Modern & Classical Languages

Language study at St. Mark’s builds communication skills, broadens cultural perspectives, and deepens understanding of self and others.

Through modern and classical languages, students explore history, culture, and ideas across time—from today’s global communities to the worlds of ancient Greece and Rome. Opportunities range from immersive coursework to the Classics Diploma, which includes advanced study, a capstone project, and travel abroad.

From the Classroom

Chinese

Mandarin Chinese I is a beginning-level course for students who have little or no knowledge of Mandarin Chinese. It opens with an introduction to the Chinese alphabet and helps students refine pronunciation by comparing and contrasting the Chinese alphabet to English. It then proceeds to conversational practice in Chinese, which focuses on developing students’ knowledge in basic and expanded vocabulary and grammar rules, as well as promoting communicative skills to acquire and exchange information. The conversation topics include properly greeting people, addressing people by titles and professions, giving and asking for individual information, and giving and asking for number-related information, etc. Teacher-developed material is based on Integrated Chinese Level 1 Part 1 by Yuhua Liu, supplemented by websites and applications. In addition to teacher demonstration, group/partner discussions, skits, projects, and other learning activities are included in the program so that students develop their own understanding and advance their skills in reading, speaking, listening, and writing.

French

Students begin their study of French with fundamental building blocks in four key areas of world language study: listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. Emphasis is on the development of proficient communication within the context of francophone culture. Students learn fundamental grammar as embedded in authentic spoken language and texts. Upon completion, students should be able to comprehend and respond with grammatical accuracy to spoken and written French in order to communicate about events taking place in the present and immediate future as well as demonstrate cultural awareness. The end-of-year ACTFL proficiency target is Novice- High for Interpretive Listening (IL) and Interpretive Reading (IR).

Spanish

Students learn to express themselves in simple but accurate Spanish. The course aims to develop communication skills and an awareness of the cultural diversity of the Spanish-speaking world. The class is conducted primarily in Spanish. Different kinds of authentic and audiovisual materials are used to enhance the exposure of the students to real-life situational interactions and culture. Although the main focus of the course is oral communication, attention will also be given to reading and writing skills. The end-of-year ACTFL proficiency target is Novice-High for Interpretive Listening (IL) and Interpretive Reading (IR).

Greek

Students who take Greek acquire vocabulary, morphology, and grammar knowledge through a graded reader that integrates Athenian context and culture with the fundamentals of the language. Reading fluency in Attic Greek, both for accurate translation and overall comprehension, is the goal of year one. Students draw comparisons between ancient and modern societies, systems, and human experiences.

Greek II explores enduring aspects of ancient Greek history, philosophy, art and culture. Students continue their study of the Greek language, vocabulary, and grammar as they read passages of authentic Greek poetry and prose. At the end of this year, students engage in a Classical Diploma capstone project at the successful completion of which they will receive their Classical Diploma if that is the course of study they have chosen.

Latin

Our Latin courses use the reading method of instruction. At the beginning level, students are introduced to grammar and syntax through the storyline of the Suburani textbook. As they progress they are exposed to increasingly complex prose and complete their formal study of grammar. By year three students are able to read and interpret authentic texts in a self-paced, gradually self-directed learning environment. As the texts become more difficult, the students’ responsibility for annotating and translating becomes more sophisticated. At the advanced level, students are exposed to a variety of poetry and prose genres which they read, analyze and discuss even as they continue to develop foundational translation and interpretation skills. Students learn how to self-regulate and by mid-year work independently on a research project of their choosing during which they learn attribution and notation skills for scholarly writing.

Classics Diploma

For students who wish to pursue a deeper path in classical languages, St. Mark’s offers a Classics Diploma. To earn it, students complete three years of one classical language and two years of the other, participate in the biennial trip to Greece or Italy, and design a capstone project in Classical studies during Greek II. Prior coursework in Latin or Greek may be accepted for credit with departmental and Dean of Academics approval. Advanced courses may be taken following successful completion of the appropriate prerequisites.