Modern & Classical Languages Courses
French I
Students will acquire foundational language skills and an appreciation of Francophone cultures. Students engage in all modes of communication (interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational) and develop vocabulary for common situations. Per national guidelines, the goal is for both students and teacher to maintain French during 90% of class time. Students demonstrate their learning through performance-based assessments in real-world contexts. By the end of French I, students will exhibit Novice-Mid to Novice-High level proficiency.
Prerequisites: None
Course Length: One year
Credit: One credit
French II
Students continue to develop their communication skills, with a particular focus on speaking proficiency. Students reinforce the foundation built in French I and engage with new real-life situations and authentic materials. Per national guidelines, the goal is for both students and teacher to maintain French during 90% of class time. As in French I, French II students demonstrate their learning with performance-based assessments. By the end of French II, students will exhibit Novice-High to Intermediate-Low level proficiency.
Prerequisites: French I
Course Length: One year
Credit: One credit
French III
French III rounds out the introduction to all major communicative time frames (past, present, future). Students continue to interact with authentic resources in real-life contexts and expand their knowledge and understanding of Francophone cultures and history. Per national guidelines, the goal is for both students and teacher to maintain French during 90% of class time. As in previous years, students demonstrate their learning via performance-based assessments. By the end of French III, students will exhibit solid Intermediate-Low level proficiency or above.
Prerequisites: French II or Honors French II
Course Length: One year
Credit: One credit
College French III
College French III pushes students not only to expand their communicative ability, but also to refine their grammatical and written accuracy. More focus is placed on explicit grammar instruction and assessment. They continue to interact with authentic resources in real-life contexts and expand their knowledge and understanding of Francophone cultures and history. Per national guidelines, the goal is for both students and teacher to maintain French during 90% of class time. As in previous years, students demonstrate their learning via performance-based assessments. By the end of College French III, students will exhibit solid Intermediate-Low level proficiency or above.
Prerequisites: 89% in Honors French II, 91% French II
Course Length: One year
Credit: One credit
Option: Dual Enrollment option requires 87% cumulative GPA (additional fees apply)
College French IV
Students are challenged to polish and integrate their foundational French language skills to attain or exceed an advanced level of proficiency by interpreting authentic audio and written texts (non-fiction and literary), communicating orally and in writing in interpersonal and presentational contexts and using critical thinking skills to analyze evidence and to advocate a position. French is the primary language spoken in class.
– Students entering from French III are ineligible for college credit as the prerequisite was not met.
Prerequisites: 89% College French III or 91% in French III
Course Length: One year
Credit: One credit
Option: Dual Enrollment option requires 87% cumulative GPA (additional fees apply)
Honors Francophone Culture I
Students will explore selected topics in Francophone culture that integrate language, contemporary life, history and the arts.
Prerequisites: 89% in previous upper level French course
Grade: 11, 12
Course Length: One semester (fall semester only)
Credit: One-half credit
Offered in academic year 2026-2027
Honors Francophone Culture II
Students will explore selected topics in Francophone culture that integrate language, contemporary life, history and the arts.
Prerequisites: 89% in previous upper level French course
Grade: 11, 12
Course Length: One semester (fall semester only)
Credit: One-half credit
Offered in academic year 2026-2027
Honors French Literature I
In this course, conducted in French, students will explore francophone literary works of various genres and movements in historic context while honing their advanced language skills. The class will meet on campus four periods per week.
Prerequisites: 89% in previous upper level French course
Grade: 11, 12
Course Length: One semester (fall semester only)
Credit: One-half credit
Offered in academic year 2025-2026
Honors French Literature II
In this course, conducted in French, students will explore francophone literary works of various genres and movements in historic context while honing their advanced language skills. The class will meet on campus four periods per week.
Prerequisites: 89% in previous upper level French course
Grade: 11, 12
Course Length: One semester (spring semester only)
Credit: One-half credit
Offered in academic year 2025-2026
Latin I
Introduces the fundamentals of Latin, taking students through verb and noun structure and building an understanding of the language from the ground up. Students also engage equally with English grammar and simultaneously begin to gain mastery over the English language. Grammar lessons are reinforced by authentic passages from ancient, medieval, and renaissance authors, and modern Latin phrases from all areas of academia. The unique nature of a Latin course also provides for students to study introductory Linguistics: Morphology, Semantics, Phonetics, Etymology, Orthography, and Syntax; and since Latin is the mother of the Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese, and Romanian languages, students likewise have the pleasure of pursuing evolutionary and comparative linguistics with modern Romance languages as well as of approaching the fundamentals of Latin and Greek root words found in medical, veterinary, and legal terminology, in addition to that of zoological taxonomy, biology, astronomy, and several other scientific fields. Roman and Greek history and culture are also discussed in large measure.
Prerequisites: None
Course Length: One year
Credit: One credit
Latin II
Latin II furthers the introduction to the fundamentals of the language and begins to engage with more elaborate syntax and complex grammatical constructions. In tandem with Latin, students engage equally with English grammar and continue to further mastery over the structure of the English language. Grammar lessons are reinforced by authentic passages from ancient, medieval, and renaissance authors, and modern Latin phrases from all areas of academia. Students continue working with introductory principles of structural Linguistics: Morphology, Semantics, Phonetics, Etymology, Orthography, and Syntax. Students likewise have the pleasure of pursuing evolutionary and comparative linguistics with modern Romance language (Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese, and Romanian) and of continuing to learn the fundamentals of Latin and Greek root words found in medical, veterinary, and legal terminology, as well as that of zoological taxonomy, biology, astronomy, and several other scientific fields. Roman and Greek history and culture are also discussed in large measure.
Prerequisites: Latin I
Course Length: One year
Credit: One credit
College Latin III
College Latin III finalizes a student’s introduction to simple Latin grammar and syntax. In tandem with Latin grammar, by necessity students engage equally with English grammar and continue to gain further mastery over the structure of the English language. In Latin III, authentic ancient, medieval, and renaissance texts take precedence in classwork, but grammar lessons remain reinforced by modern Latin phrases from all areas of academia. Students continue working with introductory principles of structural Linguistics: Morphology, Semantics, Phonetics, Etymology, Orthography, and Syntax. Students likewise have the pleasure of pursuing evolutionary and comparative linguistics with modern Romance language (Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese, and Romanian) and of continuing to learn the fundamentals of Latin and Greek root words found in medical, veterinary, and legal terminology, as well as that of zoological taxonomy, biology, astronomy, and several other scientific fields. Roman and Greek history and culture are also discussed in large measure. College Latin III may be taken for dual credit.
Prerequisites: 85% average in Latin II
Course Length: One year
Credit: One credit
College Latin IV
College Latin IV Students find themselves at long last wading into the majestic and challenging depths of the Latin language while exploring advanced grammar and syntax, poetic structures, and tendencies of Latin prose composition. Students plunge into the subjunctive mood and thus the wondrous world of modality and subordinate clauses. With so many authentic Latin texts from all genres of literature written over more than twenty centuries – from the earliest inscriptions to modern novellas – the Latin IV curriculum is easily adaptable to each student’s particular interests, intended occupational path, or impending area of study at university. Students continue to investigate ever more deeply the various fields of Linguistics encountered in earlier courses (Morphology, Semantics, Phonetics, Etymology, Orthography, Syntax) as well as to pursue evolutionary and comparative linguistics with the five modern Romance languages (Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese, and Romanian) and to engage with the Latin and Greek root words found in medical, veterinary, and legal terminology and that of animal taxonomy, biology, astronomy, and several other scientific fields. Roman and Greek history and culture are also discussed in large measure. Latin IV may be taken for dual credit.
Prerequisites: 85% average in College Latin III
Course Length: One year
Credit: One credit
Spanish I
This course is taught using Comprehensible Input and TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling), with input as the primary focus. Students will acquire the Spanish language by listening and reading to support their eventual output of writing and speaking using a variety of culturally rich materials. Upon course completion, students will have reached a novice-mid proficiency level per ACTFL standards.
Prerequisites: None
Course Length: One year
Credit: One credit
Spanish II
This course is taught using comprehensible input and TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling), with input as the primary focus. Students will acquire the Spanish language by listening and reading to support their emerging output of writing and speaking using a variety of culturally rich materials. Upon course completion, students will have reached a novice-high proficiency level per ACTFL standards.
Prerequisites: Spanish I
Course Length: One year
Credit: One credit
Spanish III
This course is taught using comprehensible input and TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling). Students will acquire the Spanish language through rich input to support their emerging output of writing and speaking using a variety of culturally rich materials with a heightened focus on grammar in context. Upon course completion, students will have emerged from novice to an intermediate-low proficiency level per ACTFL standards.
Prerequisites: Spanish II
Course Length: One year
Credit: One credit
Spanish IV
This course is taught using comprehensible input and TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling), with input and output as the primary focuses to create opportunities for communication, largely in the form of exposure to communicatively embedded input that is comprehensible, through reading (whole-class and individual), storytelling, film, discussion, and music. Students will continue their acquisition of the Spanish language by listening and reading to support their output of writing and speaking using a variety of culturally rich materials with a heightened focus on grammar in context. Upon course completion, students will have continued to grow in the intermediate-low to mid proficiency level per ACTFL standards.
Prerequisites: Spanish III or College Spanish III
Course Length: One year
Credit: One credit
Honors Spanish V
A fifth year of Spanish is offered when there is sufficient demand for such a course. Through an experiential learning lens, students will continue to develop their proficiency through exploring various topics related to the Spanish-speaking world, with a focus on the Hispanic/Latino community in Kansas City. Upon course completion, students will have reached intermediate-high to advanced-low proficiency per ACTFL standards.
Prerequisites: Spanish IV or College Spanish IV
Grade: 11, 12
Course Length: One year
Credit: One credit
College Spanish III
This course is taught using comprehensible input and TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling). Students will continue their acquisition of the Spanish language through rich input to support their emerging output of writing and speaking using a variety of culturally rich materials, with a heightened focus on grammar in context. Upon course completion, students will have emerged from novice to an intermediate-low proficiency level per ACTFL standards.
Prerequisites: 91% in Spanish II
Course Length: One year
Credit: One credit
Option: Dual Enrollment option requires 87% cumulative GPA (additional fees apply)
College Spanish IV
This course is taught using comprehensible input and TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling), with input and output as the primary focuses to create opportunities for communication, largely in the form of exposure to communicatively embedded input that is comprehensible, through reading (whole-class and individual), storytelling, film, discussion, and music. Students will continue their acquisition of the Spanish language by listening and reading to support their output of writing and speaking using a variety of culturally rich materials with a heightened focus on grammar in context. Upon course completion, students will have continued to grow in the intermediate-low proficiency level and beyond per ACTFL standards.
– Students entering from Spanish III are ineligible for college credit as the prerequisite was not met.
Prerequisites: 89% in College Spanish III or 91% in Spanish III
Course Length: One year
Credit: One credit
Option: Dual Enrollment option requires 87% cumulative GPA (additional fees apply)