World Language and Gifted Resources

MSGA is proud to offer students the choice among French and Spanish. Emphasis is placed on the application of the language skills to daily life and on cultural topics concerning foreign countries. The purpose of the full year course is to develop proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students will work year-round on building a basic vocabulary, such as: using common expressions, physical descriptions, classroom objects and parts, family, numbers, telling time, dates, and clothing. This course encourages students to develop positive attitudes toward linguistic and cultural diversity, while expanding their own individual skills.

By the end of the 6th grade, students will be able to do the following in their selected language:

• Sustain simple and brief oral and written exchanges in the foreign language
• Understand simple oral and written language presented in a variety of media
• Present brief material in the foreign language
• Gain awareness of the commonalities between varied cultures and traditions
• Gain a global view on different important world issues

Additionally, students will be able to:

• Ask and answer basic questions
• Describe the weather
• Identify main ideas and details
• Write descriptions about their classes, family, and themselves
• Introduce themselves
• Express likes and dislikes
• Identify French- and Spanish-speaking countries
• Follow directions to complete a task
• Express discomfort
• Write a minimum of 100 words in the target language
• Read and understand 200-300 words in the target language
• Understand graphs, articles, and posters in the target language

Students' language abilities are assessed through performance tasks in the following areas throughout the year:

• Speaking and conversational skills
• Visual interpretation
• Writing
• Reading and listening comprehension