Languages

You’ll soon discover that the language you choose to study, whether spoken or classical, spills far beyond the classroom—often in ways that may surprise you. Later, through school-organized exchanges and trips to Spain, France, China, Peru, and Italy, you will have the opportunity to explore the country whose culture, literature, and history are becoming second nature to you.

Our language classes teach students to understand French, Mandarin, and Spanish speakers around the world both in their native tongues and historical contexts. The same classroom discussions that hone their speaking skills introduce students to such issues as the impact of communism in Cuba, French imperialism in North Africa, socio-economics and religion in Peru, and how Latin American culture is portrayed in popular culture.

Life-Changing Study Abroad

Language courses come to vivid life during study abroad adventures in China, France, Italy, Perú, and Spain—and scholarships ensure all students can go.

See the World

French

French 1 and 2

Vocabulary, verbs, grammar; vocabulary, verbs, grammar. Within weeks you’ll be holding short conversations and reading short texts. Using a college-level textbook, Deux Mondes, we cover French grammar in two years. Nightly oral and written homework, exercises and self-evaluations on the web, and (because classes are so small) lots of discussion and debate yield satisfying results: you’ll rapidly begin to feel at home in French. Soon we delve into stories, poems, films, newspapers, and magazines. In addition, we investigate aspects of French life—from the arts to politics. Sometimes we make crêpes or mousse au chocolat. After two years, you’ll speak, write, and understand French: you’re ready for an AP-level course. Bonne continuation!

My class at the Alliance Française in Paris the summer I was fifteen included students from a diversity of backgrounds. One day I went to the botanic gardens with a young Spanish classmate. During that walk I learned more about a country I had never visited and a language I had never learned than I would have thought possible. That the French we each had studied could serve as the crucial link in a friendship between me and Maria struck me as amazing and wonderful.

French 3

French 3 is a fully immersive experience. Students take what they learned in French 1 and 2 and start honing their four key communication skills in French (reading, listening, writing, and speaking), as they consider various topics pertaining to French and Francophone cultures. We continue using Encore, which we began in French 2, but wean ourselves off of it as we read folktales from France and the Francophone world and watch movies inspired by
them. In the second semester, we read three plays: L’Île des esclaves, Rhinocéros, and “Art.” Students read the plays out loud, perform scenes, and learn about the social and historical contexts in which the plays were written and first performed. While many students feel more confident taking the AP their fourth year, strong students may take the AP in the spring of French 3 with a little independent work.

We read a lot; we analyze a lot; we talk a lot; we write a lot. One day in the middle of the year, I suddenly realized that I wasn’t even thinking about the fact that I was doing all this in French.

French 4 Conversation

The Conversation half-credit of French 4 will draw from a wide variety of media and modern to contemporary themes pertaining to French and Francophone cultures. This year, we will study the idiosyncrasies of spoken French through a contemporary play and a handful of movies. We will learn about French YouTube and will listen to podcasts on Spotify, all with an aim to learn about modern (20th century) and contemporary (21st century) French society.
Students will engage in conversation in class, and will practice spoken expression in recordings and in presentations. Students who did not take the French AP after French 3 will be prepared to do so after this class.

The course may be taken with French 4 Literature for a full-credit French 4 course. Reading lists change each year, and thus a student may take advanced French several times and it will be duly noted on the transcript as French 4, 5, etc., as the student advances.

I remember kicking back and relaxing while watching my very first black and white film, Jules et Jim, only to find out that I had to do a twenty-minute presentation of a two-minute clip the next week. (In the same way I had previously read books just for the story, I’d watched movies for plot.) So I set out to examine how the filmmaker told the story and what sorts of emotions he conveyed to the viewer through camera angles, lighting, and perspective. Essentially it was close reading with a DVD player. Now I think about all I missed in the movies I saw before!

French 4 Literature

This year for the Literature half-credit of French 4, we will survey 19th century France – the century of revolutions – through its literature, its visual arts, its philosophers and politicians. Beginning with the fall of Napoleon at Waterloo (1815) and ending with the outbreak of WWI, this class provides a glimpse into a century rife with social upheaval and artistic innovation which still bear their stamp on the cultural landscape of contemporary France and beyond. Through poetry, prose, and the visual arts, we will understand the stakes of cultural and literary movements such as Classicism, Romanticism, Naturalism, and Symbolism. Our readings will draw from literature of the period by writers such as Victor Hugo, Balzac, George Sand, Claire de Duras, Alfred de Musset, Flaubert, Zola, Baudelaire, Colette, and Proust.

This half-credit course is recommended for students who have finished French 3 with at least a B+, or who have already taken a half or full credit of French 4 in its previous iteration.

The course may be taken with French 4 Conversation for a full-credit French 4 course. Reading lists change each year, and thus a student may take advanced French several times and it will be duly noted on the transcript as French 4, 5, etc., as the student advances.

What people say in class sometimes makes me see something in a new light or refines one of the ideas I have. Often the most successful classes are fueled by people’s riffing off of each other’s comments and ideas.

Latin

Latin 1 and 2

In two years, Commonwealth’s Latin program completes all the grammar you will need to read the classics of Roman poetry and prose, not to mention medieval and Renaissance literature.

Refusing to be outdone by schoolmates who study “living languages,” students from Latin 1 and 2 have been known to sing “The Twelve Days of Christmas” in Latin at our Winter Assembly. From the very start, you will be reading simplified snippets of real Roman literature, and later longer authentic stories, often by authors or about figures you encounter in our Ancient History course. Famous stories include the founding of Rome by Romulus and Remus and the assassination of Julius Caesar. (But do you know who Cincinnatus or the Gracchi were?) We read classic passages by Cicero and Ovid, and snarky poems by Catullus addressed to his lover’s husband as well as his literary critics.

Along the way you will also pick up other bits of knowledge—about the history of the Latin language, about the English language, and, just for fun in Latin 2, about how Western languages work in comparison with Eastern ones.

When I was applying, I was interviewed by a Latin teacher. He talked about Saturnalia, the famous role-reversal holiday of the Romans, and its relevance to modern religious traditions. I walked away completely convinced that this was the school for me. In fact, I decided on the spot to take Latin the following year.

Latin 3

Latin might be a dead language, but in Latin 3 we begin to read real, live Latin texts! Beginning with prose, we’ll sample passages of some early historians (Cato the Elder and Quadrigarius), first century political players (Cicero and Sallust), and the more stylized prose of the early empire (Tacitus and Suetonius). As we study these prose authors, we will also review Latin grammar systematically, with an eye to subtleties glossed over in the first two years of Latin. In the winter, we transition to poetry: first Catullus, the racy Roman poet who chronicled his loves and hates in shockingly sordid (and often untranslatable) terms. We’ll revel in all his hilariously puerile antics, but always with an eye toward the profound artistic vision underlying his trifling “play.” Then we’ll investigate how Ovid, two generations later, incorporates into his epic Metamorphoses Catullus’ poetics of the intricately-wrought poem as well as his obsession with the beauty and terror of human desire.

Though I was not having a good day, I realized that doing Latin with my class would cheer me up far more than most anything else I could do with those forty minutes. Sure enough, by the end of the period my dark mood was crowded out by lively discussions of folk motifs in Vergil. I left Latin feeling buoyed up and refreshed.

Latin 4

Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres. (“Gaul is all divided into sections—three, in fact.”) Caesar’s authoritative opening to his Gallic War might be the most famous Latin sentence ever written, but it’s curious that the record of his military campaigns should begin with some rather deceptive historical geography, implying that Gaul is not a nation, but merely a word that arbitrarily bundles a few unrelated “sections,” each more barbarous than the next. Is
he subtly justifying Roman imperialism—not to mention his own boundless ambition? Fast forward one generation to Vergil’s Aeneid, part homage to Augustus, Rome’s first emperor, part lamentation on the human cost of empire. Shall we, like Saint Augustine before us, grieve the death of Queen Dido for love of pitiless Aeneas? Or pity Aeneas, the man of grief destined to found the race that will vanquish all nations? Whether the tragedy of star-
crossed lovers, or Rome’s grim history, the same war in heaven is the cause. This is what we’ll discover as we relish the heartbreaking beauty of Rome’s national epic.

To understand a text critically, to formulate my own thoughts, and to express them clearly through writing or speaking up in the classroom, that was my goal. Taking risks with my own opinion about a passage in Latin became an exciting daily challenge.

Advanced Latin

Mandarin

Mandarin 1 and 2

In all Mandarin classes, we work on the four language skills: listening, speaking, reading comprehension, and writing. If you have little or no experience with the language, Mandarin 1 is the course for you. We study Pinyin—the phonetic system of Mandarin Chinese. You will learn to read and write some 120 Chinese characters that form about 150 words. By the end of the first year, you’ll find yourself using greetings properly and talking to classmates about yourselves and your families. You’ll be able to understand and discuss (simply) topics centered around daily life: school life, weather, and shopping.

In Mandarin 2 we further emphasize aural comprehension and oral expression. With support from our textbooks (we start with Ni Hao, Vol. 3, and soon move on to the college- level Integrated Chinese), you broaden your knowledge of simplified Chinese characters (the system used in mainland China), practicing strokes, stroke order, and radicals. In addition, we read simple poetry and folktales, listen to music, and learn about festivals and holidays. And throughout your Mandarin studies, you get to make and sample extraordinary food.

The non-alphabetical system is so different. It’s the most difficult part, but it’s the most interesting. The characters can be like a beautiful block.

Mandarin 3

This intermediate course continues to develop proficiency in all aspects of Mandarin (listening, speaking, reading and writing). Students’ vocabulary will expand to approximately fifteen hundred words, among which they are able to write three hundred characters. Greater sophistication in oral discussion and written expression is expected. Students will be able to engage in literature and conversation about various aspects of life from seeing a doctor to planning a trip.

Our xiăo kăo shì (‘little tests’) comprise everything we have learned over the whole year. ‘But that makes it easy,’ [my teacher] says. ‘No surprises!’

Mandarin 4

In this high-intermediate course, students continue to build upon their language skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students’ vocabulary will reach nearly two thousand words. By the end of the course, students will be able to discuss topics of greater sophistication and significance using advanced vocabulary, expressions, and grammar structures. Students will deepen their understanding of those topics through research, discussion and debate, and showcase their understanding via essays and presentations.

Our teacher told us once, ‘If I could airdrop my students into China, I would want them to be able to survive.’ I think if she did that now, we could!

Mandarin 5

Mandarin 6

Mandarin Literature

In this literature course, students continue to develop their reading and writing skills in Mandarin. Students will read classical prose and poetry as well as modern and contemporary works of literature. Students will write poems, stories, and essays. This course is offered as a full-credit or a half-credit course depending on student interest. Students should discuss their particular interests with the instructor to determine the focus of the course and the material used.

Spanish

Spanish 1 and 2

We plunge immediately into the study of the four basic language skills (speaking, reading, writing, comprehension)—no English in class! Literary or journalistic texts and videos will give you a glimpse of the vast world of Spanish and Latino culture. In addition, you often write stories and essays, or skits that you present to your class.

In Spanish 2, the main subject of study is the country of Spain, with a particular focus on the autonomous community of Andalucía. The cultural sourcebook (compiled by a Commonwealth Spanish teacher) lets us work with a rich and increasingly sophisticated selection of literary, historical, political, and illustrated art-historical articles. We look at dance and films; we listen to music.

Early in Spanish 2, we also begin preparation for our March trip. You write blogs and correspond with the Spanish student who will be both your guest and your host.

My favorite debate I had with my family at dinner was about teenagers spending most of their time on social networks rather than doing something educational, like reading a book. And we were arguing in Spanish!

Spanish 3

In this course, literature and history spur discussion as students reinforce, extend, and enrich their fluency and pronunciation. The course is based on the culture and literature of Peru. Students will read pieces by Mario Vargas Llosa, José María Arguedas, and César Vallejo, among others, and be exposed to different writing styles and cultural backgrounds. Students will also read newspaper articles and essays on the economics and politics of Peru.

Our discussion topics have included immigration, the Cuban revolution, dictatorships (Dominican Republic, Chile Argentina, Cuba), sexuality and society, music—to sum it up, just about anything you can fruitfully talk and argue about.

Spanish 4 Literature: Magical Realism

This course introduces students to Latin American authors who explore two genres: magical realism and fantastic literature. Students will read and analyze various stories and short novels, as well as write critical essays. Our principal goal is to strengthen students’ command over the Spanish language, in both oral and written use, and also to use literary criticism to deepen students’ understanding of a text. Some of the authors we will study in class are: Gabriel García Márquez (Colombia), Jorge Luis Borges (Argentina), Bioy Casares (Argentina), Felisberto Hernández (Uruguay), Leopoldo Lugones (Argentina), Mario Benedetti (Uruguay), and Carlos Fuentes (México).

After four years of working with words that once sounded clunky, when I read Spanish literature now, I think in the language. The same transformation can occur in every discipline. You can learn to think in the language of science or the language of history. When this happens, you see things fit together in a beautiful harmony, and the field belongs to you.

Spanish 4 Conversation: Current Events and Cultural Trends

This class will use newspaper articles, podcasts, blogs, newsreels, and short documentaries to initiate conversation about current events and cultural trends in the Spanish-speaking world and beyond. With a special emphasis on reading comprehension, oral expression, and socio-cultural competence, we will use different formats (presentations, dialogues, interviews, group activities, role-play, etc.) to practice multiple modes of communication in Spanish, from the informal to the official, in a variety of settings.

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