All GLK-UAIS students are required to complete four credits of a foreign language.  We offer French, Spanish and Japanese to our students.  All students entering the Academy as ninth graders—regardless of previous experience or coursework—must take Spanish I, French I or Japanese I.  These courses not only cover two years of material each, but also expose students to a variety of cultural and linguistic issues critical to success in these classes during the junior and senior year.

FRENCH I – 1.0 credit (9th grade)
French I is the study of French language with equal emphasis on the five ACTFL standards communication, cultures, connections, comparisons and communities, which cover speaking, writing and cultural interaction and relevance. Second language learning will concentrate on bringing new vocabulary and grammar into meaningful communicative situations. Students will be introduced to the French-speaking people and their customs and traditions by means of video, audio, and computer technology. Regular use of the language lab will be an integral part of the curriculum. Frequent listening and speaking activities will enhance students' ability to communicate in French. Cultural studies will include French cuisine, schools, family life, calendar, music, famous people, religion, art, geography and global influence.

FRENCH II – 1.0 credit (10th grade)
French II is the study of French language with equal emphasis on the five ACTFL standards communication, cultures, connections, comparisons and communities, which cover speaking, writing and cultural interaction and relevance to a more in-depth degree than French I.  Students must have completed French I at UAIS to enroll in this class.

IB FRENCH HL/SL (1 and 2) – 2.0 credit (11th/12th grade)
The focus of the French language B course (IB1) is to promote language acquisition and proficiency for functional communication in a variety of situations. Students will be able to understand and use French appropriately in a range of contexts and for a variety of purposes. The course builds upon the four basic language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing acquired in French I and II. Over the course of the two years students will encounter a broad range of topics, with material selected to show the use of French in a variety of contexts. These will also provide the opportunity for students to show their comprehension of the material and respond orally or by using an appropriate style of writing. The aim of the course is to foster a better understanding of the French language and French culture, as well as enlightening students to the depth and breadth of the French-speaking world. During the two years, students should become confident users of the language in a variety of different situations.  Works include Oscaret la damerase (Schmitt), Le Papillon et la Cite (Pineau), and Le Petit Nicolas (Gascinny).

The course will focus on the four key skills required to achieve this: speaking, reading, listening and writing. The work covered will enable students to encounter the language as it is used by French speakers around the world. The breadth of material presented is intended to generate a greater awareness of the diversity of lifestyles and viewpoints within the francophone world. In the context of IB French, the successful use of language consists of demonstrating competence in three distinct, but interrelated areas:

• Language (handling the language accurately: grammar, syntax, etc)
• Cultural Interaction (selecting language appropriate to a particular culture and social context)
• Message (understanding ideas and how they are organized in order to communicate them)

SPANISH I 1.0 credit (9th grade)
Spanish I is the study of Spanish language with emphasis on the five ACTFL standards communication, cultures, connections, comparisons and communities, which cover speaking, writing and cultural interaction and relevance. Second language learning will immerse students in new vocabulary and grammar and require them to utilize that information in meaningful communicative situations. Students will be introduced to the Spanish-speaking people and their customs and traditions by means of video, audio, and computer technology. Regular use of the language lab will be an integral part of the curriculum. Frequent listening and speaking activities will enhance students' ability to communicate in Spanish. Cultural studies will include Spanish cuisine, schools, cultural life, calendar, music, famous people, religion, art, geography and global influence.

SPANISH II – 1.0 credit (10th grade)
Spanish II is the study of French language with equal emphasis on the five ACTFL standards communication, cultures, connections, comparisons and communities, which cover speaking, writing and cultural interaction and relevance to a more in-depth degree than Spanish I.  Students must have completed Spanish I at UAIS to enroll in this class.

IB SPANISH 1 and 2 – 2.0 credit (11^th/12^th grade)
The focus of the Spanish language B course (IB1) is to promote language acquisition and proficiency for functional communication in a variety of situations. Students will be able to understand and use French appropriately in a range of contexts and for a variety of purposes. The course builds upon the four basic language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing acquired in French I and II. Over the course of the two years students will encounter a broad range of topics, with material selected to show the use of Spanish in a variety of contexts. These will also provide the opportunity for students to show their comprehension of the material and respond orally or by using an appropriate style of writing. The aim of the course is to foster a better understanding of the Spanish language and Spanish culture, as well as enlightening students to the depth and breadth of the Spanish-speaking world. During the two years, students should become confident users of the language in a variety of different situations.

The course will focus on the four key skills required to achieve this: speaking, reading, listening and writing. The work covered will enable students to encounter the language as it is used by Spanish speakers around the world. The breadth of material presented is intended to generate a greater awareness of the diversity of lifestyles and viewpoints. In the context of IB Spanish, the successful use of language consists of demonstrating competence in three distinct, but interrelated areas:

• Language (handling the language accurately: grammar, syntax, etc)
• Cultural Interaction (selecting language appropriate to a particular culture and social context)
• Message (understanding ideas and how they are organized in order to communicate them)

JAPANESE I – 1.0 credit (9th grade)
Japanese I is the study of Japanese language with emphasis on the five ACTFL standards communication, cultures, connections, comparisons and communities, which cover speaking, writing and cultural interaction and relevance. Second language learning will immerse students in new vocabulary and grammar and require them to utilize that information in meaningful communicative situations. Students will be introduced to the Japanese-speaking people and their customs and traditions by means of video, audio, and computer technology. Regular use of the language lab will be an integral part of the curriculum. Frequent listening and speaking activities will enhance students' ability to communicate in Japanese. Cultural studies will include Japanese cuisine, schools, cultural life, calendar, music, famous people, religion, art, geography and global influence. Japanese language learning will also focus on the unique pictorial nature of the Japanese written language and its cultural significance. 

Japanese II --1.0 credit (10th grade)
Japanese II is the study of Japanese language with equal emphasis on the five ACTFL standards communication, cultures, connections, comparisons and communities, which cover speaking, writing and cultural interaction and relevance to a more in-depth degree than Japanese I.  Students must have completed Japenese I at UAIS to enroll in this class.

IB JAPANESE HL/SL 1&2 --(11th/12th grade)
Japanese Language B HL/SL is a two year language course conducted entirely in Japanese which will be offered to juniors and seniors who have already taken two or three years of Japanese. It is designed to provide students with opportunities to refine and enhance their abilities to express themselves accurately and resourcefully in written and spoken Japanese. Students in Japanese Language B HL & SL will focus on further developing and refining the four primary skills in language learning – reading, writing, listening and speaking. All of the activities will be embedded in culturally authentic materials from an array of sources and media including authentic literature, movies, magazines and news articles, popular music and other realia. The materials, topics and resources of the class will be drawn from a variety of authentic cultural texts focusing on all aspects and issues of Japanese culture, including traditional and modern culture. By using a variety of materials, students will be exposed to different texts and registers in which they will be expected to communicate. As far as possible the students will learn vocabulary and grammatical structures within the context of other activities, such as oral activities or the reading of authentic texts. The students will be expected to then use the vocabulary and structures within a range of situations and purposes for which Japanese is normally used, such as work and social relationships. Their competence will involve an understanding of the following interrelated areas: