British Columbia · Grade 8
Core French 8
British Columbia’s Grade 8 French course, from Listening and Viewing with Intent to Culture, Languages, and Communities.
- Units
- 5
- Lessons
- 19
- Skills
- 19
- Provincial exam
- None
- Official curriculum
- Province of British Columbia
Unit by unit
Every skill in the course, numbered by unit.
Unit 1 · 3 skills
Listening and Viewing with Intent
Same-Sound Groupings and Rhymes
Same-sound letter groupings and rhyming words
I can recognize French letter groupings that make the same sound and spot rhyming words that share it.
Skill 1.1
Consistent Pronunciation Patterns, Liaisons, and Élisions
Letter patterns with consistent pronunciations, liaisons, and élisions
I can read French letter patterns that always sound the same way, and use liaisons and élisions when I read and speak.
Skill 1.2
Understanding a Variety of Questions
Asking and understanding a variety of questions
I can ask and understand a variety of question types in French.
Skill 1.3
The official wording · 3 outcomes
- 1.1
- French letter patterns
- 1.2
- French letter patterns
- 1.3
- a variety of questions
Key ideas
Several different letter groupings all make the SAME sound in French: au, aux, eau, ô, and os all sound like "oh" — beau, château, gauche, aussi, dos.
Some letter patterns always sound the same wherever they appear: ai sounds like "eh" (mais), gn sounds like "ny" (montagne), -ille sounds like "eey" (gentille), -ment sounds like "mahn" (lentement), oi sounds like "wah" (moi), th sounds like a plain "t" (théâtre), -tion sounds like "see-ohn" (attention), and ui sounds like "wee" (lui).
Yes/no questions often start with Est-ce que: Est-ce que tu aimes le sport ? — the answer is just oui or non.
Words that share a sound often rhyme: château rhymes with gâteau (cake) and beau (handsome) because they all end in the "oh" sound, even though they're spelled differently.
Une liaison links a normally-silent final consonant to the next word when it starts with a vowel sound: "les amis" is said "lez-ami", not "le… amis" with a pause.
Watch out for
- Assuming each different spelling (au, eau, ô, os) must make a different sound, the way English spelling usually does.
- Reading th as an English "th" sound (like in "the") instead of a plain French "t" (théâtre is "tay-ah-truh", not "thee-ah-truh").
- Answering a Pourquoi (why) question with a place, time, or person instead of a reason.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 2 · 9 skills
Expressing Ourselves and the World Around Us
Talking About Now: The Present Tense System
The present-tense system
I can use the present tense as a system to talk about what is happening now.
Skill 2.1
Talking About the Past: Passé Composé (Emerging)
Passé composé (emerging): talking about the past
I can recognize and begin to use the passé composé to talk about something that already happened.
Skill 2.2
Talking About the Future: Futur Proche (Emerging)
Futur proche (emerging): talking about the future
I can recognize and begin to use the futur proche to talk about what is going to happen.
Skill 2.3
Expressing Time and Frequency
Expressing time and frequency
I can express time and frequency in French.
Skill 2.4
Describing Items, People, and Personal Interests
Describing items, people, and personal interests
I can describe items, people, and my personal interests using common vocabulary and sentence structures.
Skill 2.5
Making Comparisons and Contrasts
Making comparisons and contrasts
I can make comparisons and contrasts in French.
Skill 2.6
Giving Reasons for Preferences, Emotions, and Physical States
Giving reasons for preferences, emotions, and physical states
I can give reasons for my preferences, emotions, and physical states.
Skill 2.7
Expressing Beliefs and Opinions
Expressing beliefs and opinions
I can express a belief or opinion in French.
Skill 2.8
Vocabulary for Cultural Aspects of Communities
Vocabulary for cultural aspects of communities
I can use vocabulary for cultural aspects of communities.
Skill 2.9
The official wording · 9 outcomes
- 2.1
- common, high-frequency vocabulary and sentence structures for communication in past, present, and future time frames
- 2.2
- common, high-frequency vocabulary and sentence structures for communication in past, present, and future time frames
- 2.3
- common, high-frequency vocabulary and sentence structures for communication in past, present, and future time frames
- 2.4
- time and frequency
- 2.5
- descriptions of items, people, and personal interests
- 2.6
- comparisons and contrasts
- 2.7
- reasons for preferences, emotions, and physical states
- 2.8
- beliefs and opinions
- 2.9
- cultural aspects of communities
Key ideas
Sentences change according to WHEN events occur — a change in time frame requires a change in wording, not just adding a time word like "aujourd'hui".
The passé composé needs a change in wording, not just a past-time word: J'ai étudié pour mon test hier soir (I studied for my test last night) — the verb becomes "ai étudié", it doesn't stay as "étudie" with "hier soir" added.
The futur proche needs a change in wording, not just a future-time word: Nous allons regarder un film demain (We are going to watch a movie tomorrow) — the verb becomes "allons regarder", it doesn't stay as "regardons" with "demain" added.
Time words anchor a sentence in when: aujourd'hui (today), hier (yesterday), demain (tomorrow), chaque jour (every day).
Adjectives describe size, colour, and personality — grand/grande, petit/petite, gentil/gentille — and change spelling to match the noun's gender; most go AFTER the noun in French (une chemise bleue), unlike English (a blue shirt).
Watch out for
- Thinking that adding a present-time word like aujourd'hui is ENOUGH to show present tense, without the verb itself matching.
- Just adding "hier" to a present-tense verb ("je mange hier") instead of actually changing the verb to the passé composé.
- Just adding "demain" to a present-tense verb ("je regarde demain") instead of actually using aller + infinitive.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 3 · 2 skills
Sharing Experience Through Stories
The Building Blocks of a Story
Common elements of stories
I can identify the common elements — place, characters, setting, and plot — in a French story.
Skill 3.1
Narrating a Simple Story
Narrating a simple story using expressions of time
I can narrate a simple story using expressions of time to show its logical progression.
Skill 3.2
The official wording · 2 outcomes
- 3.1
- common elements of stories
- 3.2
- Narrate simple stories
Key ideas
Les personnages (the characters) are who the story is about; le lieu (the setting/place) is where it happens.
Expressions of time act like signposts that show a story's order: d'abord (first), ensuite/puis (then/next), enfin (finally).
Every story has a plot that moves through a problem (le problème) toward an ending (la fin) — spotting these unlocks the whole story, even with a few unknown words.
A narrated story pulls together elements from earlier lessons: the characters and setting (common story elements), and the tenses to move through time (passé composé for what happened, présent for description, futur proche for what's about to happen next).
Watch out for
- Focusing only on unfamiliar vocabulary and missing the overall story shape, which can be followed even with a few unknown words.
- Listing events with no connecting time expressions, so the listener can't tell the order they happened in.
- Confusing the setting (where) with the problem (what goes wrong).
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 4 · 2 skills
Authentic Francophone Cultures Through Creative Works
Francophone Cultures Through Creative Works
Exploring Francophone cultures through creative works
I can explore ways Francophone cultures are expressed through creative works.
Skill 4.1
The Ethics of Cultural Appropriation and Plagiarism
Ethics of cultural appropriation and plagiarism
I can understand the ethics of cultural appropriation and plagiarism when exploring creative works.
Skill 4.2
The official wording · 2 outcomes
- 4.1
- Explore ways in which Francophone cultures are expressed through creative works
- 4.2
- ethics of cultural appropriation and plagiarism
Key ideas
Creative works are works of artistic expression that represent the experience of the people from whose culture they're drawn — architecture, dance, filmmaking, music, poetry and prose, sculpture, and theatre are all examples.
Cultural appropriation is using a cultural motif, theme, "voice", image, knowledge, story, song, or drama shared without permission, without appropriate context, or in a way that misrepresents the real experience of the people it's drawn from.
A creative work can teach you something true about a culture even if you can't understand every word or detail — look at what it shows, celebrates, or questions.
Respecting a creative work means giving credit, using it with the right context, and not presenting someone else's cultural expression as your own — that applies to schoolwork too, not just professional art.
Watch out for
- Assuming a creative work only shows entertainment value and misses that it represents a real culture's experience.
- Believing that admiring or being inspired by a culture makes any use of its creative works automatically acceptable.
- Assuming all Francophone creative works come from France, when they come from communities all over the world.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 5 · 3 skills
Culture, Languages, and Communities
Francophone Communities Around the World
Francophone communities around the world
I can identify Francophone communities from around the world.
Skill 5.1
Cultural Aspects of Francophone Communities
Cultural aspects of Francophone communities
I can describe cultural aspects of Francophone communities.
Skill 5.2
Indigenous Communities and the French Language
Connections between indigenous communities and the French language
I can explore and share information about connections between indigenous communities and the French language.
Skill 5.3
The official wording · 3 outcomes
- 5.1
- Francophone communities around the world
- 5.2
- cultural aspects of Francophone communities
- 5.3
- Explore and share information about connections between indigenous communities and the French language
Key ideas
Francophone means "French-speaking" — communities that speak French exist on every continent, not just in Europe and Canada.
Cultural aspects include activities, celebrations, dance, festivals, food, music, and traditions — concrete things you can describe using the vocabulary and sentence structures you already know.
French is spoken in First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities in Canada — for example the Huron Wendake Nation, Innu Nation, Micmac Nation, and Mohawk Nation in Quebec, and Métis communities like Baie St. Paul, Fort Nelson, and Île-à-la-Crosse — as well as in indigenous communities around the world.
Examples span the globe: Belgium, France, Haiti, Morocco, Senegal, Switzerland, Vietnam.
Different Francophone communities can have very different cultural practices, even though they share the French language.
Watch out for
- Assuming French is only spoken in France and Canada.
- Treating one Francophone community's traditions as representative of ALL Francophone communities.
- Assuming French in Canada is spoken only by descendants of French settlers, missing that Indigenous communities also speak French.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Plan the term
Pick your term and the days you study. Each unit gets its share of the weeks and comes back a week later for a review. The last two weeks go over the whole course.
The official curriculum
This page follows British Columbia’s own curriculum for Core French 8.
Textbooks
In British Columbia, each school district chooses its own textbooks: the ministry no longer recommends them. The ministry’s page
Study it in MapleMind
MapleMind teaches Core French 8 one skill at a time. Each skill gets a short lesson, practice as you go and a check worth up to three stars. It remembers where you stopped.
Course Companion
Your year in one workbook
A fun way to keep Core French 8 organized, get to know your child better and see early when they need a hand. Fill it in on a screen, or print it.
- Pages
- 35
- Fillable fields
- 1,313
- Price
- $4.99
Questions about Core French 8
What is Core French 8?
British Columbia’s Grade 8 French course: 5 units and 19 skills, from Listening and Viewing with Intent to Culture, Languages, and Communities.
What units are in Core French 8?
1. Listening and Viewing with Intent, 2. Expressing Ourselves and the World Around Us, 3. Sharing Experience Through Stories, 4. Authentic Francophone Cultures Through Creative Works and 5. Culture, Languages, and Communities.
Is there a provincial exam for Core French 8?
No. British Columbia gives no provincial exam for Core French 8.
What textbook does Core French 8 use?
Each school district in British Columbia chooses its own textbooks, so ask your teacher which one your class uses.
What comes after Core French 8?
Core French 9.
Can MapleMind help with Core French 8?
Yes. MapleMind teaches every skill of Core French 8, step by step, with practice and checks, and its tutor answers questions about any of them. It’s free with daily limits, on iPhone, Android and the web.
Get ready for Core French 8
Practise every skill of Core French 8 in MapleMind, free with daily limits.
