TRAVEL

French is the second most studied language in the world, after English. It is the worldwide second language. French is spoken in France, Luxembourg and parts of Belgium, Switzerland and Canada. It is also an important language in North Africa and East Asia. French is also spoken in the Caribbean Islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe. Communication with these people in French on a personal level changes many misconceptions into a new perception.

CAREER

The knowledge of French is very useful in international careers in trade, law, business, and diplomacy. French is, for example, the external language of negotiation for African nations and is one of the official languages at the United Nations.

EXPANDING YOUR ENGLISH

The study of French enhances the understanding of “laissez-faire,” “coup d’ état,” “RSVP (répondez s’il vous plaît),” and many other French expressions commonly used in the English language.

TRAVEL

Students who select German will gain the opportunity to not only connect with a German-speaking peer from the first year on (pen pals), but will have the opportunity to both visit with and be visited by this German-speaking peer in their hometown in Bavaria, Germany (German American Partnership Program). 

Additionally, learning German is the key to unlocking the European continent for work and travel, as German is the most spoken language (aside from Russian) within Europe, in terms of native population. The Germanic Family of languages (those very similar to it), which includes English, also includes the languages of Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic (Old Norse), and Dutch (some 2.5 billion people). It is therefore not surprising that many International Business Majors in college are expected to learn German. 

CAREER

Though other languages may have more speakers immediately nearby in the United States, this fact equates to an overabundance of competition in the job market and drives down wages. Being unique and studying German will give you a leg up on the competition by offering something not everyone has and is also shown to pay more when comparing direct salary benefits. 

German is also the second most-used language for scholarly publications. More than 1100 companies from Germany have subsidiaries in the US and more than 750 American companies do business in Germany. Industries like T-Mobile, Adidas, Volkswagen, BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Daimler, Bosch, Siemens, and Bayer are heavy-hitters in the world economy.

ENGLISH ROOTS AND HISTORY

German and English evolved from the same parent language. In addition to the loan words from German into English, including Kindergarten, strafe, Gesundheit, Sauerkraut and Schadenfreude, the very basic vocabulary of everyday English is also directly from German: Hand, Finger, Arm, Schule, Rucksack, Socke, Schuh, Apfel, Brot, Butter, Wasser, to name a few, are all easily recognizable as their English equivalents (hand, finger, arm, rucksack, sock, shoe, apple, bread, butter, water). As one would expect, the further back in time one goes the closer English and German resemble their common ancestor and each other. From Shakespeare to Chaucer, your knowledge of German will make things easier for you to understand in your English class. Additionally, the German curriculum at B'ville works in tandem with the Social Studies department to bring German history alive in the classroom; providing key insight on past events and offering students a chance to further explore the details of key eras, while strengthening their German language knowledge: from the Middle Ages, to the Romantic Era, World War 1, World War 2, and even current events and politics. 

College- and World-Readiness Note* It is currently free for Americans to attend German Universities and the Study Bridge Program offers a way of accomplishing this goal. 

Latin is very much alive today. At Baldwinsville CSD, we study the language and culture of the ancient Romans and their empire in the following ways:

• Language: Students study Latin vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar and translation strategies.The goal of learning Latin is to learn to communicate by reading and understanding Latin texts. In doing so, students also better understand English grammar, and are provided tools and skills they can utilize to increase accuracy in the use of their own language.
   

• Etymology: Students study the Latin origins of English words. Over half of English vocabulary comes from Latin. Studies have shown that Latin students perform better on standardized tests, including the SAT, GRE, and LSAT, as a result of their study of vocabulary and the roots of English words.
   

• History, Mythology and Culture: Classics is the original interdisciplinary field. Studying Latin opens doors to ancient history, mythology, philosophy, art and archaeology. Latin students develop insight into their own language and customs by finding similarities between ancient civilization and our own. Students are fascinated to discover that aspects of their own culture, such as politics, entertainment, society, family life, and human nature itself, are universal and timeless.
   

• Literature: Advanced Latin students translate and interpret great works of Latin literature, such as Vergil’s Aeneid, Caesar’s Gallic Wars, Catullus’ Carmina, Orations of Cicero, Ovid’s Metamorphoses and others. 

CAREER
Study in Latin is helpful for a variety of careers. Study skills, critical thinking, reading skills, and improved vocabulary are fine preparation for careers in law, medicine, science, education and many other fields.

EXPANDING YOUR ENGLISH
All students must earn a minimum of one unit of credit in a World Language to graduate.

No matter which language the student selects, he/she practices its unique ways of socializing, getting and giving information, expressing feelings and persuading. The student does this through listening, speaking, reading, and writing about many topics: personal identification, home, family, work, community, meals, health, education, leisure, shopping, travel, government, mythology, etc. Each year the student studies these topics in more depth and is required to demonstrate increased competence in the basic elements of the language. 

The Board of Regents has established three checkpoints that tell what the student needs to be able to do and how well the student must do it in order to successfully complete a given level.

• Checkpoint A refers to the first two units of study completed at some time in grades K-9.

• Checkpoint B refers to a three-unit sequence for an Advanced Regents Diploma.

  • Students must pass a locally developed examination aligned to the Checkpoint B learning standards for World Language.

• Checkpoint C is for a five-unit sequence.

The student can move through these checkpoints at various rates. This depends on the specific language as well as the age, abilities, motivation, and interests of the student. All courses within a language are sequential. The student must pass a course or demonstrate proficiency before proceeding to the next level. The additional requirements listed in this catalog for each course are there to help the student select the course in which he/she will be most successful. Students should discuss all these possibilities with their teacher and counselor. Students may certainly elect to take additional languages.

SPANISH

The United States is home to the fifth largest Hispanic population worldwide. There are many opportunities to communicate in Spanish around the US and even in Central New York. There are more Spanish speakers in New York City than in San Juan, Puerto Rico. In Los Angeles, nearly 6 out of 10 students are Spanish speaking. By 2050, it is projected that Hispanics will make up at least 30% of the US population. The U.S. is the country with the second largest Spanish-Speaking population after Mexico.

In class we use world events, history, art, literature, music and entertainment to guide our discussions and build our confidence as we acquire language to hopefully become proficient in real world settings.

TRAVEL

More than 20 countries speak Spanish as a first language. Whether traveling to another country or within the US you will very likely encounter an opportunity to use Spanish. We offer CW Baker students the opportunity to travel to Spain during spring break with teachers as a way to put their Spanish skills to use in the real world and also to gain an appreciation of a different way of life and another culture. This gives them the opportunity to take their classroom into the real world and see it first hand.

 CAREER

In 2007, there were an estimated 2.3 million businesses owned by Spanish speakers in the US. International and domestic companies need bilingual personnel to communicate, negotiate, market, and promote their products. There is also a great need for Spanish speakers in the service professions (doctors, nurses, police, etc.) because of the extensive number of Spanish speakers in the US. Most people in an emergency revert to their first language and first responders and medical personnel need to be able to use their language skills to communicate with those in need.

EXPANDING YOUR ENGLISH

Because of the ever present Hispanic influence in the United States, many Spanish words have crossed over into our everyday English vocabulary. Some examples are: Breeze, ranch, guerrilla Patio Stampede, Macho Cockroach, Avocado, plaza, mustang, cargo, vanilla, lasso, canyon, tornado.