Grade 8 Guidelines - Saint Teresa of Avila School

Course Title: Religion

Grade Eight

Faculty Name Mrs. Jacqueline Mueller

Text We Live Our Faith

Publisher Sadlier

Website http://www.weliveourfaith.com

Significant Curriculum Guidelines

Students will:

Define faith as a supernatural gift received through free cooperation with God’s grace
Reexamine the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity as the central teaching of the Christian religion
Explore the effects of original sin
Explore the relationship between the Holy Spirit and Jesus
Recognize that our human struggle to make good moral choices is based on Gospel principles and a well-informed conscience
Generate a decision-making process for confronting moral dilemmas
Explain the dignity of all people
Analyze some global and local social injustices e.g. hunger, poverty, discrimination, sexism, war and violence
Portray the concern for the well-being of others by practicing the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy
Evaluate the dignity of human life in the midst of social abuses, medical practices, and scientific practice

Special Features

Students participate in Confirmation service projects
Students complete Patron saint research
Participation at parish festival (at the end of August)
Participation at parish fish fry (during Lent)
Students research and write a patron Saint report
Students participate in the “Church Buddy” program with kindergarten
Students serve at Mass as altar servers, lectors, commentators

Evaluation

Daily class participation
Daily class work
Announced and unannounced quizzes
Tests at the end of each chapter
Unit tests at the end of each unit
Patron saint reports

Course Title: Literature

Grade Eight

Faculty Name Mrs. Jacqueline Mueller

Text Elements of Literature, Second Course

Publisher Holt, Rinehart, and Winston

Website http://my.hrw.com

Significant Curriculum Guidelines

Students will:

Recognize methods of characterization (first person, point of view, action, dialogue and description) while applying criteria for judging character
Identify and analyze the formal elements of a short story form
Recognize and explain examples of allusions in given selections
Illustrate irony, satire, allegory, onomatopoeia, imagery, hyperbole, personification, and plot
Critically evaluate the viewpoint, bias, and/or objectivity of a given news article, editorial, or other written work
Determine the validity of inferences evaluating them as probably true, probably false, or uncertain
Identify figures of speech (simile, metaphor, and idiom)
Explain the mood, tone, and themes of a given selection
Identify and evaluate point of view
Read, interpret, and discuss a play; compare and contrast the plot and characters of a movie and a play

Special Features

Students will orally interpret literature
Students perform close reading
Students participate in literary/discussion circles
Students will be challenged with additional vocabulary study
Students prepare for standardized tests
Students will read independently

Evaluation

Diagnostic assessment tool
Class participation
Class work
Quizzes
Chapter tests
Summative tests for each unit
End of the year test for cumulative assessment opportunities
Book reports and summaries

Course Title: English

Grade Eight

Faculty Name Mrs. Jacqueline Mueller

Text Writing and Grammar

Publisher Pearson Prentice Hall

Website http://www.pearsonsuccessnet.com

Text Criterion Online Writing

Website http://www.criterion.ets.org

Significant Curriculum Guidelines

Students will:

Recite the rules for correct grammar and usage in sentences
Apply the rules for correct grammar and usage in various writing assignments
Write a summary of a story
Write a character analysis
Write an informative report
Write a personal narrative and then evaluate peer narratives
Sort notes taken from research materials into a logical arrangement
Write a two-paragraph composition treating both sides of a controversial question
Make necessary revisions in given sentences in which the structures are not appropriately parallel
Write and present a multimedia poetry performance
Follow the steps to writing and publishing a research paper

Special Features

Students participate in the Diocesan Writing Assessment
Students participate in various Diocesan-sponsored writing contests
Publish writing in and outside of class (outside of class publication is contingent upon student interest)
Students pesent a multi-media poetry performance (contingent upon class interest/ability)
Practice test-taking for standardized test
Utilize Criterion Online writing evaluations to improve writing skills

Evaluation

Class participation
Class work
Quizzes
Chapter tests
Writing assignments in English, literature and social studies classes

Course Title: Pre-Algebra

Grade Eight

Faculty Name Mrs. Carol Pastor

Text Prentice-Hall Mathematics: Pre-Algebra

Publisher Pearson Prentice-Hall

Workbook Prentice-Hall Mathematics: Pre-Algebra Practice Workbook

Publisher Pearson Prentice-Hall

Website http://www.PHSchool.com (on-line tutor, quizzes, etc.) http://www.pearsonsuccessnet.com (textbook log-in)

Significant Curriculum Guidelines

Students will:

Master computations and applications of integer operations, rates, ratios, proportions, and percents, exponents and scientific notation
Use scatter plots, double bar graphs, double line graphs, circle graphs, histograms, stem-and-leaf plots, and box-and-whisker plots
Work to develop probability concepts for compound events
Solve multi-step equations and use equivalent forms for expressions involving parentheses, like terms, and exponents
Relate rate of change, slope, and y-intercept to graphs, tables, and symbolic forms
Analyze congruent and similar figures, as well as transformations on a coordinate plane
Use dimensional analysis to convert units within the customary and metric system
Develop the formula for area of a circle and use formulas to find surface areas and volumes of prisms, cylinders, pyramids, cones, and spheres
Use more than one strategy to solve a problem and compare strategies to determine which is most appropriate for the given situation
Explain mathematical work and justify conclusions with logical arguments

Special Features

Be assessed for mastery and diagnosed for weaknesses before, during, and after each concept
Be challenged with speed of instruction and problem solving of varying difficulty
Master vocabulary used in Algebra
Prepare for high school mathematics
Pursue tutoring from available Algebra teachers
Pre-Algebra uses many chapter support files to help students gain confidence in working through each lesson; ie. re-teaching, practice and guided problem solving masters.

Evaluation

Periodic grading of homework throughout each chapter
Daily class work
Quizzes
Tests at the conclusion of each chapter

Course Title: Pre-Algebra

Grade Eight

Faculty Name Mrs. Carol Pastor

Text Prentice-Hall Mathematics: Pre-Algebra

Publisher Pearson Prentice-Hall

Workbook Prentice-Hall Mathematics: Pre-Algebra Practice Workbook

Publisher Pearson Prentice-Hall

Website http://www.PHSchool.com (on-line tutor, quizzes, etc.) http://www.pearsonsuccessnet.com (textbook log-in)

Significant Curriculum Guidelines

Students will:

Master computations and applications of integer operations, rates, ratios, proportions, and percents, exponents and scientific notation
Use scatter plots, double bar graphs, double line graphs, circle graphs, histograms, stem-and-leaf plots, and box-and-whisker plots
Work to develop probability concepts for compound events
Solve multi-step equations and use equivalent forms for expressions involving parentheses, like terms, and exponents
Relate rate of change, slope, and y-intercept to graphs, tables, and symbolic forms
Analyze congruent and similar figures, as well as transformations on a coordinate plane
Use dimensional analysis to convert units within the customary and metric system
Develop the formula for area of a circle and use formulas to find surface areas and volumes of prisms, cylinders, pyramids, cones, and spheres
Use more than one strategy to solve a problem and compare strategies to determine which is most appropriate for the given situation
Explain mathematical work and justify conclusions with logical arguments

Special Features

Be assessed for mastery and diagnosed for weaknesses before, during, and after each concept
Be challenged with speed of instruction and problem solving of varying difficulty
Master vocabulary used in Algebra
Prepare for high school mathematics
Pursue tutoring from available Algebra teachers
Pre-Algebra uses many chapter support files to help students gain confidence in working through each lesson; ie. re-teaching, practice and guided problem solving masters.

Evaluation

Periodic grading of homework throughout each chapter
Daily class work
Quizzes
Tests at the conclusion of each chapter

Course Title: Science

Grade Eight

Faculty Name Mrs. Charlotte Leibach

Text Physical Science and Science Plus Supplemental Text

Publisher Holt, Rinehart, and Winston

Website http://go.hrw.com

http://www.scilinks.org

Significant Curriculum Guidelines

Students will:

Demonstrate an understanding of the property and states of matter
Identify symbols and correct formulas in chemistry
Display knowledge of the periodic table, chemical bonding and chemical reactions
Explain factors related to force and motion
Complete activities related to work, machines, and energy
Explore electricity waves, sound, and light
Complete a project related to scientific method
Review concepts mastered in grades six and seven

Teaching Strategies Used

Students attend lectures and participate in small group assignments

Students participate in cooperative learning group

Students complete note taking, group projects and evaluation

Special Features

Students conduct experiments, record data, prepare charts and graphs interpretations and findings presented in written and oral form
Students complete special projects for display to demonstrate an understanding of the lesson
Review of biological science concepts such as the cell, heredity factors, reproduction and human body systems
Review of main concepts from sixth and seventh grade
Participation in an assigned project or Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science
Scientific method project completed and presented orally.
Newton's Laws demonstrated through rocket construction and subsequent launch
Note taking, group projects and evaluations

Evaluation

Classroom participation, completion of assignments and projects, quizzes and tests

Course Title: Social Studies

Grade Eight

Faculty Name Mrs. Jacqueline Mueller

Text America: The History Of Our Nation

Publisher Prentice Hall

Website http://www.pearsonsuccessnet.com

http://www.phschool.com

Significant Curriculum Guidelines

Students will:

Determine how people places and things affected the outcome of the Civil War
Identify the short-term and long-term effects of the Civil War
Discover how industrialization increased the speed of change in industry and society between 1865 and 1915
Relate how society and politics changed during the Progressive Era
Demonstrate how the United States grew its interest in the Pacific and in Latin America between 1853-191
Explain the causes and effects of World War I
Discuss how the nation reacted to change in the 1920s
Discover how the Great Depression affected the American people and changed the role of government
List the causes of World War II
Analyze key foreign and domestic issues that affected the U.S. after World War II

Special Features

Students participate in class debates and /or panel discussions.
Students complete at least one research paper on famous American women or men
Use historical documents to evaluate and interpret primary sources
View historical video pertinent to subject matter: World War II newsreels, video of Kennedy’s assassination, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the fall of the Berlin Wall, 9/11

Evaluation

Oral and written tests
Quizzes
Class participation
Homework
Oral presentations
Document Based Questions