Calendars and Forms: Calendar SY2012-2013, Financial Aid Form, more

Teachers Classroom - Fine Arts & World Languages Department
Art, Spanish, Japanese

 

Rosalinda Nicdao	Gerard Sablan	Jack Shook
Japanese I & II	Spanish I & II/	Art I & II
	American Government/
	AP Psychology

 

WORLD LANGUAGES

Japanese I:  This course gives students basic Japanese language needed in real life situations for different communicative purposes. Based on various topics, language activities provide practice in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and reinforce vocabulary, grammar and language functions. Students read and write Hiragana and identify Katakana characters. Cultural aspects of Japan are also discussed to better understand the target language.

Japanese II: Japanese II is a continuation of many of the elements introduced as part of Japanese I.  This course provides students with language necessary for meaningful communicative interaction in Japanese and includes the following components:

• Language functions and structures are practiced and applied to real-life situation through role-play and pair/group activities.
• Listening and speaking skills are emphasized with further practice in the reading and writing of Hiragana and Katakana, and identification of select Kanji characters.
• Cultural aspects of Japan are also discussed to better understand the target language.
• Spiritual components of the Catholic faith are incorporated into the curriculum including learning to recite and write the “Our Father” in Japanese.

The curriculum utilizes an array of audio, visual and computer activities in order to enhance learning while making it fun for students. Prerequisite: Japanese I.

Japanese III: A continuation of second year Japanese, this course provides learners with language necessary for meaningful communicative interaction. The goal for Japanese III is to improve students’ listening and speaking abilities during their Japanese Language studies, with special focus on communicative skills as speaking performance outcomes. This course strengthens previously mastered concepts and continues and expands the development of proficiency in the language skills. Cultural aspects of Japan are also discussed to better understand the target language. Prerequisites: Japanese I, Japanese II, and teacher recommendation.

Spanish I:  The Spanish I course is designed as an introduction to Spanish language history, and culture. Since language continually builds on previously accumulated knowledge, the pace of the course is deliberately slow in the beginning to ensure a solid foundation for future enhancement, building to a slightly faster pace with increased student vocabulary and ease of communication. Students are encouraged to utilize complete sentences from the beginning of their studies as well as challenge themselves to find ways of expressing themselves by seeking out new vocabulary on their own. Students will also receive cultural instruction through use of authentic materials in the target language, including but not limited to movie, music, food, curriculum maps, magazines, and books. Students will also begin to learn about Spanish-speaking nations and their cultural specialties/peculiarities.

Spanish II: Spanish II is an intermediate Foreign Language course in which students will learn and apply basic communication skills using Spanish as the medium. The main emphasis in this course will be placed on listening and speaking, with reading and writing taking on more importance as the term progresses. Students are expected to participate in group activities, make presentations, role play, etc., in addition to doing homework and taking tests. This course will be conducted primarily in Spanish. Prerequisite: Spanish I.

Spanish III: This course will further review the structure of the Spanish language, while providing additional practice in the four basic skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. It will include a study of Spanish literary selections that require additional reading and analysis. Prerequisite: Spanish I, Spanish II, and teacher recommendation.

 

ART

Art I: The Art I course is considered beginning art where the foundation is laid, teaching students the vocabulary of art and the physical skills to convey creative ideas. Students are taught composition and creative problem solving. Art I introduces the elements and principles of design. Some of the elements to be taught are line, shape/form, color, value, and texture. Principles of design discussed, are balance, unity, emphasis/focal point, scale/proportion, illusion of space/motion, rhythm, and variety. Teaching drawing skills are crucial in Art I. When students feel comfortable and accomplished with their drawing skills, learning and creative thought are accelerated. The ability to convey ideas on paper, whether it is brainstorming, preliminary drawings, or finished product, is the main goal of Art I.  Thus, the main focus of Art I is process and progress. The tasks are designed to keep the students working at the instructional level versus the frustrational level.  Pencil, pen and ink, charcoal, pastel chalk, oil pastel, watercolor, and tempera, will be used in class, and students are expected to have a working knowledge of techniques in using the material. Proper use of scissors, glue, rulers, and stencils, are taught. Collage projects are also a part of the Art I curriculum. Art history movements for Art I are the early history and Classical Greek and Roman periods, modern art periods such as Impressionism, Post Impressionism, Expressionism, and Pop art are discussed. Artists introduced are Monet, Degas, Cezanne, Picasso, Van Gogh, Gauguin and Warhol.

Art II: Art II is considered an intermediate course. There is a shift in the instruction where product takes on an increased importance. Process over product is still emphasized, yet with developing skills, students are expected to finish projects with a stated intent of successful outcome. Wet medium such as tempera, watercolor, and block print are used more often as they require a higher degree of skill and understanding; acrylic paint may also be used in Art II. 3D projects such as wire sculpture and paper sculpture are explored in this course. Art II also focuses on career paths in art as a marketing unit is taught. Lettering, logos, advertising, and presentation are discussed and executed. There is a marked emphasis on application of the principles of design, as the knowledge of the elements of art and its vocabulary should be rote by the end of Art I. Art movements discussed in Art II are impressionism, Cubism, Abstract Expressionisms, Surrealism, Op Art, Pop Art, and Super Realism. Notable artists to be discussed are Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Monet, Picasso, Calder, Pollack, Dali, and Warhol.

Art III: This course will place emphasis on advanced drawing techniques and problem solving. Discussion of a variety of forms of art from architecture to the great artists to cartooning, will lead the students through the process of discovering what makes art great. Students will then apply these principles and ideas to help formulate and understand their own artistic tastes. Prerequisite: Art I, Art II, and teacher recommendation.

Back