8th Grade
Eighth grade is the final year at ACS, a great year that serves as an incredible capstone to an outstanding educational experience. 8th grade students spend time looking inward during this year, reflecting on who they are, how God has been present in their lives, and how God is calling them going forward. As the oldest students in the school, 8th graders are given many opportunities to be servant-leaders in our school and in the community. Finally, students continue to enjoy the great community of ACS by celebrating and enjoying the many different gifts and talents of their classmates through a variety of activities and events both in and out of the classroom.
Highlights of the year:
- Spiritual Retreat
- Service Projects
- Small Groups
- Exploratory Week
- Musical
- Outdoor Education Experiences
- Interscholastic Athletics
- Rafting and Cedar Point Class Trip
- Graduation
- Washington DC
Curriculum Highlights
In the fall in 8th grade science students investigate the solar system and celestial objects outside of our solar system. The winter months are spent investigating kinetic energy, Newton’s Laws, and how energy transfers through waves. In the spring students will spend time investigating human systems and how the body functions.
In eighth grade we offer three levels of math: 8th Grade Algebra, Algebra Enhanced and Geometry. We offer these different math courses to meet the specific needs or our learners.
We spend special time helping students grow in their ability to solve multi-step problems by encouraging the process of problem solving and mathematical thinking. These skills are foundational for them as they continue to progress in their math abilities.
Band, Orchestra and Choir are all offered during 8th grade. The study of music further enhances the development of the brain. Learning an instrument uses unique parts of the brain that have been shown to enhance learning skills in other areas. During band and orchestra we work through method books and additional music resources. During choir we sing a huge variety of songs, study different types of music, watch and learn the music from at least one musical, continue to build theory skills and also do at least two performances during the year.
8th grade continues our study of US History and Government, picking up in the 1870s and traveling through the 1900s and into the 21st century. Our focus is on learning and practicing historical and critical thinking skills to explore and evaluate not just what happened but why it happened and how it affected American society and world events. In each era we evaluate both the goodness and brokenness of our world through a Reformed Christian perspective.
Physical Education is offered two times a week for 45 minutes each. In 8th grade our focus is on reviewing the rules and learning the strategies of the different sports and activities that we play throughout the year. We teach these sports and activities to show the students different ways that help us to keep active and healthy for life. An exciting experience in 8th grade is a frisbee unit which includes honing our frisbee throwing skills, playing ultimate frisbee games, and playing our disc golf course.
This course is centered around the notion that God gave us language to create and acknowledge meaning within - and also transform - the world. Understanding that communication in oral and written language is key to these goals, this course helps students learn more about themselves, creation, and the Creator through the many disciplines inherent in reading, writing and oral presentation. These disciplines include, but are not limited to: independent reading & genre study, group novel discussion, reading strategies, literary devices, written conventions & grammar, poetry study & presentation, spelling & vocabulary, and oral presentation.
Bible
In 8th Grade Bible class we focus on the Gospels, the ministry of Jesus, The Case for Christ, The Case for Faith, The Reformation worldview, and we close the year with the Plumb Bob project where we deeply study, internalize and share scripture, personal faith and spiritual growth.
Spanish
8th Grade is the final year of our Spanish 1 program. Our curriculum over the past two years has been based on a high school level 1 Spanish course. After completing this third year, most students will be recommended for Spanish 2 in high school. In class, we continue to emphasize reading and listening comprehension. Class is conducted in a hybrid immersion setting. Students enjoy story telling, reading, cultural facts, and many interactive activities all in Spanish. At the end of the year, students will read a level based novel.