Eighth Grade
What will my child learn?
- Bible
- English
- Math
- Reading
- Spelling
- Heritage Studies
- Science
- Fine and Digital Arts
- Spanish
English (Academic and Honors**)
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Total Credits: 1
- Grammar: Study all parts of speech, capitalization, punctuation.
- Literature: Study an anthology of writing pieces by well-known authors.
- Novels: Read and analyze a variet of novels throughout the year, including Night, A Christmas Carol, and The Hound of Baskervilles.
- Composition: Various writing projects including creative writing, literary analysis, research paper, persuasive oral speeches, and poetry.
- Spelling, vocabulary, and poetry: 28 spelling lists, 280 vocabulary words, various poetry forms will be studied.
- Field Trips: A Christmas Carol; (novel study); The Harrisburg State Capitol and The Museum of Pennsylvania (research paper).
- **Honors English courses move at an accelerated pace, cover an increased amount of novels and an increased frequency of writing assignments.
Math
- Total Credits per class: 1
Algebra 1:
Students will build off the basic algebra skills they acquired in Pre-Algebra, learning more advanced techniques and applications.
Textbook: Algebra 1: A Bridge to Success by Ron Larson & Laurie Boswell
Topics:
- Solving linear equations and inequalities
- Writing and graphing linear and absolute value equations and functions
- Solving systems of linear equations and inequalities
- Arithmetic and geometric sequences
- Properties of exponents and radicals
- Solving and graphing exponential growth and decay equations
- Factoring polynomials and solving polynomial equations
- Solving and graphing quadratic equations and functions
- Solving and graphing radical equations and functions
- Finding the inverse of a function
- Data analysis with measures of center and spread
- Solving problems using two-way tables
In the Honors class, students also learn about:
- Recursively defined sequences
- Solving nonlinear systems of equations
- Shapes of distributions found in data analysis (normal, skewed, uniform, etc.)
Note: Students can learn the content of Algebra 1 over the course of 2 years by taking Algebra 1A and Algebra 1B. The student would earn 2 math credits for taking this sequence of courses.
History I
- Study of United States history from colonization up until 1850
- Some Topics Covered:
- Settling the Wilderness: Discovery of the New World, settling the colonies, colonies and the British Empire.
- Establishing a Nation: Revolutionary war, Confederation and establishment of the new government.
- Spanning the Continent: Growth of the Nation, Jacksonian Era, Westward Expansion.
Physical Science, Earth Science, Chemistry
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Credits: 1
- Inquiry and Steps to Solve a Physics Problem
- How to Make a Graph
- Forces and Newton’s Laws of Motion
- Energy and Work
- The Solar System, Anatomy of the Sun, Stars
- Electric Currents, Magnets, Wave Interactions
- How the Human Eye sees Light and Color
- How Light is Affected by Matter
- The Phases of Matter and Heat Transfer
- Buoyancy, Mechanical Properties
- The Atom
- Physical vs. Chemical Properties of Matter
- Compounds and Mixtures
- Acids vs. Bases, Chemical Reactions
- Exothermic and Endothermic Reactions
- Types of Chemical Reactions
- Balancing Equations
- Rocks & Minerals