Welcome to the
8th Grade Team Page
General Announcements:
Thanksgiving Break: Wednesday, Nov 26-Friday, Nov 28
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Washington, DC: Monday, March 23-Thursday, March 26, 2026
Course Information
Parent Resources
Algebra:
Pre-Algebra:
IMPORTANT DATES
Algebra:
Unit 4a Retake Deadline: 1/15
Pre-Algebra:
Unit 2 Retake Deadline: 12/11
Algebra 1
Unit 4 - Linear Relationships
Students will analyze and apply key concepts of linear graphs, equations, and relationships, including solving equations through graphing, estimating solutions, exploring slope and steepness, and connecting arithmetic sequences to linear functions.
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Pre-Algebra
Unit 3 - Linear Relationships
Students will explore linear relationships by understanding terms like rate of change, slope, and vertical intercept, and by recognizing connections between linear and proportional relationships. They will represent and analyze these relationships using tables, equations, and graphs, while reasoning about situations involving constant rates.
Unit 5: Creating A Nation
We had a fun start to the unit! Students have been working really hard through primary source documents including the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. (Yes, they have read parts of both!)
They attempted to remove the troublsome parts for Arti (Articles of Confederation), but unfortunatley, with needing a unanimous vote from the states, they had to let him go.
REMINDERS:
All assignments are posted daily on Google Classroom. Unit vocabulary can also be found in the materials section. Students should be studying 5-10 minutes a night EVERY night. Also, assignments with a 💻 emoji at the start are the only ones that are required to be turned in on Google Classroom.
Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
Welcome back, everyone!
On Friday this week, we will be doing Aimsweb. In the meantime, we will continue reading To Kill a Mockingbird, with a plan to have a quiz after chapter 17 before the end of the marking period.
As we get deeper into the novel and become more familiar with it, the students are going to become more responsible for reading on their own, so expect to see books at home. Keep in mind, in the To Kill a Mockingbird folder on Google Classroom, the PDF of the entire book is posted, and I post each chapter via YouTube on Classroom as well.
The next literary analysis essay is due on January 15. Please remember that all the due dates for each essay were given in September. There will be a few opportunities to work on the essay in class, but it is largely done at home. Because this essay is due so close to end of the term, the grade will go on next semester's report card.
Chemical Reactions & Energy
In our next unit, students explore how chemical reactions can be used to solve real-world problems. The central challenge asks students to think about how food could be heated when common methods—such as electricity or flames—are not available. This question provides the context for investigating both science concepts and engineering decision-making.
Students begin by observing a real example of a device that heats food without a flame. From there, they develop initial ideas about what might be happening at the particle level and identify questions they need to answer before attempting their own designs. Along the way, they practice modeling systems and tracking where energy is transferred.
Next, students carry out investigations to determine whether different chemical processes release or absorb energy. They collect temperature data, compare outcomes across multiple reactions, and use evidence to decide which reactions are most effective for their purpose. These activities build an understanding of how energy transfer depends on both the substances involved and the amounts used.
With this scientific foundation, students shift into an engineering phase. They define criteria and constraints for a workable solution, including effectiveness, efficiency, and practicality. Students then design, test, and revise prototypes, using data and peer feedback to guide improvements.
As the unit progresses, students compare designs, consider trade-offs, and think about how changes to one part of a system can affect others. This emphasizes the iterative nature of engineering and the importance of evaluating unintended consequences and stakeholder needs.
The unit concludes with students applying what they have learned to evaluate competing solutions in a new context. Throughout the unit, students practice scientific reasoning, data analysis, collaboration, and evidence-based decision-making while deepening their understanding of chemical reactions and energy transfer
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Mrs. Gattie
11/25: REMINDER: Our concert has moved to DECEMBER 18th still starting at 7:00pm Students need to arrive by 6:45pm.Practice Logs will be due Tuesday 12/9.We had quite a few chorus students try out for solos yesterday! We can't wait until the concert to show you all the great work we have been doing!
If you are looking for holiday gifts please remember to outfit your instrumental students with the following:
Holiday Instrumental Purchase List
Music 8 is working on drumset basics. They also work on guitar chords (G C D Em) and learn a bit of bass guitar. We quickly revisit piano and then students combine into smaller groups to play popular songs. We use a curriculum called Modern Band.
Mr. Kelley sent out the Honors Application for 9th grade honors courses on January 12th. It's due January 16th. Teachers will them make recommendations.
Students and Families should attend Program of Studies night to learn about high school courses January 28th at 6pm in the auditorium.
Students will make course requests January 29th and 30th during math class in Aspen.
The transition to high school can feel over whelming. School counselors are available as well as therapists from Cartwheel.
Mme Hill
Happy Holiday Season
Halloween, Thanksgiving and the end of the year Holidays are all themes that we explore in the language class to become familiar with simple sentences, starting to ask questions and become able to do cultural comparisons. For example in early December, French people in Northern France celebrate La Saint Nicholas and students will experience this holiday in the classroom.
We are also going to write our brochures to send to the French students in the Region of Auvergne, France. Students will make a handwritten brochure where they introduce themselves and present their town.
Leading to this, students will learn about the town, neighborhoods, city life and of course keep growing in talking about themselves.
Studying vocabulary regularly is a good habit to continue: 10 minutes practice a day!
Frohe Weihnachten und Frohes Neues Jahr!
Students have just finished up talking about family and pets. When we return from break, they will be working on hobbies and spending time with friends.
REMINDER: If your student is absent from school, please ask them to reach out to me via E-Mail so that we can get them caught up. It is a great habit to get into before high school so that they are in charge of their own learning. If students are absent, I often ask them to come down during HawkTime.
Students should be reviewing new and old vocabulary 10-15 minutes per day.
In January, we discussed current events in Venezuela, and students read a Venezuelan teenager's description of her life in Venezuela. They compared their lives in Hopkinton to her life in Venezuela. A specifial emphasis was placed on possessive adjectives ("mi escuela" vs. "su escuela").
In February, we will dive into one of our favorite units. It centers around a very unique collaborative activity in Cataluña, Spain that UNESCO has identified as an "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity." To kick off this unit, we divided students into small teams and presented them with this challenge: Which team can build the tallest tower out of playing cards? Which team can build the tallest tower out of plastic cups? Then, students tried to put the world's tallest towers (i.e. La Torre Eiffel) in order, from shortest to tallest. Most of the world's tallest towers are made of stone, cement, steel, or glass. But, in Tarragona, Spain, there are towers made of humans! This month, we will study los castells de Tarragona. Check out this National Geographic mini-documentary to learn more!
To get ready for Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime performance, we studied his use of the sapo concho (a Puerto Rican toad) and two empty plastic white chairs on his album cover. What could these chairs and this animal symbolize?