Frisch offers a variety of world languages including Spanish, French, Arabic, Italian, Mandarin and Yiddish. In freshman and sophomore years, the goal is to provide students with the skills to become proficient at a novice to intermediate level in the language that they choose in the three modes of communication: interpersonal (person to person), interpretive (listening and reading), and presentational (spoken and written production). Students also learn about various aspects of the culture of those language communities. Skills are emphasized through videos, audio activities, class conversation, readings, and writing assignments in which students employ grammar and vocabulary. In the third and fourth-year classes, students work to become proficient in their language at an intermediate to advanced level. They learn advanced grammar and vocabulary, and begin working within the six themes of the Advanced Placement exams: Beauty and Aesthetics, Contemporary Life, Families and Communities, Global Challenges, Personal and Public Identities, and Science and Technology. Electives for the advanced study of each language are available for 11th and 12th graders. Seniors have the option to take the AP exam. Each year students publish Las Joyas/Les Bijoux/HaTachshitim, a magazine of original poetry and stories in Spanish, French, and Hebrew.
For students who enrolled in another track, but would like to embark on the study of a foreign language. French I is an introduction to French language and culture. Students develop their ability to listen to, read, write, and speak the language through engaging activities and projects, as well as authentic music and videos. Students acquire functional vocabulary and learn basic grammatical structures that help them develop their skills towards proficiency. By the end of the year, students should be able to speak and write about themselves, their likes and dislikes, their school and daily schedule, their family and hobbies. In addition students develop an appreciation for the histories and cultures of the various Francophone countries.
French III reviews concepts from French I and II and expands on them to continue to develop students’ abilities to listen to, read, write, and speak the language. In addition to the text, students are exposed to short stories and novels, magazine and newspaper articles, videos, news programs and more. Students work to acquire advanced vocabulary and grammatical structures that help them grow their language to an intermediate or pre-advanced level in the three modes of communication. By the end of the year, students are able to have meaningful conversations and write about a variety of topics. They are able to read articles, short stories and basic novels and are able to present their thoughts to the class in both written and oral form. Students utilize the present and past tenses, the future and conditional, the perfect tenses and the subjunctive mood and are able to speak and write about a variety of cultural topics in the Francophone world.
For students who were enrolled in the Engineering track, but would like to embark on the study of a foreign language, Spanish I is an introduction to Spanish language and culture. Students develop their abilities to listen to, read, write, and speak the
language through engaging activities and projects, as well as authentic music and videos. Students acquire functional vocabulary and learn basic grammatical structures that help them develop their skills towards proficiency. By the end of the year, students should be able to speak and write about themselves, their school and daily schedule, their family and hobbies. In addition, students develop an appreciation for the histories and cultures of the various Spanish- speaking countries.
Spanish III reviews concepts from Spanish I and II and expands upon them to continue to develop students’ abilities to listen to, read, write, and speak the language. In addition to the text, students are exposed to short stories and novels, magazine and newspaper articles, videos, news programs and more. Students work to acquire advanced vocabulary and grammatical structures that help them grow their language to an intermediate or pre- advanced level and present their thoughts to the class in both written and oral form. By the end of the year, students are able to have meaningful conversations and write about a variety of cultural topics in the Spanish-speaking world.
The emphasis of the course is on communication in French, coupled with gaining knowledge and understanding of the cultures of the francophone world. Students continue to develop listening, speaking, reading and writing skills and examine various aspects of French culture which they compare to their own. Various readings within the textbook series and other outside sources such as newspapers and magazines, as well as music and videos assist in language acquisition.
The class delves into themes of global challenges, science and technology, beauty and aesthetics, and families and communities using Spanish as the language of communication. The course focuses on the integration of authentic resources including online, audio, visual, and audiovisual resources, as well as traditional print resources that include literature, essays, and magazine and newspaper articles with the goal of providing a rich, diverse learning experience. Students communicate using advanced vocabulary and linguistic structures as they build proficiency in all modes of communication – interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational – toward the pre-advanced to advanced levels.