Art
	Eighth grade art is designed to reinforce and advance the skills, techniques and materials that have been introduced throughout middle and lower school.  There is a continued emphasis on observational drawing, exploration with the multitude of drawing media and design principles.  All students will create at least one 3-dimensional work of art.  While Art History is importnat throughout all the grades, this class strives to make cross-curriculum and community connections, and includes 1-2 field trips per year.  Additionally, there is a specific project designed to familiarize and prepare students entering 9th grade studio art with a solid foundation of the major 20th century artists and styles of art.  Students work individually and in groups, with an understanding that 8th graders are developmentally cooperative and social learners.

	Drama
	During one quarter of the year, each 8th grader participates in a drama course three times a week. Through theater exercises, improvisations, poetry readings, and pantomime, the girls work on developing a vocal and physical presence on stage, with an emphasis on character development. Taking on the roles behind the scenes as well as on the stage, the class then produces a short performance for the entire Middle School. Recent performances include: All the World's a Stage, and an abridged versions of Twelfth Night; I Never Saw Another Butterfly; The Phantom Tollbooth, Free to Be You and Me; Up the Down Staircase; A Treasury of Dr. Seuss.

	English
	Eighth grade English reinforces skills learned in earlier years, develops them with greater depth and sophistication, and serves as a bridge to Upper School English. Close readings of texts allow students to see how and why writers use diction, tone, and imagery to create effects and convey meaning. While writing assignments concentrate on building analytical writing skills, there is ample opportunity for students to discover their own voices in personal response essays, short stories, poems, and other creative projects. Following their study of the civil rights movement in history class, students demonstrate their mastery of poetic devices as well as their understanding of the connectivity of literature with history by writing a poem inspired by this struggle. Meanwhile, students must demonstrate their mastery of grammatical concepts studied in class in their written work.

	French 8
	Eighth grade French reviews and reinforces material covered in earlier years while introducing new vocabulary and grammar. Conducted increasingly in the target language, the course stresses oral and written communication in French. Students gain confidence and proficiency through cooperative learning such as role-playing and other paired activities. Authentic audio and video components used in conjunction with each lesson help develop listening and speaking skills while introducing students to francophone cultures throughout the world.

	French 8 Honors
	Eighth grade honors French stresses both oral and written communication in French. The course is conducted almost exclusively in the target language. Material covered in previous years is reviewed and reinforced as new grammar and vocabulary are introduced. Emphasis is on conversational and writing activities dealing with familiar situations such as sports, shopping, weekend activities, talking about oneself, everyday activities, friends, foods, and beverages. Authentic audio and video components used in conjunction with each lesson help develop listening and speaking skills while introducing students to francophone cultures throughout the world.

	History
	United States history is a thematic course emphasizing social, economic and cultural as well as political history. Units include: colonial America and the American Revolution; The Constitution and the Bill of Rights (historic and current); the Industrial Revolution and the spread of slavery; causes, action and consequences of the Civil War; rights of African Americans from slavery to the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s; immigration; and the development of the United States as a world power from 1895-1975. Skills are emphasized, particularly note-taking, researching, and writing a research paper. Field trips, including a three-day trip to Sturbridge Village and Lowell, MA, complement the course. Texts: Call to Freedom; Lyddie by Katherine Patterson; Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Patillo Beals.

	Latin
	Following a thorough review of seventh-grade grammar concepts, students are introduced to more advanced grammar, vocabulary, and translation. Because of the complexity of the Latin grammar and the multiple meanings of word endings that look identical, an important goal is for the students to make logical hypotheses and conclusions about word units to arrive at accurate translations. Emphasis is continuously placed on Latin vocabulary and grammar, both for their own sake and for the insight they can provide into other languages. The study of culture emphasizes the contributions of the Romans to modern society.

	Math: Algebra IA
	This is the first year of a two year Algebra I course.  Students will use variables to transform English phrases into mathematical expressions, use order of operations and the distributive property to simplify expressions and write function rules to identify relationships within functions.  They will solve problems by defining variables and writing equations.  Students will solve and graph inequalities, including compound inequalities and those involving absolute value.  They will graph functions in two variables.  Students will write linear equations and understand how the slope of a line can be interpreted in real-world situations.  This course will maintain the rigor of the one year Algebra I course, but at a slower pace.

	Music
	In the eighth grade, students continue to prepare and perform songs from various styles, eras and countries.  They also have opportunities to listen, move to and write about different pieces and songs.  The girls evaluate music of the twentieth century and have an opportunity to work with computer generated music and compose their own pieces.

	Physical Education
	Every member of the seventh and eighth grade participates either on a competitive sports team or in a dance or physical fitness class. The competitive team sports are focused on the development of individual and team skills in preparation for Upper School Athletics. For those choosing to participate in a sport, there are three or four different sports to choose from in each of the three seasons, practices take place five times a week, and each sports team plays a full schedule of games against neighboring schools. Fitness and dance classes meet five times a week and focus on different types of physical activity in order to promote a lifetime of health and wellness.

	Science: Earth and Space
	Eighth grade science covers many elements of Earth Systems Science, including geology, plate tectonics, mapping, environmental science and astronomy.  The first trimester emphasizes the formation of Earth and the evolution of dynamic Earth Systems, including extensive study of the forces that cause earthquakes, mountain building and volcanoes and how scientists monitor these geologic phenomena.  Another critical thread through this trimester is the development of scale models that help us better understand processes that occur over great periods of time or distance.  During the second trimester the focus is on increasing the girls' depth of understanding about natural resource stewardship, and the complex interactions between Earth Systems that provide humans with the materials we need for our lives.  Applying concepts learned thus far, students design and construct models for sustainable communities for future residents of a fictitious earth-like planet recently identified in a neighboring solar system.  This major project provides a segue to our study of astronomy in the third trimester.  Topics include the organization of our solar system, galaxies and the universe, the influence of the sun and moon on our Earth Systems, the search for conditions supportive of life on other bodies in our solar system and beyond, and the life cycle of stars.

	Spanish 8
	Through the use of a method integrating video from Spanish speaking countries with language lessons, students are exposed to basic Spanish in daily situations such as travel, food, personal routines, sports, pastimes, celebrations, clothing, and friendships. Students actively use the language in short dialogues, teacher-student interactions, written exercises, compositions and reading selections. Evaluation includes all the language skills targeted by this method: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

	Spanish 8 Honors
	Students continue to refine their speaking and listening skills while they develop stronger reading and writing skills through the use of short stories from Spain and Latin America. More advanced grammar focusing mostly on the past tenses is acquired. Along with the text and workbooks, students use accompanying DVD's and audio CDs to enhance their understanding of the material. This course is conducted entirely in the target language.

	Wellness
	The eighth grade wellness program begins by discussing drug topics such as substance abuse, refusal skills, and the addiction process. Next, students learn about factors of emotional and physical wellness: physical activity; dietary patterns, food labels, and nutrition; intentional and unintentional injuries such as anorexia, bulimia, cutting, and suicide; and the effects of the media on adolescents. The third portion of the class addresses community wellness including herbal remedies and drug interactions with herbal remedies.