Foreign Language - 8th Grade

8th Grade French (403)

Grade 8 Level 2

This course mirrors French 1 Level 2 as to curriculum content. It is the first step of getting to know the exciting world of French language and culture. French 1 students will build the vocabulary and acquire the language functions that are used in everyday conversation through various modes of communication, such as interpersonal (person-to-person speaking or writing), interpretive (listening and reading) and presentational (one-way speaking and writing) with a strong focus on speaking. Students will be working with authentic French resources such as videos, articles, readings, songs and websites. The themes of greetings, numbers, classroom objects, likes and dislikes, leisure activities, descriptions, family, school subjects, days of the week and time provide a lens through which to explore our own cultural practices and aspects and those of the French-speaking world. By engaging in French through speaking, reading, listening and writing, students will aim to attain a Novice Mid proficiency level.

8th Grade French Advanced ( 400)

French 8th Grade Advanced mirrors French 1 8th Grade as to curriculum content. Students accepted into the Advanced track have successfully completed the middle-school curriculum. The first month of instruction is a thorough review. Class is taught at a faster pace and geared towards preparing students for the honors language track, i.e French 2 Honors.

German 1 8th Grade (443)

This course mirrors German 1 Level 2 as to curriculum content. It is the first step of getting to know the exciting world of German language and culture. German 1 students will build the vocabulary and acquire the language functions that are used in everyday conversation through various modes of communication, such as interpersonal (person-to-person speaking or writing), interpretive (listening and reading) and presentational (one-way speaking and writing) with a strong focus on speaking. Students will be working with authentic German resources such as videos, articles, readings, songs and websites. The themes of greetings, numbers, classroom objects, likes and dislikes, leisure activities, descriptions, family, school subjects, days of the week and time provide a lens through which to explore our own cultural practices and aspects and those of the German-speaking world. By engaging in German through speaking, reading, listening and writing, students will aim to attain a Novice Mid proficiency level.

German 1 8th Grade Advanced (444)

Prerequisite: Recommendation of Middle-School Teacher.

German 8th Grade Advanced mirrors German 1 8th Grade as to curriculum content. Students accepted into the Advanced track have successfully completed the middle-school curriculum. The first month of instruction is a thorough review. Class is taught at a faster pace and geared towards preparing students for the honors language track, i.e German 2 Honors.

Spanish 1 8th Grade (423/420)

This course mirrors Spanish 1 Level 2 in terms of curriculum content, and is designed for students who wish to begin to study the Spanish language. Students will engage in all four skills of speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Students will learn thematic vocabulary, grammatical concepts, rules of pronunciation, and communicative skills. This class is taught progressively in Spanish. Students will begin the adventure of learning Spanish through communicatively based activities, with a strong focus on speaking, students will build the vocabulary and acquire the language functions that are used in everyday conversation.

Themes in this course include socially-appropriate greetings and farewells, the calendar, school supplies and classroom vocabulary, everyday leisure activities, food, and family descriptions. Students will be able to express likes and dislikes, learn how to ask questions, describe self and others using many common present tense verbs, including: ser, estar, tener, regular -ar, -er and -ir verbs. Students will explore the grammatical topics of noun-adjective agreement, definite and indefinite articles, the concept of gender of nouns (singular and plural), and telling time.

These themes provide a lens through which to explore our own cultural practices and perspectives as well as those of people in the Spanish-speaking world. Students will work to improve their proficiency in three modes of communication: interpersonal (person-to-person speaking or writing), interpretive (listening and reading) and presentational (one-way speaking and writing) to attain a Novice Mid proficiency level. Students will investigate the products, practices and perspectives of Spanish-speaking cultures.

Spanish 8th Grade Advanced (423/420)

Prerequisite: Recommendation of Middle-School Teacher

Spanish 8th Grade Advanced mirrors Spanish 1 in terms of curriculum content. Students accepted into the Advanced track have either successfully completed the middle-school curriculum or have a Latin language background. The first month of instruction is a thorough review. Class is taught at a faster pace and geared towards preparing students for the honors language track, i.e. Spanish 2 Honors.