World Language
The goals of the West Hartford World Language Department are to enable students to communicate effectively in languages other than English, gain knowledge and understanding of other cultures, connect with other academic disciplines, and develop new insights into the nature of language and culture.
The West Hartford standards are based on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and the CT State Frameworks for World Languages. The five goal areas identified in these standards stress the application of learning a language beyond the instructional setting and are referred to as the "five Cs". The standards address the following five areas:
Communication: Communicate in at least one language other than English
Cultures: Gain knowledge and understanding of cultures
Connections: Make connections with other areas of study and acquire information
Comparisons: Understand the nature of language and cultures through comparisons
Communities: Participate in multilingual communities within a variety of contexts
World Language Courses during high school seek improved performance towards proficiency in the target language. Courses range from Introduction to Advanced Placement and ECE level courses. Students who have attended our middle school world language classes are encouraged to continue to acquire target language mastery through our Spanish, French, and Chinese courses, which offer Standard and Honors levels. Students may also begin any of these languages at the high school level, as an additional language or a change. Other languages taught are Latin, Ancient Greek and American Sign Language.
