8th Grade curriculum overview
What we're up to in math
At Level: This class covers major concepts and skills contained in the 8th grade Common Core Goals and Objectives using linear functions, the Pythagorean Theorem and indirect measurement, slope, equations and inequalities, ratios, and proportions.
Honors: This course covers a full year of High School Algebra. At its conclusion, students should be able to solve equations and inequalities with one or two variables; graph linear and quadratic equations; simplify and solve equations involving polynomials and radicals; and solve quadratics by factoring, graphing, or using the quadratic formula.
What we're up to in ELA:
This course dives into various novels that align with our Social Studies curriculum timeline. As students study the Civil War, we read The Killer Angels, and continue on by studying the roaring '20s with The Great Gatsby, the turbulent '30s with To Kill A Mockingbird, and the devastating '40s with Night. We also dive into the works of Edgar Allan Poe and other American Horror genre authors.
In writing, our overall goal is to argue a clearly stated thesis supported by textual evidence effectively. We cover several types of writing, such as persuasive, expository, and research, along with many creative writing opportunities.
What we're up to in Science
8th-grade science is a year of physical science. This includes half of the year learning about the structure and properties of matter as well as chemical reactions. The second half of the year focuses on forces and interactions, energy, waves, and electromagnetic radiation.
The goal is to give students a strong foundation for high school-level science. 8th graders also participate in a science fair in which they design an experiment to solve a problem of their choice.
What we're up to in
Social Studies
This course attempts to tackle the daunting task of U.S. history from the Civil War to the Cold War and everything in between.
This course takes a comprehensive look at every angle of major US history events, encouraging students to see these events from new perspectives, understand why events occurred, and learn how we can apply the knowledge to future situations.
We emphasize necessary skills through "real-life" scenario projects like Mock Trial, Mock Interviews, Shark Tank, and Business Day. The development of strong public speaking skills is a major focus across all subjects in 8th grade, along with the ability to formulate one's own opinion, argue effectively, listen to others, and view arguments from other perspectives.
