8th Grade at Holy Family School in New Albany, IN

At Holy Family, our goal is to educate the whole child — mind, heart, and soul — with a foundation in Catholic faith. In First Grade, students:

• Grow in faith through daily prayer and religious instruction
• Attend school Mass twice weekly with the parish community
• Learn about the Sacraments, saints, liturgical seasons, and the life of Jesus
• Understand how to live like Jesus through kindness, service, and love
• Begin to recognize their God-given purpose and strive to become the saints they are called to be

Reading instruction features:

• Short stories and poetry with a focus on mood, tone, and theme
• Comparing and contrasting historical and fictional accounts
• Advanced text structure and vocabulary development in fiction and nonfiction

Writing instruction includes:

• Research-based writing with emphasis on credible sources and thesis development
• Narrative writing with sensory language, detail, and organization
• Grammar, sentence fluency, and literary response writing
• Preparation for high school-level writing expectations

All 8th Grade students take Algebra I, laying a strong foundation for high school math. Areas of study include:

• Exponents, radicals, and polynomials
• Solving linear and quadratic equations
• Systems of equations and graphing
• Functions and relations
• Factoring, real numbers, and inequalities

8th Graders explore the story of America from:

• The exploration of the New World to the Reconstruction Era (1877)
• Emphasis on the American Revolution, Founding Fathers, and early government
• Study of inventions, cultural development, and key policies
• Time permitting, curriculum extends through World War II

Students study Life, Earth, and Physical Science, with a strong emphasis on chemistry:

• Cell reproduction, genetics, and evolution
• Environmental change and human impact
• Structure of atoms, the periodic table, and chemical reactions
• Solving equations and understanding basic chemistry principles
• Group and individual science labs to support inquiry and discovery

Eighth Grade students explore:

• Music, Art, Spanish, Physical Education, and Computer Science
• Twice-weekly computer science classes, including coding and website development