8th Grade

RELIGION

Eighth Grade religion class is taught by Donna Zvonar.

The junior high religion program is the second part of a two-year program based on the four pillars of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  

One year they study about Creed and Prayer.

The next year they study Liturgy and Morality.

Within those units, they study the doctrine of the Catholic Church, Sacred Scripture, saints, church history and the liturgical year.

Students actively plan liturgies and paraliturgies, serve in the local soup kitchen and perform other works of service. The students also prepare for the reception of the sacrament of Confirmation biannually.

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LANGUAGE ARTS/READING

Eighth Grade languaage arts/reading classes are taught by Martha Hillmer.

The Eighth Grade language Arts curriculum covers reading comprehension with in-depth focus on key literary devices. Other major components will be grammar and writing instruction.

They will read and write about drama, short stories, and poetry.  They will engage in novel studies. Students will respond to reading through writing, test taking, projects and presentations.

Students will develop their knowledge of grammar with a focus on the parts of speech and the importance of grammar in effective communication.

Students will learn to write in various modes. They will include personal narratives, persuasive essays, personal and business letters, descriptive essays and research papers. Through writing they will understand the importance of prewriting, organizing, drafting, editing, and revising.

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SCIENCE

Eighth Grade science class is taught by Donna Zvonar.

Students will use more complex sciencing skills and the scientific method to answer science questions.

They will learn about the states of matter including:  solids, liquids, gases and colloids; learn to use the Periodic Table of the Elements; and practice simple chemistry including mixtures and solutions, pH and chromatography. They will put on a chemistry show for our 4 th graders to introduce them to hands-on science.

They will participate in a web quest and research on water, visit the water treatment plant and research geosmin, a chemical which sometimes gives Bloomington water a bad taste and odor.

Every other year, students will also write a research paper, and are encouraged to design their own experiment for the school science fair.

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SOCIAL STUDIES

Eighth Grade social studies class are taught by Marta Mason.

This program is a continuation of the seventh grade world history program.

Students will have an intensive unit on the United States Constitution; this will include a study of the seven articles, the Bill of Rights and the Amendments to the Constitution.They will learn about the three branches of government and how the power is balanced.

They will also learn about the Illinois Constitution, including a study of Illinois history and a look at people who have shaped Illinois.

They will review the five themes of geography and study how to read different types of maps.

They will learn about the Byzantine Empire, Islam, the Eastern Slavs, and the Late Middle Ages.

They will also learn about the Church in the Middle Ages and the role that the Crusades had in the history of the Church. They will learn about the rise of monarchies in France, England, Germany and Spain. This will include a study of the Renaissance in Italy, France, Germany, and England.

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Art

St. Mary's Art is taught by Carrie Jimenez.

Students will again explore the different areas of art, as well as use the elements of visual art, to be creative and design their own works of art.

Students will be introduced to the lives, techniques, and works of several well-known artists. They will apply their knowledge of the elements and media used in visual art to critique works of various artists, including their own works.

Through critique, students will be able to express how the choice of media in a work of art causes them to feel.

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MUSIC

St. Mary's Music is taught by April Myers.

In eighth grade, the students will get an extensive overview of music time periods. History, composers, and listening is included.

Music styles, music careers, tone color, and texture are included in activities while the students are singing and playing.

Preparation for high school with choir and band literature reading sessions is included, along with musical and opera discussions.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

St. Mary's physical education class is taught by Susan Bassie.

The physical education curriculum has three major focus areas:

Students work on specific skills for each sport, and are responsible for knowing the rules to all the sport units covered. Sportsmanship is practiced daily.

Students do cardiovascular exercise along with a stretching routine daily.

Health is also addressed once a week in the classroom with topics such as:

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COMPUTERS/TECHNOLOGY

St. Mary's computers/technology is taught by Jamie Hartrich.

The eighth grade computer/technology curriculum focuses on expanding and building upon computer/technology terminology and age-appropriate software. 

Eighth graders build upon their keyboarding accuracy and speed and will type 30-40 words per minute with 90% accuracy.

Students will create more advanced word processing document, spreadsheets, and presentations from previously learned concepts. 

Eighth graders will build upon HTML concepts and create a web page using only HTML. 

Desktop Publishing will be expanded to include more advanced concepts and students will create newsletters, flyers, and brochures.

Basic computer programming will be introduced to the students.

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