German, French, and Spanish are taught as World Languages starting from prep year.
Why learn German, French, or Spanish?
German is spoken in many European countries (Germany, Liechtenstein, Austria, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Russia, and Belgium), amounting to approximately 120 million people with German language aptitude. It is one of the official languages of the European Union, and is especially important in the fields of science, textiles, medicine, and engineering. Germany places a significant role in the import and export businesses of Turkey. Many German companies operate in Istanbul and in neighboring cities.
French is spoken by more than 200 million people on 5 continents, and around 128 million people speak French as their mother tongue or as a second language. French is an official language of many global organizations such as the United Nations, NATO, the International Olympic Committee and the Red Cross. It is also the language of culture, opening your door to the culinary world, fashion, architecture, arts, theatre, and dance.
Spanish is spoken as an official language in more than 21 countries all over the world and has over 500 million native speakers. Learning Spanish is not just about learning a language; it is about meeting and exploring different cultures in Spain and Latin America. From art to sports, textiles to the pharmaceutical industry, Spanish is the 3rd most widely used language in the world.
Main Principles and goals
The World Languages education at Terakki Foundation Schools is based on the Common European Framework for Language Learning (CEFR) and meets the high standards necessary for Eaquals (Evaluation and Accreditation of Quality Language Services) accreditation and employs the Communicative Approach to achieve effective learning outcomes. In the communicative approach adopted at Terakki Foundation Schools, no single skill is given priority, rather, the goal is to achieve communicative competence targeted in all areas of listening, reading, speaking and writing.
A student who enrolls in our school in prep year or in Grade 9 and studies their World Language with us, is expected to be successful when undergoing the following language aptitude tests: German: Fit 1 (A1) and Fit 2 (A2); French Delf 1 (A1) and Delf 2 (A2); Spanish Dele 1 (A1) and Dele 2 (A2).These can be taken in international test centers both in Turkey and abroad, with the aim to develop language skills with competency if s/he meets the requirements of the curriculum.
Students who have graduated from Şişli Terakki Middle School and are continuing with the same second foreign language in High School are expected to finish B1 level courses and to successfully complete the Zertifikat Deutsch (B1), French Delf (B1), and Spanish Dele (B1) tests as they graduate.
Our Teaching Practices
Culturally and socially oriented language learning:
Careful attention is given to the texts and topics studied within World Languages classes. Our activities center on projects, discussions and presenting reports to equip our students with the necessary skills to enhance their communication with people in social contexts in the target language.
Independent language learning activities:
Activities and exercises that teach our students how to learn independently, such as interpreting the meaning of new structures in the text, identifying and building knowledge gaps and preparing and presenting projects, are particularly emphasized in order to increase language awareness.
This also includes assigning our students performance tasks such as independent reading and accordingly presenting their assignments, where themes and topics related to the books are discussed in the classroom. We also encourage our students to write related short stories and poems with the aim of cultivating a joy of reading and writing.
Technology plays an important role in the classroom facilitating learning, assessment and collaboration.
Individualized support:
A Special Support Program is offered outside of class time for those students who need additional support with the curriculum, or whose foreign language skills are at an advanced level.
Extra-curricular Activities
Celebrations and Events
During the school year, students are presented with many opportunities to connect with the culture of their World Language and to practice their language skills through a range of activities such as hosting cultural fairs and participating in events tied to European Day of World Languages.
Fieldtrips
In order to increase students’ interaction with their target language and to acquaint them with the culture of that language, fieldtrips to the Goethe Institute, French Cultural Center and Cervantes Institute are organized throughout the school year. Simultaneously, the World Languages Department has invited representatives of these centers to hold talks and activities at Terakki Foundation Schools.
Cultural Trips
Beyond school, the World Languages Department offers numerous opportunities to interact with other speakers of German, French and Spanish on overseas trips.