Eighth Grade
Preparing for High School With Confidence and Purpose
Eighth grade is a pivotal year—the culmination of childhood and a springboard into high school and young adulthood. Our curriculum reflects this transition by guiding students from the past into the present, exploring major intellectual achievements across science, math, history, and literature. These studies help students see how human thought has evolved and how they, too, are ready to take their next steps.
Throughout the year, eighth graders are recognized as responsible members of our school community. They serve as first grade buddies, assist with schoolwide events, and take on meaningful leadership roles. A highlight of the year is the eighth grade project, in which students pursue an area of personal interest, work with an independent mentor, and present their learning to the community.
To honor their growing maturity and independence, the school year concludes with an extended class trip—an unforgettable culmination to their CLWS journey.
Eighth Grade Curriculum
Core Academic Subjects
Your eighth grader will learn:
- Language Arts: Short story writing, composition, grammar, speech and drama
- Literature: Shakespeare
- Mathematics: Algebra I, geometry
- Science: Physics, chemistry, meteorology and human fertility
- History: Industrial revolution, American history
- Geography: Global geography
Specialty Subjects
Subject classes are an important aspect of Waldorf education in grades 1-8, providing unique opportunities for holistic learning and the cultivation of various skills. Eighth grade Subject classes include:
- Art: Acrylic painting, clay modeling, charcoal and form drawing
- Choir: Curriculum description coming soon
- Cyber Civics: Media Literacy for positive participation online, sexting, plagiarism
- Handwork: Machine quilting
- Physical Education: Circus arts including juggling, balance skills, acrobatics, gymnastics and team sports such as volleyball, soccer, and basketball.
- Spanish: Each student compiles a portfolio that showcases their understanding of grammar, phonetics, vocabulary and culture
- String Ensemble: Greater leadership is asked of students as more demanding music draws direct and indirect threads to the classroom curriculum; understanding of musical architecture, history, context, call for justice and awareness; shifting beyond the neck positions, two octave scales and arpeggios; integration of vibrato
- Woodwork: Curriculum description coming soon
Outdoor Experiences
The 8th grade trip is a culminating experience for students after many years together in the same class at CLWS. It is an opportunity to celebrate their unique and close community, to reminisce about years past, and to challenge themselves by being away from their family and familiar surroundings for an extended period of time.
Festivals and Events
Our students enjoy a lively calendar of festivals and events throughout the school year that celebrate the rhythm of the seasons, honor one another’s cultures and traditions, and strengthen our community.
Learn more
Teaching American History for Our Times
“Positive social and cultural change—and the development of consciousness—need to go hand in hand, if we are to see a just society, one with protection of and equal rights for all people, emerge out of any epoch.”
–Jessica Crawford, CLWS Grades Teacher
Read about one teacher’s experience working deeply with the Waldorf 8th grade history curriculum in order to bring the relevancy required in our times.
Year-by-Year Curriculum
Every aspect of our curriculum is carefully designed to match your child’s stages of development. Browse through our year-by-year curriculum to see how we evolve to meet the needs of your child over time.
Sample Daily Schedule
- Ensemble
- Main Lesson
- Snack & Recess
- Spanish
- Lunch & Recess
- Language Arts
- Math
- Closing
High School and Beyond
“Among the students coming to our high school from over 115 grade schools, those from CLWS often stand out in the crowd.”
–Enrollment Director of an Independent High School in Minneapolis
Area high schools tell us that our graduates are more than prepared for the challenges of high school and bring an ability to engage with teachers in a true give-and-take format that is unprecedented among their peers.
Meet Our Teachers
Jeremy Anderson
Woodworking Teacher
Neela Bettaglio
Educational Support Teacher
Maya Dunn
Movement and Games Teacher
Johanna Garcia
Pedagogical Chair and Cyber Civics Teacher
Liz Kelley
Handwork Teacher
Alicia Kuri Alamillo
Spanish Teacher (Grades 5-8)
Rebecca Merblum
Ensemble Teacher
Darcie Steeves
Eighth Grade Teacher
