The foreign language program of the Belmont Public Schools begins with the study of four languages in grade 5:

• French,
• Latin,
• Mandarin Chinese,
• Spanish.

Students then select one of those languages to study for grades six through eight. At Belmont High School students can continue studying the same language or begin a new language. Students are required to complete two years of foreign language study for graduation, however we encourage students to study a foreign language throughout their four years at Belmont High School. We offer Advanced Placement courses in French, Latin and Spanish, and hope to implement the new Chinese Language and Culture Advanced Placement course in the coming years.

For a complete list of Foreign Language Department course offerings, click here

Belmont HIgh School Program of Studies

The foreign language curriculum is aligned with the Massachusetts State Frameworks and the National Foreign Language Standards. The overarching objective for all foreign language curricula is linguistic and cultural proficiency. These are the enduring understandings that guide our work:

• Culture is the products, practices and perspectives of a group of people.
• Language is a vehicle for culture and reflects a culture’s norms and mores.
• Language and culture evolve over time.
• Our language and culture influence the way we see the world.
• Studying other languages and cultures broadens our perspective on our own culture and the world.

In all classes, language is taught in a communicative context, and from the earliest levels students apply what they learn to read, write, speak and listen in the target language. For students of Latin the emphasis is on using the language to read, translate and understand authentic texts in Latin.

All beginning language courses are college preparatory. The 2nd through 5th year courses in French and Spanish are offered at both the college preparatory and the honors level. In Latin we offer college preparatory and honors for the 2nd and 3rd year courses. Both college preparatory and honors levels are rigorous courses in which students learn both language and culture. The difference is that the honors courses advance at a faster pace and students are expected to apply newly-learned language structures immediately.

For students in the advanced levels of French, Latin and Spanish there are opportunities to travel. We have an exchange with Lycée Henri Matisse in Cugnaux, France for French students, and one with Colegio de la Ciudad in Buenos Aires, Argentina for Spanish students. In each case we host a group of students from the exchange school for two weeks here in Belmont, and then travel to the exchange city, live with host families, attend school and visit sites of interest in the area for two weeks. For Latin students there is a trip to Italy to study in situ Roman buildings, ruins and art.