8th Grade

Welcome to Eighth Grade!

Welcome to the eighth grade website! This school year is full of exciting activities and interesting challenges for the Class of 2011. As the leaders of the school, this year's eighth grade assumes the responsibility of acting as role models for the younger students and will be focusing their many talents to give service to others.

Subjects and Grading Policies

Religion

Texts: Family Life by Benziger and Christ Our Life - Confirmed in the Spirits by Loyola Press. Students will be required to perform 20 hours of service. Only effort grade - based on class participation and quizzes.

Language Arts

Text: Voyages in English by Loyola Press.
Students will have workbook pages for homework on most school evenings. These pages will be grammar based. We will also be doing a great deal of composition work, particularly in the second semester. A three to five page term paper will be due at Easter time. Research skills and term paper form will be taught in preparation for this.

Daily Oral Language by McDougal, Little, & Co.
Sentences are put on the board during the week for correction by the students. We go over the corrections together, and students are tested on them each Thursday. These test grades are part of their overall language arts grade. One-third of the grade is based on workbook pages and daily assignments. Two-thirds of the grade is based on quizzes, tests, and writing assignments.

Spelling

Text: Spelling Workout by Modern Curriculum This text is both a spelling and a vocabulary text. The students will be tested once a week (usually on Friday) on both the spelling and the meaning of the words in the week's lesson. Both tests count towards the overall spelling grade.

Literature

Texts: Elements of Literature by Holt, Vocabulary in Action by Loyola Press, Timed Readings in Literature, by Jamestown Press, Accelerated Reading, various novels
Students will be studying the various genre of literature and will be tested on content and vocabulary for each. They are also responsible for biweekly vocabulary tests based on the Vocabulary in Action text. Accelerated reading goals are established at the beginning of each quarter and parents are asked to sign their child's reading contract. Students read books and take computer tests to gain points necessary to complete their quarter goals. Students are expected to have half of their point by mid-quarter and all of their points by the end of the quarter. Deadlines are posted in the room. Points are awarded on a pass/fail basis, but a student's grade is determined by the test average for the quarter. Failure to complete the AR goals for the quarter result in a number in literature for that quarter. Two-thirds of the literature goal is based on comprehension tests from the anthology, vocabulary and comprehension tests from the novels, vocabulary tests from the vocabulary book, reading comprehension drills, and projects. Accelerated reading scores account for one-third of the overall literature grade.

Math

Today more than ever, students need strong skills in reading, writing, and note taking in mathematics in order to become independent learners. Acquiring these skills in middle school, will build an important foundation for more advanced courses and for their adult life. The series we use in eighth grade is McDougal Littell Algebra.