World Languages

Learning a foreign language is one of the cornerstones of a college preparatory, liberal arts education. The goal of the World Language Department at The Knox School is to make foreign language learning relevant, authentic, and engaging for students while teaching them to communicate effectively and genuinely in the target language through total language immersion. In class daily, students speak, listen, read and write in the target language while gaining an understanding and appreciation of the cultural practices, perspectives, and current events connected to the countries where the targeted languages are spoken. Personal motivation combined with the acquisition of tools for lifelong language learning drive student achievement of departmental and personal goals.

Chinese I
Chinese I is an introductory level course in Mandarin taught by a native speaking teacher. Students begin their exploration of the Chinese language by learning basic conversational skills, pronunciation, Chinese characters, and Chinese culture. They learn through various methods such as songs, games, stories, videos, and culturally relevant, authentic objects. Each student is paired with a native Chinese speaking student in order to practice conversation and share cultural insights throughout the school year.

Chinese II
Chinese II builds on the skills learned in Chinese I. It is designed to reinforce and further develop Chinese language skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing. The goal is for students to speak Chinese comfortably through expressing opinions and feelings in daily conversations. Additionally, students explore Chinese culture through hands-on activities, projects and presentations, which furthers their understanding of modern China. This course will integrate technology to leaning the Chinese language and follows the national standards for foreign language education. Prerequisite: Chinese I.

Chinese III
Chinese III builds on the skills learned in Chinese II. Students moves towards greater fluency in Chinese language skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing. This course will integrate technology in the learning of the Chinese language and follows the national standards for foreign language education. Prerequisite: Chinese II.

Chinese IV/V
This advanced course focuses on the history and culture of Chinese-speaking countries, along with a continued study of grammar. Classes are taught in Chinese, and students access electronic news media to enrich both their study of the language and their understanding of current cultural events. Students also read a short novel in the target language. Prerequisite: Chinese III.

French I
French I is a beginning level course for students with little or no prior experience in French. The fundamentals of French are introduced through vocabulary and grammar, as well as verbal and written communications, rich visuals, and technology. At the end of the course, students are able to communicate on a fundamental level both verbally and in writing, and understand basic aspects of French-speaking cultures.

French II
Building upon French I, this course introduces more complex and varied grammar, vocabulary, and verb tenses, along with more refined and detailed sentence structures. Students will continue their studies of French-speaking cultures. Students are expected to communicate in French as this is a full-immersion-level course. Prerequisite: French I.

French III
This intermediate-level course focuses on refining skills acquired in French I and II and involves a more advanced study of grammar through the use of short readings in French. Emphasis is also placed on the ability of students to demonstrate communicative competency, both verbally and in writing. This course is taught only in French. Prerequisite: French II.

French IV/V
This advanced course focuses on the history and culture of French-speaking countries, along with a continued study of grammar. Classes are taught in French, and students access electronic news media to enrich both their study of the language and their understanding of current cultural events. Students
also read a short novel in the target language. Prerequisite: French III

Spanish I
Spanish I is a beginning level course for students with little or no prior experience in Spanish. The fundamentals of Spanish are introduced through vocabulary and grammar, as well as oral and written communications. At the end of the course, students are able to communicate on a fundamental level both verbally and in writing, and understand basic aspects of Spanish-speaking cultures.

Spanish II
Building upon Spanish I, this course introduces more complex and varied grammar, vocabulary, and verb tenses, along with more refined and detailed sentence structures. Students will continue their studies of Spanish-speaking cultures. Students are expected to communicate in Spanish. Prerequisite: Spanish I.

Spanish III
This intermediate-level course focuses on refining skills acquired in Spanish I and II. This involves a more advanced study of grammar through the use of short readings in Spanish. Emphasis is also placed on the ability of students to demonstrate communicative competency, both orally and in writing. This course is taught in Spanish. Prerequisite: Spanish II.

Spanish IV/V
This advanced course focuses on the history and culture of Spanish-speaking countries, along with a continued study of grammar. Classes are taught in Spanish, and students access electronic news media to enrich both their study of the language and their understanding of current cultural events. Students also read a short novel in the target language. Prerequisite: Spanish III.

Our Faculty

Julia Hughes

B.A., Spanish Language & Teacher Preparation – Stony Brook University

Julia Hughes

Spanish Teacher

Zhiyin (Cecilia) Wang

B.A., International Tourism & Leisure Management – NHL Stenden University of Applied Science, The Netherlands

Zhiyin (Cecilia) Wang

Chinese Teacher