French System

French Language and Literature

In French, the Grade 8 program directly follows that of the Grade7 year. Students regularly practice reports and presentations, they express orally their feelings about a work, they formulate a personal opinion with a precise and extensive vocabulary. Students give their point of view and tries to convince an audience. Students know how to choose a book adapted to their level, tastes, and needs, know how to interpret a study of documents, to make written reports of his readings. In writing, students can summarize a document and knows some techniques and uses of notetaking. They are also able to structure writing. Students transpose oral utterances to writing and vice versa, master’s and re-uses a sustained grammatical, spelling, and lexical level.

The program is structured in 4 main parts:

• oral language: understand and interpret complex oral messages and speeches, express oneself in a controlled manner by addressing an audience, participate constructively in oral exchanges, exploit the expressive and creative resources of speech.
• reading and comprehension of writing and images: controlling one’s comprehension, becoming an independent reader, reading non-literary texts and documents (including digital), reading literary works and frequenting works of art, developing an interpretation of literary texts.
• writing: exploiting the main functions of writing, adopting effective writing strategies and procedures, using readings to enrich your writing, moving from intuitive recourse to argumentation to more controlled use.
• the study of language (grammar, spelling, lexicon): know the differences between oral and written, analyze the functioning of simple sentences and complex sentences, consolidate lexical and grammatical spelling, enrich and structure the lexicon, construct the concepts allowing the analysis and the elaboration of texts and speeches.

History-Geography/EMC

The history program in Grade 8 year focuses on Europe and the process that enabled it to exercise its domination over the rest of the world in the 19th century. The Enlightenment, the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution are widely discussed during this year. More and more students are invited to reason, to cooperate, to justify themselves.

The history program in 4th year is structured around 3 themes:

• The 18th century, expansions, Enlightenment, and revolutions: This theme addresses the values of the Enlightenment, which marked a turning point in France and Europe. The scientific, technical, and cultural development characteristic of the Enlightenment makes it possible to make the link with the last theme of the fifth grade, centered on France’s openness to the world.
• Europe and the world in the 19th century: This theme make it possible to make the link with a notion of central geography in fourth grade: globalization. It is also an opportunity to talk about the industrialization of Europe, which profoundly transformed our societies, and reinforced Europe’s domination of the world during the 19th century.
• Society, culture, and politics in 19th century France: From 1815 to 1914, five different regimes followed one another in France. In this theme, politics therefore occupies a prominent place. We talk about the struggle for democracy and the establishment of a republican project.

The geography program allows students to work on graphic language by making simple sketches and diagrams. Globalization is at the heart of the program. We are studying this phenomenon in particular through urbanization and urban mobility. Thus, the student acquires geographic landmarks on a global scale by studying and analyzing maps and planispheres.

Mathematics

8th Grade in French is a logical continuation of 7th Grade: the concepts already discussed are extended and deepened. Geometry is more focused on demonstrating and solving problems and represents about 60% of the program. The theories of Thales and Pythagoras, the notion of cosine and tangent, the pyramids and cones of revolution will be studied. Proportionality (cross product, enlargements, and reductions) and data processing (averages, percentages) represent about 20%. As in 7th grade, the remaining time is spent ensuring that students are able to use the knowledge acquired in Math in English in solving problems written in French (fractions and exponents, equations and inequalities, relative numbers).

Life and Earth Sciences

In life and earth sciences, the program aims to distance oneself from an anthropocentric vision of the world and to distinguish scientific facts and beliefs, to enter into a scientific relationship with natural or technical phenomena, and the living world.

The life and earth sciences program revolves around three main themes:

• Planet Earth, the environment and human action
• The living and its evolution
• The human body and health

Physics and Chemistry

In physics-chemistry, the program allows entry into a scientific relationship with natural phenomena, the living world, and techniques. This scientific posture is made up of attitudes (curiosity, open-mindedness, questioning one’s idea, positive exploitation of errors, etc.) and capacities (observing, experimenting, measuring, reasoning, modeling, etc.).

In physics-chemistry, the college program allows for a scientific reading of the natural world and improves the scientific and technical culture of each student. This course also provides an understanding of the wide variety and evolution of professions, as well as the economic issues in relation to the sciences, in particular physics and chemistry.

7 skills are worked on:

• practice scientific procedures.
• conceive, create, realize.
• appropriate tools and methods.
• practice languages.
• mobilize digital tools.
• adopt ethical and responsible behavior.
• to situate oneself in space and time.

The program is structured in four main parts:

• Organization and transformations of matter.
• Movements and interactions.
• Energy and its conversions.
• Signals to observe and communicate.

These themes are intended to be treated throughout college because they are inseparable, and links are made with other scientific courses (mathematics, life and earth sciences and technology).

The history of science is also present, in order to allow a better contextualization of the notions of physics-chemistry.

Technology

In technology, the program aims for each student to appropriate a culture that will make them enlightened and responsible players in the use of technology and associated issues. It is about giving each student the keys to understanding the contemporary technical environment and the skills to act. The idea is to relate scientific results, environmental, social, economic constraints, and the organization of techniques. In technology, the e program aims to acquire methods to build algorithmic thinking, represent and process information, solve problems, monitor results, and carry out projects in an active and collaborative manner. The program is structured in three main parts: “Design, innovation, creativity”, “Technical objects, services and the changes induced in society” and “Modeling and simulation of technical objects”. These themes are intended to be treated throughout college because they are inseparable. Links are made with other scientific teaching (mathematics, life and earth sciences and physics-chemistry).

American System

English Language and Literature

Students in English 8 master previously learned skills in increasingly complex reading selections and written compositions. Eighth- grade students read and respond to literature, making intertextual links among and across texts, including other media. In reading informational text, students make subtle inferences and draw complex conclusions about the ideas in text and their organizational patterns. Students determine the meaning of grade-level academic English words derived from Latin, Greek, or other roots and affixes. Eighth-grade students utilize all steps of the writing process to develop different forms of writing for specific purposes and audiences, such as to express, reflect, influence, and communicate ideas. Through composition, students revise drafts to clarify meaning and enhance style and edit their writing based on their growing knowledge of grammar, mechanics, and spelling. Students produce final revised and edited pieces of written composition on a regular basis. They search multiple texts to complete research reports and projects. Students produce an organized presentation with a specific point of view, participate in discussions and work productively with others.

Algebra 1

The purpose of this course is to satisfy the Algebra 1 requirements and prepare students to pass their End of Course exam. This course extends on previous mathematics coursed and introduces more advanced topics: solving, graphing, and writing linear equations and inequalities, linear systems, exponential and quadratic functions, and factoring.

Linear Functions. Equations. and Inequalities:

• Use linear properties to write and represent in multiple ways
• Understand linear function key features and related transformations Quadratic Functions and Equations:
• Use quadratic properties to write and represent multiple ways
• Understand quadratic graphs and their transformations Exponential Functions and Equations
• Use exponential properties and related transformations to write, graph and represent in multiple ways Number and Algebraic Methods:
• Use algebraic methods to rewrite in equivalent forms and perform operations on polynomial expressions
• Use algebraic methods to write, solve, analyze, and evaluate equations, relations, and functions

US History – Beginning to 1914

Social Studies in Grade 8, students study the history of the United States from the early colonial period through Reconstruction. Historical content focuses on the political, economic, religious, and social events and issues related to the colonial and revolutionary eras, the creation and ratification of the U.S. Constitution, challenges of the early republic, the Age of Jackson, westward expansion, sectionalism, Civil War, and Reconstruction. Students describe the physical characteristics of the United States and their impact on population distribution and settlement patterns in the past and present. Students analyze the various economic factors that influenced the development of colonial America and the early years of the republic and identify the origins of the free enterprise system. Students examine the American beliefs and principles, including limited government, checks and balances, federalism, separation of powers, and individual rights, reflected in the U.S. Constitution and other historical documents. Students evaluate the impact of Supreme Court cases and major reform movements of the 19th century and examine the rights and responsibilities of citizens of the United States as well as the importance of effective leadership in a constitutional republic. Students evaluate the impact of scientific discoveries and technological innovations on the development of the United States. Students use critical-thinking skills, including the identification of bias in written, oral, and visual material.

Enrichment

Art

Eighth grade art will continue to cover the terminology and principles of design, traces the history of art from prehistoric ages, explains why art plays such an instrumental role in our current culture and more. Additional topics that are covered in a typical class include: the process of projecting an idea into a concrete work of art; the importance of the Visual Elements and their symbolic expression in works of art; applying the principles of design and visual elements when analyzing works of art; and discussing techniques used to create drawings.

Music

Students in eighth grade will learn use vocal and physical techniques in the service of a performance or creative project; identify, describe and comment on a complex musical organization and situate it within an artistic references;  conceive, create and perform musical pieces with reference to styles and works, performance, or media constraints; present and justify interpretative and creative choices; and justify an opinion on a work and defend a point of view and defend a point of view by arguing it. 

Physical Education

Students train and compete with the aim of improving individual skills and endurance in both team and individual sports. Evaluations and grades are based on comprehension and execution. Healthy-living habits are reinforced with an emphasis on nutrition and exercise. Sports include volleyball, basketball, ultimate frisbee, soccer, softball, baseball, badminton, pickleball, handball, running, and cooperative games.

World Languages Spanish

In Grade 8, students will continue to be introduced to various linguistic topics in Spanish that will focus on speaking, reading, and writing introductory Spanish. In class, students will receive assignments and assessments that help reinforce the topics being discussed. Students will use role-playing activities and oral presentations to demonstrate their own knowledge of the concepts learned in the course. Students will be able to apply Spanish learned in class to real-world situations thus allowing students to become comfortable using the target language both in and outside of the classroom.