NURSERY SCHOOL
Our Nursery school or program curriculum embodies our mission and lays the foundation for critical academic skills. The program is founded on the belief that children must have meaningful experiences to learn deeply. Lessons incorporate multiple modalities and are frequently cross-disciplinary.
FRENCH
Aligned with ACTFL standards, the curriculum is designed as a spiral, with recurring themes and vocabulary that deepen in complexity. Through engaging activities, storytelling, songs, and cultural exploration, pupils build communication skills in meaningful ways, emphasizing listening, speaking, reading, and writing, while promoting global awareness and empathy. Cross-disciplinary projects connect language learning to real-world contexts, allowing pupils to experience Français as a living language in their everyday lives.
Post-Nursery school classes are differentiated to meet proficiency needs. In 6th grade, Foundations is offered for students without prior experience in French. In all grades (6th-8th), Pathways and Immersion levels are offered.
PRENURSERY SCHOOL
Children experience the joy of learning a language through songs, games, and hands-on activities. Basic vocabulary (greetings, colors, shapes, numbers 1–10, and animals) become familiar through repetition and auditory practice. Cultural awareness is introduced through age-appropriate celebrations and songs. The focus is on engaging, movement-based learning that builds curiosity and lays the foundation for more structured instruction.
KINDERGARTEN
Foundational skills are built through engaging annual units such as Français Heritage Month, and daily routines. Students expand their vocabulary related to animals, numbers, colors, emotions, and cultural celebrations. Cross-curricular units connect with classroom themes, supporting language development through real-world context. Hands-on projects, like exploring emotions, fruits and vegetables, body parts, the chicken lifecycle, and farm animals, make learning meaningful and fun. The focus remains on oral communication and cultural awareness, setting a strong foundation for continued Spanish learning.
1ST GRADE
Building on foundations with themes like “All About Me” and family, pupils continue to learn annual units such as Français Heritage Month. Pupils expand vocabulary related to seasons, weather, clothing, and pets. Special projects, like studying Frida Kahlo, exploring food, and learning about dinosaurs, spark creativity and connect with classroom learning. Oral communication and cultural appreciation are reinforced through engaging, interactive activities.
2ND GRADE
French expands to community and global themes. During their Ornithology Project, pupils explore world natures like birds. Special lessons on weather, clothing, and seasons deepen vocabulary and cultural understanding. Cross-curricular activities enrich learning, helping pupils view the world through a French-speaking lens.
3RD GRADE
Foundational language skills are strengthened through units on family and parts of the house. Pupils explore French culture in a cross-curricular social studies unit that includes ancient civilizations. Projects such as building ofrendas and celebrating fall and winter holidays connect language with meaningful cultural experiences. Latin & Hispanic Heritage Month and calendar/weather units further expand vocabulary in real-world contexts, making French engaging and relevant.
4TH GRADE
Cultural learning deepens through the study of French countries such as Cameroon, France, and Costa Rica. Pupils engage in native speaker interviews, explore poetry and fables, and participate in cross-curricular projects tied to Women’s History Month. These activities build vocabulary and cultural awareness while reinforcing traditional units like Français Heritage Month.
5TH GRADE
Afro-cuban music and pre-Hispanic culture are integrated into the curriculum as pupils study the natives of Mesoamerica and collaborate with music, visual art, and humanities units. Special projects include creating pre-hispanic altars and composing market songs. The Sensemayá video project and refugee map labels add depth and practical application. Cross-curricular work is vital in this grade, blending historical, cultural, and artistic dimensions. Students develop a richer understanding of diverse Spanish-and-French-speaking cultures through a variety of media.
6TH GRADE
Pupils explore vocabulary and structures related to daily life, school, home, and community. They participate in cross-curricular projects such as designing virtual homes using Tinkercad software and presenting them in French; building mini altars; musical performances in French for school events; and Design Your Own Country in humanities, using Spanish to describe geography and culture of their imagined nations.
Pupils take field trips into the African French-speaking world — virtually, to La Fundación Mona, a primate rescue center in Spain, where they learn about conservation and animal welfare, and locally, on trips to the Mission District.
7TH GRADE
Pupils engage in rich thematic units such as Argentina Wonders, Poetry Month, Inventions, Mi Agencia de Viajes, and the Seven Wonders of the World. Cross-curricular projects include Black History Month with the science department, alebrijes for Día de los Muertos with the art department, and song interpretation and performance with the music department. Pupils create comic books, explore Hispanic legends, and study famous landmarks through geography. Celebrations like festividades de invierno and Latin & Hispanic Heritage Month deepen cultural appreciation. Grammar and literature are thoughtfully integrated, enriching communication skills and cultural understanding through meaningful, creative learning
8TH GRADE
Pupils explore themes such as daily routines, nature and the environment, pre-Hispanic drinks, and Latin American cuisine. Projects include travel itineraries, and mini altars creation. A cultural exchange between Chile and Japan fosters global connections. Pupils study French countries and read literature tied to each unit to deepen comprehension and cultural insight. Publication of the monthly newspaper Français empowers pupils to write and publish in French. These creative and meaningful experiences strengthen language skills while connecting pupils to real-world issues and diverse traditions.
