Eighth Grade
ENGLISH
The English curriculum covers four areas: literature, composition, grammar and vocabulary/spelling. Students continue to study the components of critical literary analysis and to learn and use an extensive vocabulary of literary terms. Literature includes Romeo and Juliet, To Kill a Mockingbird, Night, A Separate Peace, The Outsiders and works from anthologies of prose and poetry.
The study of grammar continues. Students learn about phrases, clauses, cases and modifiers. Emphasizing a four-step writing process, students write exposition. They also begin to write critical literary analysis. Reading, writing and analyzing poetry continues. Three library research projects are undertaken. Proper manuscript form and methods of documentation are introduced.
CIVICS
The Eighth Grade civics curriculum conducts a survey of the development and structure of our government. Students also study the broader perspective of world politics to better understand the U.S. government. Legislative simulations, mock trials, and presidential debates become vehicles for evaluating different philosophies of government and economic policies. The geographical aspects of the course center on demographic and economic trends of North and South America, developing both political and global awareness. Weekly dialogues and debates concerning contemporary issues contribute to and support students’ perspectives and understanding.
MATHEMATICS
An evaluation of each student’s mathematical progress, innate ability and academic motivation is used to select the curriculum which meets each student’s level of mastery. Algebra I is the basic course, and those students who successfully completed Algebra I in seventh grade will continue their mathematics course with Geometry. Logic, reasoning and problem solving skills are taught in all classes. Understanding, precision and mastery are the goals for all groups.
SCIENCE
The Eighth Grade science course focuses on principles of physical science. Elementary concepts of chemistry, such as atomic and molecular structure, conservation of energy, and balancing of equations are introduced. Basic concepts of physics such as mothion and force are investigated. Demonstrations, labs, and other activities clarify and reinforce the concepts presented. Specific topics of interest in the news, such as global warming, are also addressed.
WORLD LANGUAGES
LATIN
Eighth Grade Latin is a continuation of the process of helping students to appreciate and to become more knowledgeable about the Latin language, in part through comparisons between the structure of Latin and that of English. These help students to better understand their native language and give them the ability to learn other foreign languages more efficiently and quickly in high school. In addition, students develop a rich understanding of the culture, mythology, and history of the Romans, which will enhance their study of history and English literature in high school.
FRENCH I
Eighth Grade French meets three days a week and is designed to prepare students for Upper School French II. Students develop an understanding of fundamental grammatical concepts while acquiring the vocabulary necessary for oral communication and comprehension. Linguistic skills are reinforced through a variety of learning techniques including drills, simulated scenarios, and listening comprehension activities. Students begin to read short stories and write compositions in French.
SPANISH I
Eighth Grade Spanish meets three days a week and is designed to prepare students for Upper School Spanish II. Students acquire functional vocabulary and develop conversational skills through a variety of learning techniques including drills, simulated scenarios, and the examination of cultural realia. Students begin to read short stories and write compositions in Spanish.
ENRICHMENT SUBJECTS
ART
This course meets twice a week and offers the students the opportunity to work with a wide range of materials including watercolor, graphite, pen and ink and digital potography. The emphasis is on crating works of art that speak about the lives of the individual students. Student artwork is showcased in displays throughout the school. Students are required to maintain an art journal to expand and sharpen thei visual thinkg.
MUSIC
This course meets two times a week. It is performance oriented, culminating in the presentation of two concerts per year. The choir also takes part in the Middle School Closing Exercises and other special events. In addition to training in vocalizing, sight-singing and choral repertoire, students are also instructed in musicianship and theory. Individual students also compete to be in the New Jersey State Junior High Honors Choir.
WOODWORKING
This course meets twice a week, and continues the student’s education, begun in the Fifth and Sixth Grades, in working with wood. Students learn the philosophy behind the use of proper joinery, how and when to use particular joints and how to execute the joints. Design becomes an important step at this stage. Projects such as wooden boxes with dovetailed joints enable students to put into practice the techniques studied.
LIBRARY AND RESEARCH SKILLS
The library curriculum focuses on five areas that are presented to students at age and grade appropriate levels, with different materials and increasingly complex skills introduced. These are:
- The characteristics of information and the information seeker
- How information is organized in a library
- How information is stored
- How libraries function
- How to search for information
In the Eighth Grade, the English and history instructors collaborate with the librarian to have students write a major research paper about immigration. Students choose a topic, research and take notes, and construct a paper using the appropriate form for citations in the body of the paper and for a works-cited page.
Two other research projects take place during the year. One is an art history project with the language instructors and another is a Supreme Court project with the history teacher.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION/ATHLETICS
Activities include soccer, basketball, volleyball, floor hockey, softball, baseball and tennis. All students are required to take part in the physical education program. The school fields a boys and a girls team in soccer, track and basketball, a boys baseball and a girls softball team and a coed tennis team. Each team plays in several interscholastic competitions each season. All practices take place during school hours, with contests being held after school.
HEALTH
Weekly health classes are taught by a health educator. Classes in Grade Eight are designed to help students understand the physical, mental, emotional and social aspects of interpersonal relationships. Discussions, debates, films and speakers all serve to deepen the students’ awareness of health issues.
SEVENTH/EIGHTH GRADE UNIT
For approximately one-and-a-half weeks at the end of the second semester, the daily schedule for Seventh and Eighth Graders changes. Students participate in an interdisciplinary unit of study. The Unit focuses on a variety of topics such as the American court system, cooking, Italian art and culture or the production of a Middle School Musical. The Unit program affords the opportunity for research and group work across the disciplines.
