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[quote=Anonymous]Former WL teacher here.

Middle schools can run 3 options: 
1. Level 1 Part A as a semester course (Grade 7), Level 1 Part B as a year-long course (Grade 8). 
2. Level 1 Part A as a yr-long (7th), Level 1 B as a yr-long (8th). 
3. Level 1 as a single year course in 8th (note: I've heard that some schools offer Level 1 in Grade 7 so that they can offer Level 2 in 8th, but can't confirm).

I've taught all 3 sequences. My favorite is the yr-long each Part A and Part B--we got to do so much enrichment, lots of fun projects, etc. The semester-long Part A/year-long Part B is just the right amount of time to cover all of the requirements of the course. The single-year Level 1 is tough--it's bare-bones, teach-to-the-test, at breakneck speed.

If you have a choice, and language learning is a priority, I would recommend the two-part program, regardless of how it's divided up. Making sure your student has the foundation and fundamentals of whatever language s/he has chosen is paramount to success in the subsequent levels--everything spirals upon itself (similar to math). It is a skills-based course.

If your student prefers to sample other offerings in Grade 7, and s/he wants to just "try out" language learning, then maybe the single year Level 1 class is enough.

OP, if you have other questions, you can quote me and I'll check back. [/quote]

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