Grade 8
As students enter the 8th grade, they reach the culmination of their grade school experience. Sharper observational skills and growing critical faculties prepare them for their transition into high school. Connections, relationships between people, cultures and events, similar patterns that hold true across varied contexts-these are the tools that are sharpened through the 8th grade curriculum
History study looks at these connections through exploration of the American, French and Industrial Revolutions. Chemistry builds on 7th grade learnings to include the study of sugars, starches, proteins, fats, and oils in the body and in industry. Physics also continues to build on the previous year’s foundation with hydraulics, aeromechanics and practical applications of electromagnetism in motors. World geography surveys landforms, ocean currents, atmosphere, climates and life zone of the entire earth with emphasis on how these things affect life and culture both now and in the past.
Drama gets a brighter spotlight as the 8th grade play is produced and performed for the community. This is always a highlight of the school year and a showcase for the wide range of talents that students have worked to develop throughout the grade school experience.
This year’s class trip gives students an opportunity to build confidence and independence in a structured, supervised setting. Past trips have included whitewater rafting, hiking in Arches National Park in Utah and canoeing in Canada.