The goal of Pleasant Valley High School’s foreign language program is to expose students to a language and culture in order to make them knowledgeable and active members of a global society. Students will learn to use Spanish, French and Japanese for meaningful communication in both spoken and written form. The foreign language program emphasizes language as it is used in various real-life situations that students are most likely to encounter. Through foreign language study, students develop sensitivity to the cultural and linguistic heritage of other groups and their influence on our own, and are prepared to participate in a society characterized by linguistic and cultural diversity.

Learning a foreign language is crucial to success in today’s world.

• As the world moves towards a global community, it is increasingly important to be able to communicate in languages other than English.
• Proficiency in a foreign language is a vehicle to gaining knowledge that can only be acquired through that language and its culture.
• The study of a foreign language enables students to develop insights into the nature of the language and its culture and people.
• Learning a foreign language enables an individual to participate in multilingual communities.
• Acquiring a second or third language increases opportunities for employment.

Many of our foreign language teachers have lived abroad in the countries of their languages or are native speakers. Our teachers are constantly striving to improve their language and their teaching abilities by traveling abroad and by participating in and leading the many workshops and activities that are provided by both the California Language Teachers Association and by the California Foreign Language Project.

In addition to improving our own abilities in the languages we speak, we strive to improve those of our students by offering trips abroad to Japan, Spain, France, Costa Rica, etc. These are non-district sponsored trips and are taken during vacations. Many of those who participate have gone on to study language at the university level, have become teachers of the language, and many now use these language skills in their current jobs.

In order to assist our students, the department members volunteer their time by offering homework assistance and tutoring everyday of the week, both before and after school as well as at lunch. It is our goal not to leave any student behind, but rather to give them the extra assistance they might need in order to be successful in the language.

Foreign Language classes help fulfill the 80-credit elective requirement for high school graduation. Students planning to attend a California State University must take and pass, with a minimum grade of a C, two years of a foreign language (20 credits). The University of California recommends that prospective students take three years (30 credits) of a foreign language and several universities prefer those who have completed four years.

Pleasant Valley High School offers full course offerings in three languages:

• French 1, 2, 3, 4, 4AP/IB
• Japanese 1, 2, 3, 4, 4AP/IB
• Spanish 1, 2, 3, 4, 4AP/IB, 5 AP/IB, Spanish for Spanish
• Speakers

Current Needs

Beyond Our Budgets
We have identified the following needs that cannot be fulfilled under the constraints of our current budget allocation:

• Whiteboard markers
• 3x5 index cards
• Construction paper
• Student scissors
• Post-it notes
• Pens and pencils
• Colored markers
• Colored pencils
• Binder paper
• Binders
• Language specific dictionaries (both for the classroom and to check out to students)
• Small tape recorders (for individual recordings)
• CD players (for whole classroom use)
• Interwrite Pads (Students can write Kanji from their desks and have it appear on the screen.)
• MP3 Recorders (for individual recordings)
• LCD projector
• Tissue
• Antibacterial hand soap
• Gift certificates for prizes or for students who can’t afford supplies (Michaels, art supply store, book store, restaurants, etc.)
• Any culturally specific items (kimono, authentic dresses, books, CD’s, realia)

 

Informative Links

Foreign Language Framework for California Public Schools

National Foreign Language Standards: Executive Summary
http://www.actfl.org/files/public/execsumm.pdf