Program of Studies Program of Studies 2018-19 | Page 23

ARABIC
Honors Arabic I (1 credit)
In this beginning course students
will gain the basic skills needed
to communicate in classic Arabic/
Fusha. Although the main goal
will be to develop listening and
speaking skills, students will
also learn the Arabic alphabet.
Through activities and practical
conversations, students will
understand basic language
patterns as well as pronunciation
and vocabulary. The course
will cover essential grammar,
vocabulary, and expressions that
are used in daily conversation and
travel. Middle Eastern culture,
with emphasis on Lebanon, will be
intertwined with direct language
instruction.
Honors Arabic II (1 credit)
Prerequisite: B or better in Arabic I
or placement by instructor
Students will continue to expand
their grammar, vocabulary and
writing skills along with their
knowledge of Middle Eastern
cultures. More reading and writing
will be included in the class
schedule. Students will become
more comfortable conversing and
expressing themselves.
Honors Arabic III (1 credit)
Prerequisite: B or better in Arabic II
or placement by instructor
In this course students will continue
to develop listening, speaking,
reading and writing skills. The
objective is to equip students with
the basic conversational skills
to enable them to engage in a
conversation. Students are required
to read short stories and watch
Arabic movies to get a broader
range of vocabulary. The students
are exposed to authentic reading
and listening materials, as well as
discussions of political, social and
cultural topics. In addition, students
will read, write and translate long,
simple texts. Assessments will
include written and oral evaluation.
This class is fast-paced and a
significant portion of every class
session will be conducted in Arabic.
CHINESE
Honors Chinese I (1 credit)
Prerequisite: recommended for
students enrolled in a concurrent
honors level English course
This beginning level Chinese course
offers an introduction to Chinese
language and culture. It focuses
on the listening and speaking of
basic everyday Mandarin Chinese,
as well as reading and writing
simplified Chinese characters and
the pronunciation system, Pinyin.
Meanwhile, traditional Chinese
characters will be introduced. Both
traditional and current Chinese
customs and culture in China
and Taiwan will be discussed in
class. Regular quizzes in listening,
reading and writing will be included
in the class schedule.
Honors Chinese II (1 credit)
Prerequisite: B or better in
Honors Chinese I or placement by
instructor
This intermediate level Chinese
course builds upon the foundation
established in Chinese I. It expands
and develops the number of
characters and complexity of
grammar in the language skills
of listening, speaking, reading,
and writing, while further studying
Chinese traditional and current
culture. Regular quizzes in
listening, speaking, reading and
writing will be included in the class
schedule, as will regular Chinese
reading and writing assignments.
Part of the class is conducted in
Mandarin Chinese.
Honors Chinese III (1 credit)
Prerequisite: B or better in Honors
Chinese II or placement by
instructor
www.thorntonacademy.org
This high intermediate level
Chinese course continues to build
upon the foundation established
in Chinese I and Chinese II. It
expands and develops the number
of characters and complexity of
grammar in the language skills
of listening, speaking, reading,
and writing, while further studying
Chinese culture. Regular quizzes
in listening, speaking, reading and
writing will be included in the class
schedule, while regular reading
and composition are assigned. This
course is conducted in Mandarin
Chinese.
Honors Chinese IV (1 credit)
Prerequisite: B or better in Honors
Chinese III or placement by
instructor
This advanced level Chinese
course builds upon the foundation
established in the first three years
of Chinese program. Students will
continue to develop and improve
their language skills through
reading, discussion, and different
formats of writing in Chinese.
Regular quizzes will be included in
the class schedule, while regular
reading and composition are
assigned. This course is conducted
in Mandarin Chinese.
AP Chinese (1 credit)
Prerequisite: B or better in Honors
Chinese III or Honors Chinese IV
or teacher recommendation and
interview with the instructor
Students will continue to further
develop and master their listening,
speaking, reading, and writing in
Chinese through topics on and
become familiar with Chinese
culture. This is a demanding course
designed to prepare students for
the required AP Chinese Language
and Culture exam in May. Students
should expect to spend sufficient
time to prepare reading and writing
assignments.
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