Eighth Grade

The 8th Grade uses a program called “We Live Our Faith as Members of the Church,” by Sadlier

• Unit 1: How do we nourish God’s gift of faith? Focusing on Catholic morality
• Unit 2: Who are our ancestors in faith? Focusing on Church history
• Unit 3: How can the Church’s heritage give us hope? Focusing on Church history, with an emphasis on social teachings
• Unit 4: What does it mean to be Catholic? Focusing on the teachings and traditions of the Catholic Church

• Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
• Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey complex ideas & information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
• Write narrative pieces to develop real or imagined experiences using effective techniques, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
• Use technology to produce & publish writing and to interact & collaborate with others.
• Build endurance by writing routinely over an extended time for a range of tasks, purposes and audiences.
• Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations.
• Demonstrate command of the conventions of English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
• Demonstrate command of the conventions of English capitalization, punctuation & spelling when writing.
• Use style conventions (MLA) when writing.

• Read closely to determine meaning, explicitly and logically, as it relates to theme, setting, plot, dialogue, events and character interactions over the course of a text and multiple texts.
• Cite textual evidence, verbally & written, that supports an analysis in a clear, relevant and concise way.
• Determine author’s style, tone & use of figurative language, and analyze how the differing style and structure contributes to a text’s meaning.
• Read and comprehend complex literary texts such as: Red Badge of Courage, The Pearl, The Giver and Diary of Anne Frank. Compare and contrast them to other literary texts, media, poems and short stories.
• Apply knowledge of language and vocabulary to understand how language functions in different contexts and to comprehend more fully when reading and listening.
• Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade-level reading and content.
• Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media formats, including visually and orally.
• Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen evidence and add interest.  

Based on their ability, work ethic, past/current assessment scores, and teacher input, students are selected to participate in the Algebra class or the accelerated Algebra I class.

In the standard Algebra class:

• The course begins with a review of Pre-Algebraic concepts to ensure foundation and prepare students for Algebra concepts.
• Students study real numbers and the coordinate plane.
• They solve linear equations and apply them to real-world situations.
• They are introduced to functions and graphing functions,
• They study systems of linear equations.
• They apply rules of exponents in real-world problems.
• They study geometry, transformations and measurement while applying various formulas learned.
• Problem-solving strategies and applications.

• The course begins with a review of expressions, equations, functions, and properties of real numbers.
• Students solve and graph linear equations and functions,
• They solve and graph linear inequalities while applying the concepts to real-world situations.
• They work with exponents and exponential functions with application to real-world situations.
• They cover polynomials, factoring and quadratic equations and functions,
• They make in-depth connections with radicals and geometric concepts.
• Real-world problem solving application and strategies.

• Students explore matter and energy, the scientific method, and physical science in action.
• Matter is studied through measuring mass and weight, learning the difference between mass and weight, and learning that everything is composed of matter.
• Students study physical and chemical properties, and learn how they are alike and different.
• They study energy, changes of state, and how moving particles make up all matter.
• Students learn about elements, compounds, and atoms.
• They draw, explore the elements, and distinguish the patterns in the Periodic Table.

• Eighth grade students continue their study of United States History.
• Textbook: Iquiry Journal: Discovering our Past: A History of the United States
• Civil War through the present
• A highlight of the year is a class trip to Washington DC.

Based on their ability, work ethic, and past performance, students may be invited to participate in the Advanced Spanish class.

• The combination of two years of this program is equivalent to the first year of high school Spanish.
• Students study vocabulary for their daily lives, verb conjugations, adjective agreement, sentence structure and the past and present tense throughout the two years.
• Through skits, oral activities, and cultural activities, all the previously learned Spanish skills are practiced and reinforced so that a level of conversational fluency can be achieved.
• Once completing the program students are prepared to enter Spanish II in High School.

Eighth Graders attend weekly specials classes including art, music, Spanish, physical education and technology.
 

Every other week, Junior High students participate in the Thursday Advisory Program. This program pairs supportive adult role models with small groups of students across the Junior High grades.  The groups explore interests, goals, concerns, and share fun activities.  It is a productive program designed to help students work through the transitions of their early teenage years.