Grade 8 Curriculum

Language Arts / Reading

Broad goals for Language Arts / Reading address the acquiring of interactive skills, as well as the processes of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing through the study of literature and the application of language arts.

The Language Arts/Reading curriculum enables students to:

- Read a variety of fiction and informational texts as prescribed by the teacher, and independently for knowledge and entertainment.

- Use different strategies for analyzing fiction/informational text.

- Relate new ideas and information from prior knowledge and experience in writing and discussion with peers.

- Define/compare/analyze features of different types of literature/genres.

- Use a variety of expressive, expository, and functional formats in writing for intended purposes.

- Use writing process strategies independently and with peers to write more precisely and effectively.

- Collect data, paraphrase, and synthesize the information from a variety of sources to present written and oral presentations.

- Articulate a position and support it with reasons or justifications.

- Listen critically and respond to comments and questions using details and examples to support an opinion.

- Understand and employ the conventions of English grammar.

Pre-Algebra

Broad goals for pre-algebra include acquiring skills in problem solving using multiple steps with a variety of strategies, using mathematical reasoning to identify information that will help solve a problem, communicating both written and oral mathematical strategies and operations, using grade level math vocabulary in writing equations to make connections for real world applications.

The pre-algebra curriculum enables students to:

Numbers and number theory

- Read, write, model, and solve equations and inequalities.

- Define, identify, and use properties of the real number system.

- Develop proficiency with proportional reasoning.

- Understand the role of absolute value.

Operations

- Demonstrate proficiency with mathematical operations of integers and percent.

- Combine like terms in algebraic expressions and in solving equations and inequalities.

Geometry and Measurement

- Classify/describe properties of angles, polygons, 2 and 3 dimensional figures.

- Find area, perimeter, surface area and volume.

- Investigate the Pythagorean Theorem and related applications.

- Estimate and measure length, capacity, weight, mass or temperature using appropriate U.S. standard or metric units.

Data Analysis, Statistics and Probability

- Collect, organize, display, interpret: frequency, stem and leaf plots, line plots, box and whisker plots, scatter plots, histographs,

step graphs, and circle graphs.

Patterns and Functions

- Describe a general pattern in words and in a number sentence.

- Write and evaluate algebraic expression for a situation using variables to represent unknown quantities.

- Write/solve/graph simple linear equations and inequalities.

Algebra I

Rational Numbers

- 4 operations Proportional Reasoning Graphing

- Linear Equations and Inequalities

- Relations and Functions Polynomials

- 4 operations

- factoring Systems of Open Sentence

- Using various methods Radical Expressions

- Equations and distance formulas

Social Studies

Broad goals for Social Studies address acquiring the knowledge, concepts, skills, and processes of civics and government,  economics, geography, and history.

The Social Studies curriculum enables students to:

Civics

- Understand that the U.S. Constitution represents a collection of compromises.

- Understand the spectrum of political philosophy in our democracy.

Economics

- Understand the impact of technological developments on the evolution of the U.S.

- Understand the development of industry in the U.S. and how it affects our nation today.

- Be aware of the evolution of the free enterprise system based on capital and labor.

Geography

- Review the geography of the United States .

- Understand the impact of U.S. geography and natural resources on the development of the nation.

History

- Understand the interconnection of economic, political, and social development in U.S. history.

- Understand that the facts of history, the causes and effects, impact people and government today.

ILS

Curriculum for Integrated Learning Skills enables students to utilize Power Point, Word, Publisher, Hyperstudio, Inspiration, and many other computer software programs.

Science

Broad goals for Science education allow students to acquire an understanding of the basic laws of Physics/ Chemistry in the world around them.

Science students will demonstrate the ability to understand:

- The force of nature and the relationship to each other.

- That matter is composed of particles and all properties and changes can be explained by interactions of these particles.

- That energy can be transmitted by waves using sound and light.

- The basic concepts of flight. Motion, Forces, Energy and Simple Machines

- Explain motion, speed, velocity, and acceleration.

- Newton ’s three Laws.

- How machines are derived from simple machines.

Matter

- All matter is made up of atoms.

- Solutes, solvent, solution, and solubility.

- Writing of chemical symbols, formulas, and simple equations.

- Acids, bases, and salts.

Flight

- Bernoulli’s principle.

- Gliders, balloons, and airplanes.

Sound

- The properties and transmission of sound.

- The human ear.

- Wave Interaction.

Light

- Electromagnetic Spectrum and its properties.

- Reflection, refraction, and diffraction.

- Mirrors and Lenses.

World Languages: French/ Spanish

World Language classes meet daily as a regular academic class. Students may elect to continue their World Language studies at this time. The 7 th and 8 th grade program together form the equivalent of a traditional high school French I or Spanish I course. Many students who successfully complete both years of the program may be able to begin their high school language study at a French II or Spanish II level. (Because the 8 th grade program is a continuation of that begun in grade 7, students will not be able to begin a world language in grade 8.)

Broad goals for World Language allow students to expand their ability to speak, read, write, and understand vocabulary involving the topics listed below, as well as basic grammar usage and formations. Students will also deepen their cultural awareness of the countries in which their world language is spoken.

Vocabulary

- Review of previously learned vocabulary

- Expansion/mastery of vocabulary in a wide variety of topics

Grammar

- Review of previously learned grammarforms and structure

- Additional verb forms- present tense- regular and irregular verbs

- Possessive adjectives

- Demonstrative adjectives

- Comparative forms

- Past tense- regular and irregular verbs

- Expansion/ mastery of grammatical forms with greater fluency in written and spoken language

Culture (expanded from Grade 7)

- Geography

- Holidays

- Traditions

- General way of life in countries that use the World Language