Eighth Grade: What Will They Learn?

Discover which skills your child should be learning in eighth grade.

Eighth Grade: What Will They Learn?

This is it -- the final year before students enter high school. Your child will need to take challenging courses in order to prepare. There will be more emphasis on discussion rather than the simple recall of facts. Your child will begin to make important decisions about careers and behavior. He also should be taking total responsibility for completing his assignments both at school and at home.

Find out what else your child will learn this year.

  • Write essays that describe, persuade, narrate, compare, and contrast.

  • Read increasingly complex literature.

  • Understand the principles of the U.S. Constitution and the structure of American democracy.

  • Identify major chronological events in United States history and explain how a bill becomes a law.

  • Do introductory algebra and a considerable amount of geometry.

  • Understand the concepts of electricity and magnetism, sound, energy in plants and animals, and basic geology and astronomy.

  • Take notes and outline text and speeches.

  • Participate effectively in classroom and group discussions.