Eighth Grade Curriculum Guide

English
Language Arts curriculum in Grade 8 will encourage and foster the following:

  • An understanding and an ability to critically respond to all aspects of language
  • Use of technology for research and essay writing
  • Vocabulary study applied to writing
  • Grammar leading to improved writing
  • Opportunity to improve sentence variety
  • Techniques to improve coherence in writing
  • Emphasis on essay writing with several opportunities for research papers.
  • MLA style of documentation and citation will be presented.

Literature
Through reading great books such as A Separate Peace, as well as other forms of literature, students will increase their comprehension skills. Students will write about themes of several works

Math  – Pre-Algebra

  • Order of operations
  • Problem solving strategies
  • Functions and graphing
  • Ratios, proportion and percent
  • Statistics and probability
  • Algebra and Geometry
  • Area and volume
  • Algebra and right triangles – trigonometry
  • Irrational numbers
  • Polynomials

Math 8 -Algebra

  • Expressions, equations and functions
  • Rational numbers, expressions, equations
  • Solving linear equations
  • Proportional reasoning
  • Graphing – relations and functions
  • Linear inequalities
  • Probability and statistics
  • Systems of equations and inequalities
  • Exploring polynomials
  • Factoring
  • Quadratic and exponential functions
  • Radical expressions and equations

Social Studies  - American History Students will study:

  • The first Americans and the contributions made by these native peoples.
  • The impact made by the first Europeans who explored the Americas.
  • The establishment of the colonies and life in the colonies.
  • The American Revolution.
  • The U.S. Constitution
  • The beginnings of government
  • The war of 1812
  • Westward Expansion
  • The Civil War
  • Reconstruction Era

Skills learned and practiced:

  • Map, chart and graph analysis
  • Memorization of the preamble to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution
  • Research skills using library and computer lab
  • Current events
  • Debate
  • Knowledge of U.S. geography- locating all states and capitals
  • Analyzing primary sources
  • Journal writing

Students participate in:

  • Social Studies Fair – County and State
  • Daughters of the American Revolution essay contest
  • Women in History presentations
  • Simulation activities – e.g. Walk Across America
  • Mock debates
  • Newspapers in Education
  • Academic teams
  • The National Geographic Geography Bee

Physical Science

  • Scientific method
  • Advanced graphing skills
  • Dimensional analysis
  • Solids, liquids, gases
  • Classification of matter
  •  Atomic structure
  • Periodic Table
  • Elements and their problems
  • Chemical bonds
  • Chemical reactions
  • Acids, bases, and salts
  • Famous chemists and physicists
  • Physical science lab skills

Physical Science (continued)

  • Laws of motion
  • Laboratory safety and equipment usage
  • Physics and sports technology

Students participate in:

  • Volusia County Science and Engineering Fair
  • Florida State Science and Engineering Fair

 

Religion
Focus on Church history including:

  • The roles of Mary and the Holy Spirit in the Church
  • Our Hebrew ancestors
  • Acts of the Apostles
  • Early martyrs and the first years of the Church
  • The Church in North America, the Modern Church, and the Church Year

Students participate in:

  • Service projects in school and the community
  • Student prepared weekly Masses
  • Living Stations of the Cross
  • Altar Serving
  • Mass Lectors
  • Sacrament of Confirmation
  • Sacrament of Reconciliation
  • Religious art contests

 

Latin/Humanities
  Skills learned and practiced include:

  • Nominative/Accusative/Ablative cases – 1st, 2nd, & 3rd declensions
  • Adjectives – 1st, 2nd, &  3rd declensions
  • Identification of subject, verbs, direct object, prepositional phrases
  • Adjective agreement within and across declensions
  • The Roman house
  • AENEID
  • The Minotaur
  • Translation of paragraph Latin to English
  • Identification of English derivatives from Latin vocabulary
  • Study of epic literature
  • Creative writing based on literature study

 
Art
The art program will encompass all five standards building on each with different grade level expectations (using age appropriate vocabulary).

  • Skills and Techniques – The student understands and applies media, techniques and processes.
  • Creation and Communications – The students creates and communicates using elements of art and the principles of design.
  • Cultural and Historical Connections – The student understands the visual arts in relation to history and culture.
  • Aesthetic and Critical Analysis – The student evaluates various works of art
  • Application to Life – The student makes connections between art and the real world

Physical Education

  • Combine skills competently to participate in a modified version of team and individual sports, demonstrating motor patterns of manipulative skills (proper catching, throwing, and striking techniques)
  • Demonstrate basic knowledge of circulatory, skeletal and muscular systems
  • Achieve and maintain appropriate cardiovascular fitness, flexibility muscular strength, endurance, and body composition.

Spanish

  • Daily conversation
  • Introduction to Hispanic culture
  • Benefits of knowing Spanish
  • Pronunciations, writing and grammar
  • Spanish songs
  • Vocabulary and expressions per monthly theme