Commack School District

Excellence in Education

Curriculum

CMS World Languages Curriculum

6th Grade World Languages

At Commack Middle School, grade six students study one of the three world languages we offer: Spanish, Italian, or French. Students are engaged in the Foundations in Language learning experience for a total of twenty weeks, scheduled every other day for the full year. The year of study in grade six will be followed by a year of daily study at Level I in grade seven. In grade eight, students will take the Level II course, which will enable them to further develop as proficient communicators of a second language.

Listed below are the topics covered and the learning outcomes we anticipate for our sixth graders:

GREETINGS AND SALUTATIONS

Using the language they are studying, students will be able to:

greet and introduce one another, and
begin to understand and appreciate cultural norms of the people who speak that language.

PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION

Using the language they are studying, students will be able to:

provide and obtain personal information,
express their likes and dislikes,
describe their basic physical and emotional traits,
communicate information using numbers through 50.

FAMILY LIFE

Using the language they are studying, students will be able to:

identify and describe members of their family,
discuss daily and leisure activities,
better appreciate one another's family customs and traditions, as well as the customs and traditions of the target culture.

7th Grade World Languages

The grade seven Level I world languages course has been designed to challenge and support our students throughout the next phase of their second language study. This rewarding, student-centered second language experience follows the grade six Foundations in Languages course. The level 1 topics are presented to students daily for a full year.

The Level I course in world languages:

emphasizes simple, selected sentence structures, not necessarily limited to the present tense,
sets the stage for oral and written communication for the beginning language learner,
fosters cultural understandings,
includes age-appropriate communicative activities, strategies and goals that address the particular needs and interests of middle school students,
encourages interdisciplinary connections, and
provides the first step on the pathway to linguistic proficiency.
Our introductory students will learn to:
comprehend basic vocabulary and structures in face-to-face conversation with peers and familiar adults,
comprehend the main idea of more extended conversations with some unfamiliar vocabulary and structures as well as derivatives of English words,
call upon repetition, rephrasing, and nonverbal cues to derive or convey meaning from the language they are learning,
use appropriate strategies to initiate and engage in simple conversations with more fluent or native speakers of the same age group, familiar adults, and providers of public services,
understand the main idea and some details of simple informative materials written for native speakers,
compose short, informal notes and messages to exchange information with members of the cultures where the language they are studying is spoken, and
understand and appreciate some of the attributes of the cultures where the language they are studying is spoken.

Listed below are the topics covered in our seventh grade courses:

Education: includes events and activities in school life and ways that schools differ in their routines and procedures.
House and Home: includes types of lodging, rooms and other components of one's living quarters.
Daily Routine: includes personal hygiene and daily responsibilities.
Health and Welfare: includes parts of the body, illness and accidents.

8th Grade World Languages

Commack Middle School grade eight students will continue their exploration of a second language. The Level II World Languages course follows the grade seven Level I course, and is designed to challenge and support the diverse academic and emotional needs of our eighth grade student body. The topics covered in this course provide an opportunity for deeper exploration of concepts, vocabulary and grammar, combined with a comprehensive review of previously learned material. The level 2 topics are presented to students daily for a full year. Listed below are the topics covered in our eighth grade courses:

Community: includes places, professionals, physical features of the community & community activities.
Meal Taking: includes types of food and drink, regional customs and mealtime interaction.
Shopping: includes shopping facilities and products, shopping for specific reasons, and shoppers' information.
Travel: includes making travel arrangements, transportation, accommodations, and tourists' needs.

Level II world languages students are expected to exhibit more comprehensive knowledge of vocabulary, grammatical concepts, cultural traits and patterns. All topics and outcomes address the New York State standards through extensive speaking, listening, reading and writing opportunities.

Sample Learning Opportunities

Listening

Information and announcements from providers of common public services in face-to-face communications
Information (bulletins/announcements) provided over loudspeakers, radio, and television
Short presentations of interest to the general public given in person, on radio, or on television
Listening/ Speaking
Interaction with providers of common public services in face-to-face communications
Informal everyday conversations with individual peers and adults
Informal conversations with peers and familiar adults
Interaction with providers of common public services by telephone
Group conversations among peers and familiar adults
Group discussions with peers
Informal presentations to groups of peers and familiar adults

Reading

Information provided to the general public on forms, signs, billboards and posters, labels, programs, timetables, maps, plans, menus, etc.
Announcements, ads, and short reports of general interest in newspapers, magazines, and other publications; short, informal notes
Simple business correspondence and pamphlets
Facts, opinions, feelings, and attitudes in correspondence from acquaintances and friends(peers and adults)
Letters to the editor and feature articles from general-interest publications
Excerpts from poetry and prose for cultural appreciation

Writing

Forms to be filled out for the use of common public services
Informal notes for communications in everyday life situations
Brief reports describing simple situations and sequences of events
Personal letters to acquaintances and friends (peers and adults)
Formal letters to agencies, institutions, and businesses on topics of personal needs