8th Grade - Mary Immaculate Catholic School

“I never teach my pupils, I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.” Albert Einstein

The 8^th grade class at Mary Immaculate is committed to educating students that will positively influence the future. Guidelines, influenced by the teachings of Our Blessed Mother Mary, provide students with a firm foundation in faith, as well as an academically challenging education that recognizes the need for adaptation and change.

Academic integrity, teamwork, dialogue, acceptance of others, and the search for problem solving are key elements of the curriculum. Lifelong learning, critical thinking and strong faith formation are also critical components of the educational goals that Mary Immaculate establishes for each 8^th grade student.

This collaborative approach creates a supportive environment that develops young adults with good character, integrity and a heartfelt need to act upon the community’s need for service.

What we do in 8th grade:

Language Arts
English
• Enable children to master Grammar through direct instructions, rigorous practice, written application, and on-going assessment.
• Guide children to experience, explore, and improve their writing through the study of writing genres.
• Improve children’s writing skills through the implementation of the writing process.
• Give children speaking and writing practice, and the tools they need they need to communicate with clarity, accuracy, and confidence.
• Provide children with opportunities to use technology as a means to research, take notes, assess, apply news skills, and communicate inside and outside the school setting, orally and in written form.
Literature
• Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.
Vocabulary
• Engage students in learning new vocabulary using card activities/games.
• Provide activities to close the comprehension gap between struggling and proficient readers.
• Use appropriate instructional materials for auditory and tactile learners.
• Promote active learning using graphic organizers and engaging students in activities based on test results.
• Use online memory word games to make vocabulary instruction fun and exciting for students.
• Promote collaborative and cooperative learning activities to enhance learning.