a heritage/native speaker is beyond our Spanish 1-4, & IB courses, and the student earns credits for those courses OR it determines where the student should be  placed at the appropriate level within that sequence (Spanish 1-4, IB).
  2) Students do NOT need to take the AAPPL, but rather can talk with the Spanish for Spanish Speakers instructor to determine if placement into this course is appropriate.  After successful completion of this course, students can then also take the AP Spanish course (see the course description below).  If you have any questions/concerns, PLEASE talk with one of the many Spanish teachers in either the North or South building for more guidance.
  

First Year Language (French 1, Spanish 1)

• 9th-12th grades
• Elective
• Two Semesters
• Please note that when considering the next level course in the sequence, it is HIGHLY recommended that a student have obtained a C- or BETTER in the previous level. 

Students will communicate about familiar topics using basic vocabulary and language structure.  Students will use both spoken and written communication in a variety of activities.  They will participate in both group and paired language activities.  Not only will students focus on speaking and writing the language but they will also develop successful listening, comprehension of basic language patterns and familiar topics.  Students will begin to examine the role of language learning in the career pathways and will begin to explore the role of language learning as they take their place in a society that is globally interconnected.

Second Year Language (French 2, Spanish 2)

• 9th-12th grades
• Elective
• Two Semesters
• German 2 & 3 and French 3 & 4 may be offered as Online Learning, Blended Courses. 
• Please note that when considering the next level course in the sequence, it is HIGHLY recommended that a student have obtained a C- or BETTER in the previous level. 

Students will expand their spoken and written communication to include a broader variety of topics, while the topics remain familiar and “everyday”.    Students will also expand their successful listening comprehension to include a wider variety of topics.  Students will become more adept at reading in the language and will expand the structures that they are able to recognize, understand and use.  Students will demonstrate their skills in a variety of activities, including group and paired activities.  Students will clarify the various roles that language learning plays in the career pathways, as well as examining cultural issues more carefully.

Third Year Language (French 3, Spanish 3)

• 9th-12th grades
• Elective
• Two Semesters
• German 2 & 3 and French 3 & 4 may be offered as Online Learning, Blended Courses. 
• Please note that when considering the next level course in the sequence, it is HIGHLY recommended that a student have obtained a C- or BETTER in the previous level. 

Students will demonstrate use of standard language structure and patterns.  Students will expand vocabulary to include most topics common to their age group.  Students will demonstrate appropriate competency in listening and reading comprehension as well as speaking and writing skills.  Students will have the opportunity to demonstrate these skills in a variety of activities and projects.  Students will identify their own career goals and academic goals as they relate to language  learning.  Students will apply cultural lessons to current events and other content area studies.

Fourth Year Language (French 4, Spanish 4)    

• 9th-12th grades
• Elective
• Two Semesters
• German 2 & 3 and French 3 & 4 may be offered as Online Learning, Blended Courses. 
• Please note that when considering the next level course in the sequence, it is HIGHLY recommended that a student have obtained a C- or BETTER in the previous level. 

Students will demonstrate use of standard language structure and patterns.  Students will expand vocabulary and demonstrate an increased competency in listening and reading comprehension, as well as speaking and writing skills.  Students will demonstrate the willingness and ability to use their language skills in authentic situations.  Students will use a variety of activities and projects to demonstrate their skill level.  Students will focus on language as applied to their career and academic goals.

Spanish Immersion 1 

Spanish Immersion 2

Advanced Placement Spanish

• 11th-12th grades
• Elective
• Two Semesters
• Please note that when considering the next level course in the sequence, it is HIGHLY recommended that a student have obtained a C- or BETTER in the previous level. 

This course is intended for students who have been successful in IB Spanish and wish to further develop proficiency and integrate their language skills using authentic materials and sources.  The course is comparable to a third year college or university course that focuses on speaking, reading and writing in Spanish as an advanced level.  A teacher recommendation is required for those students who wish to skip IB Spanish.

Advanced Placement French

• 11th-12th grades
• Elective
• Two semesters
• Please note that when considering the next level course in the sequence, it is HIGHLY recommended that a student has obtained a C- or better in the previous level
  

This course is intended for students who have been successful Level 4 and/or IB French and wish to further develop proficiency and integrate their language skills using authentic materials and sources.  At this level, students mark the greatest skill improvement.  As they exit the course in May, they should feel confident in their abilities to comprehend written texts and oral discourse and to communicate when writing and speaking (interpretive, presentation, and interpersonal communication).  The course is comparable to a third year college or university course that focuses on speaking, reading, and writing in French at an advanced level.

IB French, Spanish SL

• 11th-12th grades
• Elective
• Two Semesters
• Please note that when considering the next level course in the sequence, it is HIGHLY recommended that a student have obtained a C- or BETTER in the previous level. 

This course is intended for the student entering into the 4th / 5th year of language study in the IB DP. It will fulfill the IB Language B requirement. This course is focused on the development of cultural awareness and language proficiency.  Students continue to develop proficiency in the foreign language across the 4 skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing through questions, discussions, and presentations with communication as the goal. Pertinent culture, grammar, and syntax are presented and applied in context. Both written and oral assessments are required. In addition, students will maintain a portfolio of written work as well as recordings of oral work. Please note that summer assignments prior to this course may be required.

Espanol Para Hispanohablantes (Spanish for Native Speakers)

• Grados 9-12
  
• Electivo
• Dos Semestres
  

Esta clase ofrece la oportunidad a estudiantes que ya hablan el español de estudiar su lenguaje en un ambiente académico, de la misma forma en que los estudiantes nativos de inglés continúan estudiando su lenguaje natal.  Los estudiantes en esta clase participan por varias razones.  Estas incluyen; el deseo de reactivar el español ya aprendido y desarrollarlo aún más; el aprender más sobre su herencia cultural y lingüística;  aumentar sus aptitudes de escritura y literatura, o aumentar sus oportunidades de empleo.  Las aptitudes que se pueden adquirir en esta clase incluyen el desarrollo de un vocabulario básico a un vocabulario académico  y el análisis crítico en diferentes áreas académicas.

This class offers Spanish-speaking students the opportunities to study Spanish formally in an academic setting in the same way that native-English-speaking students study English language arts. Spanish-speaking students participate in SNS courses for a number of reasons. These may include a desire to reactivate the Spanish they have learned in the past and develop it further, to learn more about their language and cultural heritage, to acquire literacy skills in Spanish, to develop or augment academic language skills in Spanish, to enhance career opportunities, or to fulfill a foreign language requirement. The skills that students can acquire range from learning grammar and spelling and developing basic academic vocabulary in Spanish to learning how to critically analyze a text, write poetry, and/or acquire new information in different academic content areas.