Math 8

Course name and abbreviation:

Mathematics 8 / Math 8

Grade Level:

Grade 8

Summary of course content and activities:

This course is based on an incremental study of mathematics which means each concept to be studied is broken down into very small pieces and then developed through application of the spiral approach within the course. Regular drill through practice questions, problem sets of 30 questions each and regular tests of all concepts being learned from the beginning of the course are employed. Completion of regular self-correcting exercises are required to assist students in mastering the material in the course. Topics covered include: order of operations in the rational number system including decimals, fractions and mixed numbers; operations involving exponents and radicals; Greatest Common Factor; Least Common Multiple; percents, rate, ratio and proportion; divisibility, rounding; place value; scientific notation; arithmetic in base 2; data representation; probability; translating words to algebraic expressions; evaluation of algebraic expressions; solutions of linear equations in one unknown; word problems; two-step problems; co-ordinate geometry; geometric properties and measurement involving two- and three-dimensional objects; classification of geometric figures and solids; symmetry; geometric constructions; and graphing.

Who should be taking this course? For whom is this course designed and intended?

This course is to be completed by

• Students who have successfully completed mathematics at the Grade 7 level
• Students who are completing a full program of studies for Grade 8
• Students who intend to proceed to mathematics at the Grade 9 level.

Philosophy statement for and/or behind teaching this course:

Mathematics is intrinsic to all aspects of our lives. The study of mathematics provides the means to understand and use symbols to represent both concrete and abstract mathematical ideas related to students and the world around them. A solid foundation in basic arithmetic facts and skills must be in place in order to achieve facility in mathematics. Mathematics equips students to reach viable solutions to problems through logical problem-solving strategies. This course endeavours to accomplish this through an incremental approach to learning all concepts in mathematics and by incorporating frequent comprehensive drill and testing of operations in the rational number system and of all types of problems addressed. Topics are studied in increasing complexity.

• Students will learn and remember basic facts and skills of arithmetic and mathematics including rational numbers.
• Students will develop understanding and mastery of key properties associated with the facts and skills of arithmetic and mathematics.
• Students will apply mathematical knowledge by demonstrating their ability to solve a variety of problems including various types of word problems. The use of variables, equations and inequalities is an intrinsic part of this process.
• Students will gain an understanding of the relevance order and design in mathematics have to the God of the Bible being a God of order, purpose and design.

Pre-requisite(s):

The pre-requisite course to Mathematics 8 is Mathematics 7.

Materials and resources provided by NSA, purchased by student, and/or recommended:

Provided by NSA:

Purchased by student:

Standard Geometry Set

Recommended but not required:

Scientific calculator, Scanner

Forecasted amount of time required to complete each week’s lesson:

This is a course of 36 lessons. Students taking the program in a full year will complete one lesson over two weeks and will take an average of 7 – 8 hours to do so. Preparation for and writing of an accompanying exam is not included in this time frame.

Description of student evaluations, quizzes, and tests:

Students will be evaluated on specified assignments taken from the textbook. These will be submitted to the teacher for marking. In addition students will be required to complete several self-corrected exercises for each lesson.

Closed book tests are given at the end of most lessons. Prewritten tests are available and are correlated with the overall material that has been covered in the text.

Both assignments and tests will include any material covered previously in the text. Since the course is set up to cover math concepts incrementally, the assignments and tests provide constant review of the material covered throughout.

Additional activities:

• Using the Equation Editor feature in MS Office for writing expressions in mathematics,
• Using features of the Draw program in MS Word for activities in co-ordinate geometry,
• Making various types of graphs in MS Excel in conjunction with required learning of graphs in the course.

Criteria for teacher approval of and willingness to grant assignment/test extensions to students beyond the automatic extension period:

With a special request from the parent/supervisor of a student for unique circumstances, an extension may be granted beyond the dead date. An estimated time of completion for the assignment should accompany the request for extension.

NorthStar Academy Canada
#107, 1001 - 20th Avenue, Didsbury, AB
Email: cdninfo@nsaschool.ca
1-403-335-9587
1-877-335-1171 (toll free)
1-403-335-9513 (fax)