Learning a modern language and gaining insight into its culture(s) are important for increased self-awareness, and for increased international understanding. It is an integral part of a Putney education. Putney offers students three modern languages, Chinese, French, and Spanish. Students immerse themselves in speaking, listening, reading, writing and culture to become proficient. Authentic materials, visiting speakers, and trips are central to this process.
At Putney, Levels 1, 2, and 3 differ from those in other institutions. Two academic trimesters correspond to one level of the language undertaken. Students are required to complete a minimum of nine trimesters of a language or demonstrate proficiency surpassing Level 3 to qualify for graduation. Beyond Level 3, our offerings consist of selected topics and trimester seminars that are comparable to intermediate or advanced levels at other institutions.
French 1 : Foundation
How do we progress from lists and learned phrases to rudimentary communication in a new language? The first level of French focuses on teaching students how to use simple French in speech and writing, understand basic French when listening and reading, and acquire the study skills necessary to learn a new language. Working in the present tense, students develop basic interpersonal communication skills around themes like school, family and weekend events. By the end of the course, students understand simple French spoken at a measured pace and learn strategies to cope with the gaps in their comprehension. (Two Terms)
French 2: Novice
How do past tenses allow us to ask questions and communicate our thoughts with greater precision? In French 2, students expand their ability to communicate about daily routines and habits, food, friends, and family in both the present and past tenses. They continue to use memorized phrases while also building their ability to communicate in both predictable and unpredictable situations. Students demonstrate proficiency through written and oral work, interviews, dialogues, tests, homework, and class participation. (Two Terms)
French 3: Developing Competency
How do the past, present, and future tenses work together for more purposeful use of language? In French 3, students advance their ability to describe topics of personal interest in the past, present, future. They develop their writing and speaking skills to communicate more naturally and fully in the indicative. Students use French to demonstrate their proficiency with written and oral work, interviews, dialogues, tests, homework, readings, and class participation. (Two Terms)
French 4: Early Proficiency
How do we use different tenses, moods, and conjunctions to communicate more nuanced meaning in connected sentences? In French 4, students develop their ability to use the indicative and subjunctive moods through reading, writing, and discussion skills. The curriculum includes analyses of current events, literature selections, videos, and movies. Students demonstrate proficiency through class participation, listening and reading samples, and written and oral tests. (Two Terms)
French 5: Advancing Proficiency
How do we learn from challenging authentic material? How does alternating between striving for accuracy and muddling through language on the edge of our understanding help us achieve greater fluency? In French 5, students select themes to study and gather a variety of authentic French language materials; they conduct research and prepare presentations starting with 4 to 6 minutes and growing to 10 to 12 minutes. Past presentations have covered topics such as “the tragic legacy of French colonization in Algeria,” “regional cuisines,” “French chanson,” and “discussing environmental issues in French.” Grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and rules of diction are reviewed or introduced as needed and in context. This ensures that proficiency in all four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) is constantly expanding. Students produce translations and written responses to the themes studied, which provide formal opportunities for them to hone accuracy and language mechanics. Regular discussions allow them to push through discomfort and find ways to communicate their ideas. (Two Terms)
French 6: Advanced Topics
In French 6, students are proficient enough to begin tackling longer and more challenging texts. Their language and study skills allow them to enrich their reading comprehension and written work with a quick sidequest into historical background, a scientific concept or a school of philosophy. In previous years, we have read Descartes, Proust, and Sartre; watched Godard movies; learned about Marie de Medicis’ and other noble ladies’ impact on the architecture of Châteaux; and explored the chemistry of cheesemaking. (Two Terms)
Spanish 1: Foundation
What basic Spanish vocabulary and grammar do we need to start communicating? What are some strategies to learn these in a classroom setting? Beginning level Spanish focuses on using basic Spanish in speaking, listening, writing, and reading as well as acquiring the study skills necessary to learn a new language. Students develop basic interpersonal communication skills around themes like school, family and introductory self-descriptions. By the end of the course, students understand basic Spanish spoken at a measured pace and can speak in simple sentences about the topics covered. (Two Terms)
Spanish 2: Novice
How do we use the present progressive, immediate future and past tenses to improve our communication? What are some strategies to become a more independent and culturally sensitive language learner? Spanish 2 builds on students’ skills in speaking, listening, writing, and reading basic Spanish. Continuing with the commitment to speak as much Spanish as possible, students study the vocabulary, grammar, and idiomatic expressions used in talking about oneself, past events and situations. Small group and pair work create opportunities to practice speaking. Student progress is evaluated through written and oral work, including tests, homework, and class participation. (Two Terms)
Spanish 3: Developing Competency
How do the past, future, and conditional tenses allow us more meaningful communication? In Spanish 3, language learners expand their proficiency in the four modalities: listening, speaking, reading, and writing, to communicate effectively in Spanish for real-life purposes. Students explore the Spanish language and the richness of Latin American cultures by examining both similarities and differences among various countries. Students look beyond stereotypes to gain a deeper and more authentic understanding of cultural perspectives. Through hands-on exploration of Central American and Latin American traditions, music, food, art, folklore, and storytelling, students engage in meaningful Spanish-language activities that bring culture to life. Students also build communication skills tailored to their own linguistic abilities and personal interests, preparing them to use Spanish confidently beyond the classroom. (Two Terms)
Spanish 4: Early Proficiency
How does learning another language make us more curious, empathetic, and open-minded? Spanish 4 focuses on understanding the language as spoken and written by and for native speakers. Students participate in spontaneous speech and writing, listen to conversations on familiar topics, and create sentences and series of sentences to ask and answer a variety of questions. Students explain preferences, opinions, and emotions, and they provide advice on a variety of familiar and some concrete research topics, using connected sentences that may combine to form paragraphs and asking a variety of questions, often across various time frames. Students demonstrate proficiency through in-class conversations, audio and video journals, monologues, and Socratic Seminars. (Two Terms)
Spanish 5: Advancing Proficiency
How does learning a language encourage us to contextualize dominant narratives and individual stories? Spanish 5 explores select topics such as migration, power, privilege, and race entirely in Spanish. Students research authentic Spanish language materials for reading and listening. Translation and writing assignments as well as video blogs and journals allow students to focus on improving their understanding of the mechanics of the language. (Two Terms)
Spanish: Advanced Linguistics
This course is designed for students who have completed through the fifth level of Spanish and wish to focus on advanced linguistics in Spanish. The curriculum centers on sociolinguistics and raciolinguistics using a Comprehensible Input (CI) approach. Students explore how accents, dialects, and regional varieties of Spanish, and other languages, are socially seen, valued, or stigmatized. Topics include accent bias, linguistic prejudice, code-switching, heritage speaker identity, and the politics of what’s considered “correct” Spanish. Through listening exercises, real-world media, and structured conversations, students analyze how race, class, geography, and power influence language attitudes in both Spanish-speaking communities and their own. Instead of aiming for one “neutral” accent, the course emphasizes clarity, identity, and linguistic diversity as key parts of becoming proficient. By the end, students are able to both communicate well and think critically about the social meanings behind how people speak. (Two Terms)
This course is available in alternating years. Offered in 2026-27.
Spanish: Advanced Literature
This course is designed for students who have completed through the fifth level of Spanish and wish to explore literature written in Spanish. Students dive into critical pedagogy and border thinking by working through select chapters of bell hooks (Enseñar a transgredir) and Gloria Anzaldúa (Borderlands/La Frontera). Through consistent, understandable input and structured conversations, students explore education as a place of power, resistance, identity, and change. Class talks focus on topics like engaged teaching, language identity, code-switching, mestiza consciousness, and the emotional side of learning across differences. Students read, listen, reflect, and respond in Spanish, getting more advanced in their skills while also looking at how their experiences connect with larger ideas about culture, privilege, and voice. Grading focuses on deep interpretation, personal meaning, and ongoing conversations over just grammar drills. (Two Terms)
This course is available in alternating years. Not offered in 2026-27.
