World Cultures & Adv. World Cultures
Students in C Group are enrolled in World Cultures, with students in I & A Groups alternating between Foreign Language and Advanced World Cultures. Students in this course will explore the relationship between language and culture, identify the features and structures of language, explore the relationship between language and cultural identity, and investigate how culture creates and transforms individual and social experiences.
Unit 1: Spanish Travel Terms
"Learning basic Spanish allows you to do more than simply translate Spanish into English . By gaining a working proficiency with Spanish you will have the opportunity to make new friends, absorb new cultures and do business with a huge population of people. And since it is a Romance language, learning the Spanish language gives you an advantage in grasping other Romance languages such as French and Italian. For native English speakers living in the United States, Spanish is by far the most valuable second language to learn. As the second most widely spoken language in the world, Spanish has more than 400 million speakers and is the native tongue in 20 different countries." - Rosetta Stone
Resources:
How Languages Evolve
Unit 2: Peru
"During the pre-Hispanic period, the Inca spread their language, Quechua, across the highlands and along the coast, although some groups near Lake Titicaca spoke Aymara at the time of the Spanish conquest. Quechua and Aymara are still prevalent and have official usage, with Spanish, in regions where they are heavily spoken. Tropical forest areas were outside Incan influence, and the numerous languages and dialects now spoken in the Amazon region reflect the diverse linguistic heritage of the tropical forest peoples. Like their Inca ancestors, the overwhelming number of indigenous people read neither their own nor any other language. In major cities and tourist areas, however, English and other European languages are commonly spoken." - Encyclopedia Britannica
Resources:
Country Fact Profile: Peru
National Geographic Peru
"One Day In..." Peru Project
Inca Civilization Reading
TedEd: The Rise and Fall of the Inca Empire
Peru's Culture
Unit 3: French Travel Terms
"If you’re intrigued by the French language, you’ll love learning more about the history of the official language of France. One of the five main romance languages that descended from Latin, (the other four are: Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, and Spanish) French is a fun and popular language to learn... The history of the French language is rich. Essentially, French is an evolution of Gallo-Romance dialects, with its origins starting out in Gaul... As with any other language, French has never been immune to strong influences from other languages, particularly Greek, Italian and English – the latter being a huge force on the language throughout the twentieth and twenty first centuries." - Rosetta Stone
Resources:
Top 20 French Travel Phrases
Unit 4: Madagascar
"Although located some 250 miles (400 km) from the African continent, Madagascar’s population is primarily related not to African peoples but rather to those of Indonesia, more than 3,000 miles (4,800 km) to the east. The Malagasy peoples, moreover, do not consider themselves to be Africans, but, because of the continuing bond with France that resulted from former colonial rule, the island developed political, economic, and cultural links with the French-speaking countries of western Africa." Encyclopedia Britannica
Resources:
National Geographic Madagascar
www.worldwildlife.org/places/madagascar
"Learning basic Spanish allows you to do more than simply translate Spanish into English . By gaining a working proficiency with Spanish you will have the opportunity to make new friends, absorb new cultures and do business with a huge population of people. And since it is a Romance language, learning the Spanish language gives you an advantage in grasping other Romance languages such as French and Italian. For native English speakers living in the United States, Spanish is by far the most valuable second language to learn. As the second most widely spoken language in the world, Spanish has more than 400 million speakers and is the native tongue in 20 different countries." - Rosetta Stone
Resources:
How Languages Evolve
Unit 2: Peru
"During the pre-Hispanic period, the Inca spread their language, Quechua, across the highlands and along the coast, although some groups near Lake Titicaca spoke Aymara at the time of the Spanish conquest. Quechua and Aymara are still prevalent and have official usage, with Spanish, in regions where they are heavily spoken. Tropical forest areas were outside Incan influence, and the numerous languages and dialects now spoken in the Amazon region reflect the diverse linguistic heritage of the tropical forest peoples. Like their Inca ancestors, the overwhelming number of indigenous people read neither their own nor any other language. In major cities and tourist areas, however, English and other European languages are commonly spoken." - Encyclopedia Britannica
Resources:
Country Fact Profile: Peru
National Geographic Peru
"One Day In..." Peru Project
Inca Civilization Reading
TedEd: The Rise and Fall of the Inca Empire
Peru's Culture
Unit 3: French Travel Terms
"If you’re intrigued by the French language, you’ll love learning more about the history of the official language of France. One of the five main romance languages that descended from Latin, (the other four are: Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, and Spanish) French is a fun and popular language to learn... The history of the French language is rich. Essentially, French is an evolution of Gallo-Romance dialects, with its origins starting out in Gaul... As with any other language, French has never been immune to strong influences from other languages, particularly Greek, Italian and English – the latter being a huge force on the language throughout the twentieth and twenty first centuries." - Rosetta Stone
Resources:
Top 20 French Travel Phrases
Unit 4: Madagascar
"Although located some 250 miles (400 km) from the African continent, Madagascar’s population is primarily related not to African peoples but rather to those of Indonesia, more than 3,000 miles (4,800 km) to the east. The Malagasy peoples, moreover, do not consider themselves to be Africans, but, because of the continuing bond with France that resulted from former colonial rule, the island developed political, economic, and cultural links with the French-speaking countries of western Africa." Encyclopedia Britannica
Resources:
National Geographic Madagascar
www.worldwildlife.org/places/madagascar