WORLD LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT
MISSION STATEMENT
The World Language Department's curriculum is aligned with both the Massachusetts Frameworks and the National Standards in Foreign Languages with a focus on communication, culture, connections, comparisons, and communities. The department uses a proficiency-based approach with an emphasis on the context and purpose of communication through the three modes: Interpersonal (two-way unrehearsed communication); Interpretive (one-way communication using receptive skills of listening and reading); and Presentational (one-way communication using productive skills of speaking and writing.) Students work to build proficiency in the language of their choice. While English may be necessary at times, the target language is the language of all instruction and discussion in world language classes at least 90% of the time, per the recommendation of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).
Students will:
Studying a World Language prepares students to become global citizens and life-long learners. Students follow a sequential program in French, Spanish or Chinese from Grade 7 through Grade 12. The World Language Department strongly encourages students to commit themselves to a full program, studying one language for six years between Grades 7 and 12, and to elect a second language when scheduling allows. Teacher recommendation or Department Head approval is required for honors programs.
- communicate effectively in more than one language in order to function in a variety of situations and for multiple purposes.
- connect with other disciplines and acquire information and diverse perspectives in order to use the language to function in academic and career-related situations.
- develop insight into the nature of language and culture in order to interact with cultural competence.
- communicate and interact with cultural competence in order to participate in multilingual communities at home and around the world.
Studying a World Language prepares students to become global citizens and life-long learners. Students follow a sequential program in French, Spanish or Chinese from Grade 7 through Grade 12. The World Language Department strongly encourages students to commit themselves to a full program, studying one language for six years between Grades 7 and 12, and to elect a second language when scheduling allows. Teacher recommendation or Department Head approval is required for honors programs.
Students starting a language in 9th or 10th grade can choose from Chinese I Honors, Spanish I CP, or French I CP and then they would follow the sequence as shown above.
By the end of Level I in World Language courses, students are expected to demonstrate Novice High proficiency on the ACTFL scale. At the Novice High level students are able to speak in phrases, using memorized chunks of vocabulary and they can ask and answer simple questions in the present tense. When reading and listening, students can understand main ideas.
By the end of Level II in World Language courses, students are expected to demonstrate Intermediate Low proficiency. Students are able to understand written and aural communication within the range of contexts studied during the year. They are able to describe, explain, and narrate orally and in writing in complete sentences in the present tense and increasingly in past and future time frames. Students also are able to negotiate meaning in conversations with peers about familiar topics and use follow-up questions.
By the end of Level III in World Language courses, students are expected to demonstrate Intermediate Mid proficiency. Students are able to create language with some memorized phrases, maintain conversation by asking questions, and use circumlocution. Students produce sentences, strings of sentences and use sentence connectors in the present tense and they begin to use future and past tenses.
In Levels IV and V, students demonstrate proficiency in the range of Intermediate High to Advanced Low. Students are able to narrate and describe in paragraphs in past, present, and future time frames. They can present and support opinions with reason and they can handle unplanned situations.
All student selections must be recommended by the teacher or the Department Head. Teacher approval will be based on prerequisites, achievement, and demonstration of the motivation and study skills necessary for success at the next level. The following prerequisites apply:
- If a student earns an "F" in the first semester of a world language course, he/she will be rescheduled to repeat the course for the following year. It is not recommended to move to the second semester.
- After fulfilling the graduation requirements, students are expected to maintain a grade of C- or better to be able to continue in the third, fourth and fifth year of world language study. Students who do not achieve a C- should do remedial work such as summer school or private tutoring during the summer, to be able to continue at the Honors or College-Prep levels.
COLLEGE-PREP LEVEL
French and Spanish
The following College-prep level courses are designed for students who have successfully completed the middle school course and are recommended by their teachers. These courses are paced for average college-preparatory students. The target language is used in class 100% of the time. Student usage of the language is an important part of student evaluation in these courses.
| Spanish II (CP) | Spanish III (CP) | Spanish IV (CP) | Spanish V (CP) |
| French II (CP) | French III (CP) | French IV (CP) | French V (CP) |
Starting in 25/26, we are pleased to offer two new courses: Heritage Language Spanish and Heritage Language Portuguese.
HONORS LEVEL
French and Spanish
These Honors courses are for students who have proven themselves to be motivated, successful language learners. The sequence is designed to prepare students for the Advanced Placement Test. The pace is faster than in the College-prep level courses, and classroom work is more intense. Active student participation is expected. Only the target language is used in class, and student usage is an important part of student evaluation in these courses.| Spanish II (H) | Spanish III (H) | Spanish IV (H) | Spanish V (H) |
| French II (H) | French III (H) | French IV (H) | French V (H) |
CHINESE COLLEGE-PREP LEVEL and CHINESE HONORS
Students will learn the fundamentals of the Chinese language with Pinyin, the Mandarin phonetics, and character compositions. Students will gain practical skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing to communicate effectively on familiar topics. Students will also explore the culture of China through cultural projects. A field trip to Peabody Essex Museum for the freshman class and an immersion day in Chinatown Boston for the sophomore class are planned each year. The Chinese language is considered to be a challenging language due to its separate phonetic system and writing system. Daily studying and transcribing of the Chinese characters is vital to gain success in the course. The use of the target language in class is expected to increase as students progress to higher levels. In the College-Prep level, handwriting of Chinese characeters is not required.
| Chinese I (CP) | Chinese II CP) | Chinese III (CP) | Chinese IV (CP) | Chinese V (CP) |
| Chinese I (H) | Chinese II (H) | Chinese III (H) | Chinese IV (H) | Chinese V (H) |
GLOBAL EDUCATION PROGRAM
An integral part of the World Language Program at Masconomet Regional High School is the three exchange programs that take place in alternating years. The exchange programs take place between Masconomet and high schools in France, Spain, and China. This is an opportunity for the student who has successfully completed two to three years of language study to further his or her proficiency in an authentic environment and to live within the daily culture that has been studied. Students are encouraged to include this as part of their junior or senior year language experience at Masconomet.
During the freshman year, French students are encouraged to participate in the weekend immersion trip to French-speaking Canada. Juniors and seniors are encouraged to participate in one of the interdisciplinary trips, service opportunities, or other global adventures through the Global Education Program. We hope to resume exchanges with China as soon as possible.