8th Grade Course Descriptions

GRADE 8 ELECTIVES

ART 8

GRADE 8

This course is an introduction to the fundamentals of art through drawing, design, craft projects, sculpture, and painting. Art history is studied throughout the year. This class is designed to help students realize the importance of visual arts and art history.

ADVANCED BAND

GRADE 8

This course will focus on expanding students’ musical knowledge and getting them to the next level as a musician. Students must have knowledge of music terminology, the fundamentals of music, and demonstrate correct playing technique. Performances may include ball games, concerts, parades, and other school events. Band members must attend all performances.

DRAMA 8

GRADE 6 -8

Sixth, seventh and eighth grade Drama provides students with opportunities to explore movement on stage, create original scenes, and interpret scripted material. While there will be major projects to assess each of the aforementioned areas, students will also engage in storytelling, theatre games, improv to develop both their skills and confidence along the way.

CHORUS 8

GRADE 8

This course completes Level 3 of the vocal curriculum by teaching music production that help students become better singers and appreciate the relationships among music, other arts, and society. Performances are mandatory and are a part of the overall grade in this class.

AGRISCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

GRADE 8

Through classroom instruction and hands-on laboratory activities, students will explore the fields of agriculture, food, and natural resources (AFNR), to include: global agriculture; new and emerging technologies; agricultural mechanics; and careers in agribusiness; animal systems; environmental services; food products and processing; natural resources systems; plant systems; and power, structural, and technical systems.

MAKE IT YOUR BUSINESS

GRADE 8

Students design, establish, and operate a small group or class business, producing a service or product that meets an identified school or community need. Emphasis is placed on the introduction and application of business terminology, basic entrepreneurship concepts, and fundamental business principles. Basic academic skills (mathematics, science, English, and history/social science) are integrated into this course.

SPANISH I

GRADE 8 Prerequisite(s): Spanish Exploratory and A or B in Credit: 1 HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT Language Arts 7

This course is designed to teach the fundamentals of the Spanish language. Emphasis will be placed on the four skills needed for communicating in a foreign language: comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing.

TECHNOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

GRADE 8

Students combine resources and techniques to create systems, attaining comprehension of how technological systems work. Students will explore, design, analyze, and evaluate technological systems. By simulating systems and assessing their impacts, students gain insight into how to approach the problems and opportunities of a technological world. Students will also explore technology-oriented careers.

FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCE EXPLORATORY II

GRADE 8

Family and Consumer Sciences Exploratory II helps students develop essential knowledge and skills to lead better lives, be career-ready, build strong families, and make meaningful contributions to their communities.

HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION 8

GRADE 8

This course includes the study of body systems, hygiene, nutrition, human growth and development, substance abuse, bullying prevention, and safety. Students also participate in activities that promote fitness, and cardiorespiratory endurance such as basketball, volleyball, and many other activities. Students opting not to enroll in HPE 8 must provide documentation of organized physical activities taking place outside of standard school hours.

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY FOUNDATIONS

GRADE 8

This foundation course introduces the use of relevant and emerging technologies, tools, and applications to prepare students for current workplace practices and everyday life. Students will demonstrate information processing using a variety of hardware and software and Internet-based tools to produce and integrate data in various formats. This course is designed for students wishing to progress through more advanced business and information technology coursework.

CAREER INVESTIGATIONS III

GRADE 8

This course allows students to explore career options and begin investigating career opportunities. Students assess their roles in society, identify their roles as workers, analyze their personal assets, complete a basic exploration of career clusters, select career pathways or occupations for further study, and continue to build their Academic and Career Plan based on their academic and career interests. This course also helps students identify and demonstrate the workplace skills that employers desire in their future employees. This course is required for any student who did not complete the sixth or seventh grade course. It will also provide a more in depth study of MCPS pathways and career exploration especially in STEM related fields.

READING

GRADES 6-8

This course is designed to provide opportunities for students to build knowledge and understanding through the reading and in-depth study of popular, high-interest, thematic novels. Students learn new strategies to build vocabulary and increase comprehension. Students will be placed in this course based on teacher recommendation and SOL scores.

SKILLS ENHANCEMENT

GRADES 6- 8

This course is designed to provide additional support for students in the areas of reading decoding and comprehension and math computations and problem-solving. Students will be placed in this course based on teacher recommendation and SOL scores.