8th Grade

8th Grade          
Golub
  Ms. Tremont
Widdes
Galfano

Mindy Golub
  Shannon Tremont
Michele Widdes
Karen Galfano
Social Studies     Math  ELA  Science  


School Day 8:18 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Advisory:
In eighth grade, the daily advisory program focuses on executive functioning, developing self-advocacy skills, and team building. Advisors help students prepare for the transition to high school, and they serve as a primary point of contact between home and school.

Ms. Golub
Mrs.Galfano
Mrs. Tremont
Ms. Widdes

English/Language Arts (Mrs. Widdes):
Students develop higher level critical thinking skills, communicate effectively through a variety of formats, and read texts that support a rich understanding of American history. Major texts read include The Hunger Games, Of Mice and Men, Twelve Angry Men, Night, Bomb, and To Kill a Mockingbird.

Mathematics (Ms. Tremont):
The eighth grade Mathematics curriculum includes four programs:
Essentials for Algebra: The course is designed to focus on core concepts and procedures necessary to be prepared to take Algebra in high school. The text used is SRA Essentials for Algebra by McGraw Hill.
Pre-Algebra: The course is designed to prepare students for a rigorous college preparatory algebra course. It uses a problem-based approach with concrete models. The course helps students to develop multiple strategies to solve problems and to recognize the connections between concepts. The text used is Core Connections, Course 3, published by CPM Educational Program.
Algebra I: Students that have demonstrated an above average understanding in math are enrolled in this course. The students study equations and inequalities, functions, systems, polynomials, quadratics, rational equations and trigonometry. Students that have successfully completed this course will take geometry their freshman year in high school. The text used is Algebra 1 published by McDougal, Littell.
New Trier Township Math Program: Students that have successfully completed Algebra as seventh graders in this program take Geometry as eighth graders. Classes are held at New Trier High School.

Physical Education/Health (Mrs. Mattera and Mr. Sislow):
Health is a comprehensive program that emphasizes life-long habits and includes study of the following topics in eighth grade: Executive Functioning, Goal Setting, Anabolic Steroids, Body Image, Anger Management, Depression, Sexual Education, Internet Safety, Signs of Suicide, Loss and Grief, Emotional IQ, and Substance Abuse.

Physical Education focuses on helping students to develop and maintain a suitable level of fitness and health; to become competent in management of their body; to foster mental alertness in reacting strategically to game situations; to acquire needed safety skills and habits; to obtain personal and educational benefits from the program; to develop an appreciation and interest and the cardiovascular benefits of exercise; to interact with others in socially and sound manner; to understand how the body functions and its relationship to physical activity; to demonstrate a knowledge of game rules, safety measures, and etiquette.

Science (Mrs. Galfano):
Eighth grade science is an inquiry based course focused on developing critical thinking, reasoning, and lab skills while studying geology, chemistry, energy, and natural selection. Students are active members of our learning community and are expected to collaborate, investigate, explore, evaluate systems, make predictions, and communicate their findings.

Social Studies (Ms. Golub):
8th grade Social Studies is a study of both the Constitution/Bill of Rights and U.S. History from the Civil War to present-day. Throughout the 8th grade Social Studies experience, students will be collaborating with their classmates to read, write, discuss, analyze, and create various projects as they explore the nation's history. Inquiry skills are a key component of the course, with a focus on developing questions, researching, examining multiple perspectives, finding and evaluating evidence, and incorporating said evidence to support a claim and when constructing arguments. Additionally, the disciplinary concepts of civics, economics, geography, and history along with the skills within those areas are seamlessly integrated into the content.

Spanish (Sra. Leal-Ramos):
Spanish students continue to build their knowledge of vocabulary and grammar topics, thus allowing them to express themselves in a variety of contexts. Students work to develop proficiency in Spanish in all four skill areas: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Completion of the Spanish program will allow students to start high school Spanish in year 2.

Student Services:
The eighth grade Student Services Team consists of the school psychologist, a speech and language pathologist, gifted/enrichment teachers, an ELL teacher, and a special education teacher. This team works together to meet the needs of students with IEPs and 504 plans.  In addition, the Student Services Team provides other educational supports to all students.
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