Overview Eighth Graders are the oldest students in the school. They relish this position and enjoy taking on leadership roles. On Field Day in June, they are the helpers who run all the games for the rest of the school. In preparation for high school, 8th Grade students are expected to pick topics and do research on their topics. They write and edit quality pieces of work. Eighth graders develop at different rates, but some are ready to tackle Algebra. Math classes are differentiated in the 8th grade more than any other grade. Students study Physical Science and US History.

Unified Arts Eighth Grade students participate in Unified Arts classes along with their academics. Operating on a fifteenday rotation, students have Music, Art, PE, and Health. They are also eligible to join the band. All Students Must Succeed! Nottingham Elementary School has an intensive Response to Intervention (RtI) program. In middle school, teachers work together to provide interventions for students who show a need. Though not as intensive a program as in younger grades, intervention in 8th grade may take place during WIN time (What I Need) or during breaks in class. Students will take benchmark tests during the year to ensure that they are making progress.

Eighth Graders are starting to think seriously about what they want to do for a career. This is a great age for them to become involved in community service activities, especially any that will allow them to investigate a potential career. 8th grade students complete a career inventory and project as part of their transition to high school.

Organization

Social relationships become a priority to most 8th graders. As much as they claim to want to be unique, they dress and act just like their peers. They are beginning to separate from their parents, so they will push the envelope regarding rules at home and at school.

The school’s curriculum is based on state and local standards which are anchored in the Common Core State Standards. Specific details of the school’s curriculum can be found on the school website under Curriculum or at the following address:

Nottingham School Nottingham Elementary School is part of SAU 44 which serves the towns of Nottingham, Northwood and Strafford.

https://sites.google.com/a/nottingham.k12.nh.us/ Nottingham School 245 Stage Road Nottingham, NH 03290 Phone: 603-679-5632 Fax: 603-679-1617 Website: nottingham.k12.nh.us

Grade 8 Curriculum Guide

8

Science

Literacy

Focus on Physical Science:

Select Literacy Standards Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text. Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.

Select math standards Know that there are numbers that are not rational, and approximate them by rational numbers.

Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g., print or digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea.

Work with radicals and integer exponents. Understand the connections between proportional relationships, lines, and linear equations. Analyze and solve linear equations and pairs of simultaneous linear equations.

Analyze a case in which two or more texts provide conflicting information on the same topic and identify where the texts disagree on matters of fact or interpretation.

Define, evaluate, and compare functions.

Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

Use functions to model relationships between quantities.

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

Understand congruence and similarity using physical models, transparencies, or geometry software.

Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and wellstructured event sequences. Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation.

Matter and Energy

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Forces and Motion

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Technology Research Project

Math

Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created through the use of dramatic irony) create such effects as suspense or humor.

Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced.

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Social Studies In United States History, students explore many topics from the Colonial Era through the present. They examine primary source documents with a critical eye and develop an understanding of civics, economics, and government. Students explore essential questions like: "How do new ideas change the way people live?" "What motivates people to act?" and "What are the causes and consequences of prejudice and injustice?"

Understand and apply the Pythagorean Theorem. Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving volume of cylinders, cones and spheres.

Note: Full detailed standards for all subjects can be found on the school website.