Eighth Grade

8th grade Language Arts is devoted to helping students investigate, write, and share about themselves before they embark on their journey into high school. The overarching themes of “who am I, where do I fit in the world, and what do I believe?” connect units that stretch from memoir writing to analyzing books like The Hate U Give.

Later in the year students will examine propaganda (in conjunction with a social studies unit), join book clubs, complete research projects, read and write epic poetry, watch and perform spoken word poetry, and finish with an adaptation unit that focuses on scriptwriting and filmmaking.

8th Grade Social Studies will challenge students to understand the history of our country, and to make connections between the legacies of the past, the challenges of today, and the possibilities of tomorrow. Specifically, we use context to interpret events of the past and remember that history does not occur within a bubble.

We begin by looking at American expansion and imperialism in the late 19th century and the aggressive push to industrialize, even at the cost of workers’ health and safety. We transition into examining both world wars and the periods right before each. Within this unit, students learn about different social and economic systems, forms of propaganda that were used, and the dangerous rise of nationalism and extremism that drove the world to war.

Finally, we look at more modern times of revolution and change. The focus begins in the postwar era of civil rights movements and the Cold War, followed by the revolutionary actions of activists, citizens, and governments during the sixties.

We focus on hearing a diverse range of voices and constantly make relevant connections to current events as we unpack the positive and negative events of the past.

In 8th grade, students will take either Algebra 1 or Math 8.

Algebra 1 is a high school-oriented course which covers the following topics: Expressions and Equations, Linear Equations and their Graphs, Slope and Rates of Change, Functions, Exponents and Radicals, Polynomials and Quadratics. Algebra 1 allows students to understand linear vs. nonlinear change in the real world, and represent those changes by creating equations and graphs.

Math 8 is a traditional course that covers the following topics: Real Numbers, Algebraic Expressions, Equations & Inequalities, Ratio, Proportion & Percent, Functions, Graphs & Linear Equations, Systems of Equations, Geometry, Measurement, Probability & Statistics.

In the fall, the focus of science is chemistry and students explore the periodic table, elements, properties of materials, molecules, compounds, and investigate the life cycle of computers. In the winter, the students conduct an independent research project and share their findings at the Science Fair. In the spring, we end the year with an investigation into genetics. Students learn about DNA, recessive and dominant traits, mutations, evolution, and how to use a Punnett square.