This grade level brochure is designed to provide you with an overview of the challenging curriculum we offer our students.
It identifies key curriculum concepts for 8th grade but it is not meant to be all-inclusive.
Mission Statement
Epiphany Catholic School provides a student-focused, standards-driven, and secure educational environment,
based upon the Gospel values, that promotes the spiritual, emotional, moral, intellectual, and physical
development of all students.
Religion & Character Formation
- Foster the virtues of kindness, respect, optimism, generosity, honesty, prudence, patience, responsibility, morality.
- Discuss the lives of the saints.
- Prepare for and participate in religious celebrations (weekly masses, Adoration, Stations of the Cross, the Rosary, Reconciliation, Feast of Corpus Christi, and visits to the Blessed Sacrament).
- Prepare for and receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. This involves service to family and community, along with a deeper study into the Sacraments of Initiation.
- Church History – studying the beginning of the Church from Peter, the first Pope to the current Pope.
- Study Salvation History.
Language Arts – Language
- Write a fully-developed essay that shows organization (introduction paragraph with thesis, body, and conclusion).
- Prepare researched information for presentation using various techniques and form ways to manage communication anxiety.
- Build a strong foundation in English conventions to be incorporated in student writing.
Language Arts – Literature
- Read classic novels, short stories, and poems in a variety of genres (mystery, science fiction/fantasy, classics, and biography/autobiography).
- Explain how theme, character development, and motivation contribute to the overall effect of a piece of literature.
- Identify and analyze a variety of literary techniques within classical and contemporary works representing a variety of genres.
- Identify text structure and create graphic organizers and other visual representations to use while reading.
- Identify characteristics and authors of various literary forms.
- Apply word analysis and vocabulary skills to comprehend reading selections.
Pre-Algebra
- Know that there are numbers that are not rational, and approximate them by rational numbers.
- Analyze and solve linear equations and pairs of simultaneous linear equations.
- Understand the connections between proportional relationships, lines, and linear equations.
- Define, evaluate, and compare functions.
- Use functions to model relationships between quantities.
- Understand and apply the Pythagorean Theorem.
Geometry
- Experiment with transformations in the plane.
- Understand congruence in terms of rigid motions.
- Prove geometric theorems.
- Make geometric constructions.
- Understand similarity in terms of similarity transformations.
- Prove theorems involving similarity.
- Define trigonometric ratios and solve problems involving right triangles.
- Apply trigonometry to general triangles.
- Know volume formulas and use them to solve problems.
- Work with radicals and integer exponents.
- Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving volume of cylinders, cones, and spheres.
Science
- Apply the scientific method to solve complex problems.
- Collect, graph, and analyze data collected during classroom activities.
- Identify minerals based on basic physical and chemical traits.
- Identify and classify rocks as igneous, metamorphic, or sedimentary.
- Identify processes that change the earth (volcanoes, earthquakes, weathering, and erosion).
- Show an understanding of the Earth, as it relates to the Universe, as well as human exploration of space.
- Show an understanding of the processes that affect and control the weather.
Social Studies
- Identify the key provisions and basic principles of the Illinois Constitution.
- Understand the major developments and social movements in U.S. History in the 20th century.
- Demonstrate an understanding of changing economic circumstances and the effects on the American population during the 20th century.
- Analyze the effects of American foreign policy on various world populations.
- Identify causes of prejudice and discrimination in U.S History during the 20th century.
- Examine social and cultural changes in the Modern Era of U.S. History.
Foreign Language – Spanish
- Continued language acquisition through comprehensible input. Read simple stories, interpret new words in context, retell familiar stories.
- Listening, writing, presentation, conversation.
- Sports, present tense of verbs, direct object pronouns, clothing, reflexive verbs.
- Soccer in Spain, Dating customs in Mexico, The Dirty War, Gauchos, Immigration.
Computer
- Discuss Digital Citizenship and responsible behavior on social media.
- Use copyrighted materials appropriately (legal use, cite source, gain permission).
- Apply guidelines of acceptable use policy for use of technology systems.
- Use Google applications for work across the curriculum.
- Use technology to influence audiences (multimedia presentations, publications).
- Create multimedia presentation using text, graphics, videos and animations.
- Produce a spreadsheet using simple formulas.
- Investigate and evaluate the accuracy, and relevance of electronic information.
Fine Arts – Art
- Identify and describe the elements values, perspective and color schemes; the principles of contrast, emphasis and unity; and the expressive qualities of the development of themes.
- Create a two-dimensional and three-dimensional work of art, describing how the choices of tools/media as well as processes used to create special effects in visual art.
- Compare and contrast how visual art functions in ceremony, technology, politics, communication and entertainment.
Fine Arts – Class Guitar
- Play guitar melodies and chords with proper technique.
- Read chord diagrams, chord charts, and tablature notation.
- Examine connections between American popular music and cultural changes in the past century.
Fine Arts – Choir
- Demonstrate good vocal technique.
- Demonstrate proper performance behavior.
- Read traditional music notation.
Fine Arts – Band
- Play traditional band instruments using proper technique.
- Demonstrate and describe the elements of music using (tempo, pitch, dynamics, form and timbre).
- Demonstrate proper performance behavior.
- Read traditional music notation.
- Play major and minor scales and triads.
Physical Education & Health
- Show how running and exercise affects cardio respiratory performance.
- Perform skills and movements necessary for individual and team activities.
- Demonstrate an understanding of health-related vocabulary and basic principles of fitness training.
Resource
Epiphany School offers assistance with a variety of skills and in all academic areas for students with a demonstrated need. The Epiphany Resource Program collaborates with Unit 5 to meet the needs of these students. Contact the Epiphany Resource teacher regarding any educational concerns in the following areas: academic evaluations, speech and language development, motor skills, and behavioral, health, vision, hearing, and social/emotional concerns.