Mt. Ararat Middle School

8th GRADE Curriculum Guide

English Language Arts (ELA)

ELA 1 READING COMPREHENSION

• Can analyze how central ideas are developed in a text.
• Can analyze how modern work of fiction draws on themes and/or patterns of cultural stories.
• Can identify pieces of figurative language and analyze their impact on meaning and tone.

  ELA 2 READING INTERPRETATION

• Can analyze the author’s point-of-view or purpose in an informational text and how it‘s conveyed.
• Can analyze the role of particular sentences or parts of a text that develop or redefine the concept.
• Can cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

ELA 3 WRITING ARGUMENTS

• Can structure a logical argument in writing that conveys a clear position and refutes alternate or opposing claims.

   

  Mathematics

  MAT 1 NUMBER AND QUANTITY

• Understand informally that every number has a decimal expansion.
• Use rational approximations of irrational numbers to compare size and place on a number line.

  MAT 2 ALGEBRA

• Graph proportional relationships with unit rate as the slope.
• Solve linear equations in one variable.
• Understand y=mx and y=mx+b as the equation for a line.
• Use scientific notation to express very small and very large numbers.
• Use square and cube root symbols.

  MAT 3 FUNCTIONS

• Compare properties of two functions each represented in a different way (graphically, equation, tables, verbally).
• Interpret the equation y=mx+b as defining a linear function and give examples of non-linear functions.

  MAT 4 GEOMETRY

• Understand that a 2 dimensional figure is congruent to another through transformations.
• Understand that a 2 dimensional figure is similar to another through a series of transformations and dilations.
• Use informal arguments to establish facts about the angle sum relationship, angles formed by parallel lines cut by a transversal, angle criterion for similarity of triangles.
• Verify experimentally the properties of rotations, reflections and translations.
• Use the Pythagorean Theorem to determine unknown side lengths in right triangles.
• Understand and use the formulas for the volumes of cones, cylinders, and spheres to solve real world problems.

  MAT 5 STATISTICS & PROBABILITY

• Construct and interpret scatter plots for bivariate measurement data.
• Understand that patterns of association can also be seen in bivariate categorical data in a two way table.
• Know that straight lines are widely used to model relationships between two quantitative variables.
• Use the equation of a linear model to solve problems.

Science (NxGSS)

SCI 1 PHYSICAL SCIENCES: STRUCTURE/PROPERTIES OF MATTER, FORCES, AND INTERACTIONS

• STATES OF MATTER (8) Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and state of a pure substance when thermal energy is added or removed.

  SCI 2 PHYSICAL SCIENCES: ENERGY, WAVES, AND ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION

• Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.

  SCI 3 LIFE SCIENCES: STRUCTURE, FUNCTION, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING

• Use argument based on empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to support an explanation for how characteristic animal behaviors and specialized plant structures affect the probability of successful reproduction of animals and plants respectively.
• Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how environmental and genetic factors influence the growth of organisms.

  SCI 5 LIFE SCIENCES: GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT, AND REPRODUCTION OF ORGANISMS, NATURAL SELECTION, AND ADAPTATIONS

• Apply scientific ideas to construct an explanation for the anatomical similarities and differences among modern organisms and between modern and fossil organisms to infer evolutionary relationships.
• Develop and use a model to describe why asexual reproduction results in offspring with identical genetic information and sexual reproduction results in offspring with genetic variation.
• Analyze and interpret data for patterns in the fossil record that document the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of life forms throughout the history of life on Earth under the assumption that natural laws operate today as in the past.
• Use mathematical representations to support explanations of how natural selection may lead to increases and decreases of specific traits in populations over time.
• Construct an explanation based on evidence that describes how genetic variations of traits in a population increase some individuals probability of surviving and reproducing in a specific environment.
• Analyze display of pictorial data to compare patterns of similarities in the embryological development across multiple species to identify relationships not evident in the fully formed anatomy.
• Gather and synthesize information about the technologies that have changed the way humans influence the inheritance of desired traits in organisms.
• Develop and use a model to describe why structural changes to genes (mutations) located on chromosomes may affect proteins and may results in harmful, beneficial, or neutral effects to the structure and function of organisms

  SCI 6 EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCES: EARTH, SPACE, AND THE UNIVERSE

• Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence from rock strata for how the geologic time scale is used to organize Earth’s 4.6-billion-year-old history.

  SCI 7 EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCES: EARTH SYSTEMS

• Collect Data to provide evidence for how the motions and complex interactions of air masses results in changes in weather conditions.
• CLIMATE CHANGE Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.
• Analyze and interpret data on the distribution of fossils and rocks, continental shapes, and seafloor structures to provide evidence of the past plate motions.
• Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth’s Systems.
• Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.
• Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed Earth’s surface at varying time and spatial scales.
• Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how the uneven distribution of Earth’s mineral, energy, and groundwater resources are the result of past and current geoscience processes.

  SCI 8 ENGINEERING, TECHNOLOGY, AND APPLICATION OF SCIENCE

• Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and differences among several design solutions to identify the best characteristics of each that can be combined into a new solution to better meet the criteria for success.
• Students can conduct background research on a topic in order to generate a realistic investigative question, support the choice of that investigative question based upon a paucity of data, and then generate a hypothesis that tests one variable to answer that question.
• Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
• Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution taking into account relevant scientific principles.
• Students can design an experiment to answer an investigative question while ensuring a valid experimental design that tests one variable.
• Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.
• Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.
• Evaluate competing design solutions based on jointly developed and agreed-upon design criteria.
• Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
• Students can effectively report the results of their experiments.
• Specify goals and perform roles necessary to accomplish group tasks.
• Students can use appropriately chosen tables and graphs along with statistical tests to make decisions about data.

Social Studies

SS1 APPLICATIONS OF SOCIAL STUDIES PROCESSES, KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

• Determine the central ideas or information from a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source.
• Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s  point of view and purpose; integrate visual information with other information in print and digital texts.
• Develop and present both oral and written pieces on social studies topics which present claims and refute counter claims. Claims are supported with logic, data, and evidence using credible sources and a concluding statement that follows from and supports the argument presented.

  SS2  CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

• Evaluate how people influence government and work for the common good.

  SS3 CIVICS AND GOVERNMENT

• Using examples of historical or current issues, describe the governmental structures and civic responsibilities within diverse cultures, including Maine Native Americans.
• Describe the protection of individual and minority rights as described in the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights.

  SS4 ECONOMICS

• Describe factors in economic development, and how states, regions, and nations, including Maine Native Americans, work together within the economy.
• Describe the functions and roles of key economic structures and processes.

  SS5 GEOGRAPHY

• Identify and explain how the forces of cooperation and conflict, as well as the movement and interactions of various people groups, including Native Americans in Maine, have influenced territorial control on earth.

SS6 HISTORY

• Describe major turning points and examples of continuity and change in the history of Maine Native Americans, various historical and recent immigrant groups in Maine, the United States, and other cultures in the world.
• Analyze the factors that influenced the perspectives of people in history and led them to interpret the same events differently.
• Trace and explain the history of democratic ideals and constitutional principles and their importance in the history of the United States and the world.

Health Education and Physical Education

HE 1 HEALTH CONCEPTS

• Explain essential health concepts related to family life nutrition personal health safety and injury prevention and tobacco, alcohol and other drug use prevention.
• Explain the interrelationships of physical, mental/intellectual, emotional and social health.
• Examine the relationship between behaviors and personal health including personal responsibility for healthy and unhealthy behaviors and the barriers to practicing personal health.

  HE2 HEALTH INFORMATION, PRODUCTS, AND SERVICES

• Explain situations requiring the use of valid and reliable health information, products and services and locate them.

  HE3 HEALTH PROMOTION AND RISK REDUCTION

• Demonstrate a healthy practice/behavior to maintain or improve one’s own health in each of the following areas: personal hygiene healthy eating physical activity and tobacco, alcohol and other drug use prevention.
• Distinguish between healthy and unhealthy strategies for stress, anger and grief management.

  HE4 INFLUENCES ON HEALTH

• Describe how some health risk behaviors, such as the use of gateway drugs, can influence the likelihood of engaging in unhealthy behaviors and how the use of drugs and alcohol can adversely influence judgment and self-control.

  HE5 ADVOCACY, DECISION-MAKING AND GOAL-SETTING SKILLS

• Describe and develop the following ways to influence and support others to make positive health choices: health enhancing position on a health topic and the information to support it; health enhancing messages that target specific audience and work cooperatively to advocate for healthy individuals, families and schools.
• Utilize effective communication skills with family, peers and others to enhance health in the following ways: asking for and offering assistance to enhance the health of self and others refusal, negotiation and collaboration skills to avoid and reduce health risks and strategies for prevention, management and resolution of interpersonal conflicts without harm to self or others.

  PE1 MOVEMENT/MOTOR SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

• Describe the following skill related fitness components. Balance, coordination, agility and speed.
• Demonstrate correct technique for motor and manipulative skills and combine both skills during drills or modified games/physical activities.
• Demonstrates knowledge of the rules of play in various activities.

  PE2 PHYSICAL FITNESS ACTIVITIES AND KNOWLEDGE

• Completes a health related fitness assessment that address a variety of health related fitness components.
• Actively engage in fitness activities that address the 5 health related fitness components.
• Students learn to differentiate between the Health Related and Skill Related components of fitness and understand how each component affects performance and healthy lifestyle.

  PE3 PERSONAL AND SOCIAL SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

• Demonstrate the following cooperative and inclusive skills while participating in physical activities. Team work, appropriate response to peer pressure, managing conflict, respectful engagement of peers in activities.
• Demonstrate responsible personal behaviors while participating in physical activities.
• Describe game/activity safety rules and their purpose. Reasons for modifying those rules and possible risks associated with specific games/physical activities.

Learning Commons

COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION: EXCHANGING IDEAS, DEVELOPING NEW UNDERSTANDINGS, MAKING DECISIONS

• Is skilled at completing and presenting a product as a group using a variety of platforms.

  CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION

• Is skilled at communicating original and inventive ideas to others.

  INVESTIGATION

• Is skilled at generating additional related, focused questions for further research.

  READING

• Is skilled at using all available resources to locate and select reading materials for personal enjoyment as well as to support inquiry and learning in specific topics and content areas.

  RESPONSIBILITY: ETHICAL AND SAFE CONTRIBUTIONS, PARTICIPATION, AND BEHAVIORS

• Is skilled at evaluating information sources.
• Is skilled at practicing safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology.

  TECHNOLOGY: TOOLS FOR KNOWLEDGEABLE CITIZENS

• Is skilled at using a combination of technological tools to gather, analyze, create, and share information.

   

  Visual and Performing Arts (VPA)

  VPA 1 DISCIPLINARY LITERACY

• Listening and Describing. Students listen to and compare elements of music, including pitch, rhythm, tempo, dynamics, form, timbre, texture, harmony, style, and compound meter.
• Students accurately perform music from grades 1.5-3 that includes changes of tempo, key, and meter, in modest ranges with moderate technical demands, modeling proper posture and technique, alone or with others.
• Students apply accumulated knowledge of musical notation, symbols, and terminology to a music performance while performing music in grades 1-6.• Read whole, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth, and dotted notes and rests in 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 2/2, and 6/8 meter signatures. • Read melodies in appropriate clefs.

  VPA 2 CREATION, PERFORMANCE, EXPRESSION

• Create art work that communicates an individual point of view.

  VPA 3 CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING

• Describe creative-thinking skills that are part of artistic problem-solving.

  VPA 4 AESTHETICS AND CRITICISM

• Compare the use of design concepts (Elements and Principles of Design) to create effective compositions.

VPA 5 CONNECTIONS

• Explain the impact of how the arts relate to career and/or life decisions.

   

  World Languages

  WL 1 INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

• I can communicate on some very familiar topics using single words and phrases that I have practiced and memorized.
• I can recognize a few letters or characters. I can identify a few memorized words and phrases when I read.
• I can recognize a few memorized words and phrases when I hear them spoken.

  WL 3 PRESENTATIONAL COMMUNICATION

• I can copy some familiar words, characters, or phrases.
• I can present information about myself and some other very familiar topics using single words or memorized phrases.

  WL 4 COMPARISON OF PRACTICES, PRODUCTS AND PERSPECTIVES

• Compare the target language with English to better understand language systems.