World Languages
¡Bienvenido! Bienvenu!
Nancy Testa
World Language Department Chairperson
Philosophy
The Foreign Language Department at East Hartford High School is committed to the idea that learning a second language should be an essential part of every student’s education.
Foreign Language study includes the development of the communication skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, as well as the study of the value systems and behavioral patterns of the new culture.
The instruction of foreign languages promotes close, personal relationships between individuals and nations of different cultures, and should strengthen ties between peoples of different geographical and political locations.
The knowledge of a foreign language provides an opportunity for students to pursue vocational and professional endeavors.
By contrasting one’s own language with the new language, one gains insight into the nature of language itself.
We acknowledge the existence of individual differences and strive within the limits offered by the local educational school system to meet each student’s needs.
Objectives
To comprehend the foreign language when spoken at a normal speed on a subject within the range of the student’s experience.
To speak well enough to communicate directly with a native speaker within the range of the student’s experience.
To read material on a given level with direct understanding and without translation.
To write about a subject within the range of the student’s experience, using linguistic patterns of the target language.
To understand, through the foreign language, the contemporary values and behavioral patterns of the people whose language is being learned.
To become acquainted with the significant features of the country or area where the language is spoken.
To develop an understanding of the literary and cultural heritage of the people whose language is studied.
To expose the students to patterned thought processes which will facilitate learning in other pedagogical areas.
