Our Mother of Mercy Catholic School
Committed to Excellence in Education
In the Spirit of the Lord
Welcome to the Eighth Grade!
Listed below are some key objectives from the Diocesan Curriculum Guide for this grade level.
Religion
Our goal for your child is for him/her to learn:
á to retell accounts of the Early Church as related to the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea and establishing the Catechumenate
á to understand the Church as related to the following items: it continues as the mission of the Church on Earth, it is the fullness of the Church founded by Christ, its primary role is to teach and evangelize
á to be familiar with the reference documents such as those of Vatican II, the General Directory of Catechesis, and the Catechism of the
á Catholic Church
á to identify characteristics and describe the events of Church history that took place during the Early Church through the Modern Church
á to define martyrdom and to identify modern-day martyrs
á to identify Liturgy of the Hours as one of the 3 official prayers of Church worship as well as to know and recite the Angelus and the prayer to the Holy Spirit
á to know the seven capital sins as well as to discuss social sins and their effects on the world
á to explore the ethical dimensions and understand the ChurchÕs teachings on abortion, child abuse, crime, violence, capital punishment,
á drug abuse, euthanasia, nuclear arms race, nuclear war, pollution, and terrorism
Literature/English
Our goal for your child is for him/her to learn:
á to listen to identify and analyze a speakerÕs persuasive techniques as well as motive, bias and point of view
á to read a variety of genres for pleasure and/or information from print and electronic sources
á to show literary appreciation by identifying characteristics of genres as well as literary elements
á to learn proper writing techniques through steps such as pre-writing, drafting, revising and publishing
á to apply the writing process to essays, poetry, journals, reports, and narratives
á to apply appropriate rules of spelling as related to prefixes, suffixes, Latin roots and vowel sounds in unstressed syllables, etc.
á to understand and apply age-appropriate rules of grammar relating to parts of speech, capitalization, punctuation and usage
á to identify and define transitive and intransitive verbs
á to identify and define adjective clauses, adverb clauses correlative and subordinate conjunctions
á to apply the writing process to an essay/research paper, specifically a definition essay
Math
Our goal for your child is for him/her to learn:
á to classify a number as real, rational, irrational, integer, whole, or natural
á to solve equations and inequalities using several transformations
á to solve equations and inequalities with two variables and with variables on both sides of an equation
á to explore number patterns involving: powers of ten, scientific notation, square numbers, and positive and negative exponents
á to identify and explain function notations as well as describe the relationship of y to x
á to develop an age-appropriate understanding of probability and statistics as well as geometry and measurement
á to understand and apply (when necessary) basic algebraic concepts (based upon student readiness)
Science
Our goal for your child is for him/her to learn:
á to compare and contrast cardiac, smooth, and striated muscles
á to arrange rocks by color and texture as well as to contrast magna and lava
á to describe several methods to determine the age of the earth, to differentiate between absolute and relative dating techniques, and to describe the geological time scale as it relates to the history of the earth
á to recognize the sequence of events leading to the theories of Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics as well as to diagram the major plates of the lithosphere and the direction of their movement
á to define and illustrate the movement of the 3 types of plate boundaries: convergent, divergent, transform fault
á to explain how temperature affects humidity, to measure relative humidity, and to investigate the role of air pressure and temperature in wind formation
Social Studies
Our goal for your child is for him/her to learn:
á to list the 13 original colonies and why each was founded
á to analyze the War of 1812 as a cause of economic changes in the nations
á to identify the economic factors that brought about rapid industrialization and urbanization
á to explain why the free enterprise system developed in the new nation and to describe the characteristics and the benefits of the U.S.
á free enterprise system during the 18th and 19th centuries
á to understand and discuss key people, places, dates and events as they pertain to the American Revolution, the Constitution, westward
á expansion, the Civil War, etc.
á to identify major historical documents, the most significant historic dates and milestones in U.S. history, and inventions and scientific
á discoveries which effect(ed) daily life
á to identify major political parties, their history, symbols and platforms
á to analyze the role of political parties in the political system
á to develop an understanding of some economic systems and institutions
Our Mother of Mercy Catholic School uses the curriculum published and supported
by the Diocese of Fort Worth