8th Grade Curriculum Topics 

Trimester 1

Social Justice and Solidarity Units 

• Jim Crow Era

• Civil Rights Movement

• Unity in the U.S. 

• Novel Studies

• Argumentative Writing

• Active and Passive Voice

Trimester 2

Identity and Values

• World War I

• The Roaring 20s

• The Great Depression

• Americanism Essay

• Illinois Constitution 

Trimester 3

Persecution and Survival

• World War II

• Holocaust

• Vietnam War

• Refugee Experience

• Genocide

• Novel Studies

• Narrative Writing

Trimester 1

• Number Sense

• Exponents

• Scientific Notation

Trimester 2

• Linear Relationships

  • Developing connections between different representations (Table, Graph, Equation)

  • Writing and solving Linear equations

  • Writing and simplifying equivalent algebraic expressions

  • Representing and solving systems of linear equations

• Similar and Congruent Figures, Geometry of Angles

• Transformations of figures on a coordinate plane 

  • Reflections, Rotations, Glide Reflections

Trimester 3

• Functions

• Systems of Equations

• Pythagorean Theorem

• Volume of Cones, Pyramids, and Cylinders

Trimester 1

• Movement of Earth's Crust (rock cycle, plate boundaries, earthquakes & volcanoes)

• History of Earth

• Human Impact on Earth (global warming)

Trimester 2

• Natural Hazards 

• Types of Interactions (magnets, electricity, electromagnetism) 

• Waves & Light 

Trimester 3

• Biodiversity 

• Natural Selection

• Adaptations 

• Artificial Selection