EIGHT GRADE CURRICULUM

In accordance with the Michigan Curriculum Framework Content

Standards and Benchmarks/Grade Level Content Expectations, eighth grade students will…

Reading:

· Analyze multiple informational sources.

· Determine and analyze an author’s viewpoint.

· Evaluate an author’s technique for developing plot, theme, setting, characters, as well as many other literary elements.

· Analyze historical issues in reading selections.

· Analyze American literature that represents the experiences and traditions of diverse ethnic groups.

· Novels: Johnny Tremain, Stargirl, Across Five Aprils, The Outsiders, Animal Farm, Soldier’s Heart, Night John, Memories of Summer.

Writing:

· Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the writing process through creation of original pieces.

· Use an organizational structure that unifies writing.

· Prepare and present written works to be shared with others.

· Recognize and employ author techniques that convey meaning and create empathy in readers.

· Select a writing style (narrative, descriptive, or expository) which suits a given purpose and audience.

Speaking:

· Write and present a five minute speech.

· Convey meaning through voice modulation, body language, ordering of ideas, and visual aids.

· Choose appropriate topics, and methods of presenting topics, for specific audiences.

· Formulate questions which require analytical thinking by group members.

Listening:

· Compare and contrast the style and techniques speakers use to shape text and influence audience expectations.

· Make inferences from an orally read passage.

Research:

· Create an outline to produce text.

· Describe appropriate resources for exploring specific questions or topics.

· Develop and understand a bibliography.

· Organize information from literary, informative, and practical sources.

· Solve problems using interpretations of reference information.

Social Studies Strands studied:

· Civics and Government (understand national, state, and local governments, compare and contrast arguments for the necessity of the political party system, identify the powers of the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of government, explain the values and principles expressed in the Bill of Rights).

· Cultural Perspective (assess various opinions on the value and challenges of diversity in the U.S., explain how contemporary American culture is influenced by the media).

· Economics (define deflation and inflation, understand the function of interest in an economic system, analyze economic changes that affect society, analyze unemployment rates).

· Geography (examine reasons for the increasing world population, describe how a region may be defined by various criteria, locate and identify major countries, make predictions regarding population increases/decreases using data, describe the various factors that affect human migration).

· Historical Perspective (understand how the concepts of time and place relate to historical events, understand re-occurring patterns of historical events, sequence in chronological order a list of historical events).

· United States History (comprehend how relationships with European countries affected the outcome of the Revolution, evaluate the importance of historical figures and their activities, analyze the effects of U.S. historical documents, analyze the development of government in colonial America, understand the significance of the underground railroad, understand and analyze the industrial revolution, identify the causes and effects of the Civil War, explain how the reconstruction era affected the nation, evaluate Lincoln as a leader).

Mathematics Strands studied:

· Algebraic Concepts (use a given equation to develop a story problem, solve for the value of a variable, apply inverse operations, demonstrate an understanding of the value of a number represented in exponential form, compute fluently).

· Data Interpretation (demonstrate the ability to interpret graphical forms, discuss relationships between tables, graphs, and equations, determine the validity of an argument based on a given set of data).

· Decimals (round decimal numbers, add and subtract decimal fractions and convert the answer to a decimal number format, solve story problems by dividing decimals up to the hundredths position, work flexibly with decimals in order to obtain solutions to problems).

· Fractions (instinctively use fractions to communicate, add, subtract, multiply, and divide mixed fractions, solve multiple step problems involving fractions, work flexibly with fractions in order to obtain solutions to problems).

· Geometry (identify and use geometric concepts and relationships in topics outside of the classroom, classify and discuss solid and plane figures and their attributes, use spatial reasoning to solve problems, apply many different methods of proofs).

· Measurement (comprehend the measurable characteristics of objects and the units, systems, and processes of measurement, apply measuring procedures and formulas to solve story problems, use various tools for determining measurements).

· Probability/Statistics (utilize a hypothesis, design a method to collect relevant data, and gather appropriate information, calculate mean, median, mode, and range, discuss the difference between theoretical and real world probability).

· Problem Solving (evaluate a problem and given solution for reasonableness, and justify or discount the solution, reflect on the processes applied to solve a problem, model contextualized problems using many different representations).

Science:

· Earth and Space (understand the structure of the Earth, understand the Earth’s history, analyze the interaction of physical systems on the earth, understand that constructive and destructive forces create landforms, explain organic and inorganic cycles). Compare planet attributes.

· Life (explore the lineage of an organism for traits and other attributes, evaluate various ecosystems, compare the circulatory and nervous systems, understand the immune system, understand the risks associated with chemical, biological, and social hazards).

· Physical force, motion and energy transfer, (understand the relationship between the organization of the periodic table and its predictive nature, use atomic electron configuration to classify elements, identify bases, salts and acids, define the concept of atoms, use a variety of methods to demonstrate the relationship between force, work, and distance).

· Research and Inquiry (understand the components of a scientific explanation, employ critical thinking skills to determine the relationship between evidence and explanations, analyze scientific data to formulate a solution, produce and present a science fair project).

Spanish:

· Conjugate regular “ir” and “er” verbs in past imperfect tense.

· Conjugate “ar, “ir” and “er” in simple conditional.

· Comprehend extended stories, videos, and/or skits.

· Read and translate extended selections (one advanced-level novel of 100+ pages).

· Verbalize in a manner that demonstrates understanding of content and grammar.

· Write a simple discourse of more than one paragraph on familiar topics.

Technology:

· Technology is integrated into all subjects through the use of the laptop lab.

Physical Education

· Demonstrate an exposure level of competency in sport-specific skills in individual, dual, and team sports, and recreational games.

· Meet standards on selected fitness activities that develop and maintain cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, and endurance of large muscle groups, and flexibility of major joints.

· Identify lifelong physical activities that he/she enjoys, and summarize reasons why this activity is of value for physical fitness.

· Demonstrate on a daily basis, good personal/social character traits at least 85% of the time.

Assessments:

Assessment includes, but is not limited to observations, quizzes, tests, rubrics, scoring guides, Scantron Performance Series computer assessment, MEAP ELA, math, and science assessments.