8th Grade

8th Grade Homeroom Teacher

Catherine Valiant

During the year, students will focus on the following:

• Pre-algebra, Honor’s Algebra 1 or Honor’s Geometry based on students’ individual level.

• Properties of Matter, Interactions of Waves, Sound and Light, Optics, Electricity and Magnetism, Form and Function of Human Anatomy, including Health, Nutrition and Human Reproduction integrated with "Theology of the Body" curriculum in Religion.

• Students learn writing skills through both short- and long-term projects. Writing, editing, and proof reading are all skills developed in English, preparing our students for writing in high school.

• Literature novel units studied are: Fahrenheit 451, The Giver, and To Kill a Mockingbird with individual and group projects playing an integral role in developing thinking individuals: Great Thinker Research Project with Power Point presentation, and Social Issues research and presentation. Covers the elements of story: plot and setting, character, theme and conflict, narrator and voice. Vocabulary  lessons  build students’  individual word skills  as well as their  understanding  of nuances  of  meaning, idioms, and other  types of  figurative  language.

• U.S. History: American Revolution and Civil War Reconstruction, Constitution and Amendments, and Branches of Government.

• History of the Catholic Church and the Saints.

Annual Classroom Events

• Kindergarten Buddies

• Rock-a-thon

• Grandparent’s Luncheon

• 8th Grade Retreat

• Graduation with Silverwood Field Trip