World Language Classes

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 world language teachers for more information.

First Year Language-French 1, Spanish 1

• 9th-12th grades

• Required (Two Years of the Same Language required for Graduation) 

• 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

• Required (Two Years of the Same Language required for Graduation) 

• 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 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

• 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 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

• 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 continue to expand their knowledge of the language through reading and the study of culture.  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.

Fifth Year Language (Spanish 5 - Not available for French)    

• 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 continue to expand their knowledge of the language through reading and the study of culture.  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.

AP French / AP 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 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 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 the language  at an advanced level.

IB French SL, IB 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.

IB French HL, IB Spanish HL 1 & 2

• 11th-12th grades

• Elective

• 4 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 is a two year course that is part of the IB DP program. It will fulfill the IB Language B requirement. This course is focused on the development of cultural awareness and language proficiency and includes the study of authentic literature in the language.   Students continue to develop proficiency  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.

Western Michigan University Spanish Pathway Courses    

• 9th-12th grades

• Elective

• One semester each

• 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 continue to advance in the study of the Spanish Language and Culture through courses contracted with Western Michigan University faculty.

Español Para Hispanohablantes (Spanish for Native Speakers)

• Grados 9-12

• Electivo

• Dos Semestres

Esta clase ofrece a estudiantes que ya hablan español, la oportunidad de estudiar su lenguaje en un ambiente académico.  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; aumentar sus oportunidades de empleo, o cumplir un requisito académico.  Las aptitudes que se pueden adquirir en esta clase incluyen el desarrollo de un vocabulario básico a un vocabulario académico  y el análisis crítico de diferrentes textos y 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.