logo
school

Grade 8

Links to teacher pages can be found below.

Teachers:

Dino DeMonti

Grade 8 Science Teacher

Mackenzie Fitzgerald

Special Education Teacher

Barb Jarosz

Grade 8 Math Teacher

Jennifer Omartian

Grade 8 Social Studies Teacher, Team Leader

Sloane Williams

Grade 8 Language Arts Teacher

Grade 8 Curriculum Overview

Dear Families,

It is a pleasure to share a brief overview of all areas of the Grade 8 West Hartford Curriculum, including descriptions of our Unified Arts program, School Counseling, Library Media Services, and Gifted Programs. Our curriculum is based on the Connecticut Core Standards and provides instruction on the essential skills and understandings necessary for success on both district and state assessments.

Inherent in our curriculum is the belief that every student can and should learn. Instructional strategies that your child will experience include but are not limited to: collaboration, active and direct learning, problem solving, guided discovery, independent activities, and differentiation.

This curriculum comes alive in the hands of our talented teachers who are committed to ensuring that our students reach their highest potential. We are dedicated to accommodating children’s diverse needs, the way they learn, their experiences and interests, and to facilitating continuous educational growth. If you should have any questions about your child’s curriculum, your classroom teacher is the best source of information.

No single document can fully explain the rich and complex nature of the school curriculum and instructional goals. We know that learning is optimized in a partnership with families, teachers, and schools. Working together, we can use your experiences as a family and our work in the classroom to create a respectful climate of academic success, healthy personal and social development, and joy for lifelong learning.

Sincerely,

Anne McKernan
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

WHAT YOUR CHILD WILL LEARN IN Grade 8

Unified Arts

Our middle school students participate in 36-day unified arts rotations in the areas of physical education, music, art, health, and technology education in grades 6 through 8. The following pages include descriptions of the curriculum. Below please find a sample student schedule of Unified Arts courses throughout the grade 7 year.

Rotation 1: PE morning, Art afternoon 

Rotation 2: Health morning, Music afternoon

Rotation 3: Technology & Engineering morning, PE afternoon

Rotation 4: Art morning, PE afternoon

Rotation 5: Music morning, Technology & Engineering afternoon

Note: The Unified Arts Program is delivered slightly differently at Bristow Middle School where there are 6 rotations, each lasting for 30 days. The UA curriculum and the courses are identical to the other two middle schools with the only difference being that at Bristow, physical education and health are combined into one course of study called “Wellness.” Every student will be in a wellness rotation at any given time throughout the year.

Support Services

Special Education, ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), remedial reading services, and math support are available for students who may need them.