The five strands promoted in the Framework (Communicaiton, Cultures, Comparisons, Connections, and Communities) describe the overall content and skills of foreign language learning, teaching, and assessment, as promoted at Franklin High School.

Course offerings include year I through year V in Spanish and Latin, with the AP language syllabus available in Spanish. Course offerings in French include year I through year IV Honors.

The question always arises: Why study a foreign language in this day and age? We believe that the obvious advantages of learning a foreign language in today's ever changing society include the ability to communicate with people from other cultures and societies - enhancing not only understanding and travel, but business and job opportunities.

Knowing another language opens up a whole new world, allowing one to know another culture, thereby helping to understand our own world from a different perspective. When conversing across borders and across cultures, we can get to know ourselves better.

It is the knowledge of another way of doing things - another way of thinking about the world - that better prepares us for living in our gloabl society. The business world in our global economy rewards this knowledge with better pay and promotions, but one's personal growth in awareness of and sensitivity to a world larger than one's own is in itself payback that is beyond price.