Eighth Grade Curriculum
Eighth Grade is a year of culmination and completion. As students approach the end of their journey through the grades, they have opportunities to reflect upon their experience, to celebrate their achievements, and to look ahead toward high school.
Developmentally, the Eighth-Grade student has strong opinions and is critical; they're interested in examining differences and learning about justice and injustice in the modern world. Students study the founding of North America and the American Revolution and contrast this with other revolutions that have taken place in modern history. The study of the World Wars, Civil Rights, and current events highlights an understanding of the complexity of our nation's early history.
A Middle School Language Arts Specialist or High School Humanities teacher teaches Language Arts practice periods in Eighth Grade. Writing is essential this year: the short story block introduces the elements of fiction, and students write original compositions. By the end of the school year, students will have completed the Eighth-Grade Project, an individual research project in an area of interest presented to the community. Eighth-Grade written work in the Morning Lesson includes science experiments, summaries of historical accounts, descriptive writing, and essays.
In Math, students take a math track class. One group learns Algebra 1, and these students generally continue with Geometry once they enter High School. The second track class reviews and deepens Pre-Algebra work to build skills for Algebra 1 in High School. Math specialists teach both courses. Students calculate surface areas and volumes of solids, including prisms, cylinders, pyramids, and cones.
In the Sciences, students review and expand the Physics study introduced in Sixth and Seventh Grades. Students study electromagnetism, aerodynamics, hydraulics, and organic chemistry, highlighting chemical processes within the body.
World Geography includes trade and economics, aspects of geology (plate tectonics and the internal structure of Earth), meteorology, and the water cycle. Students specialize in one foreign language (German or Spanish), studied three times a week. In Music, students continue to sing as a class choir. Students participate in either a strings ensemble or a winds group.
Outside of the curriculum carried by the class teacher, Eighth Graders receive instruction in Handwork, Eurythmy, Games and Movement, Farming and Gardening, Music, and Social-Emotional Learning.
Community outreach and advocacy is an essential aspect of Eighth Grade. Students complete community service work, either independently or through class projects. Students actively fundraise to prepare for their Eighth-Grade trip. The class prepares and completes a full-length play or musical, usually directed by a guest Drama Teacher. The final festival the class participates in is the commemoration of May Day, a spring celebration where Eighth Graders perform Maypole dances for the community.
Eighth-grade promotion, attended by the community, is an opportunity for students to celebrate their accomplishments in a public ceremony to recognize their first step into the wider world on their journey into young adulthood.