Open Door Christian Schools

ART
Eighth grade art will provide an in-depth study in a variety of art procedures, composition, aesthetics, and art history. A variety of art mediums will be used to teach basic art principles. Students will gain an insight and understanding to the value, creativity, history, and styles of art.
History of Modern Art; Fourth Edition. Arnason and Prather. Abrams, 1998.

BAND
Junior high band is an elective for seventh and eighth grade students. Students will continue the learning processes of: rhythms, note recognition, and ensemble playing. There are three concerts yearly, as well as large-group competition with OMEA. Homework will include practicing and traditional written homework.

BIBLE
Old Testament characters are developed with attention given to their strengths, weaknesses, successes, and failures. These biographical sketches emphasize a character quality to cultivate, an action to perform, or a truth to believe.
Bible Truths for Christian Schools Portraits from the Old Testament. Second Edition, James Frederick Creason, Jr.; Bob Jones University Press, 1993.

CHOIR
Students will learn to use their musical talents to glorify God. This class is designed to improve the student's singing ability, music reading ability, and knowledge of music. They will participate in various performance situations.
Essential Musician: A Comprehensive Choral Method.  Hal Leonard, 1996.

ENGLISH
This course develops the language art skills of writing, grammar, usage, and mechanics. Critical thinking skills, speaking, and listening activities are also emphasized using various genre of literature.
Prentice Hall Literature. Silver, Prentice Hall, Inc., 1996.
Elements of Writing. Revised edition. Second Course, James L. Kinneavy, John E. Warriner, Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, Inc., 1998.

HEALTH
Eighth-grade Health begins with a detailed study of nutrition with an emphasis on the proper balance of vitamins, minerals fats, etc. that are found in a healthy diet. Additionally, the students will study the nutrients that are found in certain foods, and they will study package labeling. The following body systems are studied: circulatory system, blood and lymph transport, lungs, heart, and other vital organs. Finally, with materials secured from the Red Cross, the students will study first aid and safety issues.
Perspectives on Health D.C. Heath and Co., 1994.

HISTORY
American History since 1763 is a chronological study of the American peoples from the revolutionary period to the conclusion of the cold war. This course begins with the development of American political values and institutions and compares them with those of the French Revolution. The growth of the American nation during the 19th and 20th centuries is surveyed with an emphasis on 20th century economic problems. Special attention is given to the appropriate Ohio Graduation Examination (OGE) competencies.
Why We Remember: United States History Civil War To The Present. Herman J. Viola, Prentice-Hall, 1998.

KEYBOARDING
This course is designed to develop the keyboarding skills that will enable the student to mor efficiently operated a PC. Students will learn the alphabetic keyboard, the numbers and symbols, the numeric keypad, and/or work on increasing their speed and accuracy. We will use a computer program called MicroType Pro. published by South-Western Educational Publishing, 1997.

JUNIOR HIGH ENGLISH STUDIES
This course will emphasize the development of the foundational language skills necessary for a junior high student to be successful: parts of speech, sentence construction, paragraph development, reading comprehension, vocabulary, spelling development, and study skills.

LIFE SCIENCE
God created a diversified wonderful world with abundant examples of His creativity, artistry, and imagination. This course attempts to develop an appreciation for God's creation; to study it, to learn from it, and to safeguard it by wise stewardship. Various topics of discussion include cell structure, the five kingdoms of living things, ecology, endangered species, classification of living things, and an in-depth study of the animal kingdom.
Life Science. Wright, Coble, Hopkins. Englewood Cliffs, N. J. : Prentice Hall, 1991.
Biology: God's Living Creation. Graham, Hicks, Shimmin, and Thompson. Pensacola, Florida: A Beka Book Publications, 1986.

MATH 8B
Math 87 is a transitional program for students who have completed Math 76 but are not ready to enroll in pre-algebra. Basic mathematical concepts and skills are reviewed and reinforced. Concepts, procedures, and vocabulary needed to succeed in upper-level mathematics courses are introduced and developed incrementally with continuous practice. Math 87 includes the study of fractions, decimals, percents, ratios, perimeter, circumference, area, volume, exponents, scientific notation, and signed numbers. Word problems provide the opportunity for students to develop problem-solving techniques and skills.
Math 87, An Incremental Development. Stephen Hoke. John Saxon; Saxon Publishers, Inc., 1999 (2nd Edition)

PRE-ALGEBRA
This Saxon course is designed to reinforce the upper-level arithmetic skills while introducing the more abstract concepts of algebra and geometry. After completing this course, students will be ready for success in Algebra I and will be successful mathematic problem solvers. The teaching of concepts is foundational to a successful math understanding. If the concepts are developed through repetition, they can be applied to any situation.
Algebra 1/2. Saxon, John, Saxon Publishers, Inc., 2000 (3rd Edition)

ALGEBRA I
Algebra I is offered to 8th grade students who have demonstrated an exemplary aptitude and attitude for mathematics. This is the traditional Algebra I course and provides the student with the foundation to proceed to geometry and Algebra II/Trigonometry.
Algebra I, An Incremental Development. Third edition, John H. Saxon, Jr.; Saxon Publisher Inc., 1997.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Physical Education for 8th grade will build from the previous exposure to many team sports and individual sports with further skill building for athletics. Attitudes, cooperation, and individual effort will be stressed.