In this class, students will have the opportunity to explore a variety of scenes and plays as actors, playwrights, directors, and designers. Students with theater experience can expand their understanding of directing and deepen their craft as actors. Students who have no stage experience can learn the basics of theater-making in a low-pressure, fun, and collaborative environment.

In Advanced Algebra 1, students complete their transition from the concrete to the abstract in mathematics. Operating with variables allows students to generalize from what may seem like vastly different problems into familiar patterns. Advanced Algebra 1 delves deeply into arithmetic operations with variables, rules and functions of exponents, linear equations and related functions, linear models, problem solving and quadratics. Advanced topics include: factoring quadratics, deriving the quadratic formula, and intensive work with radicals and rational functions. This course prepares students for Advanced Algebra 2 in 9th grade.

In Algebra 1 students advance their transition from the concrete to the abstract in mathematics. Algebra 1 concentrates on arithmetic operations with variables, rules of exponents, linear equations and related functions, linear models, problem solving and basic quadratics. Success in Algebra 1 in eighth grade depends on both numeracy and studentship. Students enrolled in this course must already be proficient in operations with integers and fractions, interpreting word problems and generalizing to patterns.  In addition, students must take a mature, disciplined approach to their learning. This course more than satisfies the high-school requirement for Algebra 1.

In the 8th grade year, students reflect on the essential question “Who am I?”—as an individual person, as a member of my community and as a citizen of the United States. American Voices introduces the varied and complex concepts of American identity and the American experience, asking 8th grade students to reflect on these core concepts both analytically and creatively as they read stories, essays, novels and poems. Students become proficient in supporting analytical claims with evidence, constructing paragraphs and essays, and turning a critical eye to their own work as they revise and edit. Additionally, students practice writing narratives to develop real or imagined experiences using thoughtful word choice, character and plot development, and sentence variety. In composing poetry, students use language to create imagery and emotion and to communicate abstract ideas. As students build their vocabulary through exposure to increasingly complex texts, they practice using these new words in a various grammatical constructions.

Beginning students can discover the fun in working with clay through this course, which teaches basic ceramic techniques. Experienced students further develop their hand-building ceramic techniques and explore their artistic voice through clay. Students enjoy a great deal of individual freedom in the execution of each project.

In this yearlong course, students learn and practice the fundamentals of singing in a vocal ensemble. Students will learn songs from a variety of musical genres and styles from around the world. Students will have the opportunity to sing in a group as well as for optional, auditioned solos. Chorus members will be exposed to music reading and rhythm basics, as well as learn repertoire by ear. Performing opportunities include a required evening concert at the end of the school year, as well as various assemblies and other events.

In this class, students perform improv and create sketch comedy while discovering what makes performance comedic. Throughout the trimester, the class will collaborate as an ensemble to build skills in improvisation, and then work independently to write original comedic material in a variety of forms and genres. Students will have the opportunity to examine existing material from shows such as Saturday Night Live, Key and Peele, A Black Lady Sketch Show, and popular YouTube channels.

Digital Photo 8 introduces students to the art and craft of digitizing the photographic image. Over the span of a trimester, 8th grade students learn the mechanics of a digital camera and explore the personal and creative expression a digital image allows. Students are exposed to the visual vocabulary inherent in image production and become familiar with the editing software Photoshop in order to enhance and export digital imaging for print and the web.

This course is designed for students with little to no experience with video cameras. It focuses on the basics of camera, audio and lighting operations, which are the essential tools for visual storytelling.  Students will learn how to develop an idea from concept to finished work, and they will be introduced to post-production work, such as creating musical scores and basic editing.

In French 8, students continue their middle-school French program, which prepares them for French 2 in high school. The initial emphasis of the program is basic oral expression, but students work on all four language skills—listening, speaking, reading, writing—with the aim of developing their knowledge of French. Students refine simple narrative and descriptive abilities in the present and past tenses as well as the near future. By the end of the 8th-grade year, students should be able to communicate about daily activities such as school, sports, meals, and travel, family & friends, pastimes and interests. Throughout the course, students broaden their control of vocabulary, grammar, and verb conjugations. In class, they use circumlocutions strategies to communicate with the teacher and classmates.

Graphics 8 is an introduction to digital graphic design and illustration. Students will explore the principles of design using both digital tools and hand-drawn techniques. Projects will focus on visual communication, art, media, and advertising. Through creative challenges, students will learn that graphic design can be approached in many ways—not just by mastering a single tool, but by developing their own visual ideas and problem-solving skills.

Materials: Canva/Adobe Express, Illustrator

In the fall trimester, students review their work on nutrition and interpersonal relationships from the previous year, extending the topics to include a variety of mental health issues. In preparation for the year’s service learning project conducted at several preschools, students explore human development from birth through early adulthood. The course concludes with a unit on the physical and emotional effects of tobacco, alcohol and marijuana.

All students in this yearlong course play an instrument of their choice. Students continue studying the instruments they played in seventh grade, receiving intermediate instrumental and band instruction. The class continues to study a varied repertoire in blues, rock, and jazz idioms, performing several times throughout the year.

In Introduction to Algebra, students prepare for high school algebra courses by refining their numeracy, developing their skill at solving problems and equations, and honing their proportional reasoning and understanding of linear functions. In addition, the course emphasizes good studentship skills such as organization and neatness of work, answering questions fully with all work shown, good questioning skills, working collaboratively and using standard mathematical notation and language. Students completing Introduction to Algebra should seamlessly and successfully transition to high school algebra courses, since they have a firm skill base, good habits and a grasp of the underlying principles of algebra.

Students in the 8th grade take a yearlong physical education course. In addition, 8th grade students may participate in athletics. In physical education, students learn the principles of fitness and receive guidance in making healthy choices in their lives. Each yearlong course emphasizes the spirit of play, cooperation and the need for work and practice. Through physical education, students increase their individual levels of physical fitness, build self-esteem, explore the idea of lifelong sports and further their cognitive and social development.  Activities include soccer, floor hockey, badminton, volleyball, ultimate frisbee, basketball, softball and the students’ invented games.

In this course 8th grade students learn the foundations of photography: exposing negatives, developing film, creating a portfolio and developing an awareness of visual media. Students complete projects involving picture composition, content and the qualities of light. Through these assignments, students hone their camera and darkroom skills while also developing their photographic voice.

In this course, students investigate topics fundamental to the study of chemistry and physics, including the chemical make-up of our world, forms of energy, and Newton’s laws. Students continue to develop their ability to think and act as scientists and engineers, with a special focus on laboratory work and formal experimentation. Major laboratory activities and design projects include identifying a mystery substance, exploring the chemical reactions of cooking, building a marble roller coaster, and designing a protective casing for a dropped egg. To emulate the reality of scientific work, these projects are often collaborative, and require students to conduct background research and communicate information in written and spoken forms.

Spanish 7/8 is designed to help students acquire the language and develop the skills needed to grow their proficiency in the Spanish language. Throughout, the emphasis will be on meaningful communication and building on students’ reading, writing, listening and speaking skills, while implicitly developing grammar and vocabulary.  Students work on their pronunciation and improve communication in the target language through interactive techniques that promote an active class participation and a positive community atmosphere in the classroom. The course uses “realia” as a way to promote full immersion in Spanish, and the repetition of key vocabulary builds the foundation for more complex structures in the future. The course helps students to improve their listening and comprehension skills through educational videos that promote students' appreciation of the Hispanic cultures.

This course provides eighth grade students with a hands-on introduction to the art of theater design and production, including set design and construction, lighting and sound, as well as makeup and costuming for the stage.  Through a series of projects, students learn to participate creatively and safely in Burke’s performing arts productions.

Students in this course will develop projects that illustrate their ideas using unusual and non-traditional materials. The range of this course gives young artists the tools to investigate aesthetic ideas and concepts. This course offers hands-on instruction with various media and helps develop skills for future visual arts courses.

In this course, the year’s essential question takes the form, “What is an American?” Students explore the expanding notion of who is considered a citizen deserving all the rights and privileges bestowed on citizens of our country. In addition, students grapple with a series of related questions: What is history? What creates change in society? What is America's role in the world? What is freedom?  Throughout the year, students learn to do what historians do, constructing the story of a past time through research with an emphasis on primary sources. Topics include: a New Nation, Slavery and Abolitionism, Reconstruction, the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, World War II, the Cold War, and the Civil Rights Movement.

In Values and Ethics 8, students explore the guiding question of each unit as a means of identifying their own values and learning how people translate values into actions. This learning occurs primarily through looking at the Black Freedom Struggle in the United States. Students reflect and act on these topics through interacting with a variety of readings, videos, discussions, writing, digital presentations, and guest speakers.