Modern languages at Thomas Jefferson (TJ) can build on the students' rich background in classics, but they also stand alone for students who have entered the school later than the ninth grade. Besides the essentials of reading and writing, your language classes will add the exploration of a modern culture and the important new skills of listening and speaking.
French or Italian You can elect either; the two languages are taught with the same expectations and the same general approach. Within the span of two years, these accelerated classes cover the equivalent of three or four years of study in most schools. In your first-year class, you will cover much of an introductory textbook – learning fundamentals of grammar, acquiring a sizeable vocabulary, and practicing speaking and listening in class – plus an introduction to the lifestyle and culture of the country. In your second year, along with study of a college-level review text, you will have a lot more aural/oral work. In fact, class will be conducted in the target language, and you will read some literature in the original. Both courses will typically have supplementary work in film and perhaps even in food preparation. Sufficiently strong students may also request a higher-level course (Advanced Placement or the equivalent) as a senior-year elective.
Of the European languages other than English, both French and Italian have two of the longest traditions with the widest influence on other countries, from the Renaissance
onward – and they are both a lot of fun. If you participate in TJ trips abroad, you will get to visit either Italy or France or both, giving you a firsthand view of life there, the chance to practice your language, and the experience of seeing some of the world's great art and architecture as part of a small group and under the guidance of teachers you know. These trips, usually two weeks long, have also included other countries from time to time – in recent years, England, Greece, and Poland.