Grade 8

Eighth grade students are beginning to search for new role models and authority figures as they look out into the world and become more discerning. Ideas of morality are explored, giving rise to a burgeoning idealism. Through discussions, writing assignments, and oral presentations, the students are taught to express their newfound individuality and bring thought into action.

The American History Main Lesson is a hallmark of the eighth grade, and the first theme is that of “revolution.” We study the roots of the American Revolution, with spirited discussions about the nature of freedom and the ideals of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Students learn about the ideals inherent in this rhetoric, and how these ideals failed to represent every new American. By studying primary and secondary sources they come to understand that the people can enact change.

The Chemistry Main Lesson examines the processes that lie behind the formation of everyday products through the study of Organic Chemistry. 

Asian Geography immerses the students in diverse eastern cultures and exposes them to the music, food, crafts, clothing, and daily life of these cultures.

Subject Teachers continue to lead students into greater depth in all subject areas. The Eighth Graders continue learning Instrumental and Choral Music, Eurythmy, Spanish, German, Handwork, Woodwork, Ecology/Outdoor education, and P.E.

A Class Trip, at the end of the school year, typically takes them on an extended outdoor, immersed in nature adventure. This trip marks an important transition in their educational journey. It provides students with a variety of social, emotional, and physical opportunities to experience themselves and each other in new ways that support the ending of their elementary school years and the beginning of their high school experience.