Eighth Grade Academics

English Language Arts

The eighth grade English/Language Arts course provides students with a variety of learning opportunities focused on analysis of text, the ability to cite evidence and respond critically to many different types of text. The course is organized so that students engage in insightful discussions and complete independent learning tasks centered on essential questions. Students take ownership of their learning through reflection, peer collaboration, and independent reading and writing. The major goals of this course are for students to construct meaning from complex texts and express themselves well in writing. Active participation by students is essential to developing the skills necessary for meeting these goals. Throughout the year, students will work independently, in small groups, and in whole group settings.

Standards

• Wisconsin ELA Standards

8th grade ELA Content Focus

• The Thrill of Horror:  How does an author use literary elements in the horror genre?
• Gadgets and Glitches:  Is a perfect world attainable?
• Fight for Freedom: What will people risk to be free?
• Places We Call Home:  How do your teenage years and the places you’ve been influence who you become?
• Finding Your Path: Same as above
• The Legacy of Anne Frank: What can we learn from those impacted by persecution and genocide?

Novels:

• Unwind -Neal Schusterman
• Scythe– Neal Schusterman
• Uglies – Scott Westerfeild
• Monster – Steve Harmon
• The 57 Bus– Dashka Slater
• Inside out and Back Again – Thanhha Lai 
• The Circuit – Francisco Jimenez
• Enchanted Air– Margarita Engle 
• Other Words for Home – Jasmine Warga
• Making Bombs for Hitler– Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch
• The Boy at the Top of the Mountain– John Boyne
• They Call Us Enemy – George Takei

Math

In 8th grade math, students focus on three big areas: working with equations and systems of equations to solve real-world problems, understanding functions as rules that relate two quantities, and exploring geometry through distance, angles, similarity, congruence, and the Pythagorean Theorem. They learn how to model data with linear equations and understand important concepts like slope and y-intercept. Students also deepen their understanding of how functions work and how to represent them in different ways, like graphs and tables. In geometry, they study transformations (like reflections and rotations) and use the Pythagorean Theorem to solve problems involving distance and shapes.

Standards

• Wisconsin Math Standards

8th grade Math Content Focus

• Work with radicals and integer exponents.
• Analyze and solve linear equations and pairs of simultaneous linear equations.
• Define, evaluate, and compare functions.
• Use functions to model relationships between quantities.
• Understand and apply the Pythagorean Theorem.
• Solve problems involving volume of cylinders, cones, and spheres.
• Investigate patterns of association in bivariate data.

Social Studies

Students will learn about the early beginnings of American history, beginning in pre-1500s with European exploration and its impact on North America. Students will analyze the impact of European expeditions, specifically that of Christopher Columbus, and the treatment of Native Americans. From there, they will look at both the creation of the English colonies as well as differentiate between each colony and its unique characteristics. Finally, students will discuss the events that led to the American Revolution, its results, and debate the effects of the Great Compromise on both the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution.

Students will study the presidency of George Washington, the importance of having a national bank, and the birth of political parties. In this unit, students will also critique the scandals of the XYZ affair and the Alien Sedition acts, while comparing the debate concerning the role of government that Thomas Jefferson discussed to the debate on the role of government in the present day. Finally, students will analyze events such as the War of 1812, the presidency of Andrew Jackson, and Westward Expansion while arguing how the effects of these events have shaped modern day America.

Students will learn about the effects of Westward Expansion and the Mexican-American War on American culture in the early 1800s. From there, students will compare and contrast differences between life in the Northern and Southern parts of the United States, specifically on the economies of both regions. In doing so, students will understand the importance of slavery to the southern economy and of factories and industry in the northern economy. Lastly, students will learn about various reform movements in the United States, such as immigration, slavery, and women’s rights, while diving further into the social issues that continued to divide the nation in the early to mid-1800s.

Standards

• Wisconsin Social Studies Standards

8th grade Social Studies Content Focus

• America, Africa, and Europe Before 1500, Beginnings Through AD 1500:
• New Empires in the Americans
• The English Colonies
• The American Revolution and Forming a Government
• Citizenship and Constitution
• Launching the Nation
• War and Expansion in the Americas
• A New National Identity
• The Age of Jackson and Westward Expansion
• Expansion and Conflict in The North and The South
• Slavery in the United States
• The Civil War and Reconstruction
• The Industrial Age and Immigration

Science

In 8th Grade Science, students continue building their understanding of four big areas in physical science. Students practice thinking and working like real scientists and engineers by doing experiments, creating models, analyzing data, solving problems, and explaining what they discover. Throughout all of this, students also practice thinking skills like finding patterns, understanding cause and effect, and using math and models. They aren’t just memorizing facts — they’re learning how to think like scientists and engineers to explain the world around them.

Standards

• Next Generation Science Standards

8th grade Science Content Focus

• Matter and its Interactions (PS1): Students learn how tiny atoms and molecules explain the properties of everything around us. They discover why substances behave the way they do, what happens during chemical reactions, and how new materials are made by rearranging atoms.
• Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions (PS2): Students explore why objects move, fall, or attract each other. They study forces like gravity, magnetism, and electricity, and they learn how objects can even affect each other without touching, through “fields.”
• Energy (PS3): Students dive into what energy is, how it moves from one thing to another, and how it can be stored. They learn about kinetic and potential energy, and how energy plays a role in everyday life and technology.
• Waves and Information Transfer (PS4): Students study waves (like sound and light) and learn how waves are used to send information, like in phones and radios.

Social Emotional Learning

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) is the process through which students learn to:

• Understand and manage emotions
• Build positive relationships
• Make responsible decisions
• Set and work toward goals
• Show empathy and respect for others

These essential life skills help students succeed in school, at home, and in their communities.

Middle school is a time of rapid growth and change. Students are navigating new academic challenges, peer dynamics, and a growing sense of identity. SEL provides them with the tools they need to:

• Manage stress and emotions
• Strengthen social skills
• Develop confidence and self-awareness
• Resolve conflicts peacefully
• Stay focused and motivated

Research shows that students who receive consistent SEL instruction perform better academically, show improved behavior, and experience greater emotional well-being.

To support student development, KUSD uses Second Step Middle School—a research-based, developmentally appropriate SEL curriculum designed specifically for adolescents.

Second Step Middle School helps students build essential social-emotional skills through:

• Interactive lessons that focus on emotion regulation, goal-setting, decision-making, and relationships
• Engaging discussions and real-life scenarios that connect with students’ daily experiences
• Videos, peer conversations, and reflection activities that make SEL relatable and meaningful

The program is structured around key themes that support students in navigating the social and emotional challenges of middle school in healthy, productive ways.

• Second Step
• CASEL
• WI DPI Social Emotional Learning

Physical Education

Standards

• Wisconsin Physical Education Standards

Music

Music is an elective for all 8th graders and students can participate by enrolling in band, choir or orchestra. All music courses explore the four artistic processes: Creating, Performing, Responding and Connecting.

Standards

• National Core Arts Standards

Art

Art is an elective for all 8th graders and builds on a foundation of visual literacy in both 2D and 3D art mediums. Areas of knowledge and skill development include: Elements and principles of art, media exploration and technique development, art preservation and exhibition, art interaction and art as an aspect of daily life.

Standards

• National Core Arts Standards

CTE

STEM 8 – Automation & Robotics, Project Lead the Way

• Course Content Focus
  • Automating Mechanisms
  • Sensors and Systems
  • Create and Automate
• Wisconsin Standards for Technology and Engineering

Computer Science 8

• Course Content Focus
  • CS and App Design
  • CS and LED Art
  • CS and Music
• Wisconsin Standards for Information and Technology Literacy
• Wisconsin Standards for Business and Information Technology

World Language

COMMUNICATION is at the heart of Kenosha Unified School District’s world language program, whether the communication takes place face-to-face, in writing, or across centuries through literature.  Through the study of a world language, students will gain a knowledge and understanding of the CULTURES of the world; in fact, students cannot truly master a language until they have also mastered the cultural contexts in which the language occurs.  Learning any world language provides students with CONNECTIONS to additional bodies of knowledge.  Through COMPARISONS and contrasts with a world language, students will develop a greater insight into their own language and culture and realize that there are multiple ways of viewing the world.  Together, these elements enable students to participate in multilingual COMMUNITIES at home and around the world.

Learning experiences in a world language classroom are designed to help students meet the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning of the 21st Century.  These standards define in a larger context, what students should know and be able to do after a sequence of world language instruction.

• Standard 1: Communication – Communicate in a world language
• Standard 2: Cultures – Gain knowledge and understanding of the cultures of the world
• Standard 3: Connections – Use world language to connect with other disciplines and expand knowledge
• Standard 4: Comparisons – Develop insight through world language into the nature of language and culture
• Standard 5: Communities – Use world language to participate in communities at home and around the world

Rosetta Stone

For more information on each language provided through Rosetta Stone, please click on the link below:

• Chinese (PDF)
• English (PDF)
• French (PDF)
• German (PDF)
• Italian (PDF)
• Spanish (PDF)
• Using Rosetta Stone at Home (PDF)

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