Grade 8 Mathematics
In grade 8, instructional time should focus on the following areas: (1) formulating and reasoning
about expressions and equations, solving linear equations and systems of linear equations (2)
grasping the concept of a function and using functions to describe quantitative relationships (3)
analyzing two and three dimensional space. Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for
Mathematics, 2011
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Integer operations
Integers and absolute value
Number properties
Distributive property
Coordinate plane
Order of operations
Variables and expressions
Powers and exponents
Equations and solutions
Variables in familiar formulas
Solve equations with addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
Solve two-step equations
Write two-step equations
Geometric formulas
Inequalities
Prime factorization
Greatest common factor/least common multiple
Equivalency/simplification
Comparing, ordering
Rules of exponents
Negative and zero exponents
Scientific notation
Rational number operations
operations with fractions
o equivalency (fractions/decimals)
o operations with decimals
o mean, median and mode
Multi-step equations
Variables on both sides
Equations with fractions and decimals
Equations with circumference
Multi-step inequalities
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Ratio and rates
Write and solve proportions
Percent problems
Fractions, decimals and percents
Percent of change
Percent applications
Using percent equation
Simple probability
Angle pairs
Classifying triangles
Quadrilaterals
Polygons
Congruency
Reflections and symmetry
Translations and rotations
Similarity
Square roots
Real numbers
Pythagorean theorem
Quadrilaterals
Circles
Solid figures
Grade 8 Above-level Mathematics
This course will formalize and extend the mathematics that students learned in the middle
grades. It is the first in a three-year sequence. The course is designed to deepen and extend the
understanding of linear relationships and the properties and theorems involving congruent and
similar figures. Specific topics to be studied generally include: algebraic manipulation;
modeling and analyzing situations (graphically, numerically, symbolically, and verbally);
functions and function notation; domain and range; solving systems of linear equations and
inequalities; coordinate geometry; transformations, including dilations; congruence; similarity;
geometric constructions; and interpreting categorical and quantitative data.
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Write and evaluate algebraic expressions
Use expressions to write equations & inequalities
Perform operations with real numbers
Apply properties of real numbers
Solve equations in one variable
Solve proportion and percent problems
Apply properties of inequality
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Graph inequalities (on a number line) in one variable
Describe geometric figures (point, line, plane, ray, angle, etc.)
Measure geometric figures (distance, midpoint formula, measuring angles, perimeter,
area)
Understand equality and congruence
Use the Pythagorean Theorem
Solve problems using surface area
Solve problems using volume
Use properties of parallel & perpendicular lines
Graph linear functions using a variety of methods
Represent functions as verbal rules, equations, tables, or graphs
Write linear equations in a variety of forms
Using linear models to solve problems
Identify key features of linear models from graphs, tables, and functions (x- and yintercepts, increasing, decreasing, slope)
Model data with a best fit line
Apply properties of exponents to simplify expressions
Work with numbers in scientific notation
Classify triangles by sides & angles
Show that triangles are congruent
Show that triangles are similar
Use indirect measurement & similarity
Use ratios & proportions to solve geometry problems
Perform congruence and similarity transformations
Make real-world connections to symmetry
Find probabilities of simple & compound events
Analyze sets of data (find measures of central tendency)
Interpret statistical displays (stem-and-leaf plots, histograms, box-and-whisker plots)
Solving linear systems by graphing
Solving linear systems using algebra
Grade 8 English
This is a literature based curriculum that focuses on the comprehension of a variety of texts
within multiple genres. Students participate in whole group novels, small book groups and
independent reading (see Pierce Middle School Independent Reading Guidelines). In addition the
three strands of composition, grammar, and oral presentation are addressed through a variety of
writing projects. Structured grammar lessons provide reinforcement of the skills necessary to
communicate effectively in writing.
6 Non-fiction organizational text structures
o sequential
o enumerative/categorizing
o problem & solution
o cause & effect
o compare & contrast
o descriptive
Common Text Features
o title-unit title- chapter titles- headingssubheadings-supporting details
o index
o glossary
o illustrations: photo & drawings
o captions
o charts, graphs, diagrams, maps
o guiding/discussion questions
o bold print words
o chapter/article previews
o chapter/article reviews and summaries
o font size and shape
o footnotes
Elements of Historical Fiction
o characterization
o setting
o plot
o theme
o style and tone
5 Elements of Characterization
o says
o thinks
o feels
o does
o others’ reactions to the character
· How events change/influence characters
· Context Clues
Themes
o racism
o prejudice
o intolerance
o injustice
· Topic vs. Theme
· Period specific vocabulary, terminology, slang and idioms
· Dialect
· Point of view
· Figurative language
· Flashbacks and foreshadowing
· Symbolism
· Irony
· Tone and mood
Poetic Devices
o alliteration
o simile
o metaphor
o personification
o hyperbole
o onomatopoeia
o imagery
o rhyme scheme
o internal rhyme
o end rhyme
Graphics
o line length/line breaks
o capital letters
o word position
o sound effects
o punctuation
Form
o narrative
o sonnet
Poetry Analysis
Speaker
Tone
Audience
Rephrasing/Interpreting
Situation- what is happening in the poem?
· Historical context
· Poet’s personal experience
· Reader’s personal experiences
· Showing vs. telling language
· Intrinsic and extrinsic story
· Point of view
· Dialogue and its impact
· Successful leads
· Sensory details
· Connecting to the audience
· Evoking an emotional response in the reader
Grade 8 History of the Modern World
Students study the development of world civilizations after the fall of the Roman Empire.
Students study the history of the major empires and political entities of this period: the Ottoman
Empire, the Moghul Empire, the Chinese dynasties, the Byzantine Empire, and the major preColumbian civilizations that existed in Central and South America. Students examine the
important political, economic, and religious developments of this period, including the
development of Christianity and Islam, the conflicts between them in different parts of the world,
and the beginnings of European influence on the Western Hemisphere. Finally, students study
the development of democratic, scientific, and secular thought in the major events and
developments of European history. To the extent practical, students study the origins and
development of major civilizations in Africa, India and East Asia.
World Religions
Hinduism
· Origins and evolution of Hinduism
· Central principles of Hinduism
· Development of the caste system in India
· Origins of the Indus Valley Civilization
Buddhism
· Origins and evolution of Buddhism
· Central principles of Buddhism
· 4 Noble Truths
· Eightfold Path
Judaism
· How and where did Judaism begin?
· How did Judaism spread?
· The Holocaust
· History of the state of Israel
· Beliefs central to Judaism
Christianity
· Origins and evolution of Christianity
· Beliefs central to Christianity
· Influence of Constantine
· Conflict between Islam and Christianity
· Customs and practices
· The Protestant Reformation
· John Calvin and Martin Luther
· Reasons and consequences of England’s break with the Catholic Church
· Catholic Counter Reformation
Islam
· Life and teachings of Mohammed
· Significance of the Qur’an as the primary source of Islamic belief
· 5 pillars of Islam beliefs
· Sources of disagreement between the Sunnis and the Shi’ites
· Islamic architecture, science, philosophy and mathematics
· Preservation and expansion of Greek thought
Chinese Religions and Philosophies (time permitting)
· Confucianism
· Daoism
· Legalism
· Buddhism
Renaissance
· Social hierarchy, class, order
· Humanism
· Monopoly
· Renaissance artists, writers, and philosophers
o Machiavelli
o Michelangelo
o Leonardo DaVinci
o Raphael
o Shakespeare and Hamlet
o Miguel de Cervantes and Don Quixote
· Renaissance inventors and scientists
o Copernicus
o Galileo
o Gabriel Fahrenheit
o Johannes Gutenberg
· Florence and Venice
· Growth of banking and the merchant class
Exploration and Conquest
· Trans-Sahara Highway
· Silk road
· Indian Ocean
· Medieval Europe trade routes
· Rise of population and urbanization in Europe
· Crusades
· Protestant Reformation
· Renaissance (see above)
· Black Death
· Relationship of trade to the growth of Central Asia and Middle Eastern cities
· Zheng He voyages
· Marco Polo
· Role of Muslim middlemen in controlling trade between Europe and Asia
· Development of technology
o military
o compass
o caravel ships
o gunpowder weaponry
o naval warfare
· Impact of Christopher Columbus
o spread of disease
o taking of Native American land
o beginning of the slave trade
o increased knowledge of the New World
· Territorial changes from the 15th to 18th century in America, Asia, Europe, and Africa
· Major European explorers- 15th to 18th century
o French, Italian, English, Dutch, Portuguese and Spanish
· European Activity
o large territorial empires
o trading-post empires
o plantation colonies
o settler colonies
European Exploration and Expansion
· Portugal
o Colonial Empire
o explorers
o decline of power
· Spain
o resistance and assimilation of Christianized peoples in the Mediterranean
o King Ferdinand and Isabella (Christian reconquest of Spain)
o explorers
o Spain’s rise to power
o collapse of the Spanish Empire in America
· Britain
o 13 colonies
o explorers and leaders
o royal, corporate and proprietary
o mercantilism
o religious diversity in North America (middle colonies)
· France
o explorers
o colonies
o Filles du Roi
o Royal Indenturing Program
o reluctant exiles
o fur trade
· Netherlands
o Dutch defeat of the Portuguese
o control of trade in Indonesia and parts of West Africa
o Dutch East India Company
o Protestantism
o competition with Spain
o Protestant vs. Catholic
Muslim Conquests
· Ottoman
o training of Muslim soldiers and the use of advanced military techniques
o resistance and assimilation of Christianized peoples in the Mediterranean
o significance of the Byzantine Empire
o short and long term consequences of the fall of Constantinople
o Suleyman the Magnificant
o Janissaries
· China
o Mandate of Heaven
o Forbidden City
o footbinding
o Beijing, Nanjing, Xi’an
o collapse of the Ming Dynasty
o Quing Dynasty
o Chinese control over European trade
o decline of the Qing (Manchu)
· Japan
o feudalism in Japan and Europe
o trading priveleges for the Dutch
o The Samurai
o development of the Tokugawa and Shogunate
o impact of Japanese Isolation
Seven Years War
· Seven Years War as first global war
· French and Indian War in America
· Seven Years War in Europe and Asia
· control of Germany
· trading rights and power in North America and India
· The Battle of Plassey
· Britain’s taxation policies
· Writs of Assistance
· Proclamation Act of 1763
West Africa and Global Slavery
· political and economic aspects of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai
· indigenous religious practices (prior to Christianity and Islam)
· Timbuktu
· Middle Passage
· triangle trade
· slavery system in Africa, Asia and the Americas
· conditions of slave life on plantations on the Carribean, Brazil, and British North
America
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class and race relations
modern day slavery
Grade 8 Science
8th graders study three units, Genetics and Evolution, Dynamic Earth and Forces and Motion.
Students use the practices of science: asking questions, developing and using models, planning
and carrying out investigations, analyzing and interpreting data, using mathematical tools,
constructing explanations, engaging in argument from evidence and communicating information.
Genetics and Evolution
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An organism’s entire set of instructions are found in every cell.
Instructions for cell activities, contained in genes, are passed via chromosomes onto the
next generation via sexual and asexual reproduction.
§ Variation within a species combined with environmental pressures leads to changes in
species over time.
§ A variety of evidence forms the foundation of the theory of evolution and natural
selection.
Genetics and Heredity
· Students will be able to:
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Evolution
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Describe the relationship between DNA, genes, and chromosomes.
Observe that organisms have traits that controlled both by genetics and by the
environment.
o Provide examples of traits that help organisms survive and reproduce, thus
replenishing their numbers on Earth.
o Explain how inherited traits can be controlled by one or multiple genes.
o Explain the mechanism by which traits are passed on from parents to offspring.
o Differentiate between sexual and asexual reproduction.
o Present the advantages and disadvantages of sexual versus asexual reproduction.
o Apply the principles of probability to genetics.
o Use Punnett Squares to predict offspring genotypes and phenotypes.
o Model the passage of genetic traits from parents to offspring.
Students will be able to:
o Provide examples of how genetic variations and environmental factors have
caused change in populations over time.
o Critically evaluate evidence for the theory of evolution by natural selection.
o Predict how changes in the environment may affect species in the future.
o Explain how diversity of species develops through gradual processes over
generations.
o Infer common ancestry using observable traits.
Dynamic Earth
§ Scientists use models, critically evaluate evidence, and engage in scientific discourse to
shape theories of earth’s dynamic history.
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Energy cannot be created or destroyed, but rather is transferred and transformed
throughout earth’s system.
§ The earth’s surface undergoes slow and quick changes over time that can be linked to its
structure and the movement of matter and energy.
Earth’s Structure
· Students will be able to:
o Compare and contrast the layers of the earth.
o Apply scale to model the structure of the earth.
Heat Transfer in Earth’s System
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Students will be able to:
o Describe the relative particle motion of matter of varying temperatures.
o Model the movement of particles in convecting matter.
o Trace the path of energy from the sun to the earth and through the earth’s
system.
o Compare and contrast the heating and cooling rates of various earth materials
Earth’s History
· Students will be able to:
o Compare and contrast ways in which the surface of the earth has changed over
time.
o Evaluate evidence for the theory of plate tectonics.
o Link the movement of crustal plates to mountain formation and oceanic
features.
o Explain how the movement of earth’s plates cause earthquakes and volcanoes.
o Evaluate evidence such as fossils and surface features of glaciations support
the idea that earth has evolved slowly over time.
Force and Motion
Motion of Objects
· Students will be able to:
o Explain and give examples of how the motion of an object can be described
by its position, direction of motion, and speed.
o Graph and interpret distance vs. time graphs for constant speed.
Forms of Energy
· Students will be able to:
o Differentiate between potential and kinetic energy.
o Identify situations where kinetic energy is transformed into potential energy
and vice versa.