Grade 8 Core French: how to help at home
What your child learns in Grade 8 core french in the Alberta Curriculum, and simple things to try at home.
The Big Ideas this year
- Applications: using French to communicate in everyday situations, to explore and to have fun.
- Language competence: understanding and using the sounds, words, sentences and texts of French.
- Global citizenship: learning about Francophone communities in Alberta, Canada and the world, and about other cultures.
- Strategies: choosing ways to learn, use and remember French, and to manage your own learning.
Easy ways to practise core french at home
- Practise a few minutes a day: greetings, numbers, then simple sentences about yourself.
- Say your answers out loud in French, even if you are not sure. Speaking is how it sticks.
- Watch French videos with subtitles and spot words that look like English (cognates).
- Look up a Francophone festival or community in Canada and share one thing you learned.
What each unit covers
Past, present, future
Telling when things happen: yesterday, today and tomorrow, with the passé composé and the near future (aller + infinitive).
Asking questions
Question words (qui, où, quand, combien, comment, pourquoi, quel) and est-ce que questions.
How often?
Words for time and frequency: toujours, souvent, parfois, jamais and chaque jour.
Opinions and reasons
Sharing opinions (à mon avis, je pense que), preferences, emotions and physical states, and giving a reason with parce que.
Comparing and contrasting
Comparing with plus… que, moins… que and aussi… que, and contrasting ideas with mais.
Sounds and letters
Linking French letter groups to sounds (eau, ai, oi, gn, -tion), silent letters, liaisons and élisions.
Reading and retelling stories
Understanding key information and events in short French stories and the words that show the order of events.
The Francophone world
Francophone communities around the world, Indigenous communities where French is spoken, and creative works.
Culture and respect
The ethics of cultural appropriation and plagiarism: crediting sources and learning from cultures respectfully.
What the report card levels look like at home
- Beginning
- Just getting started with this idea. Short, regular practice with lots of support helps most.
- Approaching
- Understands parts of it and is building confidence. Keep practising the tricky parts.
- Meeting
- Has it! Mixed review now and then keeps it strong.
- Exceeding
- Applies it confidently, even in new or harder situations. Try challenge mode and real-life problems.
Your child’s teacher decides the level on the report card. Read the Alberta report card guide.
Common questions
How can I help my Grade 8 child with core french?
Practise a few minutes a day: greetings, numbers, then simple sentences about yourself. Say your answers out loud in French, even if you are not sure. Speaking is how it sticks. Keep sessions short, about 10 to 15 minutes, and stop on a success.
What does my child learn in Grade 8 core french in Alberta?
The Alberta Curriculum Grade 8 core french units include past, present, future, asking questions, how often?, opinions and reasons, comparing and contrasting, sounds and letters.
Free printable Grade 8 core french practice sheet
Questions from every unit, with an answer key.