Foreign Language

French has been included in the curriculum since the founding of the School, due in part to its historical role in classical studies.  Renaissance is pleased to add Spanish in 2010, a direct response to increasing requests from students and in recognition of the vital role of this language in modern American culture. We expect this demand to increase and will gradually transition to Spanish as the primary language of study at Renaissance.

Spanish

During the 2010/2011 academic year, Renaissance will offer both Spanish I and Spanish II, with the expectation to add Spanish III the following year. This will ensure that new students will be able to earn three foreign language credits in Spanish at Renaissance School. During the spring and summer of 2010, the School will be interviewing candidates for this new teaching position. Watch this page, or the weekly letter, for updates.

French

During the 2010/2011 academic year, Renaissance will offer French II, III, and IV. Upper level classes in French will be maintained for current students who have completed French I and II this year so those students may meet their French language requirements at Renaissance. Classes in French will be phased out over time.

Ms. Joan Barnett, French instructor, joined the faculty in 2009, bringing over thirty years experience teaching French in both public and private schools and at UC Berkeley where she earned her Masters in French. You can read her detailed bio in the “Faculty” page of this website, and a description of the French curriculum at Renaissance School below:

Learning to communicate orally, to read, and to write in French gives Renaissance students an understanding and appreciation of other cultures and prepares them for living in a global society. Through their study of French, students become more aware of their own language. Learning about the rich cultural heritage of France and other French-speaking countries gives students different ways of thinking, as well. Viewing films, seeing or reading plays, poetry, short stories, novels and articles, preparing and cooking foods of French-speaking peoples, singing songs in French, and studying great works of art and architecture are some of the many ways our students gain insight and appreciation of the francophone world, a world where French is spoken on five continents.

Students in all French classes work on all four language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing). French I is designed to help students begin to develop linguistic proficiency: to know the basic structure of the French language, its pronunciation and the music of the language; they learn to listen, the first part of learning how to speak. French II continues to interweave language and culture and is designed to further students’ acquisition of the four language skills; by the conclusion of level II, they will have increased vocabulary and verbal skills, better pronunciation and intonation and the ability to think in French. Level III is the Year of the Verbs! Students review the le présent, le passé composé and l’impératif tenses and are introduced to l’imparfait, le futur, le conditionnel and le subjonctif. In Level IV, students study the history, literature and art from France’s past to the present. Grammar is reviewed and expanded upon, serving to strengthen language skills, and students write extensively. Students read La Chanson de Roland (excerpts); Jean Anouilh’s play about Joan of Arc, L’Alouette; the film scenario Les Jeux Sont Faits by Sartre (they watch the 1940’s black and white film). The poems of Jacques Prévert (many of which are sung by Yves Montand), Verlaine, Hugo and others enrich students’ language study at all levels.

Whether students are learning French with the goal of teaching in the Peace Corps in a remote African village, or working for a large business in a francophone country, or being able to read the great works of francophone literature, or simply for communicating with a French-speaking pen-pal, knowing this beautiful language will enrich their lives in countless ways and give them the cultural and linguistic preparations to participate in the global society in which we live.