Foreign Language at MKA - Montclair Kimberley Academy

Spanish is an accessible language to for most students. Muchof its vocabulary is similar to English, and written Spanish isalmost completely phonetic. It helps to have a good understandingof grammar and to be detail oriented (to rememberaccents, irregular verbs, etc.) but it is equally important to bediligent in studying a little every day in order to develop andbuild your skills. Learning a modern foreign language is askill like riding a bike – you must be willing to learn physicallythrough speaking, writing, listening and reading.Why Chinese?Chinese, in one form or another, is spoken by more than aquarter of the world’s population. It is also one of the oldestlanguages in the world, and the oldest one still in use today.Studying Chinese provides an understanding of a very ancientculture and a distinctive way of thinking. It can also help prepareyou for a world and a job market where economic connectionsbetween East and West are increasingly important.No western language is similar to Chinese. The close relationshipbetween a word and its written representation doesn’texist in any Romance language. When you see 木 (tree), youcan understand 林 (woods), and then 森 (forest). The characterfor good, 好 ,made out of a woman and a child nextto each other, tells us a lot about the historic importance offamily in China. If you are thinking of taking up Chinese,you need to be aware that its reputation for being a difficultlanguage is partially true, but if you have the motivation todo well, studying Chinese can be a wonderful and rewardingexperience. You will need a very good memory, sharpobservation skills to differentiate apparently similar characterssuch as 八 , 入 and 人 , a musical ear to be able to recognizethe tones of Chinese, and an ability to reproduce thesetones. The tones make learning Chinese both challengingand interesting. The four characters 妈 , 麻 , 马 , 骂 are allpronounced ma, but with a different tone each (respectively,mā, má, mǎ and mà).Linguistic challenge, a deep sense of history and unlimitedopportunity for use are all part of the mastery of Chinese.Why Latin?Latin has given me a set of skills and insights that cannot comefrom any other language. Once you have taken Latin, youcan deal with anything any modern European language canthrow at you. Not only is Latin at the base of all these languages,but it also contains all of their major structures. Whenyou study the speeches of Cicero, or the poetry of Virgil, youlearn tricks of prose and poetry that were used by the best writersof the day, and that extra polish goes a long way in writingthe kind of advanced papers college professors will demand.Sam Bieler ‘08, University of Pennsylvania ‘12Learn the language of the Romans that evolved into Spanish,French, Italian and Portuguese! Did you know that almost allthe planets and their moons are named after Greco-Romanmythological figures? Over 50% of English words are derivedfrom Latin, and understanding Latin can provide valuableinsights into the meaning of more complex English words. Inaddition to leaving us a legacy of great literature and art, theRomans created cement, roads, aqueducts, our calendar andmany other inventions that are still used today. Latin is theprecise and beautiful language of many of the past’s great artists,architects, authors, scholars and statesmen.The study of Latin involves learning lots of forms since theform of a word differs depending on how it is functioning ina sentence. Therefore, good memorization skills are helpful.However, learning Latin also involves attention to detail;for example, there is a difference in function between a wordthat ends in -a and a word that ends inā. Studying Latin alsofirms up knowledge of grammar, so if you like grammar oryour grammar skills could use some strengthening, Latin canbe very rewarding. Determining how each word fits togetherto make up a Latin sentence requires critical thinking and alsoa bit of “detective work.” If you like puzzles and hunting forclues to help you figure out the solution to a puzzle, thenLatin may be just the language for you!For more detailed information on specific coursecontent and levels offered, please refer to the CampusCurriculum Guides available on the MKA website atwww.mka.org.Amigable • 友 好 • Amical • Rem Praestare • Responsable • 责Responsable • Confidens • Seguro • 自 信 • Confiant • Temper• Mesurado • 温 和 • Modéré • Iustus • Justo • 公 正 • Juste •tus • Bien informado • 灵 通 • Informé • Sincerus • Honesto •实 • Honnête • Verecundus • Respetuoso • 恭 敬 • RespectueuBenevolus • Amigable • 友 好 • Amical • Rem Praestare • Respsable • 责 任 • Responsable • Confidens • Seguro • 自 信 • Co• Temperans • Mesurado • 温 和 • Modéré • Iustus • Justo • 公Juste • Doctus • Bien informado • 灵 通 • Informé • Sincerus •nesto • 诚 实 • Honnête • Verecundus • Respetuoso • 恭 敬 • Rspectueux • Benevolus • Amigable • 友 好 • Amical • Rem Pra• Responsable • 责 任 • Responsable • Confidens • Seguro • 自Confiant • Temperans • Mesurado • 温 和 • Modéré • Iustus •• 公 正 • Juste • Doctus • Bien informado • 灵 通 • Informé •rus • HonestoForeign• 诚 实 • Honnête • Verecundus • Respetuoso •• Respectueux • Benevolus • Amigable • 友 好 • Amical • Remstare • Responsable • 责 任 • Responsable • Confidens • Segur信 • Confiant • Temperans • Mesurado • 温 和 • Modéré • IusJusto •Language公 正 • Juste • Doctus • Bien informado • 灵 通 • InformSincerus • Honesto • 诚 实 • Honnête • Verecundus • Respetuo恭 敬 • Respectueux • Benevolus • Amigable • 友 好 • Amical •Praestare • Responsable • 责 任 • Responsable • Confidens • S• 自 信 • Confiantat• TemperansMKA• Mesurado • 温 和 • Modéré •tus • Justo • 公 正 • Juste • Doctus • Bien informado • 灵 通 •mé • Sincerus • Honesto • 诚 实 • Honnête • Verecundus • Reoso • 恭 敬 • Respectueux • Benevolus • Amigable • 友 好 • A• Rem Praestare • Responsable • 责 任 • Responsable • ConfidSeguro • 自 信 • Confiant • Temperans • Mesurado • 温 和 • M• Iustus • Justo • 公 正 • Juste • Doctus • Bien informado • 灵• Informé • Sincerus • Honesto • 诚 实 • Honnête • VerecunduRespetuoso • 恭 敬 • Respectueux • Benevolus • Amigable • 友Amical • Rem Praestare • Responsable • 责 任 • Responsable •fidens • Seguro • 自 信 • Confiant • Temperans • Mesurado •• Modéré • Iustus • Justo • 公 正 • Juste • Doctus • Bien infor• 灵 通 • Informé • Sincerus • Honesto • 诚 实 • Honnête • Vedus • Respetuoso • 恭 敬 • Respectueux • Benevolus • Amigab友 好 • Amical • Rem Praestare • Responsable • 责 任 • Respon• Confidens • Seguro • 自 信 • Confiant • Temperans • Mesura温 和 The • Modéré Montclair • Iustus • Justo Kimberley • 公 正 • Juste Academy• Doctus • Bienformado • 灵 通 • Informé • Sincerus • Honesto • 诚 实 • Hon• Verecundus • Respetuoso • 恭 敬 • Respectueux • BenevolusAmigable • 友 好 • Amical • Rem Praestare • Responsable • 责Responsable • Confidens • Seguro • 自 信 • Confiant • Temper• Mesurado • 温 和 • Modéré • Iustus • Justo • 公 正 • Juste •

“To have another language is to possess a second soul” - CharlemagneLanguage Study At MkaIn accordance with its mission to “Engage each student intellectuallyand personally with the world,” The Montclair KimberleyAcademy provides a rich and cohesive world language programthat incorporates a range of opportunities from Pre-K – 12thgrade. Exposure to another language creates students who aremore informed and culturally aware of the world around them.All students begin language study when they enter MKA, and areencouraged to study French, Spanish, Chinese or Latin for fourconsecutive years at the Upper School.We teach our students that learning language is practical andpurposeful because they can have immediate access to millionsmore people simply by speaking a second language. Our studentsstudy current events in the target language; they read newspaperarticles and write their own; they use podcasts to simulate authenticconversations; they do research on the history and culture ofthe countries where the language is spoken; they create pamphletsthat defend a cause, and through technology; they converse withnative speakers. Our students learn to write formal and informalletters; they write and perform interviews with famous nativespeakers; and they study literature and movies that give them insightinto the culture and traditions of the target language countries.When they find themselves face to face with someone whodoesn’t speak English, they can communicate. Tracy Kuser, UpperSchool Foreign Language TeacherMKA has a tradition of excellence in the teaching of foreignlanguages, and students have the opportunity to enter nationallanguage exams and excel in Advanced Placements courses andSAT subject tests. With MKA’s 1:1 laptop learning environment,students essentially have access to personal language labs. Emphasison fluency as well as reading, writing and aural comprehensionproduces students who can communicate effectivelyand are able to take full advantage of the variety of foreign tripsoffered by the school. In addition, many students find that theirMKA courses fulfill freshman college language requirements, andgo on to study languages at the highest levels. Some MKA graduateshave used their preparation as a foundation to pursue newlanguages as complex as Russian, Korean and Hindi.At MKA, French, Spanish, Chinese and Latin are offered at variousgrades and at various levels:At the Primary School:Starting in Pre-Kindergarten, French and Spanish are offered inalternating years. Students beginning French or Spanish in Pre-Kwill study that language for five years at the Brookside campus.Children who enter at a later grade will join the language thathis/her peers began in Pre-K. Pre-K students entering in September2010 will study Spanish. Pre-K students entering in September2011 will study French. Students leave Brookside with a lovefor language study, an “ear” for the language, significant vocabularyexposure and the foundations of an authentic accent, readyto develop further skills in a language of their choice.There are four choice points where students may elect to beginthe study of a new language:At the Middle School:All incoming 4th - 6th grade students, regardless of the languagethey may have studied in their elementary school years, have theoption to choose to study either French or Spanish. Because languageselection at Brookside is determined by year of entry, thisprovides a great opportunity to try something new, and experiencehas shown that students flourish when transferring from oneRomance language to another.In seventh grade, students new to MKA can choose betweenentry level French, Spanish, Chinese or Latin or may place into ahigher-level French or Spanish class if they have prior experiencein those languages. Current MKA students are encouraged to remainin the language they have been studying in order to ensurecompletion of the full language sequence to AP level however,they may switch to an entry level Latin or Chinese course.At the Upper School:All students entering 9th grade have the option to study French,Spanish, Chinese or Latin. Students who are new to MKA cantake a placement test if they have prior experience with a languageand are interested in moving directly beyond Level 1. Forthose who are particularly facile with foreign languages and areable to balance an increased workload, there may be the optionto “double up” and study two languages during an academic year.The majority of students take a language through level four intheir junior year, and many continue to level five, honors or APoptions for senior year.How Do You ChooseA Language?Why French?Everyone asked me why I chose French, pointing out thatSpanish was becoming more and more practical, or telling mehow useful Latin would be for the upcoming SATs, to which Ireplied, “Yes, I know… but French is just so beautiful.” Luckily,I can now say that learning French has turned out to be a farmore practical decision than I ever would have imagined. Littledid I know that my French 1 course freshman year at MKAwould lead to a French minor at Duke University, let alone mycurrent graduate studies here in Paris. Mara Herrmann ‘05Be understood in 55 countries across 5 continents by over200 million people! Did you know that over 50% of Englishwords come directly from French? French is the 2nd mostinfluential language in the worlds of diplomacy, science andbusiness. It is the 2nd language of the European Union – thelargest economic power in the world, and is the 2nd languageof the Internet. In addition, France is the 5th largest economicpower in the world, and approximately 500,000 workers inthe USA are employed by French companies.French is an accessible language that shares the same alphabetand even some of the same words as English. While anability to spell correctly and an understanding of grammarwill help you master French, the ability to pronounce wordsthat may not necessarily look like what they sound like is askill that you can develop over time. As with learning mostforeign languages, starting out with a confident and uninhibitedattitude is important - practice really does make perfect!Why Spanish?Simply put the “magic” of studying Spanish is its usefulness.There are 500 million speakers in the world and Spanish isan official language on four continents. There are more nativespeakers of Spanish than English worldwide, and in theUnited States, there are over 30 million native Spanish speakers–a number that continues to grow rapidly. There has beena cultural explosion of Spanish literature, art, music and filmin recent years, and finally, being able to speak Spanish makesyou marketable from a career standpoint, as Spanish speakersconstitute a huge and rapidly growing worldwide market - predictedto be one of the most important markets of the future.(Continued on the other side)