What your child learns in Grade 8 in BC
Grade 8 is the first year of secondary school in many BC districts. Students work with fraction operations, squares and roots, ratios and rates, linear equations, the Pythagorean theorem and surface area and volume, and they study cells, particles and plate tectonics.
Grade 8 subjects in the BC Curriculum
Math
Big Ideas
- Number represents, describes, and compares the quantities of ratios, rates, and percents.
- Computational fluency and flexibility with numbers extend to operations with fractions.
- Discrete linear relations can be represented in many connected ways and used to identify and make generalizations.
8 units, including fraction operations, squares, cubes & roots, ratios, rates & proportions, percents & money.
English Language Arts
Big Ideas
- Language and story can be a source of creativity and joy.
- Exploring stories and other texts helps us understand ourselves and make connections to others and to the world.
- People understand text differently depending on their worldviews and perspectives.
5 units, including close reading, literary devices, argument & media, grammar & style.
Science
Big Ideas
- Life processes are performed at the cellular level.
- The behaviour of matter can be explained by the kinetic molecular theory and by the atomic theory.
- Energy can be transferred as both a particle and a wave.
5 units, including cells & life processes, microbes & the immune system, particles & matter, light & radiation.
Social Studies
Big Ideas
- Contacts and conflicts between peoples stimulated significant cultural, social, and political change.
- Human and environmental factors shape changes in population and living standards.
- Exploration, expansion, and colonization had varying consequences for different groups.
6 units, including medieval europe, the islamic world, trade & empires, renaissance & reformation.
French Immersion
Big Ideas
- The choice of verbal and non-verbal language conveys the speaker's intentions.
- Becoming aware of the values conveyed in texts helps us to better understand their cultural content.
- Deepening our understanding of a text requires discovering the implicit and explicit information in it.
11 units, including les registres de langue, parler et se faire comprendre, la légende, le théâtre.
Core French
Big Ideas
- Listening and viewing with intent supports our acquisition and understanding of French.
- We can express ourselves and talk about the world around us in French.
- With increasing fluency in French, we can participate more actively in reciprocal interactions.
9 units, including past, present, future, asking questions, how often?, opinions and reasons.
What to look for on the report card
Look for comments on managing a heavier workload, showing steps in math and supporting an argument with evidence from a text.
BC report cards describe learning with Emerging, Developing, Proficient, Extending. See what each level means.
Core Competencies are part of every grade. Read about core competencies.
Ready for Grade 8?
Grade 8 builds on what your child practised in Grade 7. If a skill feels shaky, a few short practice sessions before or early in the year can help:
- Math: add & subtract integers, multiply & divide integers, decimal operations, fractions, decimals & percents, tax, tips & discounts
- English Language Arts: close reading, literary devices, tone & mood, persuasive power, source check
- Science: natural selection, atoms & elements, circuits & static, magnets & motors, restless earth
- Social Studies: first farmers, where civilizations grew, laws & government, world beliefs, trade networks
- French Immersion: le superlatif, choisir le bon temps, figures de style, la poésie, défendre son opinion
- Core French: directions, places in town, comparing, describing people, cognates and strategies
Common questions
What do kids learn in Grade 8 in British Columbia?
Grade 8 covers math, english language arts, science, social studies, french immersion, core french in the BC Curriculum. Grade 8 is the first year of secondary school in many BC districts. Students work with fraction operations, squares and roots, ratios and rates, linear equations, the Pythagorean theorem and surface area and volume, and they study cells, particles and plate tectonics.
How is Grade 8 reported in BC?
BC report cards describe learning with Emerging, Developing, Proficient, Extending.
How can I help my Grade 8 child at home?
Short, regular practice works better than long sessions: 10 to 15 minutes a few times a week, on the skills your child's teacher flags. Read together, use math in real life, and praise effort.
Practise Grade 8 skills with Gradelings
Kind hints, no ads, and reports in the language of the BC report card. Free for 30 days, no card needed.
Try it free