Core-8 Courses

student reflection throughout the process. Since the 2013-14 school year, eighth grade students have served Lutheran Community Services in that organization’s efforts to address need (hunger) in our local community and have provided schoolwide service by working with lower, middle, and upper school faculty and staff at the end of the year. Additionally, eighth grade students have engaged service-learning in the following ways: • Participating in the student-organized 5K race for a local, charitable,non-profit organization • Establishing and leading student-run committees to benefit charitable, non-profit organizations such as -National Wildlife Federation -Puerto Rico Support Group -Diversity Committee

CORE-8 COURSES

English-8

English-8 works to help students address the question, “Who are we, and how did we come to be that way?” In this class students grow in many ways: in their articulation of ideas (in both oral presentation and writing), in their grasp of the grammatical structure of language, and in their understanding of ways in which writings reflect the ideas, attitudes, and conflicts of our identity. English-8 examines coming-of-age for young men and women from diverse cultures.

Students learn how identities are shaped by conflicting values and experiences, undergoing continuous growth, absorbing and being altered by political and economic concepts, and by immigrant cultures. Students seek to determine some constant values and directions amid the clash and change.

Below are eight “thematic rivers” - concepts that guide study within English-8. Students read works of literature that deal with at least one (and often many) of these concepts.

• Evolving Nature of Identity—Who are we, and how did we come to be that way? Who gets to be accepted? • Conflicting Loyalties –How does a person resolve conflicting demands from family, friends, different religions, different beliefs, different nationalities? • Dependence, Independence, Interdependence—How are these conditions different? Which is most important to the development of who we are? • Materialism vs. Idealism— How can we be, deeply, both materialistic and idealistic? • Freedom vs. Order— Which qualities of life are more important to our sense of self? Is it possible to balance these two concepts? What must we give up to keep what we’ve gained? • Expanding of the Domain of Freedom— “The land of the free” –to whom do those words apply? To whom do they not apply? How, when, and to whom has that freedom extended? Texts studied in recent years have included Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, Copper Sun by Sharon Draper, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.

Composition assignments encourage students’ organization, paragraph development, factual support for ideas, use of quotations, syntactic accuracy, and confidence in expression. The composition process includes opportunities for both peer review and revision. Students also evaluate their own writing according to a well-articulated set of standards for different types of writing.

History/Social Studies-8: American Studies

This course examines key historical events and themes in American culture from the Declaration of Independence through the Cold War as well as contemporary events. This course emphasizes the founding of our government, topics in Civics, as well as historical units in which the citizens challenged the government.

Key requirements and assessments include: • Writing and preparing a research paper • Analyzing current events – American topics from Upfront

Magazine • Presentations • Active participation in class discussions • Note taking • Cooperative learning projects – including a colonial newspaper, Constitutional Convention simulation, a World War

II radio show • Assessments for each unit • Analytical writing • Written homework assignments

Units of study include: • American Revolution – focus on the Declaration of Independence • Early Republic – focus on The Constitution of the United

States and elements of civics • Abolition and the struggle for African Americans to gain freedom • Key events in the United States from 1870 to 1916 • Key themes within the Civil Rights movement • World War II – focus on the role of the United States • 1950s/Cold War – domestic and abroad; change and challenges • The study of various historical topics and current events through the use of Upfront, an educational magazine produced by the New York Times

Mathematics-8

Eighth grade math completes the Math in Focus (Singapore Math) program and prepares students for the transition into the upper school math program. This course uses a concretepictorial-abstract learning progression which is anchored in real-world, hands-on experiences. The goal is to establish foun-

dational independent, problem-solving skills that enables students to monitor their own thinking. This approach is designed to ensure mastery of more complex math concepts needed to succeed in higher level math courses.

Course topics include: • Exponential notation and exponent rules • Representing, comparing and manipulating numbers in scientific notation • Graphing proportional relationships • Lines and linear equations • Factoring and expanding • Systems of linear equations • Functions and graphs of functions • Geometric transformations • Pythagorean Theorem • Linear programming

Advanced Math-8: In addition to the 8th grade math course there is an advanced 8th grade math class. This fast-paced class meets several times a week with deeper exploration of concepts and covers additional topics. Participation in this course is based on a combination of math grades from 6th and 7th grade, standardized test scores, and teacher recommendation. In preparation for the advanced section in 8th grade, students are strongly encouraged to seek out challenges in earlier grades, such as regular participation in Math Olympiad and other challenging work that exists within the curriculum.

The advanced class may require an additional textbook, and may include but not be limited to concepts such as: • Systems of inequalities and linear programming • Properties of special right triangles, and other trigonometric concepts • Geometric proofs • Venn diagrams and set notation • Statistics including standard deviation • Radicals and surds The advanced eighth grade math may include but is not limited to concepts such as: systems of inequalities and linear programming; properties of special right triangles, and other trigonometric concepts; geometric proofs; Venn diagrams and set notation; and statistics, including standard deviation.

Science-8: Biology I

Eighth grade Biology is a multi-disciplinary, scientific introduction to the study of living things. Students are given opportunities to brainstorm and practice process skills and critical thinking via laboratory investigations, research, and cooperative activities. Concepts are explored using a variety of teaching methods including, but not limited to, inquiry lab activities, collaborative group work, computer models and simulations, and design-thinking challenges. Students use a variety of Webbased applications as they explore topics from class. Topics in diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice and sustainability are explored in every unit highlighting the implications on social, economic, and environmental factors in the living world. Course topics include: I. Ecology • Ecosystems and Change • Sustainability Case Studies • Populations • Biomes • Producers and consumers • Ecological commons and Tragedy of the commons • Energy Flow through an Ecosystem • Ecological succession and resilience • Biodiversity and Sustainability • Ecological footprint • Environmental justice

II. Introduction to Biochemistry • Properties of water, solutions, pH • Dehydration synthesis and hydrolysis • Carbohydrates, Proteins, Lipids and Nucleic Acids • Biochemical tests for macromolecules • Nutrition • Biomolecules and Food Inequality

III. Cell Biology • World Health • Cell Structure and Function • Cell membranes and Diffusion • Stem Cell Differentiation and Research • HeLa cells and the Henrietta Lacks story

IV. Genetics • Genes and Chromosomes • Interpreting Pedigrees • Molecular Structure of DNA • Genetic testing, GMOs • Gene editing and CRISPR • Protein synthesis

V. Evolution • Darwin and theories of natural selection • Indicators of evolution • Genetic basis of adaptation • Variation through time

World Languages, Literatures & Cultures-Level C

Level C World Languages, Literatures & Cultures courses are a continuation of their respective Level B classes, and focus on aural-oral comprehension. Communicative skills are increasingly emphasized. Students learn how to function and react in many different real-life situations, such as socializing, expressing attitudes and opinions, exchanging basic day-to-day information, seeking to persuade, expressing abilities and goals, talking about actions in the past and in the future, and making comparisons. Teachers continue to use such techniques as open-