8th Grade

After rotating through each art course in sixth grade, seventh and eighth graders have the opportunity to choose from a diverse range of semester-long, cross-graded art offerings. These courses span across various disciplines including drama, media art, music, studio art, and woodshop, providing students with the freedom to explore their interests in depth.

Essential guiding questions include:

• How do the arts express and share a diversity of cultures?
• How does music impact culture or vice versa?
• How does performance benefit a community and a culture?
• How can theater inspire individuals and communities to action?
• What does the artwork tell us about a culture?
• How do stories shape my identity? How does my identity shape the stories I tell?

Drama and Theatre Arts: Our Middle School Drama program is a dynamic exploration of theatrical storytelling that welcomes students at all levels of experience and interest while using dramatic storytelling to build positive relationships while engaging questions about art, identity and expression. 7th grade and 8th grade students continue developing their creative storytelling skills as writers, performers and production designers (costumes, sound, props, and sets) and apply these skills in production classes that feature both musicals and one-act plays.

Digital Media Arts: Students are welcomed to explore the dynamic world of Digital Media Arts, where creativity knows no boundaries. Our curriculum encompasses photography, photoshop, procreate, graphic design, animation, and video. Students delve into the art of capturing moments, mastering composition, and digital manipulation techniques with the use of professional cameras. They learn to communicate visually with impact through graphic design, drawing,  and explore the principles of animation to bring characters to life. Our video production classes offer hands-on experience in crafting cinematic narratives from scripting to editing. Additionally, students engage in analytical exploration through classes delving into various genres and concepts using digital tools to create an original portfolio.

Throughout their journey, students are encouraged to explore questions about art, identity, and expression while answering the question, “How can theatre impact and change the perspective of an audience?” This exploration not only deepens their understanding of the art form but also fosters empathy, critical thinking, and a sense of community.

Music: Students can immerse themselves in music through various courses tailored to their interests, such as performance-focused classes like Music Performance and Musical Theatre or the more analytical Musicology and Composition. In performance classes, students enhance their musical techniques and build their stage presence through collaborative rehearsals, preparing them for exciting showcases in front of peers and at school assemblies with a range of pieces from musical numbers to contemporary covers. Meanwhile, the Musicology and Composition class offers a deep dive into the history of popular American music across its seven main genres, coupled with an introduction to music theory concepts such as chord progressions and form. Using tools like GarageBand, students not only cover songs but also create original compositions, thus developing both their technical skills and creative prowess.

Studio Art: Students learn about color theory and how to properly mix and blend colors with a palette knife in a palette. This knowledge allows them to complete their first major project of the year, the "Color Theory Blank Canvas Project." Once complete, students learn about the properties of 1-and 2-point perspective, and how to utilize this information in real life situations. Students use their sketchbooks for examples and create an original piece of artwork using wood and a wood burning tool. The final project is a self-study project where students choose a medium and create a piece of art of their own choosing. Students engage in beginning, middle and final critiques, as well as artist statements for each completed original artwork, and they document their artwork for future reference.

Woodshop: Students choose between several assigned projects, such as stools or pencil cases, before proposing a build of their own design. Joinery, finishing, wood choice, and tool techniques are taught on an as-needed basis, depending on the project and the individual student. The focus is on process rather than product.

Students discover links among literature, history, and humanity. The developmental theme in English is identity formation: “Who Am I, Who Are We, Who Are They?” The curricular features are personal identity (memoir) and collective identity (The Holocaust).

Students use these lenses to answer essential guiding questions that include:

• What does it mean to “fully own my learning”?
• How are identities formed and what role do we play in the formation of our own identity?
• How can the stories of history inspire us to be stronger, more empathetic people?
• What does it mean to be human?

Students read, interpret, and write nonfiction, fiction, and poetry, developing a lens for analyzing their own writing and that of published writers. Reading and writing are inextricably tied so writing assignments are often in response to, or in emulation of, published writers who represent a variety of stylistic devices and voices.

Discussion is also central to eighth grade English, requiring students to reason, marshal evidence for their arguments, and defend their ideas orally. It is through discussion that students recognize important issues, develop intellectual interests, and engage in problem solving. In addition, students conduct research to construct knowledge focused on personal interests. Students design their own essential question and methodology for research. They then collect, store, and classify data, all while considering their question from multiple perspectives.

Students’ experiential learning includes:

• Shared Holocaust unit with history (including Holocaust survivor visits, trips to the Oregon Museum and Center for Holocaust Education and the Oregon Holocaust Memorial, creative writing contests, and Holocaust themed book group).

Eighth grade students become more competent and confident in completing high quality work as they prepare for high school. Throughout the year students work to deepen critical thinking, their writing becomes more reflective and complex, and they become more comfortable with public speaking.

The developmental theme is “Grappling with Complex Social Issues,” and the curricular features are American civics, Holocaust studies, and multicultural America.

Students use these lenses to answer essential guiding questions that include:

• What are the roles and responsibilities of United States citizens?
• In any society, what characterizes equal treatment for all people?
• By studying human experience, can a person learn to make good personal choices?
• What stories are and are not traditionally told through the Master Narrative of American History?

The fall term involves civics, with students studying the roots of U.S. democracy and the founding documents. Students then relate founding principles to contemporary events and issues, writing a formal five-paragraph essay on one topic, followed by a one-on-one debate concerning their issue.

After winter break, students examine what happens when a good government goes bad. Investigating the Weimar Republic in 1920s Germany, and how its failure led to the rise of Nazism and World War II. Studying the Holocaust from the perspective of human behavior allows the class to examine labeling, stereotyping, and targeting. The focus on human rights at the founding of our own country is revisited as a distinct contrast to the fascism in 20th century Europe.

During the spring term, students look at the fabric of multicultural America while gaining an understanding that U.S. history is composed of stories that originate from many places across the world. Weaving those many stories together is the focus of the unit.

Students’ experiential learning includes:

• Shared Holocaust unit with English (including Holocaust survivor visits, trips to the Oregon Museum and Center for Holocaust Education and the Oregon Holocaust Memorial, creative writing contests, and Holocaust-themed book group)
• Debates concerning issues of controversy in American life
   

Eighth grade students become more competent and confident in speaking up for themselves and others. The developmental theme is “advocating,” and the curricular feature is “recognizing the signs.”

Students use these lenses to answer essential guiding questions that include:

• Where can I access assistance for drug-related problems?
• How does my mental wellness impact my overall well-being?
• How does society react to mental illness?
• What is a healthy relationship?

By being inclusive and empathetic to all, students learn to recognize the warning signs of an abusive or toxic relationship, their own and others. They gain understanding about the various types of mental illness, how to recognize someone in distress, and what resources are available to support those with mental illness.

Students learn how to maintain safe sexual and emotional relationships and how to communicate with partners around sexual consent and explicit permission. They learn about birth control options and how to protect themselves from disease.

They study the short- and long-term effects of various drugs on the brain and learn about dependence, tolerance, and addiction. Students also examine the legal consequences of using drugs as minors and develop effective refusal skills for substance use.

In terms of digital citizenship, students learn about media balance by evaluating their digital footprint. Topics covered include how media impacts our brains, extensive data sharing, privacy, cyberbullying, and responding to hate speech online. Through activities, demos, videos, and group/class discussions, students will explore how these concepts and philosophies apply to their own life. Students will be encouraged to think and act from a place of thoughtful interactions and decision making through understanding the effect it can make on their lives.

Students continue their math studies with the Algebra I course. In eighth grade, the application of concepts is emphasized by way of in-class discussions, problem solving, and projects.

Algebra I is primarily concerned with learning to use formal Algebra with fluency and then deploying those skills as algebraic models of real-world phenomena and problems. Students in Algebra I will seek to develop a profound understanding of mathematical functions, with particular attention given to linear, exponential, and quadratic equations.

• Seeing structure in expressions
• Arithmetic with polynomials and rational expressions
• Creating equations
• Reasoning with equations and inequalities

Aligned with the ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) standards, our target proficiency level for 8th Grade is Novice High / Intermediate Low.

Our 8th grade modern language program is designed to support students with a wide range of language skills, from novice learners to heritage speakers, including those coming from immersion programs. We provide differentiated instruction to meet the needs of all students, ensuring each learner can grow and thrive in their language journey. We offer a robust proficiency-based program with a focus on real-world engagement in Spanish, French or Mandarin. By the end of 8th grade, modern language students communicate more confidently using connected phrases and simple sentences on familiar topics like daily life, interests, and community. They engage with authentic media—such as films, stories, and music—to answer questions, express preferences, share opinions, and make recommendations. With growing comprehension skills, they use context and visuals to understand longer texts and conversations. In writing, they create short paragraphs to express personal ideas using familiar vocabulary and structures.

Students at the Novice High to Intermediate Low level are increasingly aware of the practical and cultural relevance of language learning. With growing agency and interest, they take more ownership of their communication and apply their skills in authentic ways—including the opportunity to participate in a global education trip to a country where the language is spoken. This immersive experience deepens cultural understanding, sparks curiosity, and allows students to use their developing language skills in real-world settings, reinforcing their identity as capable and connected global citizens. Target skills students develop are: speaking, writing, reading and listening.

• Share ideas on a variety of familiar topics (e.g., family, hobbies, school, daily routines).
• Describe people, places, and things in more detail. Handle a variety of everyday situations when traveling or interacting in the target language.
• Understand key points in short news reports, announcements, or dialogues related to everyday situations.
• Write about personal experiences, everyday activities, or future plans
• Describe some cultural practices or events that are familiar to me (e.g., holidays, food, festivals) and can compare them to those in my own culture.
• Handle most basic, everyday communication needs, such as shopping, traveling, or meeting new people.

Eighth-grade science begins by discovering fundamental concepts in chemistry explored through a series of driving questions, labs, and engineering challenges. The additional curricular features are genetics, natural selection, evolution, and human impact on the environment.

• How can we model chemical reactions at the particle level?
• How do we use chemistry in our everyday lives?
• How can I design an effective Flameless Heater?
• Why do living things look so different?
• How has life changed over time?
• How can I reduce my impact on the environment?

Chemical reactions and designing experiments serve as an introduction to physical science. This is an opportunity for students to engage in laboratory skills, such as measuring mass, volume, and density, and looking at characteristic properties. Students work to refine a model of the particulate nature of matter, and continually refine this model upon deeper exploration. Students examine how the world around them works with a particular focus on several phenomena, such as what is happening when a bath bomb is put in water. They also engage in engineering design challenges, such as how to maintain a Flameless Heater to reheat a meal without flame.

Next, students delve into genetics, natural selection, and evolution, looking into patterns of inheritance and the molecular basis underlying these concepts, as well as moral considerations surrounding human involvement. Students learn that organisms look the way they do because of the genetic information that is passed down via sexual reproduction and the same patterns seen in human offspring can also be seen in other species that reproduce sexually. They use the theory of natural selection to explain changes in organisms over time by examining rock pocket mice and lizard populations. To further explore the idea of how organisms change over time, students also examine evidence from fossils (relative dating), embryological data, DNA, and the skeletal structure of species, and look for patterns in this data. They explore the evidence that scientists use to trace how organisms have changed over evolutionary history.

Finally, students examine how humans are impacting the world on both a global and local scale. They explore how chemical reactions produce greenhouse gases, how Tiny Forests and our local choices might reduce our impact. In addition, they examine how we plan for space on our campus can have a direct impact on the environment.

• Educating the community or making a recommendation to the school on land use decisions connected to climate change.
• Designing a Flameless Heater or meal heating system in the event of a disaster.

Eighth graders are provided more opportunities to explore detailed aspects of athletics and fitness. Students also enjoy greater independence in choosing how they want to participate.

Students can select, for example, an introduction to weight lifting where students are taught the correct usage of various workout machines and free weights, and they can choose how they prefer to engage physically in class. 
Students are able to apply what they have learned by answering essential guiding questions that include:

• How do I support and include everyone, as well as help to create a safe learning environment?
• How does my understanding of the rules, techniques, etiquette, and procedures impact the class and my learning? 
• How can I apply what I have learned during my Middle School Wellness experience in order to ensure that I can keep myself healthy (mentally, physically, and socially) for the rest of my life?

Several examples of physical activities that we provide include dancing, jogging, running, jumping, throwing, catching, weight lifting, fitness testing, group games, a variety of sports, and walking.