Foreign Language Department

Link to teacher bios

Philosophy:

    Foreign language teachers at Hampton Roads Academy believe that learning a second language is an essential part of each student’s preparation for college and for life in our ever-shrinking world.  We believe that students at every grade level should have exposure to foreign languages.  HRA middle school students begin the language-learning process through FLEX classes, with the formal study of language commencing in the seventh grade.  We encourage our upper school students to continue their studies through their senior year to best be prepared for collegiate requirements, and we challenge them to be as proficient as possible by taking the most advanced courses offered.
    Because written and spoken communication is the goal of language learning, we believe that it is necessary to maintain small classes where students feel comfortable expressing themselves. In modern language classes we believe that both teacher and students should communicate mainly in the target language. In Latin classes, the emphasis is on developing language skills that will enable the students to read and enjoy classical Latin literature.  This includes a large component of cultural studies.  We promote and encourage activities, both within and outside of the classroom, which help bring the language to life for the students.
    We believe that language is a medium of communication and it should be taught as such.  Our modern language classes stress the communicative functions; we emphasize the four skill areas of speaking, listening, reading and writing.  We teach students to employ each of these four aspects of language at an increasingly sophisticated level as they advance through the program. Our rigorous and thorough approach teaches students to control the mechanics of the language and to master the structural concepts at each level, ensuring their preparation for the most advanced courses.  In all language classes we endeavor to develop in the students a greater depth of cultural understanding as they improve their skills in the target language.

Mission:

· To give all students the opportunity for basic competence in one or more of the languages offered at HRA, and to provide very able students with courses that are the equivalent of those at the college level.
· To create an atmosphere in which the focus language is accessible and comfortable for students with various learning styles.
· To give the students the tools they need to succeed in foreign language classes both in high school and college.
· To teach students to communicate comfortably and with increasing accuracy
in the foreign language, both orally and in writing, by using the target language as much as possible in class.
· To enable students to begin to read and understand original texts.
· To establish the importance of language learning in a global environment by expanding awareness of other cultures, and connecting language with culture and history.
· To expose students to foreign languages throughout their HRA career, and to encourage them both to begin their formal sequence when appropriate and to continue language classes through their senior year.

Middle School Foreign Language Program

    Middle-School foreign language studies begin in the sixth grade through a "Global Village" course (world languages exploratory program) that lasts for one semester. The class combines an historical perspective on language development with basic language skills from among both Western and non-Western languages, as well as gives students the opportunity to learn about cultural practices, art and literature from selected areas of the world.  In addition, sixth-grade students will learn the rudiments of Spanish, French and Latin, and will select one of these for study beginning in the seventh-grade year. In seventh grade, students begin their sequence of language study with level I-A and conclude the course with level I-B in grade eight. By the conclusion of the A-B curriculum, middle school students have earned one credit in foreign language and are prepared to begin level II in ninth grade.
    Although the minimum requirement for graduation from HRA is a three-year sequence of language study (or two years of Latin followed by a minimum of two years of a modern language), the vast majority of students continue well beyond the requirement. Of  the seventy students in the class of 2008, for example, approximately eighty-four percent continued to study a second language during the senior year. We encourage students to begin foreign language in the seventh grade with an eye toward continuing those studies throughout high school.

Upper School Foreign Language Program

    Three languages, with five levels of each, are offered at HRA: French, Latin and Spanish.  The fifth level of each language is an Advanced Placement course.  Upper school students are required to complete the third level of a foreign language, or to complete two years of Latin followed by two years or more of a modern language.  The vast majority of our students continue studying a second language through their senior year, allowing them to be well prepared for collegiate requirements that lie ahead.  Because our seven-period day allows for the study of elective courses, a number of students opt to pursue more than one language simultaneously.  By every measure, our upper-school language program has had great success:  Students continue language studies beyond the required minimum, achieve strong results on national tests such as the Achievement Tests and the Advanced Placement exams of the College Board, compete well in language contests on the regional and national level, regularly qualify for prestigious programs such as the Governor’s School Language Academies, and report back that they have had little difficulty in their college studies.  Of the seventy students in the class of 2008, approximately eighty-four percent continued their language studies during the senior year.
     In addition to the academic aspect of our foreign language program, there is a strong extra-curricular component as well.  Students have the opportunity to participate in language clubs, may be invited to join language honor societies, and have the chance to travel to the countries of the various target languages through school-sponsored trips abroad.