Eighth Grade

• Studio Art: Focuses on developing awareness of color harmonies. Students copy master works of art using watercolor and pencil.
• Music III: Students study the works of Mozart while learning about intervals, minor scales, two-part writing and chamber music. They continue to participate in a school orchestra and choir.
• Algebra: A comprehensive study that includes topics such as linear and quadratic equations, systems of linear equations, polynomials, fractional equations and the study of the coordinate plane and graphing. Students use the text Algebra by McDougal Littell.
• Physical Science: Students continue to hone their skills in observation and classification. Emphasis is also placed on creating mathematical models from data. Topics include: atoms and bonding, electricity and megnetism, energy, simple machines and catapults. Students continue to use the Prentice Hall "Science Explorer" Series.
• Latin III: Students continue their study of grammar, vocabulary and translation. Upon completion of the Ecce Romani series students begin to use Wheelock’s Latin Grammar.
• History: Students study geography with an emphasis on how land and water formations shape political, economic and cultural life.
• Literature/Composition: Review and continuation of grammar study from seventh grade. Topics include phrases, clauses and the formulation of limited, specific and unified topic sentences in paragraph writing. By the end of the course, students will be writing paragraphs of 150 to 250 words. Some of the reading complements the students’ study of medieval history. Books include Beowulf, The Chosen, The Hobbit, The Miracle Worker and A Christmas Carol.

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