Eighth Grade Curriculum

Subjects of Study:

Math-Algebra
Students will:

• Solve real-world application problems to deepen understanding of math concepts
• Demonstrate a sense of numbers and apply an understanding of number systems and operations when counting, computing, estimating, and problem solving
• Apply coordinate geometry to locate and explore points, lines, and slopes algebraically
• Distinguish between relations and functions, and determine whether a relation is a function
• Solve equations and inequalities
• Apply basic and advanced concepts of data collection and analysis, probability, and statistics to develop and evaluate inferences, predictions, and arguments that are based on data
• Apply basic and advanced concepts of algebra to explore, describe, and model patterns, relationships, and functions involving numbers, shapes, data, and graphs
• Perform operations with exponents including operations with positive, negative, and fractional exponents
• Use inductive and deductive reasoning in mathematical situations and applications
• Use symbols of inclusion: absolute value, negative numbers, opposites, order of operations, parentheses, braces and brackets
• Construct, interpret and make predictions of data
• Use the Pythagorean Theorem to find missing sides of triangles and determine a right angle
• Solve and graph equations and inequalities
• Solve simple radical and quadratic equations
• Solve systems of (mostly linear) equations and inequalities
• Participate in the Catholic Math League

Language Arts
Students will:

• Delve into deeper contemplation of symbolism in literary works and evaluate the worthiness of the literature, considering both the message and historical relevance of the piece
• Discuss works of literature in terms of the parts of the plot, analyzing it for symbolic meaning and message
• Compare setting, figurative language, and the literary techniques previously learned as well as more complex techniques used by authors (e.g., foreshadowing and foils)
• Use the “Shared Inquiry” method in analyzing literature, and write evaluative papers based on evidence from the stories/novels
• Think critically and apply knowledge so as to diligently find and effectively communicate truth
• Reflect on truth and analyze the people and events by comparing the plots, literary language and styles of the authors of the short stories, novels, and poems in order to learn to evaluate literature and think about the story from outside of the world it creates
• Study advanced vocabulary words, Greek and Latin roots, suffixes and prefixes
• Practice writing to “effectively communicate truth”
• Express one’s self in such a way that the reader respects that opinion
• Identify humor in literature and examine references to formal logic
• Read a variety of literature including works by Lewis Carroll, Ernest Hemingway, Shakespeare and Tolkien
• Analyze the novel not only as a piece of excellent writing, but for its literary value as a commentary on the current events of the world
• Work on evaluative writing and self-editing
• Write creatively in the form of scenes for plays, short stories, and poems
• Study grammar with an emphasis in using complex structures in writing
• Present routinely in class and prepare a formal speech for the speech exhibition
• Use gestures, blocking, and visual aids in order to keep the attention of the audience and communicate in a memorable manner

Physical Science
Students will:

• Define the word “matter” and learn how to distinguish between physical and chemical properties
• Identify different states of matter and classify different arrangements of matter as elements, compounds, or mixtures
• Discover how organisms are fit for their environments by examining adaptations along abiotic and biotic cycles
• Learn how organisms depend on and affect each other, and ultimately, see how everything is connected
• Explore the atom, the building block of all matter, and its structure
• Use the periodic table to classify and organize elements according to patterns in atomic structure and other properties
• Study the interactions through which matter can change its identity
• Review how atoms chemically bond with one another to form new substances through chemical reactions
• Identify the properties of ionic, covalent, and organic compounds
• Study the relationship between force and motion
• Describe the motion of objects, how forces affect motion, and how fluids exert forces
• Explore the scientific meaning of the word “work” and learn how machines made work easier
• Discover how energy allows work and how different forms of energy can be converted into other forms of energy
• Learn how electricity and magnetism interact, and how electronic technology has revolutionized the world in a relatively short amount of time
• Participate in the CHA Science Fair

United States History, Part II
Students will:

• Continue the story of American history from the end of the Civil War to the rise of a strong federal government and its interaction with global powers
• Review social problems of the Industrial Revolution and the way the federal government worked to solve these problems
• Learn about “yellow journalism” and the Spanish-American War
• Review the events that led to finally uniting the North and the South
• Read and study the end of the Era of Isolation and beginning of the first Era of Imperialism, where the U.S. tried to solve the world’s problems through humanitarian aid
• Learn the conditions that caused communism to rise and see its effects on Europe
• Analyze the unification of Germany under a federal government quite different than our own that caused WWI
• Study the rise of prosperity in the 1920s in the United States and the collapse of worldwide economies during the Depression
• Discuss how the world’s leaders’ failure to achieve a harmonious peace led to WWII
• Study events of WWII and the struggle for peace afterwards, including the Cold War
• Review the fall of the Berlin Wall

Christian Morality
Students will:

• Investigate the nature of moral law and understand its opposite, moral relativism, with an understanding of the cardinal and theological virtues and how moral law puts man on the road to true happiness
• Understand discipline as an approach to truth and therefore true freedom with an understanding of free will and a well-formed conscience
• Research and create a video on the life of a saint, which will be presented at the All Saints celebration
• Examine the nature of sin and the importance of the Ten Commandments with a review of mortal and venial sin and virtue and vice
• Understand the first three commandments as obligation to God and neighbor along with a discussion of idolatry, superstition, sacrilege, blasphemy, perjury and atheism and the comparison of the origins of the Sabbath with the celebration of the Lord’s Day on Sunday
• Examine the Fourth Commandment as the example of how we love our neighbor, starting with our own parents
• Examine the Fifth Commandment with an understanding that we are made in the image and likeness of God including a discussion of abortion, euthanasia, just war and capital punishment
• Examine the Sixth and Tenth commandments with an understanding of how our actions can impact our family, friends, community, and society
• Understand why the law exists for the common good and basic human rights and what makes a just civil law
• Examine the Sixth and Ninth commandments with an understanding of equality and complementarity of men and women that allows us to fulfill our intended purpose
• Create a group film project on the topic of a moral issue, incorporating work with language arts, music, and art
• Recognize the source of true joy as a holy person called to know, love, and serve God and our neighbor
• Understand the foundation of morality with personal prayer to gain a deeper understanding of vocation
• Examine, through our Theology of the Body program, true freedom according to God’s design and how everybody is a prophet of God’s love
• Use Sacred Story as a reflective practice to learn how to pray

Middle School students also attend classes in Art, Music, Latin and Physical Education

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