Grade 8 Curriculum

Students in 8th Grade will:

 

• Prepare for the Sacrament of Confirmation
• Discuss the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy, as well as the principles of Catholic Social Teaching
• Explore the lives of the Roman Catholic Saints
• Solidify knowledge about Catholic doctrine, prayer, and worship

Students in 8th Grade will:

 

• Examine and refine understanding of the elements of multiple literary genres, including novels, short stories, and poetry
• Define, establish, and reproduce key literary devices/terms and techniques (author's purpose, setting, theme, point-of-view, cause and effect, irony, conflict, characterization, tone, mood)
• Read, discuss, and interpret a variety of genres (realisic fiction, autobiography, historical fiction, short story, poetry, informational text)
• Cite textual evidence to support a variety of themes and characteristics
• Write literary analyses with textual support using Modern Language Association (MLA) style
• Examine the links among culture, history, and literature
• Incorporate metacognitive strategies into reading to facilitate comprehension, vocabulary

Students in 8th Grade will:

 

• Practice and emphasize elements of style and grammar (conventions of standard English grammar)
• Refine understanding of verbals: gerunds, infinitives, and participles
• Explore finer points of informative, expository, and speech writing
• Solidify knowledge of parts-of-speech
• Review types of sentences, clauses, and phrases
• Extend sentence-diagramming skills
• Revise, edit, and proofread writing
• Develop oratory skills: presentation and delivery
• Enhance vocabulary: spelling, incoporation into written and verbal communication, pronunciation, and etymology
• Finalize the writing process: creative, narrative, research, and persuasive
• Employ Modern Language Association (MLA) style in final draft writing

 

Students in 8th Grade will:

 

• Model and solve linear equations and systems of linear equations
• Grasp the concept of a function and use functions to describe quantitative relationships
• Analyze two-and three-dimensional space and figures using distance, angle, similarity, and congruence
• Apply and understand the Pythagorean Theorem

Students in 8th Grade will:

 

• Examine how particles combine to produce a substance with different properties and how thermal energy affects particles
• Explain what happens when new materials are formed due to chemical reactions, focusing on what stays the same and what changes
• Explore Newton's Laws of Motion with a concentration on the Third Law
• Discover how energy can be transferred from one object or system to another
• Discuss the characteristic properties of waves and how they can be used

• Physical iScience, (McGraw-Hill)

Students in 8th Grade will:

 

• Explore an in-depth historical study of American History from the Revolutionary Period through the Civil War/Reconstruction Era
• Foster a strong emphasis on analytical student writing and comprehension of historical writings from both primary and secondary sources
• Present a general survey of American government, including an analysis of the three branches of government

Students in 8th Grade are enrolled in the following special classes, one Fine Arts elective, and one Technology elective.

 

 

• Computers
• Physical Education
• Spanish