Math: Continue Algebra; Geometry; practical applications of arithmetic

Language Arts: Composition: letters, short stories, essays, poetry, research reports;

Literature: short stories, poetry, Shakespearean drama

Science: Physics; organic chemistry; human anatomy (muscles, bones, ears, eyes)

History & Social Studies: The Age of Revolutions; American History; The Twentieth Century; research reports

Geography: Asian Geography

Handwork: Machine sewing

Woodworking: Authority and Mastery: May include bench, chair or stool, relief carving, box, gift to the school, dug-out canoe

Foreign Language: Continuing Spanish with review and consolidation, re-telling stories, acting out dramas and plays, music and poetry, modern Hispanic culture

Visual & Performing Arts: Drawing; clay modeling; painting; portraiture; choir; recorder; instrumental ensemble, Shakespearean drama

Movement/Physical Education/Games: team games and team building, trust building games, complex strategy

Like Janus, the Roman god of doorways, the eighth grader is looking in two directions simultaneously. On the one hand, the eighth grade is the culmination of the student’s experience. It is a time of reflection, of summing up, and all the bittersweet feelings associated with an ending. At the same time, the eighth grader’s gaze is turned towards the future and a new beginning. He or she fears, yet yearns for, the immense changes anticipated there. The eighth grade curriculum must address both of these impulses. The focus of the former is concentrated in the daily practice classes, where review and consolidation of practical skills are emphasized. In the language arts there is an increasing emphasis on nuances of style and grammar in the child’s expository and creative writing. The mathematics curriculum concentrates on the application of arithmetic operations to practical situations, extends the study of algebra, and in geometry introduces the platonic solids.

The forward-looking impulse is best addressed in the main lesson, and in particular, the history curriculum. Whereas the seventh grade took as its theme the intellectual and aesthetic flowering of the Renaissance, the eighth grade is fully present in modern times. Its aim is to bring theaccumulated image of world civilization up to the present day. Nothing characterizes the modern period better than the great revolutions—the industrial, political, and scientific revolutions which pulled down the old monarchial orders, in turn giving rise to the struggles for individual freedoms and human rights. All these have had far-reaching cultural consequences, and it is important that the students consciously realize and appreciate this as they themselves are carried into the turmoil of adolescence. The science curriculum in the eighth grade encompasses physics, chemistry and anatomy.

In physics, the study of acoustics, optics, heat and electro-magnetism is extendedthrough hydraulics and aeromechanics. The organic chemistry block covers sugars, starches, proteins, and fats. Health, hygiene and nutrition is also addressed.

Choral singing expands in the eighth grade to three and four-part harmonies to take advantage of the range of voices found in the adolescent class. The recorder program expands to include alto and tenor recorders, and instrumental ensembles take on more challenging work.