Grade 8 Student & teacher

At the culmination of their childhood, grade eight students work with:

Composition, Short Story Writing, Classics, Biography, Grammar, Speech and Drama, Deepening of Grade Seven Topics, Algebra I, Geometry, Industrial Revolution, American History, Global Geography, Physics, Chemistry, Human Fertility, Meteorology, German, Spanish, Machine Quilting, Woodwork, String Ensemble, Choir, Recorder, Movement and Games, Acrylic Painting, Circus Arts, Eighth Grade Trip (a wilderness, passage or service experience).

drawing of thirteen colonies by eight grader

Grade Eight Curriculum

Eighth grade students stand at the threshold of adulthood as they leave City of Lakes Waldorf School to continue their education in many other schools all over the region. To complete their elementary years, teachers strive for the students to have the knowledge of the human being, the world and themselves so that they can create a place for themselves in the world. To do this, the curriculum must bring them fully into the present day.

The eighth grade history curriculum covers the end of the Age of Exploration, the Age of Reason and the great revolutions for human freedom during the French, American and Russian revolutions and the modern Civil Rights movement. Studying such biographies as Napoleon, Lincoln, Jefferson, and Martin Luther King brings alive the ideals for which these human beings fought and died. The students also study the Industrial Revolution and the accompanying social changes, which affected the lives of all men and women. Charles Darwin’s view of the evolution of the species is examined for the manner in which it birthed the modern scientific world view. Themes in geography also give a comprehensive world-view of the economic interconnectedness of human cultures through the human use of plant, animal and mineral resources distributed throughout the world.

The science curriculum covers human fertility and organic chemistry, with emphasis on the processes of photosynthesis and digestion. Topics in physics include hydraulics, aerodynamics and meteorology. Through the principles of mechanics in the steam engine, the students learn how modern knowledge of technology led to the Industrial Revolution.

In the mathematics curriculum, students will continue the study of algebra and plane and solid geometry, with an introduction to surface area and volume. Graphing liner equations is introduced, along with the principles of the Fibonacci sequence, the Golden Mean and construction of the five Platonic solids.

Literature and writing for eighth graders concentrates on the theme of human freedom through the short story; Shakespearean drama; poetry; and the practical art of writing letters. Students often stage one of the Shakespearean plays before their graduation in the spring.

Fine and practical arts studies include portrait and landscape painting and charcoal drawing with an emphasis on light and shadow; quilt construction on the sewing machine, and woodworking. Students continue to study instrumental music, sports and circus arts. They also take on a significant individual project during the year designed to help the student explore a topic of interest. Students research their topic, create an experiential project, and present the results to the school community.

Throughout the school year, eighth graders are also called upon to be active citizens of the CLWS community by serving as first-grade buddies, volunteering at CLWS community festivals and events, monitoring and guiding conflict resolution on the playground and bringing their unique individuals skills and talents to the adoring younger children. The year ends with an extended class trip to a distant location. During the trip, the students typically participate in a wilderness adventure, right of passage experience or a service learning project.