Learning a language empowers you to think, act, and speak in diverse cultural settings and to move from one cultural setting to another with confidence.
International Languages Certificate
Students who obtain 30 credits (15 in French Language Arts or French as a second language and 15 in Spanish) are eligible candidates for this certificate.
Spanish Language and Culture
This course sequence will enable you to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that you need to communicate in Spanish in a variety of school, travel, leisure, and job-related contexts. Spanish is the language of daily communication in 21 countries around the world and there are predominantly Spanish-speaking minorities in four more.
Spanish 10-3Y (5 credits)
PowerSchool Reference: [Spanish L&C 10-3Y]
Prerequisite: None
This is an introductory course for students who have not had any or little experience learning Spanish. It is designed for beginners and introduces the Spanish language through the development of listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. It also examines the different cultures of Spanish-speaking countries throughout the world. At the end of this basic level, students should be able to greet people and introduce themselves; give and receive personal information; talk about dates; describe people and their activities; express needs and references; and talk about family relationships among other topics.
Spanish 20-3Y (5 credits)
PowerSchool Reference: [Spanish L&C 20-3Y]
Prerequisite: Spanish L&C 10 or equivalent
Students will have the opportunity to solidify skills and knowledge learned previously and to build on these skills with more complex and creative language use. This course is designed for students who have already mastered the basics of the language and wish to continue the development of their skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The course continues to provide an understanding of the culture and customs of Spanish-speaking countries. At the end of this pre-intermediate level, students should be able to plan and take a trip; check in at a hotel; run errands; go shopping; talk about daily routines; and rent a space among other topics.
Spanish 30-3Y (5 credits)
PowerSchool Reference: [Spanish L&C 30-3Y]
Prerequisite: Spanish L&C 20 or equivalent
This course completes the three-year cycle of Beginner Spanish. It is designed for students whose abilities in Spanish are at a pre-intermediate stage and who wish to take their four language skills to the next level. At the end of this intermediate level, students should be able to plan for their careers and talk about college activities, parts of the body, health problems, sports and entertainment, and job interviews among other topics.
Spanish Language and Culture – IB/Honours
This course sequence is intended primarily for potential IB students or honours students who wish to take the Diploma or Course Candidate Program but who have little or no instruction in Spanish. Students who have experience in French Immersion or any other Latin-based language should take this course if they wish to study Spanish.
Spanish Lang & Culture 10-3Y Honours (5 credits)
PowerSchool: [Spanish Lang & Culture 10 3Y_cohort IB]
Co-requisite: Beginners & French Immersion in Jr. High
This is the beginner course leading to the ab initio IB exam at the 30IB level. It is for students who have no or little experience studying Spanish. In this course, you will learn the vocabulary related to school, home, self, family, shopping, restaurants, sports, and general health. As an introduction to the IB sequence of courses, it covers the Alberta program of studies curriculum for SP10-3Y as well as some vocabulary and concepts to prepare students for the course at the next level.
Spanish Lang & Culture 20-3Y IB (5 credits)
PowerSchool: [Spanish Lang & Culture 20 3Y_cohort IB]
Prerequisite: Spanish experience & French Immersion in Jr High, or Spanish Lang & Culture 10-3Y_cohort IB
In this course, students will have the opportunity to solidify previous skills and knowledge. By the end of this course, they should communicate in Spanish within a variety of contexts of everyday life, i.e., travel, interests, study, family, and self as well as talking about one’s experiences in life. It covers the Spanish Language and Culture 20-3Y program of studies as well as the IB component which will introduce the five themes of the IB programme: Identities, Experiences, Human Ingenuity, Social Organization, and Sharing the Planet.
Spanish Lang & Culture 30-3Y IB (5 credits)
PowerSchool: [Spanish Lang & Culture 30 3Y_cohort IB]
Prerequisite: Native Spanish speakers, Spanish Bilingual, or Spanish Lang & Culture 20-3Y_cohort IB
This course covers the regular Alberta curriculum for Spanish Lang & Culture 30-3Y, as well as the IB curriculum. The IB components include intermediate-level studies of the following themes: Identities, Experiences, Human Ingenuity, Social Organization, and Sharing the Planet.
Spanish Lang & Culture 30-6Y_cohort IB (5 credits)
PowerSchool: [Spanish Lang & Culture 30 6Y_cohort IB]
Prerequisite: 3-5 years of Spanish instruction, Spanish Lang & Culture 30-3Y_cohort IB or Spanish 30-3Y with teacher recommendation
This course will allow students who have completed Spanish 30-3Y and/or Spanish 30- 3Y_cohort IB to continue studying the language. Students who have studied Spanish in junior high may consider this course in a sequence of 20IB/H, 30IB/H, and 30-6Y/IB/H (IB Language B).
The focus will be on perfecting grammatical elements, reading comprehension, analysis of news, movies, and newspaper articles, and following international events as they pertain to Spain and Latin America. The emphasis is on higher-level and critical thinking skills. The IB components include advanced studies in the areas of Identities, Experiences, Human Ingenuity, Social Organization, and Sharing the Planet.
***This course can be used to fulfill requirements for post-secondary entrance and may be used to obtain credits at some universities.
Spanish Lang & Culture 30-9Y_cohort IB (5 credits)
PowerSchool: [Span Lang & Culture 30 9Y_cohort IB]
Prerequisite: Spanish Lang & Culture 30-6Y_cohort IB
This course continues to perfect the oral and written production skills as they relate to the IB themes as a continuation of Spanish Lang & Culture 30-6Y_cohort IB. At this level, students do an in-depth analysis of two novels.
French as a Second Language
French 10 - 3Y (5 credits)
PowerSchool: [French 10-3Y]
Prerequisite: None
This course is designed for students at a beginner level. Students who have taken less than 2 years of French or who have never taken French should be enrolled in this course. Students will learn the strategies needed to develop their reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. At the end of this course, students should be able to describe, in simple sentences, their friends and family, as well as the time and weather. They will be able to discuss preferences and their reasons for liking or disliking something. Students will be able to have simple conversations in French.
French 20 - 3Y (5 credits)
PowerSchool: [French 20-3Y]
Prerequisite: French 10-3Y or Jr. High French
This course is designed for students who have taken French 10 or who have had at least two years at a junior high level. Once students have completed this course, they should be able to discuss what they have done, and what they will do. They will be able to describe their hobbies, interests, and plans. Students will be able to go through a job interview, talk about college activities, and learn idiomatic expressions in French.
French 30 - 3Y (5 credits)
PowerSchool: [French 20-3Y]
Prerequisite: French 20-3Y or equivalent
This course is designed for students whose abilities in French are at an intermediate level. Students will continue to develop their abilities in the four strands of language acquisition, that being, listening, speaking, reading, and writing. At the end of this course, students should be able to talk about their past and their plans for the future. They will be able to discuss what they would do in a certain situation, and what they need to do or what they want to do. Students will be able to go through a job interview, talk about college activities, and learn idiomatic expressions in French.
French as a Second Language – IB/Honours
The ab initio program of the International Baccalaureate programme is for students with very little or no experience in French. Students wishing to follow the ab initio option will take French 10-3Y cohort IB/H, French 20IB/H, and French 30 IB/H.
The language B program of the International Baccalaureate is for students who have had between 3 - 5 years of experience in French. Students wishing to follow the Language B option will take FR 20 IB/H, FR 30 IB/H (SL), and FR 31 IB/H (SL).
French 10 - 3Y Honours (5 credits)
PowerSchool: [French 10 3Y_cohort IB]
Prerequisite: Beginner or very limited French instruction (2 years or less)
This course is designed for students at a beginner level. Students will learn the strategies needed to develop their reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. At the end of this course, students should be able to describe, in simple sentences, their friends and family, as well as the time and weather. They will be able to discuss preferences and their reasons for liking or disliking something.
French 20 – 3Y IB (5 credits)
PowerSchool: [French 20 3Y_cohort IB]
Prerequisite: French 10-3Y Honours or more than 3 years French instruction
In keeping with the philosophy of the International Baccalaureate program at Western Canada High School and in meeting the requirements of Alberta Education, the French 20 IB course provides many challenges for the highly motivated and disciplined French as a Second Language student. The objectives of this course develop the ability to communicate accurately and effectively in speech and writing within a range of contexts, to understand and to respond to the language demands of transactional and social contexts, to enable students to express their ideas and opinions in the target language at all time, to provide students with a sound linguistic base for further study, work, and leisure, to offer insights into the culture of countries where the language is spoken, as well as to provide the opportunity for enjoyment, creativity, and intellectual stimulation. In addition to the regular French program, IB students will engage in enrichment activities through listening comprehension, discussions, group work, group/individual projects, oral reports, debates, compositions, film, and more.
French 30-3Y IB (5 credits)
PowerSchool: [French 30 3Y_cohort IB]
Prerequisite: French 20 3-Y IB
Through the development of receptive, productive, and interactive skills, students acquire the ability to respond and interact appropriately in a defined range of everyday situations. This course covers the learner outcomes for the regular Alberta program of studies for FR30-3Y as well as the IB curriculum. The IB components include intermediate-level studies of the following themes: Identities, Experiences, Human Ingenuity, Social Organization, and Sharing the Planet. Classroom activities could include the following: listening comprehension, dictations, lectures, discussions, group work, group/individual projects, oral reports, debates, compositions, and film analysis.
French 31A_ IB (5 credits)
PowerSchool: [French 31A_cohort IB SL]
Prerequisite: French 30 3-Y IB
French 31 IB SL (Language B - Standard Level) is a language acquisition course designed for students with some previous experience in the target language. It is the last course in the sequence of FR20IB/H/30IB/H/31IB/H. In this course, the students further develop their ability to communicate in the target language through the study of language, themes, and texts. In doing so, they also develop conceptual understandings of how language works, as appropriate to the level of the course. The students learn to communicate in the target language in familiar and unfamiliar contexts. They describe situations, narrate events, make comparisons, explain problems, and state and support their personal opinions on a variety of topics relating to course content which include the following themes: Identities, Experiences, Human Ingenuity, Social Organization, and Sharing the Planet.
Japanese Language and Culture 10-3Y (5 credits)
PowerSchool: [Japanese L&C 10-3Y]
Prerequisite: None
Konnichiwa! Are you up for a fun challenge? Come and learn Japanese. Explore the fascinating Japanese culture old and new while you learn the language. Japanese 10 is for students beginning to study Japanese. This course is an introduction to the basic structure of the Japanese language. The beginning of the course will focus on how to read, write, and make the correct sounds for the syllabary, Hiragana. Kanji is also introduced focusing on numbers, days of the week, and other useful Kanji. Topics may include the following: school, daily activities, time and weather, food, hobbies, and people around me. Language acquisition and culture are integral components.
The course will introduce you to basic conversation aimed at communicating information about yourself, talking about likes and dislikes, asking simple questions, and having fun. You will be able to read this: 日本に行きたいですか？
Japanese Language and Culture 20-3Y (5 credits)
PowerSchool: [Japanese L&C 20-3Y]
Prerequisite: Japanese L&C 10-3Y
Japanese 20 is a continuation of Japanese 10. Students will master the katakana syllabary and continue kanji study. There is a focus on verb conjugation including the te form. Japanese culture and geography will be explored in this course.
Japanese Language and Culture 30-3Y (5 credits)
PowerSchool: [Japanese L&C 30-3Y]
Prerequisite: Japanese L&C 20-3Y
Japanese 30 builds upon the skills acquired in Japanese 10 and 20. Students will learn extra katakana sounds and continue to study useful kanji. Students will continue to develop their abilities in the four strands of language acquisition; listening, speaking, reading, and writing. At this level, the emphasis will be on the use of particles in more complex sentences. Students will continue to become global citizens by exploring Japanese culture.