Eighth Grade

Religion    

Students continue to explore Catholicism through study of Christian Scriptures, The Liturgy and worship.  Through prayer, song and actions that express their beliefs, students are called to live out their discipleship among their peers, their families and their school and parish communities. Students attend Mass weekly on Wednesday mornings at 8:15, on Holy Days of Obligation and special Feast days. They actively participate in liturgies.

Language Arts

Students will study of variety of literary devices and themes.  Elements such as plot, theme, setting, characterization, foreshadowing, climax and denoument will be discussed.  The writing process, use of proper grammar and style will also be emphasized.  Quarter goals are set and students read and take computer generated tests on AR books to increase their reading comprehension.

Mathematics

Students in the eighth grade are placed in either of the following courses.  Placement is through teacher recommendation.

Algebra IA
Students are exposed to the language of Algebra.  They will work with real numbers, solve and analyze equations and inequalities, graph linear equations and Geometry concepts.

Algebra I
Students placed in Algebra I study the aforementioned topics.  In
addition, they will explore polynomials, quadratic equations, and study concepts in Geometry and Statistics.

Science

Students study but are not limited to elements of Physical Science such as atoms and chemical formulas, speed and acceleration, force and motion, rockets, trajectories and mechanisms. Students conduct laboratory experiments using the Scientific method.  Participation Science Fair is mandatory in grades 3-8.

Social Studies

In American History, students explore the history of the United States from Civil War to the present. The effects of immigration, industrialization, slavery, World War I and II, the Cold War, Vietnam, and nuclear age on our cultural, economic and geographic diversity.  In addition, the study of current events and interpretation of maps, charts and graphs are also taught.

Spanish

Students will conjugate regular and irregular verbs in the present, and preterite tenses.  In addition, gender of nouns, articles, singular and plural forms, commands, physical descriptions and personality traits, weather, directions, food, family, transportation and travel will be studied.  Fluency is expected in both the oral as well as written form.  Students will explore the cultural and geographic diversity of the 21 countries comprising the Hispanic world.

Vocabulary

Students explore vocabulary through spelling, context, accented syllable, synonym, antonym and part of speech.  Emphasis will be on integration of vocabulary.

Students have morning and lunch recesses.  Students in the eighth grade have approximately 40-60 minutes homework every day.

Supplemental Curriculum

Eighth grade students receive instruction in Spanish, Art, Music, and Physical Education.  They also visit the media center as well as the computer lab.

Art

Students are exposed to elements of drawing, shading and color.  Students keep a portfolio of their work.  Varying artistic styles and genres will be studied.

Advanced Drawing

Students will study of drawing styles, shading, perspective and shadows.  In addition, study of classical contemporary drawing will take place based on teacher recommendation.

Music

Music study focuses on form and tonality and harmonic styles.  An overview of Music history integrating history, language, and culture is taught.  Students explore Classical, Baroque, Romantic, Impressionistic, and Modern styles of music.

Media

Students spend time in the Media Center through conducting basic concepts of titles, authors, subjects and research.  Students can check out books appropriate to their age level.

Physical Education

Students are exposed to fitness assessments, traveling/locomotor skills, Body management/Gymnastics/Dance, Soccer, Volleyball, Football, Basketball, Track, T-Ball and individual dual sports such as Golf, Tennis, and Badminton are taught.

Technology

The purpose of the technology laboratory is to integrate the use of technology with the curriculum.  In that light, students spend their “lab time” with the assistance of the Technology Coordinator and their classroom teacher.  Basic elements of word processing, graphing, research and simple publishing are explored.

LINKS for 7th and 8th Grade Algebra Students

Algebra 1
To access textbook:
user ID: ALG105
password: beP8emEk


Pre-Algebra
To access textbook:
user ID:  PREALG
password: mEdUw8ufr4

Students will need a scientific calculator for Math and Science.
(We suggest a TI-30 IIS)