Charles County, MD – Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is proposing several new world language textbooks that include content aligned with Maryland World Readiness Standards for Learning Languages. The books are available for review at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building in La Plata, and at Piccowaxen Middle and North Point High schools.
The proposed books include updated assessments in areas such as reading, writing, speaking and listening. The texts also include teacher resources for grammar, vocabulary, visuals and interactive native-speaker audio and videos. The new textbooks, once approved by the Board, will replace world language textbooks currently used in middle and high schools. All textbooks were reviewed by a selection committee and piloted at selected schools. The following are the new proposed textbooks.
“¡Qué chévere!,” Levels I, II and III are authored by Alejandro Vargas Bonilla and published by EMC Publishing, LLC. They will be used in Spanish I, II and III courses for middle and high school students. The books were piloted at Piccowaxen and North Point from August 2015 through January 2016.
“Temas,” authored by Cole Conlin, Parthena Draggett, Max Ehrsam and Elizabeth Millan, and published by Vista Higher Learning, is a textbook for use in Spanish IV and Advanced Placement (AP) Spanish Language and Culture classes. The text was piloted at Henry E. Lackey and La Plata high schools from August 2015 to January 2016.
“T’es branché?,” Levels I, II, and III, written by Toni Theisen and Jacques Pechéur, and “T’es branché?,” Level IVauthored by Martine Corsain, Eliane Grandet, Nathalie Gaillot, Diana Moen and Adrien Payet, will be used with high school French students. All books are published through EMC Publishing, LLC and were piloted at North Point and Thomas Stone high schools from August 2015 through January 2016.
“Deutsch Aktuell,” Levels I, II and III were reviewed by CCPS German teachers and piloted at Thomas Stone from August 2015 through January 2016. The books are published by EMC Publishing, LLC and authored by Wolfgang Kraft.
New texts for students enrolled in Latin courses were reviewed by CCPS Latin teachers and piloted at La Plata, Stone and Westlake high schools from August 2015 through January 2016. The texts, “Ecce Romani,” I, II, and III are authored by Prentice Hall and publishedby Pearson Education, Inc.
A new sign language text, “Master American Sign Language,” was reviewed by a staff member at Stone in 2015. The text is published by Sign Media Inc. and authored by Jason E. Zinza.
The Board of Education is reviewing the books and will take action on the books at the May 10 meeting. Community members are encouraged to review the books and provide comment in writing to the Board of Education, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, MD, 20646; through email to boardmail@ccboe.com; or in person at the Public Forum at the April 19 or May 10 meetings.