Junior A to Junior Four–Second Language Study
The Junior School program is intended to generate enthusiasm and pleasure in learning French and Spanish. All four communication skills are at the heart of the Junior School Program. In the early years, there is a strong emphasis placed on both listening and speaking skills, as the children are introduced to the sounds, vocabularies and basic patterns of the target language. Reading and writing skills are emphasized in the Junior Three and Junior Four years, as the children begin to develop these skills in English. At this time the children are also introduced to the basic grammar concepts and rules of the target language. The children begin to assimilate the cultural contexts of the target language through authentic celebrations, games, songs, and play activities, all the while transmitting authentic language patterns and concepts.
At this level, communication in the second language is limited; it must be related to the vocabularies of specific topics outlined in the curriculum and to the structures or language patterns the children have learned. The children learn, work, play and interact with each other through a large range of activities, strategies, techniques and authentic materials in the target language. The children are encouraged to use the target language
The teachers provide a classroom environment which is welcoming, warm and stimulating and use an enormous wealth of resources in order to make the modern language curriculum topics come alive as well as make them relevant to the children’s daily experiences.
Mother Tongue Study
At the Manhattan Campus, French and Spanish mother tongue classes are offered from Junior A to Junior Four. At the Queens Campus French mother tongue classes are offered from Junior A to Junior Four. These classes are taught entirely in the target language and follow, generally, the specific national curriculum.
The French mother tongue program in Manhattan (Programme Francophone), from Junior Two to Middle One, is accredited by the French government. In order to meet the time requirements of the French program, there is an additional one-hour enrichment class four days a week offered to these students.