Classrooms

Grade 8

Mrs. Susan Senger

In our confirmation year, our religious study includes the history and structure of the Catholic Church. We also study the Church in America, tracing it from its immigrant roots. We learn of scriptural writings on sexuality and talk about dating, life choices and commitment. We reflect on personal talents and how these might be used for the good of the Church and society, and we perform service projects in line with the Spiritual and Corporal works of mercy.

In language arts, our study of reading advances to recognition and appreciation of elements of literature such as plot, characterization, setting and theme. We read a variety of genres. Writing focuses on editing skills, use of sensory language, paraphrasing and summarizing. We do some creative writing and some writing connected to issues of our time. We also continue the focus on public speaking.

In mathematics, we learn exponents and expanded form for numbers through the trillions and write numbers in scientific notation. We work with order of operations, square roots and percentages. We study the structure of problems and systematic approaches to their solution. We do additional work with geometric structures and begin to study elementary statistical ideas such as median, mode and range. We also do problems involving money such as checkbooks, discounts and interest.

The social studies curriculum includes the study of the geography of the United States and its relationship to our development as a nation. We study U. S. history from the beginning to the present. We also analyze historical problems and contemporary events.

Some of our science topics include electricity and magnetism, fission and fusion. We study atoms, atomic structure and the periodic table. In life science we look into nutrition and the circulatory system, drugs and drug abuse prevention, and reproductive topics including heredity and evolution.