The study of language is first introduced at Saint Ann’s in the Lower School. We teach it as language arts. Beginning in the fourth grade, the language structures program takes formal charge of language studies in a three-year sequence beginning with the structures of English alone and culminating in the sixth grade in a comparison of English and Latin grammar. Seventh graders are eligible for language electives and may choose from a variety of classical and modern languages including Latin, Greek, Chinese, French, and Spanish, all of which continue through the High School. High school students may also elect Japanese.

  When students enter the High School, they usually continue with the languages they have studied in the Middle School and, if they have not already done so, frequently choose a second or even third language. Language courses in the High School become more sophisticated and demanding. Oral and written work must reflect an increasingly complex knowledge of grammar and vocabulary. Placement in all electives is based primarily on demonstrated ability; thus any such course may be made up of students from different grade levels.

   Modern and classical languages are always taught at Saint Ann’s in a way that supplements and is supplemented by other courses. Students of Mandarin Chinese and Japanese may take an advanced elective course in the history of China and Japan offered by the History Department, and Spanish and French students may read the same literature in translation in an English course. Courses in European history as well as in theater richly enhance a Romance language student’s appreciation of a classical l7th century play or the development of existential theater in the 20th century. Similarly, Classics students broaden and deepen their awareness of ancient civilizations and literatures through history and English electives such as Europe in Antiquity and Troy in History and Literature. This blending of disciplines gives the students the experience of language as a primary source, a tool for conversation, and a wedge into the doorway of understanding.

Language Structures

   The beginning of the language structures program exemplifies in many ways how Saint Ann’s works. It was conceived in 1975 as the outgrowth of an experimental course for middle school students in the comparison of English and Latin grammar. The curriculum was designed over a period of time with the encouragement and suggestions of a number of faculty members. The department emerged in direct response to a perceived need in the students for a solid understanding of their own language and how it functions both separately and comparatively. It was clear that young middle school students worked adequately but without real confidence in dealing with languages other than English.

   In fourth grade, the curriculum emphasizes the nature of literature as a reflection of society. Towards that end, students read a variety of fairy tales and myths in an effort to discern the ethos of the people who produce them. As the year progresses, classes focus on allegorical writing, delving into the work of individual authors. Students are often asked to create their own fantastical worlds in response to texts. In their writing, they work on sentence structure, punctuation, paragraphing and developing stories that have a real beginning and end.

   The fifth grade curriculum focuses on different types of writing, turning towards mysteries, period pieces and poetry. Special attention is given to nonfiction and non-narrative forms, including memoirs and essays. The students also read a diverse collection of dramatic works. Teachers concentrate on helping students experiment with each mode of expression in their own work. Beginning in January, the fifth graders select a topic for a three to five page research paper. Topics are drawn from the broader subject area of New York and students learn to use the research facilities in the library. The paper is intended to teach the students reading for facts and information from a variety of sources and then taking that information and organizing it into a viable whole.

   By sixth grade, students are conceptually advanced enough to understand fully the notion that language has structures. Our program here emphasizes basic ways of analyzing and comparing the fundamental patterns of grammar in both Latin and English. The sixth grade course, Introduction to Languages, uses traditional English grammar categories to analyze English and provide a basis for comparison with the grammatical categories and structures of Latin. Students learn basic Latin syntax and a large vocabulary in an effort to prepare them for the challenges provided by advanced study of any foreign language. We teach and stress the study skills necessary to learn noun, adjective, and verb forms and to recognize and use them accurately. In the spring, a research paper dealing with some aspect of life in the ancient world is undertaken. The paper serves to build upon the skills and methods introduced in the fifth grade project.

   The success of the language structures program has been remarkable. An emphasis on the different functions and forms of writing in the early years enables students to express themselves coherently on paper. The later comparison of English and Latin improves their syntax, and the exposure to Latin enlarges their vocabulary. Training in grammar allows students to begin foreign language study with a strong understanding of grammatical constructions from their own language. With this knowledge, they are truly prepared for beginning a modern language or for continuing to study a classical language, or both. Increasingly, students study more than one language.

   The formal study of a foreign language at Saint Ann’s generally begins in the seventh grade. From time to time, exceptions are made for those students who come from bilingual homes, have lived in other countries, or are already proficient in a second language. Most seventh grade students have had the benefit of the three-year sequence in the language structures program and are therefore well-equipped to face the intricacies of a foreign language.

Asian Languages

   Mandarin is offered from the seventh through twelfth grades. The course sequence covers: 1) the spelling system – Pin Yin; 2) phonetic rule – four tones; 3) character writing – both traditional and simplified forms in accordance with the students’ preference; 4) conversation – idiomatic modern Chinese in current use among native speakers, especially everyday social communication and specific situations; 5) reading – stories, idioms, short poems, history, etc., varying at different levels. Language studies are supplemented and enriched by a matrix of information about Chinese society and history, geographic regions and historical sites, and local customs and conditions that are discussed in class through slide shows, films, calligraphy, etc.

  Japanese is offered as a language elective beginning in the High School. The emphasis in the first year course is on mastering the two phonetic systems, Hiragana and Katagana. A heavy emphasis is put on speaking and writing. Chinese characters are also introduced. The second year continues the first, but adds an emphasis on reading. Writing is also reinforced by journal entries. The third year and the fourth years continue the emphasis on speaking, reading, and writing to allow continued growth in the mastery of Japanese. The students are also introduced to a variety of social situations in which the use of honorifics is required. In Japanese conversation/composition, students further their abilities to communicate effectively in both writing and speaking.

Classical Languages

   Both Latin and Greek are offered as full-time languages. In the first two years of the beginner Latin course (seventh and eighth grades), the students are introduced to all of the forms and syntax necessary to read Roman authors in the original. By the second half of the eighth grade, the students begin reading the Latin prose and poetry of ancient authors. The intermediate course, Poetry, Prose, Drama and the Novel, teaches selections from authors including Petronius, Plautus, Catullus, Cicero, Sallust, Horace, Vergil, and Ovid. The course focuses on Latin literature as literature and serves as a grammar review that will enable the students to read Latin more quickly and more fluently. Having completed this course, students are free to elect from advanced reading courses, such as the Aeneid, Roman Historiography, Ovid, and Nero’s Court.

   The Greek program closely parallels the Latin program. The first year focuses on acquiring a knowledge of basic forms and syntax as well as vocabulary, in order to facilitate the reading of Greek authors. By the end of the first year, the students have gained enough mastery of grammar and vocabulary to read slightly adapted original Greek texts. The second year concludes the study of forms and syntax and serves as an introduction to translation of passages excerpted from Aristophanes, Apollodorus, and Plato among others. In later years, students move on to more in-depth treatment of lyric poetry, tragedy, and epic.