8th Grade Literacy
Course Description: This course is designed to help 8th grade students develop their reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. Students will read novels, drama, poetry, short stories, articles, and essays. Students will engage in various activities, including individual and group work, research, grammar practice, oral presentations, and use of technology. There will be an emphasis on informative, argumentative, and narrative writing. This course prepares students for academic writing habits at the high school level.
Units and finals:
Unit 1: Narrative writing : Final: Suspense story
Unit 2: Compare and Contrast; Final: Compare and Contrast essay
Unit 3: Research and formal writing; Final: Informative essay
Unit 4: Persuasive Writing; Final: Persuasive Presentation (Ted Talk)
Amber Stevenson - Literacy
970-665-7671 [email protected]
Sara Bailey- Literacy
970-665-7692 [email protected]
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I am Sara Bailey and I teach 8th grade English Language Arts (ELA). This is my second year as an RMS Cub and my 13th year in the classroom. I love books, reading, spending time with my family and playing in the mountains.
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8th Grade Math
Course Description: Math 8 is taught from the CPM Core Connections 3 resources, and the lessons are aligned to the Colorado Academic Standards for 8th Grade Mathematics. We focus on reasoning about expressions and equations, using functions to describe quantitative relationships, analyzing 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional space and figures, and writing numbers using exponents and scientific notation. Connections between graphs, tables, situations, and rules (equations) are discovered, and algebra tiles are used to facilitate solving complex equations. This course lays the foundation for all future math classes.
Jake Hansen - Math
970-665-7923 [email protected]
Grade Social Studies
U.S. History I & Government/Civic
Course Description: This course is a survey of American History beginning with the colonial time period and ending with the Civil War (roughly 1750-1865). This course is designed to help students not only understand the past events, patterns, and decisions, but to also see how they have led to the structure of our present day society and government. Our main topics are the American Revolution, Westward Expansion, Slavery & Disunion, and the Civil War. During the 2nd quarter, we pause in the American History timeline, and focus solely on American Government and Civics. Through the enlightenment of this course, students will comprehend the geographical, political, social, and economic concepts that affect current events.
Social Studies
970-665-6758
David Foster- Social Studies
970-665-7909 [email protected]
Grade Science:
Course Description: In 8th grade science students will be exposed to a variety of scientific disciplines. We begin the year with a short unit on the “Nature of Science,” which focuses on the critical thinking and inquiry approach that scientists use to develop knowledge of the natural world. The Nature of Science Unit provides students with a conceptual framework and set of first hand experiences that will guide their understanding for the entire year. Next we progress to our second unit “Our Place in Space” that explores a variety of topics in astronomy and relating earth science. These topics include models of the solar system and theories of its formation, moon phases, tides, and seasons. Next, we transition to a Unit on “Genetics” where students explore patterns and theories of inheritance as well as the cellular structures that underlay heredity. Our fourth unit “Matter and Motion,” includes two separate strands. The first strand is a brief introduction to chemical and physical changes and the principle of conservation of mass. The second strand develops an understanding of kinematics (describing motion mathematically) and dynamics (explaining motion using concepts such as forces). Our fifth and final Unit, “Energy Transformations,” gives students the opportunity to apply the Principle of Conservation of Energy to understand the motion of objects such as rockets and the energy transformations that power our modern world.
During the course students learn through a variety of means. Students conduct experiments, make subtle observations of the natural world and read challenging scientific texts. Students work collaboratively with peers, just as real scientists work collaboratively with other scientists. Throughout the year, students will engage in hands on experiences relating to model building and engineering. Students use a variety of technological tools that support their learning of the 8th grade science content and prepare them for high school and beyond.
Lucas Hill ~ Science
970-665-7904 [email protected]
Morgan Robinson ~ Science
970-665-7928 mrobinson@garfieldfre2.net
Special Education
Clare Lamberti - Special Education
[email protected]
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My name is Clare Lamberti. I am a 8th grade Special Education Teacher and this is my 7th year of teaching. I enjoy playing hockey, hiking, skiing, and exploring the mountains.
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