EIGHTH GRADE CURRICULUM

Language Arts and Literature:

In Eighth Grade students reinforce and expand upon concepts introduced in earlier grades. Language arts remains a significant part of the curriculum, as students receive and fine tune the tools that they need in all subject areas to present arguments, communicate their thoughts and opinions, refine their communication skills, and demonstrate their reading proficiency. As in sixth and seventh grades, writing across the curriculum is a focus of the course. Because of small class sizes, writing progresses at a rapid rate. As students move from concrete to abstract thinking, they reflect their development in their analyses of texts, appreciation for literature and in their writing styles. The objectives for language arts and literature remain centered around four themes: reading, writing, oral expression, and language mechanics.

Social Studies:

The final segment of our social studies middle school curriculum follows the chronology of our earlier studies. Beginning with ancient civilizations in grade six, students move through the Middle Ages and the onset of the Renaissance in grade seven. Eighth Grade focuses on 1600 AD to the present, with an emphasis on U.S. and European history.

Topics to be covered include:

  • Purposes behind and functions of governments
  • Consequences of government on societies
  • Mass migrations (voluntary and forced) and immigration
  • Territorial expansion in the 19th and 20th centuries in Europe and the U.S.
  • History of slavery and abolition
  • Causation and results of the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions in Europe and the U.S. and results of economic growth, expansion, and power
  • Causes of French and American Revolutions
  • Reform movements and the rise of labor unions in Europe and the U.S.
  • Changing powers and influences of the Church in the U.S and Europe

Math:

Most eighth grade students follow a traditional algebra course. Topics include:

  • Proportional reasoning
  • Solving, graphing, and writing linear equations and inequalities
  • Systems of equations
  • Polynomials and factoring
  • Powers, roots, and radicals
  • Quadratic equations and functions
  • Rational equations and functions

A few students take algebra in seventh grade and follow with a Euclidian geometry course in eighth grade. The primary themes in geometry include:

  • Inductive and deductive reasoning
  • Properties of parallel and perpendicular lines
  • Triangle congruency
  • Properties of triangles
  • Right triangle trigonometry
  • Quadrilaterals
  • Similarity and proportionality
  • Transformation
  • Properties of circles
  • Area and volume

In addition to textbooks, geometry students use the Geometer’s Sketchpad as a problem solving tool. Eighth grade students get together at least once per month to work on open-ended problem solving. This allows students to have time for collaboration between math groups, and to work on their writing and communication skills. Geometry students continue to strengthen their algebra skills both through coordinate geometry problems and weekly review problem sets. Both classes require use of TI-84 graphing calculators.

Science:

Eighth grade students continue with their work in Introductory Physical Science and also study physics. Major themes include:

  • Mass and weight
  • Forces and vectors
  • Pressure and buoyancy
  • Speed, distance, and time
  • Waves
  • Energy and energy conservation
  • Atoms, mixtures, and compounds
  • Radioactivity and decay
  • Atomic theory of matter
  • Students work through labs, readings, and problems to construct knowledge of key
  • concepts. Work is done in a dedicated science journal. Vernier software and graphing calculators are used for data collection.

Texts:

Introductory Physical Science, Science Curriculum, 7th Edition
Force, Motion, and Energy, Science Curriculum, 1st Edition

Beginning language:

Students continue the study of their new language. Emphasis is placed on pursuing and reinforcing the acquisition of basic structures, communication, and use of the language within the school community. In the spring of eighth grade, students are invited to participate in a trip to Europe.

Exploratory classes:

Exploratory classes are offered in grades seven and eight. They are classes which bring together academic, creative, and thinking skills, and have an end product to showcase (play, publication, movie, science project etc.) Exploratory is a pass/fail class that requires little or no homework. Students of both grades are mixed. Students choose classes among a list of offerings and change each semester. Over the course of two years, students are encouraged to take classes spanning a variety of topics.

Art & Drama:

Students continue to produce art pieces regularly and are exposed to different techniques and material such as ink, paint, watercolor, clay, collage, photography and more. As in grades six and seven, approximately one-third of the year is devoted to drama.

Music:

Music continues with listening, performing, and composing. Songs are sung in a variety of languages.

Physical Education:

In addition to regular fitness and cardiovascular activity, students continue to take part in different cycles of activities throughout the year: games, gymnastics, track and field, and individual and collective sports. The focus of the PE program throughout middle school is to expose students to an array of activities that develop individual strength and performance, as well as group cooperation, teamwork, and collective performance.