| Description of Eight Grade
Courses |
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| Computer
Education |
- uses word processing and desktop publishing programs to
develop language and writing skills
- creates and works with a file using a simple database
program
- uses a basic program to develop typing skills
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| Library
Skills |
- makes comparisons between contemporary and classical
uses of space and structure and relates these uses to the
needs of various cultures
- produces spatial designs to demonstrate that space can
be defined
demonstrates knowledge of color theory
- observes and produces visual patterns having distinct
rhythms/speeds
- recognizes and identifies the contributions of artists
from diverse cultures
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| Art |
- makes comparisons between contemporary and classical
uses of space and structure and relates these uses to the
needs of various cultures
- produces spatial designs to demonstrate that space can
be defined
demonstrates knowledge of color theory
- observes and produces visual patterns having distinct
rhythms/speeds
- recognizes and identifies the contributions of artists
from diverse cultures
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| Communication
Arts and Reading |
- participates in debates, dramas, video presentations,
interviews, and other oral language activities
- appreciates literature written by authors from various
cultures, and describes cultural differences and
similarities in the works
- interprets figurative speech in poetry and other
literature (e.g. simile, metaphor, hyperbole,
personification)
- evaluates own written work for clarity of ideas,
correctness and variety of language and sentence
structure, appropriateness of form, and accuracy of
information
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| Health
and Physical Education |
- relates fitness, endurance, muscular strength to
efficiency in daily tasks
- participates in culminating activities and team
tournaments, including noncompetitive and competitive play
- appreciates and understands the importance of mental
health and family living including sex education, drug and
substance abuse, alcohol, smoking, disease prevention and
control, consumer health, safety and first aid, and
environmental and community health
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| Home
and Career Skills |
(60 classes in 1/2 year or 120 classes in full
year is required in either seventh or eighth grade)
- develops skills that lead to effective decisions,
problem solving, and management in the home, school,
community, and workplace
- studies personal development and relationships to others
- learns about responsible management of personal and
family money, nutrition, clothing, personal environment,
and consumer choices
- plans for high school, examines careers, and is
introduced to world of work
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| Mathematics |
- uses Pythagorean theorem to measure distances involving
perpendicular lines
- develops and use formulas for volume
- explains "rational" and "irrational"
numbers
- writes simple computer programs
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| Science |
- studies underwater topography and the natural resources
of the oceans
- learns the elements of weather: temperature, humidity,
wind speed and direction, air pressure, solar radiation,
cloudiness, precipitation, air masses, and fronts
- understands the observable effects of the Earth's
motions, such as: day and night, phases of the moon,
seasons, tides, eclipses, and Coriolis effect
- studies the Solar System
- learns about space programs, their benefits, spin-offs,
and burdens
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| Second/Foreign
Languages |
(Second language study usually begins at the
sixth or seventh grade and continues into high school through
various checkpoints in the way to fluency)
- Checkpoint One
- understands simple statements and questions
- holds a conversation using questions and answers
- understands simple short, general messages
- writes a paragraph or short composition about
himself or herself
- becomes aware of and better understands other
cultures
- Checkpoint Two
- understands short conversation about everyday
situations
- begins to carry out a conversation using limited
vocabulary
- reads and understands simple stories
- writes simple notes, letters, and short reports
- continues to increase awareness of, begins to
appreciate, and develops greater understanding of
other cultures
- Checkpoint Three
- understands the important points of discussion of
familiar topics
- initiates and holds a conversation in which more
complex ideas are expresses
reads and understands more sophisticated stories
- writes short letters and notes that native speakers
of the second language are able to understand
- respects, appreciates, and becomes more
knowledgeable about other cultures
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| Social
Studies |
- understands the development of the countries of Canada
and Mexico and their impact upon the development of the
U.S., including the Spanish-American War, World War I, The
Great Depression, World War II
- explains the causes and results of World Wars I and II
and their impact on the U.S. and its diverse population
- understands the causes of the Great Depression and its
impact on diverse groups of Americans
- traces the Cold War and implications for the U.S.
- discusses the Civil Rights Movement and the Women's
Liberation Movement and how they affected all Americans
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| Technology
Education |
- learns to plan ahead and design solutions to problems,
using the 7 resources of daily life: humans, information,
materials, tools and machines, energy, capital, and time
- applies math, science, and other academic skills to
problem solving
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