7th and 8th Grade Literature:  The seventh and eighth grade literature classes take root with the McDougal Littell textbook entitled “The Language of Literature.”  The students are introduced to a variety of classic and contemporary literature including short story, non-fiction, drama, poetry, myths, legends, folktales, and fables.  Emphasis is on vocabulary, comprehension, and reflective writing.  Independent reading of books at each student’s individual reading level and interest is enhanced through the Accelerated Reader program (AR).  The ultimate goal is for each student to discover the love of reading and the power of the written word.

8th Grade English focuses on providing students with tools necessary to become articulate communicators of the English language.  Instruction is guided by the English language arts curriculum found in the “Voyages in English Grammar and Writing” textbook from Loyola Press.  This includes daily grammar lessons on the parts of speech, sentences and sentence fluency, capitalization, and punctuation as well as major writing projects such as “How to Articles, Business Letters, Descriptions, Expository Writing, Persuasive Writing, Creative Writing, and an end of the year Research Report.  Weekly journal writings are created throughout the year resulting in a completed book of each student’s own works of writing.  In addition, a portfolio with samples of the students’ written work from 4K – 8th grade is presented to each student at their 8th grade graduation.  Forensics is mandatory in eighth grade English.  The continuous goal is to create confident, successful communicators in school and eventually in society.

7th Grade Science:  Two major areas studied are geology and the human body systems.  In geology the areas of study are soil, weathering and erosion.  Covered are the skeletal, muscular, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, and nervous systems.  “Science World” magazine provides current information about science in today’s world.

8th Grade Science:  Topics of study are chemistry, geology, and astronomy.  Chemistry covers the elements and the periodic table along with atoms and ions.  Geology deals with earthquakes, volcanoes and plate tectonics.  Astronomy covers the solar system and galaxies.  The eighth graders study “Science World,” a magazine that provides articles on current science in the world today.

7th Grade Math:  Diocese of La Crosse 7th Grade Mathematics Course Outcomes
Students will be able to:

• Construct equations based on written expressions.
• Solve multi-step equations and inequalities using algebraic processes and graphic representation.
• Apply proportional reasoning to solve problems involving rates, ratios, and percents.
• Sketch the equation of a line from a table of values.
• Apply formulas to measure area and volume for regular and composite figures AND surface area of rectangular prisms.
• Present collected data for display of appropriate statistical methods.
• Compare and contrast theoretical and experimental probability models.

8th Grade Math:  Diocese of La Crosse 8th Grade Course Outcomes
Students will be able to:

• Construct inequalities using real-world situations.
• Solve equation and inequalities using rational number properties.
• Analyze proportional relationships between quantities.
• Apply rules of exponents.
• Graph functions to model relationships between quantities.
• Apply appropriate techniques, tools, and formulas to estimate and determine geometric measurements and transformations.
• Interpret data using descriptive statistics including range, mode, median, quartiles, outliers and mean.

Math Educational Links

• Math instructional videos for middle school
• Mastering the STEM Math Olympiad and other Math Competitions

Course Sites
COURSEsites by Blackboard

7th Grade Social Studies: A look at the modern world beginning with the Renaissance and Reformation to modern times, including World Wars I and II. 

8th Grade Social Studies: Early US history begins with the Age of Exploration and Colonial times. Emphasis on American Government and the Civil War and reconstruction. All classes include hands-on learning activities and projects as well as traditional assessments.

7th Grade Religion:  The topics covered are the Blessed Trinity, Sacraments, Works of Mercy and Catholic social teachings.

8th Grade Religion: The focus of the religion curriculum for the eighth grade student begins with an understanding of the following terms: faith and Church. Once this foundation is covered, five major areas are then examined: 1) the Deposit of Faith (i.e., Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition) and with an emphasis on the creation stories found in the Book of Genesis; 2) the Magisterium (i.e., the teaching authority of the Church) with emphasis on several encyclicals of recent Popes; 3) the notion of sin and free will with emphasis on conscience formation and moral decision making; 4) the early Church where students learn about the oral and written tradition of the Scriptures as well as reading sections from the Acts of the Apostles; and 5) a brief examination of heresies in the early Church with an emphasis on the Nicene Creed.

Computer:  In computer class students learn to use a variety of programs, such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Publisher, Windows Movie Maker and Inspiration.  Using these programs students create documents and presentations.  They use the documents to organize information and practice speaking in front of groups with their presentations.  Students work on keyboarding, how to find quality sources on the internet, and begin to explore coding.