Foreign Language

 

FOCUS AND PHILOSOPHY

Wichita Collegiate School's Foreign Language program is a complement to our Language Arts program because it introduces students to systems of verbal communication very different from English. Children are given the opportunity to open new brain patterns by learning to comprehend and communicate in a variety of languages including French, Spanish and German before reaching Middle School. Early Childhood students have lessons in French or Spanish where they develop the listening and speaking skills only. As first and second graders in our Lower School, they are introduced to a new set of sounds in German class and then, in third and fourth grade, students learn to communicate in French. Middle Schoolers in fifth and sixth grades learn Spanish and then seventh and eighth grade students begin the study of Latin to expand and reinforce their English vocabulary and grammar. The study of Latin also introduces the Collegiate student to Western Civilization from the Roman empire through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. This background enables the Collegiate student to have an introduction to the function of any language, and particularly, modern European languages, which are offered in our Upper School program.

We strive to:

  1. encourage knowledge of and an appreciation for a changing global society
  2. act with respect, responsibility and tolerance toward others develop the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing within the context of specific cultural settings create stimulating, safe learning environments where each student has the opportunity to succeed address a number of learning styles to the best of our ability use a variety of teaching methods from Early Childhood through graduation expose our students to a variety of authentic speakers of the target language help our students to use the target language in the most accurate way possible
  3. provide a model that reflects the highest character and personal standards of ethics as well as high levels of achievement in our chosen areas of expertise

We believe that:

  1. WCS students may all succeed in perfecting various language skills in spite of learning differences
  2. all students benefit from studying foreign language at WCS
  3. WCS students are better prepared to be contributing members of a changing global society as a result of their foreign language studies

We hope that our students:

  1. who graduate from Wichita Collegiate School will be able to demonstrate heightened interest in and knowledge of cultural differences between our own culture and that of the target language(s) studied
  2. may become better members of a changing global society by studying foreign language
  3. may be better prepared to form opinions and plans of action as a result of studying foreign language at WCS
  4. may excel in various foreign language skills in spite of particular learning differences
  5. gain knowledge of human nature as a result of reading literature in Latin, French or Spanish
  6. may be better adults for having examined the historical settings for certain literary works as well as their respective themes, syntax, choice of vocabulary and grammar
  7. will enjoy world travel more as a result of their enhanced knowledge through foreign language study
  8. become as authentic as possible in their foreign language skills, to sound like a native speaker, from the point of view of vocabulary choice and phonetics, pronunciation