Year 8 Program

The proficiency strands understanding, fluency, problem-solving and reasoning are an integral part of mathematics content across the three content strands: number and algebra, measurement and geometry, and statistics and probability.  

At the Year 8 level: 

• understanding includes describing patterns involving indices and recurring decimals, identifying commonalities between operations with algebra and arithmetic, connecting rules for linear relations with their graphs, explaining the purpose of statistical measures and explaining measurements of perimeter and area 

• fluency includes calculating accurately with simple decimals, indices and integers; recognising equivalence of common decimals and fractions including recurring decimals; factorising and simplifying basic algebraic expressions and evaluating perimeters and areas of common shapes and volumes of three-dimensional objects 
• problem-solving includes formulating and modelling practical situations involving ratios, profit and loss, areas and perimeters of common shapes and using two-way tables and Venn diagrams to calculate probabilities 
• reasoning includes justifying the result of a calculation or estimation as reasonable, deriving probability from its complement, using congruence to deduce properties of triangles, finding estimates of means and proportions of populations. 

The English curriculum is built around the three interrelated strands of language, literature and literacy. Teaching and learning programs should balance and integrate all three strands. Together, the strands focus on developing students’ knowledge, understanding and skills in listening, reading, viewing, speaking, writing and creating. Learning in English builds on concepts, skills and processes developed in earlier years, and teachers will revisit and strengthen these as needed.

In Years 7 and 8, students communicate with peers, teachers, individuals, groups and community members in a range of face-to-face and online/virtual environments. They experience learning in familiar and unfamiliar contexts that relate to the school curriculum, local community, regional and global contexts.

Students engage with a variety of texts for enjoyment. They listen to, read, view, interpret, evaluate and perform a range of spoken, written and multimodal texts in which the primary purpose is aesthetic, as well as texts designed to inform and persuade. These include various types of media texts including newspapers, magazines and digital texts, early adolescent novels, non-fiction, poetry and dramatic performances. Students develop their understanding of how texts, including media texts, are influenced by context, purpose and audience.

In Year 8, students are introduced to cells as microscopic structures that explain macroscopic properties of living systems. They link form and function at a cellular level and explore the organisation of body systems in terms of flows of matter between interdependent organs. Similarly, they explore changes in matter at a particle level, and distinguish between chemical and physical change. They begin to classify different forms of energy, and describe the role of energy in causing change in systems, including the role of heat and kinetic energy in the rock cycle. Students use experimentation to isolate relationships between components in systems and explain these relationships through increasingly complex representations. They make predictions and propose explanations, drawing on evidence to support their views while considering other points of view.

In Year 8, Humanities and Social Sciences consists of Civics and Citizenship, Economics and Business, Geography and History.

Students develop increasing independence in critical thinking and skill application, which includes questioning, researching, analysing, evaluating, communicating and reflecting. They apply these skills to investigate events, developments, issues and phenomena, both historical and contemporary.

Students continue to build on their understanding of the concepts of the Westminster system, democracy and participation. They investigate the types of law in Australia and how they are made. They consider the responsibilities and freedoms of citizens, and how Australians can actively participate in their democracy. Students explore the different perspectives of Australian identity.

The concept of markets is introduced to further develop students understanding of the concepts of interdependence, making choices and allocation. They consider how markets work and the rights, responsibilities and opportunities that arise for businesses, consumers and governments. Work and work futures are explored as students consider the influences on the way people work now and consider how people will work in the future. Students focus on national and regional issues, with opportunities for the concepts to also be considered in relation to local community, or global, issues where appropriate.

The concepts of place, space, environment, interconnection, sustainability and change continue to be developed as a way of thinking and provide students with the opportunity to inquire into the significance of landscapes to people and the spatial change in the distribution of populations. They apply this understanding to a wide range of places and environments at the full range of scales, from local to global, and in a range of locations.

Students develop their historical understanding through key concepts, including evidence, continuity and change, cause and effect, perspectives, empathy, significance and contestability. These concepts are investigated within the historical context of the end of the ancient period to the beginning of the modern period, c. 650 AD (CE) – 1750. They consider how societies changed, what key beliefs and values emerged, and the causes and effects of contact between societies in this period.

In Year 8, the content provides opportunities for students to further examine changes to their identity and ways to manage them. They continue to develop and refine decision-making skills and apply them to a range of situations, as well as in online environments. They investigate health-promotion activities that aim to improve the health and wellbeing of young people and continue to develop critical health literacy skills, including the ability to distinguish between credible and less credible sources of health information.

Students continue to broaden their repertoire of specialised movement skills and knowledge of sophisticated tactical thinking skills, and apply these to an expanding array of physical activity contexts. They build on skills to analyse their own and others’ performance and use basic terminology and concepts to describe movement patterns and suggest ways to improve performance outcomes.

Students continue to reflect on, and refine, personal and social skills that support inclusive participation and fair play, and contribute to positive team cohesion.

The Health and Physical Education curriculum provides opportunities for students to develop, enhance and exhibit attitudes and values that promote a healthy lifestyle.

In Year 8, students have opportunities to learn about technologies in society at least once in the following technologies contexts: Engineering principles and systems; Food and Fibre production; Food Specialisations; and Materials and Technologies Specialisations. Students are provided with opportunities to design and produce products, services and environments.

Students have opportunities to select from a range of  technologies, materials, components, tools and equipment. They consider the ways characteristics and properties of technologies can be combined to design and produce sustainable solutions. They develop strategies which enable them to consider society and ethics; social, ethical and sustainability factors. Students’ use of creativity, innovation and enterprise skills is encouraged to increase independence and collaboration.

Students are given opportunities to respond to feedback from others and evaluate their design processes and solutions. They investigate design and technology solutions and the implications for each on society, locally, regionally and globally. Students develop their techniques for evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of design ideas.

Students have opportunities to engage with a range of technologies, including a variety of graphical representation techniques to communicate ideas. Students generate and clarify ideas through sketching, modelling and perspective drawings.

Students identify the increasingly complex sequences and steps involved in design tasks. They develop plans to manage design tasks, including safe and responsible use of materials and tools to successfully complete design tasks.

In Year 8, learning in Digital Technologies focuses on further developing understanding and skills in computational thinking, such as decomposing problems and engaging students with a wider range of information systems as they broaden their experiences and involvement in national, regional and global activities.

Students have opportunities to create a range of solutions, such as interactive web applications or simulations.

Students explore the properties of networked systems. They acquire data from a range of digital systems. Students use data to model objects and events. They further develop their understanding of the vital role that data plays in their lives.

Students are provided with further opportunities to develop abstractions, identifying common elements, while decomposing apparently different problems and systems to define requirements; and recognise that abstractions hide irrelevant details for particular purposes. When defining problems, students identify the key elements of the problems and the factors and constraints at play. They design increasingly complex algorithms that allow data to be manipulated automatically.

Students predict and evaluate their developed and existing solutions, considering time, tasks, data and the safe and sustainable use of information systems.

Students plan and manage individual and team projects with some autonomy. They consider ways of managing the exchange of ideas, tasks and files and feedback. When communicating and collaborating online, students develop an understanding of different social contexts; for example, acknowledging cultural practices and meeting legal obligations.

In Year 8 students will explore and develop food related interests and skills. They will learn about how food impacts us on the every-day basis and the importance of overall health and wellbeing.

Students will organise, implement and manage food production as well as understand food availability, safety and quality.

In the Automotive course students develop skills and understandings relating to the component parts, accessories, systems and technologies of the automotive vehicle. Students develop the principles underpinning the operation of vehicle systems and subsystems. They also develop the knowledge and skills needed to service, maintain and repair these systems. Students develop effective communication, teamwork skills and environmental awareness when developing solutions to planning and managing automotive vehicle systems.

In Year 8, Drama students will be given opportunities to plan, refine and present drama to peers by safely using processes, techniques and conventions of drama. Drama will be based on extended improvisations, or taken from appropriate, published script excerpts, using selected drama forms and styles (Note: students will have an opportunity to present a scripted drama and improvisation performance at least once over Years 7 and 8). Student work in devised and/or scripted drama is the focus of informal reflective processes using more detailed drama terminology.

Teachers are required to address knowledge and skills in Drama through one or more of the forms and styles below. Other forms and styles may be used in addition to teach knowledge and skills in Drama.

Drama forms and styles for Year 8: readers theatre, children’s theatre, naturalism or realism.

In Year 8, students are provided with opportunities to view media work within the context of the selected focus. Students build on media concepts from previous years, through expansion of the basic communication model to include new and emerging media technologies. They apply their understanding of intended audience, purpose and context in their productions and in their response to their own and others’ media work. They explore current trends in how audiences use media.

Students begin to solve problems, work as a team, follow timelines and use processes and strategies to ensure safe and responsible use of media equipment.

In Year 8, students have opportunities to use and apply Visual Arts language and artistic conventions of more complexity in their design and production process. They create 2D and/or 3D artwork with awareness of producing a personal response to given stimuli, through exposure to a variety of techniques. Students are made aware of the need for safe Visual Arts practices when using tools and media, as well as how to present their artwork for display.

Students become familiar with how and why artists, craftspeople or designers realise their ideas. They have opportunities to evaluate the contexts of culture, time and place within artwork. Students apply knowledge of techniques used by other artists and consider audience interpretation in the production of their own artwork.

Students are provided with critical analysis frameworks to analyse artwork and use Visual Arts terminology when responding.

Teachers are required to address knowledge and skills in Visual Arts through one art form and art style below. Other art forms and art styles may be used in addition to teach knowledge and skills in Visual Arts.

Art forms:
2D (painting, printmaking, drawing, still photo, digital media, graphics, collage)
3D (ceramics, sculpture, installations)

Art styles:
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, Asian art, contemporary Australian/international artists, craftspeople and photographers.