Skip to main content

Scarsdale Public Schools

Learning, Living, Leading

Eighth Grade Curriculum

Pauvre Anne:

Language Goals - Students will:

  • Read a novel in its entirety in French

  • Discuss the story in French

  • Respond to oral and written questions 

  • Assume role-playing a student in Belgium and a student in the United States

Cultural Understandings: 

  • Compare private schools in Belgium to public schools in the United States

  • Discuss a student’s life in Belgium and compare it to theirs

  • Use Google Earth to get-to-know Namur, Belgium.

Chapter 9: Les sports et les activités d'été
Language Goals -- Students will:

  • talk about summer sports and leisure activities

  • tell what one must do for each activity

  • describe summer weather

  • emphasize and stress whom one is talking about

 Cultural Understandings -- Students will:

  • talk about French vacation habits

  • talk about American vacation habits

  • discuss the differences between the two

Chapter 10: Les Boutiques et les Vêtements
Language Goals -- Students will:

  • identify and describe articles of clothing

  • state color and size preferences

  • shop for clothing

  • express opinions about clothing

  • make observations about the venue

  • compare people and objects

Cultural Understandings -- Students will:

  • note the difference in metric system and our system of measure for clothing

  • discuss differences in clothes shopping in France and the U.S.

Chapter 11: La Routine et La Forme Physique
Language Goals -- Students will:

  • describe personal grooming habits and the daily routine

  • find out and tell someone's name

  • tell how people stay fit

  • tell what do for themselves and others

Cultural Understandings -- Students will:

  • imagine living with a French family and noting the differences in their lives

  • tell what people do in the U.S. to stay fit

  • tell what people do in France and other French-speaking countries to stay fit

Chapter 12: L’environnement et les droits humains
Language Goals -- Students will:

  • talk about the environment and identify ways to conserve resources

  • talk about Maslow’s Hierarchy and relate the levels to their basic needs

  • identify ways to help other students and empathize with them when they have problems or their needs are not being met.

Cultural Understandings -- Students will:

  • compare environmental concerns in the U.S. and in France

  • compare children’s lives in the U.S. and in France

Chapter 13: Les Sports
Language Goals -- Students will:

  • talk about soccer and other fall

  • describe past actions (using avoir)

  • react to situations using an exclamation

Cultural Understandings -- Students will:

  • discuss soccer and its importance in France/French-speaking countries

  • mention other sports that are popular

  • compare these to the U.S. sports' interests

Chapter 14: L'Hiver et les Sports d'hiver
Language Goals -- Students will:

  • talk about skiing, ice skating, and playing in the snow

  • describe winter weather

  • describe past actions (using avoir)

Cultural Understanding -- Students will:

  • talk about French and Canadian winter sports

Chapter 15: La Santé et la Médicine
Language Goals -- Students will:

  • describe symptoms of a minor illness, such as a cold, flu, or upset stomach

  • have a prescription filled at the pharmacy

  • give formal and informal commands

  • play the roles of a doctor and patient

Cultural Understandings -- Students will:

  • know how to get immediate medical assistance when in France

  • compare French and American medical services

  • compare French and American attitudes about health

Chapter 16: Les Loisirs Culturels
Language Goals -- Students will:

  • go to the movies and discuss a movie

  • talk about a play and going to the theater

  • talk about art in general and going to a museum

  • differentiate between knowledge of facts or how to do an activity and being acquainted with people, places, and culture

Cultural Understanding -- Students will:

  • view Impressionist art and discuss simply the genre and a specific work

Chapter 17: L'Hôtel
Language Goals -- Students will:

  • check into and out of a hotel

  • describe past actions (using être)

  • plan and talk about a trip to Paris

Cultural Understandings -- Students will:

  • organize a trip to Paris

  • navigate a neighborhood and talk about what is going on there

  • compare the public transit in Paris to that of a major U.S. city

Chapter 18: L'argent et La Banque
Language Goals -- Students will:

  • talk about spending habits

  • exchange money in Europe

  • go to the bank and make a deposit

Cultural Understanding -- Students will:

  • compare and contrast American and French teen spending habits

  • Common Assessment:  Paris Project

Framing Questions:

  • Un voyage à Paris!  Qu’est-ce que vous allez faire avant le voyage?

  • Qu’est-ce que vous avez fait pendant le voyage?

  • Research Goals:

  • Students will plan a realistic three day trip to Paris.

  • Students will pick a neighborhood in which they will stay and learn to navigate their way around the city from there.

Structural Concepts:

  • Students will use present, simple future,  and the passé composé tenses.

  • Students will incorporate related vocabulary to describe their three-day trip.

A sample activity

  • Working in groups, students will conduct research and plan a three-day trip to Madrid. 

  • They will collaborate with the librarian to learn how to use guidebooks.

  • They will use appropriate Apps to tour Paris by neighborhood and to learn the map of the city.

Project Format
The project will include a cover page, an introduction, an explanation of each day in Paris, pictures, and a reflection.
They will cite their references.
Cultural Understandings:

  • Students will plan their trip in a realistic way, taking into account mealtimes, museum hours, and business schedules with regard to the places they visit.

  • They will think about the locations of their activities in relation to their hotel on a map as they plan their outlines.

  • Students will plan their trip using various methods of transportation around the city.

  • Students will describe their meals and tell where they eat.

  • They will imagine how they will “say goodbye” to Paris as part of their reflection piece.

Pobre Ana:
Language Goals - Students will: 

  • Read a novel in its entirety in Spanish

  • Discuss the story in Spanish

  • Respond to oral and written questions 

Cultural Understandings:

  • Compare private schools in México to public schools in the US

  • Discuss housing options in México

  • Learn about the cumbia dance in México

  • Use Google Earth to get-to-know Guadalajara

Chapter 9: ¡Vamos de compras! Location: Texas
Language Goals -- Students will:

  • talk about giving gifts

  • ask for and give directions downtown

  • comment on clothes and discuss what they are made of

  • make comparisons and express preferences

  • ask about prices and pay for something

  • listen to people discuss clothes and respond to questions related to the conversation

  • read store advertisements

  • write a gift list for family and friends

Cultural Understandings -- Students will:

  • compare currencies in different countries

  • compare dress habits and personal care in different countries

  • discuss fashion and what people think is in style

  • compare how and where people shop in different countries

Chapter 10: Celebraciones Location: Texas
Language Goals -- Students will:

  • talk about what they are doing right now

  • ask for and give an opinion

  • ask for help

  • respond to requests for help

  • tell a friend what to do

  • describe how they celebrate holidays

  • write about their favorite holiday and how they celebrate it

  • talk about past events

Cultural Understandings -- Students will:

  • compare holidays in the U.S. to those in the Spanish-speaking world

  • explore festivals like la Tomatina, San Fermín, las Fallas, Castellers, & el Día de los Muertos

  • learn about la Quinciera

Chapter 11: Para vivir bien Location: Puerto Rico
Language Goals -- Students will:

  • identify body parts

  • communicate what part of their body hurts

  • express feelings

  • talk about moods and physical condition

  • describe a healthy lifestyle

  • say where they went and when

  • describe their day in the past, including sports practice and play

  • understand ailments and make suggestions

Cultural Understandings -- Students will:

  • compare sports in different countries

  • see images of San Juan, Puerto Rico and a baseball game there

  • learn about the relationship between Puerto Rico and the U.S.

Chapter 12: Las vacaciones ideales Location: Puerto Rico
Learning Outcomes-- Students will:

  • talk about what they like to do when they travel

  • make future plans

  • talk about what they would like to do during a future vacation

  • say where they went and what they did on a vacation in the past

  • say what they need to bring in their suitcase

  • design an ideal trip and write about it

  • write a journal entry about a trip they took

  • communicate in some travel situations

Cultural Understandings -- Students will:

  • study the city of Madrid, including maps, museums, restaurants and other tourist attractions

  • learn about both traditional and rejoneo bullfighting in Spain 

  • compare weather and tourist attractions in various Spanish-speaking countries

  • compare currencies

Etapa 1 - Pasatiempos
Language Goals: Students will:

  • discuss what they did and where they went last summer.

  • discuss travel plans and leisure time.

  • comment on airplane travel, focusing on the process of checking baggage, passing through security, chatting on the plane, interacting with a flight attendant, and going through customs.

  • use preterite verbs (AR, ER, IR / CAR, GAR, ZAR / Ir, Ser, Hacer, Dar, Ver) to discuss past events and trips.

Cultural Understandings: Students will:

  • examine travel etiquette and customs in Spain and Latin America.

  • explore fun vacation activities in Spanish-speaking countries.

  • learn about “la calle Olvera” and murals in Los Angeles

Language Goals:

  • talk about art and museums.

  • describe and give opinions on art.

  • talk about food in greater detail.

  • use stem-changing verbs in the present tense (e--ie & u--ue) to discuss visits to museums and restaurants.

  • use irregular stem verbs in the preterite tense to discuss visits to museums and restaurants.

Cultural Understandings:

  • discuss mealtimes in Spanish-speaking countries.

  • talk about typical meals and dishes in Spanish-speaking countries.

  • explore famous museums in Spanish-speaking countries.

Language Goals:

  • Discuss ways to communicate

  • React to news

  • Ask for and give information

  • Talk about things and people you know

  • Review eight demonstrative adjectives and learn the four remaining ones

  • Learn the o to i stem-changing verbs in the preterite tense

  • Learn the o to u stem-changing verbs in the preterite tense

Cultural Understandings:

  • Read newspapers from Spanish-speaking newspapers and discuss current news

  • Use map skills and review where Spanish-speaking countries are located

Framing Questions:

  • ¡Un viaje a Madrid! ¿Qué piensas hacer en Madrid?

Research Goals:

  • Students will plan a realistic three-day trip to Madrid.

  • Structural Concepts:

  • Students will use simple future, other appropriate tenses, and related vocabulary to describe their three-day trip.

A sample activity

  • Students will conduct research in groups and plan a three-day trip to Madrid. They will collaborate using google docs to design an illustrated project. The project will include a cover page, an introduction, plans for three days in Madrid, pictures, and references. 

Cultural Understandings:

  • Students will plan their trip in a realistic way, accounting for local mealtimes, museum hours, and business schedules.

  • Students will plan their trip taking into account various methods of transportation, and they will think about the locations of their activities on a map at they plan their outlines.

  • Students will include information about their meals and describe local cuisine.

  • Pauvre Anne:

    Language Goals - Students will:

    • Read a novel in its entirety in French

    • Discuss the story in French

    • Respond to oral and written questions 

    • Assume role-playing a student in Belgium and a student in the United States

    Cultural Understandings: 

    • Compare private schools in Belgium to public schools in the United States

    • Discuss a student’s life in Belgium and compare it to theirs

    • Use Google Earth to get-to-know Namur, Belgium.

    Chapter 9: Les sports et les activités d'été
    Language Goals -- Students will:

    • talk about summer sports and leisure activities

    • tell what one must do for each activity

    • describe summer weather

    • emphasize and stress whom one is talking about

     Cultural Understandings -- Students will:

    • talk about French vacation habits

    • talk about American vacation habits

    • discuss the differences between the two

    Chapter 10: Les Boutiques et les Vêtements
    Language Goals -- Students will:

    • identify and describe articles of clothing

    • state color and size preferences

    • shop for clothing

    • express opinions about clothing

    • make observations about the venue

    • compare people and objects

    Cultural Understandings -- Students will:

    • note the difference in metric system and our system of measure for clothing

    • discuss differences in clothes shopping in France and the U.S.

    Chapter 11: La Routine et La Forme Physique
    Language Goals -- Students will:

    • describe personal grooming habits and the daily routine

    • find out and tell someone's name

    • tell how people stay fit

    • tell what do for themselves and others

    Cultural Understandings -- Students will:

    • imagine living with a French family and noting the differences in their lives

    • tell what people do in the U.S. to stay fit

    • tell what people do in France and other French-speaking countries to stay fit

    Chapter 12: L’environnement et les droits humains
    Language Goals -- Students will:

    • talk about the environment and identify ways to conserve resources

    • talk about Maslow’s Hierarchy and relate the levels to their basic needs

    • identify ways to help other students and empathize with them when they have problems or their needs are not being met.

    Cultural Understandings -- Students will:

    • compare environmental concerns in the U.S. and in France

    • compare children’s lives in the U.S. and in France

    Chapter 13: Les Sports
    Language Goals -- Students will:

    • talk about soccer and other fall

    • describe past actions (using avoir)

    • react to situations using an exclamation

    Cultural Understandings -- Students will:

    • discuss soccer and its importance in France/French-speaking countries

    • mention other sports that are popular

    • compare these to the U.S. sports' interests

    Chapter 14: L'Hiver et les Sports d'hiver
    Language Goals -- Students will:

    • talk about skiing, ice skating, and playing in the snow

    • describe winter weather

    • describe past actions (using avoir)

    Cultural Understanding -- Students will:

    • talk about French and Canadian winter sports

    Chapter 15: La Santé et la Médicine
    Language Goals -- Students will:

    • describe symptoms of a minor illness, such as a cold, flu, or upset stomach

    • have a prescription filled at the pharmacy

    • give formal and informal commands

    • play the roles of a doctor and patient

    Cultural Understandings -- Students will:

    • know how to get immediate medical assistance when in France

    • compare French and American medical services

    • compare French and American attitudes about health

    Chapter 16: Les Loisirs Culturels
    Language Goals -- Students will:

    • go to the movies and discuss a movie

    • talk about a play and going to the theater

    • talk about art in general and going to a museum

    • differentiate between knowledge of facts or how to do an activity and being acquainted with people, places, and culture

    Cultural Understanding -- Students will:

    • view Impressionist art and discuss simply the genre and a specific work

    Chapter 17: L'Hôtel
    Language Goals -- Students will:

    • check into and out of a hotel

    • describe past actions (using être)

    • plan and talk about a trip to Paris

    Cultural Understandings -- Students will:

    • organize a trip to Paris

    • navigate a neighborhood and talk about what is going on there

    • compare the public transit in Paris to that of a major U.S. city

    Chapter 18: L'argent et La Banque
    Language Goals -- Students will:

    • talk about spending habits

    • exchange money in Europe

    • go to the bank and make a deposit

    Cultural Understanding -- Students will:

    • compare and contrast American and French teen spending habits

    • Common Assessment:  Paris Project

    Framing Questions:

    • Un voyage à Paris!  Qu’est-ce que vous allez faire avant le voyage?

    • Qu’est-ce que vous avez fait pendant le voyage?

    • Research Goals:

    • Students will plan a realistic three day trip to Paris.

    • Students will pick a neighborhood in which they will stay and learn to navigate their way around the city from there.

    Structural Concepts:

    • Students will use present, simple future,  and the passé composé tenses.

    • Students will incorporate related vocabulary to describe their three-day trip.

    A sample activity

    • Working in groups, students will conduct research and plan a three-day trip to Madrid. 

    • They will collaborate with the librarian to learn how to use guidebooks.

    • They will use appropriate Apps to tour Paris by neighborhood and to learn the map of the city.

    Project Format
    The project will include a cover page, an introduction, an explanation of each day in Paris, pictures, and a reflection.
    They will cite their references.
    Cultural Understandings:

    • Students will plan their trip in a realistic way, taking into account mealtimes, museum hours, and business schedules with regard to the places they visit.

    • They will think about the locations of their activities in relation to their hotel on a map as they plan their outlines.

    • Students will plan their trip using various methods of transportation around the city.

    • Students will describe their meals and tell where they eat.

    • They will imagine how they will “say goodbye” to Paris as part of their reflection piece.

  • Pobre Ana:
    Language Goals - Students will: 

    • Read a novel in its entirety in Spanish

    • Discuss the story in Spanish

    • Respond to oral and written questions 

    Cultural Understandings:

    • Compare private schools in México to public schools in the US

    • Discuss housing options in México

    • Learn about the cumbia dance in México

    • Use Google Earth to get-to-know Guadalajara

    Chapter 9: ¡Vamos de compras! Location: Texas
    Language Goals -- Students will:

    • talk about giving gifts

    • ask for and give directions downtown

    • comment on clothes and discuss what they are made of

    • make comparisons and express preferences

    • ask about prices and pay for something

    • listen to people discuss clothes and respond to questions related to the conversation

    • read store advertisements

    • write a gift list for family and friends

    Cultural Understandings -- Students will:

    • compare currencies in different countries

    • compare dress habits and personal care in different countries

    • discuss fashion and what people think is in style

    • compare how and where people shop in different countries

    Chapter 10: Celebraciones Location: Texas
    Language Goals -- Students will:

    • talk about what they are doing right now

    • ask for and give an opinion

    • ask for help

    • respond to requests for help

    • tell a friend what to do

    • describe how they celebrate holidays

    • write about their favorite holiday and how they celebrate it

    • talk about past events

    Cultural Understandings -- Students will:

    • compare holidays in the U.S. to those in the Spanish-speaking world

    • explore festivals like la Tomatina, San Fermín, las Fallas, Castellers, & el Día de los Muertos

    • learn about la Quinciera

    Chapter 11: Para vivir bien Location: Puerto Rico
    Language Goals -- Students will:

    • identify body parts

    • communicate what part of their body hurts

    • express feelings

    • talk about moods and physical condition

    • describe a healthy lifestyle

    • say where they went and when

    • describe their day in the past, including sports practice and play

    • understand ailments and make suggestions

    Cultural Understandings -- Students will:

    • compare sports in different countries

    • see images of San Juan, Puerto Rico and a baseball game there

    • learn about the relationship between Puerto Rico and the U.S.

    Chapter 12: Las vacaciones ideales Location: Puerto Rico
    Learning Outcomes-- Students will:

    • talk about what they like to do when they travel

    • make future plans

    • talk about what they would like to do during a future vacation

    • say where they went and what they did on a vacation in the past

    • say what they need to bring in their suitcase

    • design an ideal trip and write about it

    • write a journal entry about a trip they took

    • communicate in some travel situations

    Cultural Understandings -- Students will:

    • study the city of Madrid, including maps, museums, restaurants and other tourist attractions

    • learn about both traditional and rejoneo bullfighting in Spain 

    • compare weather and tourist attractions in various Spanish-speaking countries

    • compare currencies

  • Etapa 1 - Pasatiempos
    Language Goals: Students will:

    • discuss what they did and where they went last summer.

    • discuss travel plans and leisure time.

    • comment on airplane travel, focusing on the process of checking baggage, passing through security, chatting on the plane, interacting with a flight attendant, and going through customs.

    • use preterite verbs (AR, ER, IR / CAR, GAR, ZAR / Ir, Ser, Hacer, Dar, Ver) to discuss past events and trips.

    Cultural Understandings: Students will:

    • examine travel etiquette and customs in Spain and Latin America.

    • explore fun vacation activities in Spanish-speaking countries.

    • learn about “la calle Olvera” and murals in Los Angeles

  • Language Goals:

    • talk about art and museums.

    • describe and give opinions on art.

    • talk about food in greater detail.

    • use stem-changing verbs in the present tense (e--ie & u--ue) to discuss visits to museums and restaurants.

    • use irregular stem verbs in the preterite tense to discuss visits to museums and restaurants.

    Cultural Understandings:

    • discuss mealtimes in Spanish-speaking countries.

    • talk about typical meals and dishes in Spanish-speaking countries.

    • explore famous museums in Spanish-speaking countries.

  • Language Goals:

    • Discuss ways to communicate

    • React to news

    • Ask for and give information

    • Talk about things and people you know

    • Review eight demonstrative adjectives and learn the four remaining ones

    • Learn the o to i stem-changing verbs in the preterite tense

    • Learn the o to u stem-changing verbs in the preterite tense

    Cultural Understandings:

    • Read newspapers from Spanish-speaking newspapers and discuss current news

    • Use map skills and review where Spanish-speaking countries are located

  • Framing Questions:

    • ¡Un viaje a Madrid! ¿Qué piensas hacer en Madrid?

    Research Goals:

    • Students will plan a realistic three-day trip to Madrid.

    • Structural Concepts:

    • Students will use simple future, other appropriate tenses, and related vocabulary to describe their three-day trip.

    A sample activity

    • Students will conduct research in groups and plan a three-day trip to Madrid. They will collaborate using google docs to design an illustrated project. The project will include a cover page, an introduction, plans for three days in Madrid, pictures, and references. 

    Cultural Understandings:

    • Students will plan their trip in a realistic way, accounting for local mealtimes, museum hours, and business schedules.

    • Students will plan their trip taking into account various methods of transportation, and they will think about the locations of their activities on a map at they plan their outlines.

    • Students will include information about their meals and describe local cuisine.