What does a student learn in
California, Grade 8, World Languages ?

Students read or listen to short passages in a classical language and pick out the main idea. The topics connect to the culture where the language was spoken.

Students hold short back-and-forth exchanges in a classical language, sharing opinions and reactions with a partner. They adjust what they say based on how the other person responds.

Students share information or tell a story in a classical language by speaking, writing, or using visuals. They adjust what they say based on who is listening or reading.

Students recognize and use simple phrases suited to everyday situations, like greeting someone, asking for help, or following classroom instructions. They're learning that language shifts depending on where you are and who you're talking to.

Students use greetings, phrases, and customs that fit the culture they are studying, not just the words of the language.

Students look at objects, traditions, and beliefs from an ancient culture and explain how they connect. A Roman coin, a Greek temple, or a daily ritual can reveal what people valued and why they lived the way they did.

Students use Latin or Ancient Greek to make connections to other subjects like history, science, and math. Working in a classical language pushes students to think carefully and solve problems in new ways.

Students read or listen to simple texts in a classical language to find information and compare how people from that culture saw the world differently than we do today.

Students notice patterns in a classical language (such as Latin or Ancient Greek) and compare them to patterns in English. This builds a sharper sense of how languages are put together.

Students compare everyday life in ancient cultures (food, clothing, festivals, family roles) with their own to better understand both. They use the language they are studying to talk through what they notice.

Students use their classical language skills outside of class, reading, writing, or sharing what they know with people in their school or wider community.

Students listen to, read, or watch simple content in another language and pick out the main idea or key details. Topics stay familiar, like greetings, food, or school.

Students hold short back-and-forth conversations in the language they are learning, sharing opinions, reactions, and basic information with a partner.

Students share information on a topic in the language they are learning by speaking, writing, or using visuals. They adjust what they say based on who is listening or reading.

Students practice the language in everyday situations: buying something at a store, chatting with a friend, or speaking more carefully in a formal moment like a presentation. The settings are familiar and predictable.

Students use greetings, polite phrases, and basic customs from the language they are learning to communicate the way a native speaker would expect. They know that saying hello or thank you can look very different in another culture.

Students look at everyday objects, habits, and traditions from another culture and explain what those details reveal about what people in that culture believe and value.

Students use the new language they are learning to explore ideas from other subjects like science, history, or math. Working across subjects helps students think through problems in a different way.

Students use the language they are learning to find and compare real information from other cultures, noticing how people in those cultures see the world differently.

Students notice how the language they're learning works differently from English, such as how words are ordered or how greetings are formed, and use those differences to understand both languages better.

Students compare everyday life in another culture to their own, using the language they are learning to notice and explain what's similar and what's different.

Students use their new language outside of class, talking or working with others in the school, neighborhood, or wider world.