Alberta Education has provided numerous models for the study of a second language. Westmount provides two paths:
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Students at Westmount may chose to begin their language study in middle school and may continue following a program of studies based on the 9 year model through high school.
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Students who wish to begin their language studies in high school have the opportunity to follow the 3 year model.
Three-Year Program of Studies in Spanish:
Spanish 10-3Y (5 credits)
Pre-requisite: none
This course is geared towards students in grade 9 and 10 who have never studied Spanish. Students will learn the grammatical fundamentals in the present tense using a wide range of vocabulary.
Spanish 20-3Y (5 credits)
Pre-requisite: Spanish 10
This course is the continuation of the Spanish 10 course. Students will build on their existing knowledge and acquire skills to use and communicate in the present and the past tense.
Spanish 30-3Y (5 credits)
Pre-requisite: Spanish 20
In this course, students should be able to utilize skills and knowledge acquired in the past two years to interpret texts, analyze media and communicate using oral and written work.
Nine-Year Program of Studies in Spanish:
Spanish IV (grade 9 only)
Pre-requisite: 65% + in Spanish III (gr.8)
In this course, students will have the opportunity to demonstrate listening, oral and written skills in different settings. They should be comfortable with vocabulary and grammatical structures learned in previous years. In this level students are introduced to Spanish literature, culture and more advanced grammatical structures.
Spanish 10-9Y (5 credits)
Pre-requisite: 65% + in Spanish IV
This course is academically oriented. Independent and group work is encouraged and expected. Students will be challenged to develop their critical thinking skills and demonstrate their understanding through written work.
Spanish 20-9Y (5 credits)
Pre-requisite: 65% + in Spanish 10
In this course, students will explore Spanish language and culture in different environments and through different mediums. Students will manipulate the Spanish language, allowing them to communicate in a practical and effective manner.
Spanish 30-9Y (5 credits)
Pre-requisite: 65% + in Spanish 20
This course is designed to consolidate and increase intermediate and advanced skills in comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. Students will be able to participate in conversation on a range of topics. They will also develop the ability to orally narrate and describe past and future events with a series of interrelated sentences. Creative and analytical writing will be improved by expanding vocabulary and increasing the use of grammatical structures.