Science

The Grade 8 curriculum is a largely laboratory-based course designed to introduce students to physics and chemistry. Students will be active learners; they will observe, inquire, question, formulate and test hypotheses, analyze data, report and evaluate findings. Through many hands-on activities students will be more thoroughly introduced to the atom, the periodic table of the elements, compounds, chemical bonding, reactions, solutions, acids and bases, and states of matter. The students will also be introduced to physics through force and motion and how these relate to real world applications. During fourth quarter the students will also enter a science fair competition to apply the steps of the scientific method with their own creative experiments. The curriculum is designed to promote awareness of current scientific research and practices, to continue developing skills necessary for scientific inquiry and literacy, and to prepare students for more intensive study in the Upper School.