What's Happening in the Eighth Grade?

Welcome to 8th grade ELA! TERM 4

As we dive into term 4 we will be focusing on informational text. We will do an in depth study of Gaming Communities, "Ain't I a Woman" Sojourner Truth, Across Five Aprils, The Gettysburg Address, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

Our current novel study is The Call of the Wild by Jack London. Author Jack London was a writer and adventurer, beginning his life in the San Francisco Bay area, and then traveling the world. While participating in the Klondike Gold Rush, he reportedly encountered a mythical wolf that served as the inspiration for The Call of the Wild. Buck, a large and powerful St. Bernard mix, experiences both love and abuse from a succession of owners. As a sled dog, Buck stirs up rebellion among the team when he stands up to the aggressive alpha dog, Spitz.

Materials are on the StudySync app and in a StudySync workbook that is provided.

English Language Arts

Unit Title: Hear Me Out
Essential Question: How do you choose the right words?
Genre Focus: Argumentative Text
Extended Writing Project: Argumentative

Intrigue. Uproar. Inspiration. Hilarity. Heartbreak. Choosing the right words can have a strong effect on an audience. But how do you know which words are the right words? With a genre focus on argumentative texts, this Grade 8 unit prepares students to explore questions about how authors choose the right words.

Academic Vocabulary Term 1

Academic Vocabulary Term 2

Academic Vocabulary Term 3

Academic Vocabulary Term 4

Beyond the Classroom: ELA

Math

Welcome to the 2025-26 School Year!

Our math curriculum resource is Open Up Resources. This has a physical student book (consumable) as well as an online presence. Here are the 8 units we will cover during the school year:

U1 - Rigid Transformation & Congruence
U2 - Dilation, Similarity & Introduction to Slope
U3 - Linear Relationships
U4 - Linear Equations & Linear Systems
U5 - Functions & Volume
U6 - Associations in Data
U7 - Exponents & Scientific Notation
U8 - Pythagorean Theorem & Irrational Numbers

HERE is the link that takes you to the family version of our online book.

Beyond the Classroom: Math

Social Studies

We will be finishing out our year with a US map test on Friday, May 8th. Students will be given a geography review map to study that is very similar to the test. They can also practice on a geography practice app called Seterra. Students are also working on their last research paper which is biography research paper. They will choose their person, but the process they will go through will be guided with a document that guides their steps. This is a document posted in their Google classroom, and students may need to/ have to complete some of this work at home in May. This paper will be due Friday, May 22nd.

Questions to ask your student-

-What US historical figure did you choose for your research? How did this person bring our country together again during the time period of 1840-1870 (most topics will have to do with the Civil War, Women's Rights, and abolitionists)?

updated: 5/6/2026

Beyond the Classroom: Social Studies

Science

A quick reminder for Science Assessments: Retakes are always available! Practice to show improvement from the first assessment is required, however, I am willing to help if your child(ren) so desires.

As we continue forward through Term 3, students are finishing their review of matter which bridges them to the introduction of Chemistry!

The outlook for our units to come are as follows: