This document outlines the Grade 8 curriculum. West Hartford’s comprehensive program is based on standards for teaching and learning adopted by the Connecticut Board of Education/State Department of Education including Connecticut Core Standards, Connecticut Social Studies Frameworks, and Next Generation Science Standards. The West Hartford curriculum also includes integration of state standards for visual and performing arts, physical education, and library media services. These standards guide development of curriculum and instruction to support student learning necessary for success on district and state assessments and for students to have the knowledge, skills and dispositions for future college and career readiness.
The West Hartford Public Schools believes mathematics learning along with a growth mindset are crucial to the academic and social development of our students, their college and career readiness, and their ability to position themselves for the opportunities and challenges they will encounter in our ever-changing world. Our instruction balances conceptual understanding, procedural fluency and strategic problem-solving. We hold high expectations for all learners, and we provide supports and interventions to meet the unique needs of individuals and groups of students.
The eighth grade science program focuses on the development of science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas focused on forces and motion, energy, chemistry, waves, and space (universe, stars, solar system). Students will engage in engineering tasks that involve designing, testing, and modifying solutions to solve real world problems.
Students at this grade level will examine how literature preserves history and helps us to understand how to define heroism, transcend stereotypes, and resolve conflicts. As students experience texts through the development of theme and main idea, they learn to synthesize information from multiple sources to better understand the wider world into which they are entering as they leave middle school. By the end of the year, students will have developed their own voice in preparation for telling their own story.
In grade 8, students continue with the language studied in grade 6 and 7. They will continue to build their proficiency and perform at the novice high level in the three modes of communication: presentational (presenting information), interpretive (understanding information), and interpersonal (exchanging information between people). Unit topics include values, activities, and settings central to a community, such as celebrations and geography of a city. Students also explore the cultures and communities who speak the target language in order to make connections and build their understanding about products, practices and perspectives.
Upon successful completion of the middle school World Language sequence, students earn one high school credit and either one or two years advancement in French, Spanish, or Chinese at the High school level.
Engineering, Graphic Design and Computer Science
In the 8th grade students use the principles of design and the engineering process to solve various challenges. Units of study introduce students to the graphic design process, the creation of messages through visual communication and engineering principles with an emphasis on CAD software, 3D printing, engineering, digital photography, coding and game design. With a strong vertical articulation within the middle school Technology & Engineering program, students prepare for advanced approaches to STEM careers at the high schools.
The middle schools have a comprehensive school counseling program that is planned, preventative and measurable. It is based on developmental theory and designed to meet the needs of all students as they progress from grades K-12. Content standards define what students should know and/or do at each grade level and provide a scope and sequence for program implementation.
The curriculum is grounded in the process-oriented nature of the arts that guides continuous instructional improvement, a variety of forms of inquiry, and specific vocabulary related to artistic techniques and processes.
Middle School students have the opportunity to experience the creative process and develop their artistic voice. They may delve into such art processes as printmaking, drawing, painting, using technology applications to make art, and creating three-dimensional art.
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The middle school music curriculum includes classroom instruction for all students. Elective ensembles include band, orchestra, and choir. Further extension and enrichment of the curriculum is offered through auditioned co-curricular ensembles including jazz band, select string, and vocal ensembles.
The goals of physical education are for students to develop skills in the movement areas of dance, adventure education, and sports. An integral part of physical education is the development and application of responsible and respectful behaviors in both cooperative and competitive activities. The sequential and varied experiences contribute to the total well-being of each student. Concepts, strategies, rules, sportsmanship, teamwork, and basic movement skills are all woven into the offerings.
The Library Media Services Department endorses the national mission of the American Association of School Librarians which is “...to ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information.” Library media specialists carry out this mission by “...empower[ing] students to be: critical thinkers, enthusiastic readers, skillful researchers and ethical users of information.”
QUEST, WHPS Gifted and Talented Program, has been serving high-ability, creative, and motivated students since 1994. The program supports an individual student’s social, emotional, and unusually advanced academic development. The curricula support student choice and voice, extensive research, and inquiry-based learning combined with personalized project-based learning guided by the QUEST teacher. QUEST teachers foster an environment where students are inspired to participate and show a high level of practical skills that integrate with a capacity for creative thinking. By developing and applying these tools for learning, students can realize their innovative potential to Question the world around them, Understand the need to learn and grow, Explore the past, present, and future, Search for solutions and meanings and Think creatively and critically.
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For information on the following program, please click the link below:
Additional information on the district website (whps.org):
Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Office
Information and Technology Services: Tech Tips for Families and Staff
West Hartford Cares Crisis and Community Resources