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Ashley Hall girls gain a strong foundation in foreign language study beginning in preschool. In upper school, our French and Spanish students receive rigorous instruction based on real-life resources rather on one-dimensional textbook lessons. This "realia" approach gives students direct engagement with the language as it is actually used in the respective mother tongues, enabling them to gain mastery of technical grammar and syntax as well as fluency in conversational speech. We believe foreign language study should be as dynamic and exciting as the languages themselves. If students choose, they can take both the Advanced Placement examination in their chosen language or the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI), which assesses the student's command of the spoken language. In addition, Ashley Hall is the only school in South Carolina to offer an integrated Classics program, providing instruction in both Latin and classical Greek. All Ashley Hall students are required to take two years of Classics in seventh and eighth grades, and those who choose to continue their Classics courses throughout their Upper School years will finish with a solid foundation in both languages. (A special accelerated introductory Classics course is made available to students entering Ashley Hall in the ninth grade or higher. Also, additional instruction is available for those students who wish to sit for the Advanced Placement exam in Latin.) An elective introductory course in Italian Culture and Language is also currently offered to those students who have completed level III of French, Spanish or Classics. Students who wish to study a language other than or in addition to French, Spanish, Italian or Classics -- such as Chinese or Arabic -- may do so either through on-line Rosetta Stone courses or through courses made available to Ashley Hall students at reduced rates by the College of Charleston. |
