World Languages

Spanish
As students embark on their Middle School journey at Seven Hills, our Spanish program lays a strong linguistic foundation. Sixth graders dive into the essentials of the language, developing their skills in reading, listening, speaking, and writing. From crafting simple sentences to composing small paragraphs and essays, they build their proficiency with confidence.

In 7th grade, the language journey continues with deeper immersion. Students refine their grammar, mastering verb conjugations in the present, preterite, and imperfect tenses, all while enhancing their reading, listening, speaking, and writing abilities.

By 8th grade, students are fully immersed in conversation. Through innovative methods like TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling), they have the opportunity to engage in Spanish exclusively. Thematic units bring the language to life, encouraging students to use Spanish in practical, real-world situations.

Our Spanish program offers a rich cultural and linguistic experience, incorporating:

French (Scheduled to sunset after 2025-26 school year)
The French program develops reading, speaking, and writing skills using music, videos, short stories, art, and simple conversations. As they grow in their understanding of French, students are able to read engaging novels and tell their own stories with surprises and drama, using high-frequency vocabulary.
 
Seven Hills believes that speaking and writing come naturally to those who have listened to French over an extended period. For this reason, most of the class time is spent using French to explore topics of interest to students. One of the main instructional methods is “story-asking,” a form of storytelling in which the teacher asks the students to decide what will happen in the story. Stories must be funny and creative, and students understand what the teacher is saying through props, drawings, gestures, and other visuals.

 

Japanese: New Offering

Starting with the Class of 2027, Seven Hills will offer Japanese as a world language option, celebrating the 25-year history of our school-wide Japanese exchange program. We are excited to shape our new language program with classes and electives.

In addition, in preparation for hosting Japanese students and visiting Japan, 8th grade students engage in a unique partnership with Las Lomas High School. The LLHS Japanese Language teacher and honors class students conduct after-school sessions to teach basic Japanese vocabulary and conversation. This collaboration enriches the cultural exchange experience, fostering language skills and building connections between students from different backgrounds.