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THE DEPARTMENT OF WORLD LANGUAGES
At Madison High School and Madison Junior School, French, Spanish, Italian and Chinese are offered. Spanish instruction is offered in Grades 3-5 two times/week. The objective in the world language courses is to develop students’ listening, speaking, reading, writing and thinking skills while increasing cultural knowledge of countries where the language is spoken. A variety of methods and techniques will be used to enhance students’ comprehension, fluency, and cultural awareness.
The acquisition of a second language is imperative in today's society. The internationalization of the U. S. economy further emphasizes that the knowledge of foreign languages and cultures is essential for success in the international marketplace. Therefore, our foreign language program reflects the needs of the global economy and the multicultural workplace. We focus our language instruction on communicative goals. Through hands-on experiences, students use the target language in everyday situations. The emphasis is on learning how to speak and how to understand the language.
The World Language program in Madison strives to do the following: teach World Languages for the purpose of communication; increase the cultural awareness of students; make connections through World Language to other disciplines, and prepare students for using a World Language in their chosen career. All language instruction follows the guidelines set forth in the New Jersey Curriculum Content Standards for World Language. While all classes follow the program outlined, the presentation of material in regular, honors and Advanced Placement classes does differ. Honors classes tend to go at a faster pace and deal with the subject matter in greater detail. The curriculum for the Advanced Placement classes adheres to the guidelines set forth by the College Board. These classes are geared for students who will be taking the Advanced Placement Exam in May for possible college credit.