List of 13 items.

• Mathematics

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  Students learn Algebra I through the use of the iPad application HMH Fuse Common Core. Throughout this course, students understand and make connections in algebra, using concrete models and abstract concepts. In addition to the algebra application, students have access to their algebra text online. The iPad allows students to take interactive quizzes (results available to teacher), access on-line resources, and video tutorials. Information is presented using realistic data and applicable scenarios. Students understand new concepts through lecture, discussion, proper note taking, homework review, and interactive iPad activities. Eighth grade students solve expressions and equations and understand and apply properties of integers. They multiply, subtract, and add polynomials and equations. Proportional reasoning is presented. Also covered are linear and quadratic functions. If time is available, exponential functions or radicals are also covered. They round out their algebraic experience by solving systems of equations and inequalities, understanding properties of exponents and roots, manipulating and solving polynomials, and factoring expressions. The goal of the class is to give the students most of the topics covered in a regular high school algebra class.

• Humanities

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  8th Grade Humanities examines the essential question “What is the promise of America?”
  
  Students explore various governmental structures including how the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights shape our daily lives. Students also discuss the role of the United States in a global environment including the United Nations.
  
  Complementing these studies, students read the novels Animal Farm, The Outsiders, and Fahrenheit 451, practicing traditional literary analysis, public speaking, and writing skills through formal essays, journals, structured debates, and a culminating mock trial.
  
  Additionally, students learn to support opinions and arguments using textual evidence, reason, and logic. Weekly grammar and vocabulary practice supplement these activities as students prepare for the high school admissions process.

• Science

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  Science in Middle School is designed to spiral, which helps students explore connections across the four domains of science and engineering every single year: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science, and Engineering Design. Students use the science and engineering practices that actual scientists and engineers use as they investigate the natural world and design and build systems respectively. Students are learning actively through inquiry.
  
  Each science unit has an overarching essential question that is particularly relevant and appropriate to the age group. These questions are meant to inspire wonder and by the end of the unit, provide opportunities for students to practice solving problems.
  
  

  8th Grade Essential Questions and other relevant additions
  
  The Amplify Science Grade 8 Integrated Science Course includes nine units that support students in meeting the NGSS. The following unit summaries demonstrate how students engage in three dimensional learning to solve real world questions and problems.
  
  

  Harnessing Human Energy 
  
  Essential Question: How can rescue workers get energy for their equipment during rescue missions?
  
  

  Students help a team of rescue workers get energy to the batteries in their equipment. They ask questions, evaluate and analyze evidence and figure out how energy transfer works in a variety of systems. 
  
  

  Force and Motion 
  
  Essential Question: What happened in the missing seconds when the space pod should have docked with the space station?
  
  

  Students figure out ideas about force, velocity, mass, and collisions as they explain why a spacecraft failed to dock as expected. They use the concept of cause and effect to construct explanations and make visual models showing what went wrong. 
  
  

  Force and Motion Engineering Internship 
  
  Essential Question: How can we design delivery pods that are damaged as little as possible when dropped?
  
  

  Students design pods to be dropped to deliver emergency supplies. They explain why their designs are optimal using ideas about mass, velocity, collisions, and structure and function. They also define new engineering problems. 
  
  

  Magnetic Fields
  
  Essential Question: Why did the tests of a magnetic spacecraft launcher not go as planned?
  
  

  Students plan and conduct investigations to figure out why the test-launch of a magnetic spacecraft did not go as planned. They use patterns in magnetic field lines, and evidence from articles, models, and experiments to learn about magnetic force and energy. 
  
  

  Light Waves
  
  Essential Question: Why is there a higher rate of skin cancer in Australia than in other parts of the world?
  
  

  Students’ investigations of Australia’s high rate of skin cancer lead them to figure out how energy from different wavelengths of light can interact with matter. They write arguments based on evidence they gather from models, articles, experiments, and data. 
  
  

  Earth, Moon, and Sun
  
  Essential Question: How can an astrophotographer plan for the best times to take photos of specific features on the Moon?
  
  

  Students help an astrophotographer plan when to take pictures of specific moon features and a lunar eclipse. They use digital and physical models, and consider the ways they represent scale, to figure out what causes moon phases and eclipses.
   

  Natural Selection 
  
  Essential Question: What caused the newt population in Oregon State Park to become more poisonous?
  
  

  Students investigate what caused a population of newts to become so poisonous. They use mathematical thinking to make sense of patterns in data showing how traits of populations are changed by natural selection. 
  
  

  Natural Selection Engineering Internship
  
  Essential Question: How can we design treatments for malaria that don’t lead to drug resistance?
  
  

  Students use a digital model to test designs for a malaria treatment plan. They use their understanding of natural selection and patterns in populations to treat malaria while minimizing drug resistance, negative side effects, and cost. 
  
  

  Evolutionary History 
  
  Essential Question: Is this Mystery Fossil more closely related to wolves or to whales?
  
  

  Students create arguments based on evidence about which living animals a mystery fossil is most closely related to. They figure out how evolution results in some body structures staying stable and others changing over millions of years.
  
  

  Sources: Amplify Science

• Religion

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  In 8th grade Religion students experience a holistic and integrative approach to the teachings of the Catholic Church.
  
  The core pillars are the Biblical Foundation of Justice, the Catholic Social Teachings, Family Life in conjunction with Health and Science, and a continuation of faith formation through Prayer and Spiritual Practices.  They receive a classmate as a Prayer Partner to share their final year with a trusted companion.  They delve into Breath Prayer and Centering Prayer, Prayer of Examen and Prayer of Lament, Lectio and Visio Divina, Listening Prayer and Prayer Walking.  They study examples of people who present a life shaped and modeled by social justice and the love of God. Through biblical study, projects, and presentations students grow in their understanding of what it means to be made in the image of God, the imago dei. Students study morality by learning about the decision-making process and develop an informed conscience about ethical decisions and relationship formation. Examining personal, social, economic, and political choices, students understand what constitutes collective and social wrongful acts. Students become informed of racial, ethnic and class differences in an effort to help them make definite inclusive decisions and participation.
  
  Finally, students are encouraged to engage in theology & arts. Following our whole child model, they are encouraged to approach projects and presentations with unlimited creativity in their execution for God our Creator can be found in all things. By the conclusion of their eighth year, students have a greater understanding of morality, social justice, their love of God, their role and accountability as servants, leaders, citizens and what it means to be a Christian.
   
   
  Sources:
  LIVE Youth Bible, Catholic Edition NRSV
  Christian Morality & Social Justice, Catholic Connections
  Exploring Catholic Social Teaching, Sophia Institute for Teachers
  The Power of Prayer: A Conversation with God, Sophia Institute for Teachers
  Created in Christ: Catholic Response to the Sin of Racism, Sophia Institute for Teachers

• Health and Guidance

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  The MJS Health and Guidance program is a K-8 social-emotional program based on Goal 6: to further the integral human development of all who participate in the life of the school.
  
  

  The middle school health and personal development program builds on what the students have learned in the lower school and expands their knowledge in the areas of physical, emotional and social health. Areas of focus include: interpersonal relationship and communication skills, understanding who they are as individuals as well as citizens of their community and world, learning about various aspects of health, including sexuality education, being physically fit, understanding body image and eating disorders, drug and alcohol education, learning about the impact of media and technology and how to be good digital citizens, and how to exercise effective and educated decision-making skills in all aspects of their lives. Students leave Mayfield confident in their life skills and with a deeper understanding of their personal development and physical, emotional, and social health.
  
  

  Sources: Teen Talk High School | Health Connected

• Art

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  In the Eighth Grade, the art class is divided into one third of the school year. Hence, there is just one art project. Students create a “Mask Sculpture”, a tradition at Mayfield. The form is constructed/molded on the students’ faces using plaster cloth. After the masks are prepped, students decorate/create their sculpture masks with paints, markers, or any materials that enhance their creative ideas. Students are encouraged to approach the project from many perspectives: humor, “art for art’s sake,” personal message, historical character, political statement, etc. The masks are a highlight of the Art Show.

• Drama: It's Showtime

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  By eighth grade, Mayfield students have a solid foundation in theatre arts and are able to put their skills to use in the production of a full-scale musical. They experience the audition process, going through a series of acting, singing, dancing, and callback auditions in front of a panel of teachers. After the show is cast, the ensemble works with professional directors, choreographers, and designers to bring the show to life. Through this process, the students learn the importance of teamwork, individual responsibility, and self-confidence. The 8th grade play is a great culmination of their hard work throughout their years here at Mayfield Junior School.

• Music

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  Eighth graders continue to build on their ability to read treble and bass clef, identify musical notation and define symbols for rhythm, dynamics, and tempo. They continue to sing in two-part harmony as a class and perform - full memorization - at the Christmas Concert. In Spring they perform a full class musical with roles both on stage and back stage. They also learn about musical technology - using the music writing software Sibelius and the music editing software Garageband. In Garageband, the students learn how to mix and edit tracks to create digital “mashups.” In Sibelius, they learn how to write their own melodies and then export and import into Garageband to create full songs. Students are also eligible to join the after school choir that cantors for the school masses and also performs at the Christmas and Spring concerts.

• World Languages: Spanish

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  Students engage in a more in-depth study of Spanish as they apply
  and expand upon previous vocabulary and grammar. Instruction in this course is geared toward interpreting, expressing, and negotiating meaning of messages in Spanish through valuable and fun collaborative readers and projects. We use the Senderos 2 Textbook series, Voces digital/Vista Higher Learning (comprehensible input-based online platforms) as well as TPRS strategies. Eighth graders are expected to engage fully in the use of their advancing knowledge of Spanish grammar and vocabulary in all aspects of the class experience. Students continue to expand their grammar by further practice of writing in the past tense (preterite and imperfect). They also grow more knowledgeable regarding cultural nuances within various Spanish-speaking countries, reading a short novel regarding bull fighting and the perspectives surrounding it. Eighth graders enter high school confident in their ability to communicate with Spanish speakers.

• World Languages: Latin

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  Who says Latin is a dead language? It lives at Mayfield Junior School. While the structure of the three year Latin program (grades 6-8) centers on learning Latin, the side benefits include developing "word attack" skills which aid reading comprehension through recognizing Latin root words, exposure to classical epics and myths, and understanding and using English grammar better. Students start their exploration of Latin using the Oxford Latin Course text and continue through the series on a pace fitting each class. Each unit has an enriching cultural element that develops students' appreciation for the classical world and its legacy in our modern times. Additionally, students are invited to attend Southern California Junior Classical League co-curricular activities with other Latin students across the southland.

• Design & Engineering

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  In 8th grade, students further develop their computational thinking skills and continue to create both visual and physical prototypes such as the Mouse Trap Car project. Students continue incorporating the design thinking process. The Egg Drop project asks students to utilize an iterative process to design optimal housing to cushion impact. They have developed maker thinking, problem-solving skills, and a comfort level with basic tools. In addition, students have established skill with more advanced tools such as laser cutters, cricuts, and glue guns, as well as an understanding of conductive/coding tools such as Makey Makey and Microbit. They have learned to deal with ambiguity, expanding their understanding of different materials and their uses, and identifiying multiple ways to solve problems. Growing resiliency skills are utilized. Students are introduced to design and engineering concepts including structural engineering, mechanical engineering, physics, and materials science. Reflection and presentation skills are demonstrated throughout the year's curriculum. 

• Computer Science and Technology

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  The focus of this 12-week Computer Science and Technology rotation is a deep dive into coding fundamentals. Using Apple Swift Playgrounds, 8th graders will solve challenges that will teach them the mindset for computer programming and app design. Using these skills, students will solve design challenges using Sphero SPK Robots and Air Parrot Drones.

  
  8th graders will expand and practice productivity and creativity skills on the iPad in their subject area disciplines.

• Physical Education

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  Eighth grade physical education students continue their participation in an interscholastic athletics curriculum. Coaching and instruction is offered during each season in major team sports and individual sporting events, such as flag football, volleyball, basketball, soccer, track and field, softball, baseball, swimming, tennis and golf. 
  
  To challenge and engage students, opportunities will be provided for participation in both competitive and non-competitive teams, encouraging a spirit of friendly competition and the development of teamwork skills. The curriculum will focus on enhancing their knowledge of game strategy and tactics, helping them make informed decisions and understand the complexities of each sport. The curriculum will also emphasize the importance of taking responsibility for one's own physical fitness and health and encourage students to follow the school’s motto of "actions not words" when representing the school in athletic competition.
  
  

  *Due to ongoing construction, our regular PE program will be slightly adjusted to manage space constraints. Team sports will be held after the school day during this time.