Explore Our Curriculum

Department

Language

We learn language to learn the human experience. The Rivers Language Department challenges students to expand their worldview by exploring and learning different languages. As global citizens, students learn to speak, write and read other languages, deepening their understanding of diverse cultural perspectives and increasing awareness of their own. Language students problem solve, think critically, collaborate, participate, discover and create. Students move from structured, guided environments at the beginning levels to ones more open ended and student-led at the upper levels where the expectations to demonstrate independence, initiative, and leadership in learning are the norm. Students encounter authentic experiences and primary resources in each class and at each level. In modern languages students are immersed in the language from the beginning levels and proficiency in listening, speaking, writing and reading sets the foundation for all class work. In Latin, students learn to weave the grammar, language and literature of the Roman people with the culture, religion, history, and art. Through this practice students come to understand and appreciate Rome’s influence on western civilization.

French, Grade 7

This introduction to French uses proficiency-oriented materials. Emphasis is on communicative competence with the goal of developing a strong foundation in the skills necessary to understand, speak, write, and read in French. A strong grammatical foundation is balanced with varied and frequent opportunities to hone communicative proficiencies. A wide range of evaluations is used to measure student performance. Classes are conducted primarily in French. The goal of this program is to prepare students for French II in Grade 9.
French, Grade 8

This introduction to French uses proficiency-oriented materials. Emphasis is on communicative competence with the goal of developing a strong foundation in the skills necessary to understand, speak, write, and read in French. A strong grammatical foundation is balanced with varied and frequent opportunities to hone communicative proficiencies. A wide range of evaluations is used to measure student performance. Classes are conducted primarily in French. The goal of this program is to prepare students for French II in Grade 9.
Introduction to Latin, Grade 6

All sixth grade students are required to take Introduction to Latin. This course uses the Cambridge Latin Course, Unit I, a text that offers a flexible, dynamic approach to studying Latin. From the outset, students work toward developing a basic reading knowledge of the language. By reading stories set in Pompeii, 79 AD, students learn about the Roman world in a coherent and credible fashion. Students acquire translation skills and a solid introduction to the culture and customs of the Romans. They are exposed to basic forms and grammatical constructions, and to the grammatical forms and syntactical clauses common to both English and Latin. Vocabulary and derivative skills are emphasized throughout this course. Concepts presented in the sixth-grade humanities course, The World and Water, are reinforced in the Latin 6 class. Exploration of the Roman aqueduct system and water management, and the way water figures into Greek and Roman stories and myths, are also focuses of the class. There is also collaboration with the Freight Farm curriculum, as Latin students research, prepare and grow greens to be used in the annual fall Latin banquet.
Latin, Grade 7

Continuing with the Cambridge Latin Course, Units II and III, students learn the remaining noun declensions, all active forms of the indicative verb system, prepositions, adjectives, demonstrative and relative pronouns, present active and perfect participles, degrees of adjectives and adverbs, complex sentences with dependent clauses, and the forms and uses of the subjunctive mood of verbs. Students read Latin stories that present the Roman world as a coherent whole by using historical characters set in believable, everyday situations. The series focuses on life in Alexandria and Roman Britain and examines the themes of Romanization, expansion of the Roman Army, and travel and communication in the Roman Empire. Completion of the Middle School Latin program is the equivalent of Latin I.
Latin, Grade 8

Continuing with the Cambridge Latin Course, Units II and III, students learn the remaining noun declensions, all active forms of the indicative verb system, prepositions, adjectives, demonstrative and relative pronouns, present active and perfect participles, degrees of adjectives and adverbs, complex sentences with dependent clauses, and the forms and uses of the subjunctive mood of verbs. Students read Latin stories that present the Roman world as a coherent whole by using historical characters set in believable, everyday situations. The series focuses on life in Alexandria and Roman Britain and examines the themes of Romanization, expansion of the Roman Army, and travel and communication in the Roman Empire. Completion of the Middle School Latin program is the equivalent of Latin I.
Middle School Mandarin

This course provides students with the basic tools for speaking, reading, writing, and understanding Mandarin Chinese (also known as Modern Standard Chinese or putonghua). The language is approached from several angles. First, students familiarize themselves with Pinyin Romanization, a system of phonetic transcription. Character recognition, writing, and typing are then gradually introduced as students become increasingly familiar with Chinese pronunciation and intonation. These two approaches are combined with thematic vocabulary and key grammatical building blocks to promote communication and self-expression across a variety of language scenarios. The course places a major emphasis on constant interaction between students in the form of conversations, discussions, games, and contests.
Spanish, Grade 7

This introduction to Spanish uses proficiency-oriented materials. Emphasis is on communicative competency with the goal of developing a strong foundation in the skills necessary to understand, speak, write, and read in Spanish. A strong grammatical foundation is balanced with varied and frequent opportunities to hone communicative proficiencies. A wide range of evaluations is used to measure student performance. Classes are conducted primarily in Spanish.
Spanish, Grade 8

This introduction to Spanish uses proficiency-oriented materials. Emphasis is on communicative competency with the goal of developing a strong foundation in the skills necessary to understand, speak, write, and read in Spanish. A strong grammatical foundation is balanced with varied and frequent opportunities to hone communicative proficiencies. A wide range of evaluations is used to measure student performance. Classes are conducted primarily in Spanish.

FACULTY

Elisa Goldsmith

Language Department Chair, French, French Program Abroad Coordinator, JAF Affinity Advisor

339-686-2436

Brandeis University - PhD
Brandeis University - MA
Bates College - BA

e.goldsmith@rivers.org

2009
Bio
Elisa Goldsmith is a French teacher in the Upper School. Before coming to Rivers, Elisa taught French at Noble and Greenough School, at both the middle school and upper school levels. At Rivers, she serves as chair of the language department and coordinator of the French student exchange program. Elisa earned a BA from Bates College and an MA and PhD in French literature in the comparative literature program at Brandeis University.
Julia Auster-Hogan '06

Grade 7 Dean, French, Drama, Peer Mentoring

339-686-4518

Skidmore College - BS
Union Graduate College - MEd

j.auster-hogan@rivers.org

2016
Bio
Julia Auster-Hogan '06 joined the Rivers faculty in 2016. Previously, she taught French immersion at Robert Adams Middle School in Holliston, MA, and sixth grade French at F.A. Day Middle School in Newton, MA. Julia earned a BS in education studies and French at Skidmore College and an MEd in teaching French from Union Graduate College. She teaches middle school French and Theater Arts, serves as an advisor, and is the producer for all extracurricular drama performances on campus.
Julie Avery

Middle School Mandarin

339-686-2378

Bates College - B.A.
UMass Amherst - M.A.

j.avery@rivers.org

2024
Bio
With a B.A. in Chinese from Bates College and an M.A. in Chinese from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Julie Avery has many years of experience teaching Chinese and English as a second language. Her classroom experience includes teaching in China and working at The Derryfield School, where she also served as the international student coordinator and Grade 10 advisor.
Nicole Bartlett

French and Spanish Teacher

339-686-2376

Boston College - MA
St. Lawrence University - BA

n.bartlett@rivers.org

2023
Bio
Nikki Bartlett, P’21, ’25, ’27, ’29, teaches Middle School French and Spanish. In her time at Rivers, she has organized and led the student trip to Quebec, coached Middle School field hockey and girls’ tennis, and has also served as an Upper School advisor. Previously, she served as a Spanish Teaching Fellow at Boston College, taught and coached at the Frances C. Richmond School in Hanover, New Hampshire; and worked at King School in Stamford, Connecticut, where she received the McDermott Faculty Award for professional development. Nikki is a graduate of The Middlesex School and holds a Master of Arts in French Language and Culture, with honors, from Boston College and a Bachelor of Arts in French from St. Lawrence University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude.
Catherine Favreau

MS Latin, Book Club Advisor, Costume Designer

339-686-2434

UMass/Amherst - MAT
Vassar College - BA

c.favreau@rivers.org

2002
Bio
Cathy Favreau joined the Rivers faculty in the fall of 1999. She teaches sixth, seventh, and eighth grade Latin. Cathy's passion for Latin and Roman culture has led her on overseas trips to visit Roman sites in Italy, Greece, Britain, Portugal, and southern France. She also co-directed the Middle School drama production for eight years. She is the costume designer for all theater productions. Cathy was the recipient of the Mida van Zuylen Dunn Award for Teaching in 2003 and the F. Ervin Prince Teaching Chair in 2011. She earned a BA in Latin and Greek at Vassar College and an MAT in Latin and classical humanities at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Andrés Méndez-Peñate

Spanish, Middle School Tennis Coach

339-686-4492

Pace University - MAT
Wesleyan University - BA

a.mendez-penate@rivers.org

2020
Bio
Andrés Méndez-Peñate joined the Rivers Faculty in the fall of 2020. He teaches seventh- and eighth-grade Spanish. Previously, he taught middle school Spanish at the Nashoba Brooks School in Concord, MA, and upper school Spanish at Brooks School in North Andover. He began his teaching career in 2005 as a New York City Teaching Fellow. Andrés's passion for Spanish and the culture of the Spanish-speaking world has led him to travel to Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Argentina, México, and Spain. He lived in Barcelona for three years, where he taught at the Benjamin Franklin International School.

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Explore Our Curriculum

Language

French, Grade 7

French, Grade 8

Introduction to Latin, Grade 6

Latin, Grade 7

Latin, Grade 8

Middle School Mandarin

Spanish, Grade 7

Spanish, Grade 8

FACULTY