Eighth Grade
Eighth graders are the leaders of the Middle School, modeling empathy, maturity and responsibility to the younger students as they prepare for the rigors of high school.
Course Offerings
- English 8
- Social Studies 8
- Algebra I/Honors Algebra I
- Physical Education 8
- Earth Science
- World Languages 8
- Studio Art 8
- Arts Integration 8
- Music 8
- Theater 8
- Technology 8
English 8
Eighth grade is an exciting culmination of the Middle School English program that encourages students to become increasingly independent in preparation for the heightened rigor of the Prep School. Students read literature from diverse perspectives and with themes and conflicts that resonate with young adolescents, such as friendship, social justice, technology, peer pressure and human rights. To encourage engagement with reading, students are asked to evaluate characters’ choices and make connections to their own lives. To encourage productive discussion, students practice listening to and learning from each other, even as they voice their own opinions.
Eighth graders also work extensively on analyzing language and becoming more reflective and organized writers. They practice developing paragraphs and short responses before progressing to longer essay forms. They also respond to characters personally, dramatize scenes and craft their own poetry and stories inspired by our readings. The eighth grade curriculum varies, but recent texts have included William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Art Spiegelman’s Maus, Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, Kevin Wilson’s Nothing to See Here and M.T. Anderson’s Feed, in addition to short stories and poems by a wide range of writers.
Social Studies 8
Eighth grade global history students study the societies and cultures that flourished throughout the world from approximately 700 CE to 1700 CE, focusing on the empires and states that developed during this period and their cultural legacies. Students learn about the major shift in world dominance from East to West, looking at how and why the course of history shifted from an Asian-centered world economy to an Atlantic-centered world economy. Along the way, students explore the role of cultural diffusion and the ways in which societies of this period interacted through trade, war, exploration and cultural exchange.
Algebra I/Honors Algebra I
The Middle School mathematics program develops mathematical thinkers who value collaboration and communication when investigating big ideas, identifying patterns and explaining relationships. We use both the Illustrative Mathematics and the Art of Problem Solving problem-based curricula, in which students work collaboratively through a carefully crafted sequence of problems to construct their understanding. Teachers facilitate student learning and push thinking through questioning and discussions to ensure that the mathematical takeaways are clear. Students gain a rich and lasting understanding of concepts and procedures, and experience applying this knowledge to new situations.
In eighth grade, students take either Algebra I or Honors Algebra I. The sequence of problems enables students to see structure in algebraic expressions, perform arithmetic on polynomial and rational functions, generate and solve equations that describe numerical and geometrical relationships, and create and analyze graphs of these equations. Students use the online graphing calculator Desmos and the mathematical computation program Mathematica to enhance and inform their exploration of these topics. The Honors course moves at a quicker pace through the Algebra I content and provides students with ample opportunities to apply their understanding to more challenging math contest problems, such as the AMC8 competition. It further explores topics not typically covered in Algebra I, such as arithmetic sequences and series, continued fractions, complex numbers and combinatorics as the foundation for probability.
Physical Education 8
The Middle School physical education curriculum promotes lifelong fitness, health and well-being. In units on cooperative games, volleyball, tennis, badminton, pickleball, hockey, football and basketball, student will gain general sports knowledge and understand the skills needed to succeed in each sport. Students are also exposed to more competitive game-play, emphasizing the importance of teamwork, leadership, sportsmanship and the proper way to conduct oneself during team play. In addition to our cooperative games, our curriculum emphasizes developing motor skills, coordination, strength and flexibility. Our program also includes fitness-focused challenges that are introduced throughout the year. Through this dynamic and supportive environment, we aim to instill confidence, discipline and a love for physical activity in each student.
Earth Science
In the eighth grade curriculum, students learn about Earth Science to develop an understanding of how all aspects of the Earth are interconnected and ever-changing, as well as gain an appreciation for how Earth's natural resources are relevant to their lives. We accomplish this through careful reading of vetted texts, experiments, inquiry investigations, research projects, student-made multimedia presentations, formal debate, data and graph analysis, and group discussions.
The course takes students on an exploration of the four spheres of Earth, with a focus on energy transfer as a phenomenon fundamental to the creation of Earth’s crust and layers, freshwater and oceans, and climate and weather. Students learn to model some of the tools and instruments employed by scientists in these fields and how to analyze results obtained from them.
As a culminating unit, eighth graders are introduced to the study of astronomy. They focus on the solar system, and then look beyond it to gain an understanding of distant galaxies and celestial bodies. All in all, the scope of the course shifts from local to global to universal over the span of the school year, giving the students a well-rounded introduction to the cyclical and interdependent nature of planet Earth.
World Languages 8
The World Languages Department develops effective communicators with a critical understanding of language and a deep appreciation for culture. The goal of the World Languages Department is for our students to achieve proficiency and to encourage them to be open-minded, life-long learners, eager to apply new patterns and adapt to new social norms. Learning a world language fosters kindness, confidence, motivation, resilience and empathy.
Chinese 1 - Grade 8
An introductory course offered to students in the eighth grade. Students are introduced to the basics of Chinese (Mandarin), including gaining facility in the four basic tones, learning to read and write elementary characters while also learning basic grammar. Character etymology and radical use are discussed. Vocabulary and grammar patterns are introduced through theme-based lessons. Culture is an integral part of the course and is introduced through the use of media, adapted readings and class discussions. Emphasis is placed on the acquisition of four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. The class incorporates the use of audio files and streaming video to develop students’ ability to understand the spoken language. Students are introduced to programs to record and assess their spoken Chinese.
French 1 - Grade 8
An introductory course offered to students in the eighth grade. Vocabulary and grammar patterns are introduced through theme-based lessons. Culture is an integral part of the course and is introduced through the use of media, adapted readings and class discussions. Emphasis is on the acquisition of four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. The class incorporates the use of audio mp3 files and streaming video to develop students’ ability to understand the spoken language. Students are introduced to programs to record and assess their spoken French.
Japanese 1 - Grade 8
An introductory course offered to students in the eighth grade. This course emphasizes the memorization of the Japanese "hiragana" and "katakana" alphabets, around 30 kanji characters, as well as basic vocabulary that is used in theme based grammar patterns. Listening, speaking, translation and essay writing will also be emphasized. The class incorporates the use of audio mp3 files and streaming video to develop students’ ability to understand the spoken language. Students are introduced to programs to record and assess their spoken Japanese.
Latin 1 - Grade 8
An introductory course offered to students in the eighth grade. Latin I introduces students to the basic principles of Latin morphology and grammar. Students learn how to decline nouns and adjectives in the first and second declensions; how to conjugate first conjugation verbs in the indicative and imperative moods; and how to read and translate from both Latin to English and English to Latin. Students also learn basic facts about the life and times of the Ancient Romans and begin to read a prose adaptation of Virgil’s Aeneid.
Spanish 1 - Grade 8
An introductory course offered to students in the eighth grade. Vocabulary and grammar patterns are introduced through theme-based lessons. Culture is an integral part of the course and is introduced through the use of media, adapted readings and class discussions. Emphasis is on the acquisition of four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Studio Art 8
All Middle School students in grades six, seven and eight participate in a trimester of studio art during each school year. Experiential in nature, the art program introduces students to a wide range of methods, mediums and subjects while encouraging individual expression and artistic growth. Through hands-on exploration, students are introduced to basic design concepts and elements of composition, and work with a variety of drawing, painting, printmaking and mixed-media collage materials and techniques that will serve as a foundation for problem solving while furthering individual discovery and artistic growth. In eighth grade, students continue to build on methods and concepts and further develop their critical thinking skills, expanding on the range of materials, techniques, mediums and subjects. Drawing serves as a foundational tool for exploration and problem solving throughout all three years in the Middle School arts program and continues into the Prep School program. In addition, elements of art history and theory are introduced throughout all three years in the Middle School as students become familiar with the work of a wide range of artists and artistic movements.
Arts Integration 8
Middle School students participate in an art-integrated curriculum with other core content subject areas, such as social studies, world language, science and mathematics. Arts integration is an approach to teaching in which students construct and demonstrate understanding through an art form. Students engage in a creative process which connects an art form to another subject area and achieves evolving objectives in both.
In the eighth grade, students tackle a unit in on atmospheric and linear perspective, where basic geometric concepts are reinforced and applied to their work to help create a better understanding of the pictorial representation of depth while further reinforcing elements of composition and design.
On occasion, students have the opportunity to explore the vast array of world-renowned museums New York City has to offer, further reinforcing an understanding between the visual arts and the core subjects.
Music 8
All Middle School students at every skill level take general music, focusing on active music making and creation. The curriculum develops an understanding of ensemble and musicianship through experiential learning with drums, xylophones, ukuleles and technology. Music teachers work collaboratively with classroom teachers to create interdisciplinary and cross-curricular lessons, integrating text and concepts from English, social studies and STEAM classes. Students who elect to participate in Band, Chorus or Orchestra, receive additional, specialized instruction during the school day.
Theater 8
All sixth, seventh and eighth grade students take a theater class for a full trimester during each year of Middle School. Theater class is a lively space for students to sharpen their observational skills, to expand their expressive capacity both physically and vocally, to practice following their intuition and to build trusting, supportive relationships with their peers. Students learn to understand the hidden messages of a script, master a number of theater games and exercises, develop and communicate their creative ideas with collaborators and practice the essential tasks of actors, directors and designers. Our younger theater students create original "story theater" adaptations of folktales from around the world. Older students work on contemporary one-acts, delve into international theater history and begin to infuse the issues that matter to them into the performances they create for the stage.
Technology 8
In the eighth grade, students explore the design process and gain insight into how creativity and innovation impact people’s lives through a unit called Design and Modeling. Students tackle real-world problems and learn to communicate design ideas via sketches, computer-aided designs (CAD) and mathematical models. They generate and analyze data and work collaboratively to research various topics and meet design requirements. For their final project, students apply what they have learned to design, fabricate and test a therapeutic toy for children with cerebral palsy. They then refine their designs based on testing results and feedback.
Middle School Curriculum
Middle School Department Heads
The Middle School Department Head serves as the lead facilitator for department planning and curricular mapping and execution. The Department Head works directly with teachers, providing collaborative and one-on-one support, and facilitates teacher inquiry and related professional development. They focus on enhancing our teachers’ abilities to provide comprehensive instruction that enriches our students’ engagement in the ownership of learning. The Department Head also works with Division Directors and teachers to collect, analyze and interpret data and use it to inform best practices in the classroom.