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Science guides to help you get ahead
Science guides to help you get ahead
Your child may have completed Year 7, but do you understand what that means? Do you know what changes to expect for your child as they begin Year 8?
The end of Year 7 signals the completion of your child’s transition to High School. Year 7 has introduced them to:
Year 8 students are now clearly high school students and are given the opportunity to develop the skills acquired in Year 7.
No NAPLAN in Year 8
There is no Year 8 NAPLAN assessment, and so students often neglect the immediacy of learning and improving their skills and knowledge. However, just because there are no significant assessments in Year 8 doesn’t mean that Year 8 is not important.
Students must be prepared for the following when transitioning into Year 8:
Just because there is no urgency in the Year 8 assessment schedule doesn’t mean that Year 8 is not important.
Year 8 is a crucial stage for students to develop their critical thinking skills.
Let’s have a look at the differences between Year 7 and 8 to see what is in store for your child.
Year 8 has new challenges for students but is still part of Stage 4. Many parents are unsure of exactly what this means for their child.
Here’s a table to help you understand the changes:
Year 7 | Year 8 | |
Table: Comparison of Years 7 and 8 | ||
Concepts | Introduce new concepts | Consolidate and master concepts before advancing to stage 5. |
Subjects | English Mathematics Science Creative Arts Human Society and its Environments Languages PDHPE Technology and Applied Studies | English Mathematics Science Creative Arts Human Society and its Environments Languages PDHPE Technology and Applied Studies |
Homework | 1 hour per day | 1.5 hours per day |
NAPLAN | Year 7 Assessment | No NAPLAN |
In Year 8,
Year 8 is all about consolidating knowledge and skills.
As you can see, Year 8 is about developing skills and entrenching skills and routines. This is an important stage of development for your child.
The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) divides the learning outcomes for students 6 Stages for Kindergarten through to Year 12.
Year 8 students will learn the following compulsory subjects:
Your child’s school and teachers will also select elective subjects for them to study. These elective subjects will be drawn from these broad subject areas:
Students will need to follow a timetable to know which subject they have at what time on any given day. Sometimes they may even have the same subject in different classrooms on different days. For example:
Table: Sample Year 8 Timetable | |||||
Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
Period 1 | Italian Ms Coppi Rm:C23 | PDHPE Mr Tucky Rm:Gym | History Mrs Kaiser Rm:H5 | Italian Ms Coppi Rm:C23 | English Dr Grunfelt Rm:C23 |
Period 2 | English Dr Grunfelt Rm:H4 | Maths Mr Fermat Rm:A2 | Geography Mrs Capricorn Rm:H5 | Science Dr White Rm:S54 | Maths Mr Fermat Rm:A1 |
Period 3 | Science Dr White Rm:S54 | Italian Ms Coppi Rm:C23 | Music Mr Gliss Rm:Music Room | English Dr Grunfelt Rm:H4 | Maths Mr Fermat Rm:A1 |
Period 4 | Science Dr White Rm:S54 | History Mrs Kaiser Rm:H5 | Art Mr Nalon Rm:Art Studio | English Dr Grunfelt Rm:H4 | Art Mr Nalon Rm:Art studio |
Period 5 | Maths Mr Fermat Rm:A2 | Geography Mrs Capricorn Rm:H5 | Design and Technology Ms Fard Rm:Workshop | Sport Mr Tucky | Pastoral Care Rm: Homeroom |
The texts year 8 students study become increasingly complex compared to year 7. However, as Year 8 is part of Stage 4 students work towards the same outcomes.
NESA has provided a set of specific outcomes for Stage 4 English. Matrix Theory Books are designed to help students achieve the complete list of Stage 4 Outcomes:
It is important for students to read continually throughout Year 8. This means reading texts that are not studied at school this will continue to hone students’ skills for reading, comprehension, and analysis. At Matrix, students study a variety of text types to specifically address the Stage 4 outcomes.
Students must master writing in PEEL paragraphs to communicate their increasingly complex ideas.
The table below outlines the Year 7 and 8 English programs at Matrix;
Table: Matrix Year 7 and 8 English Program | ||
Year 7 | Year 8 | |
Oct – Dec | Introduction to Reading Texts | Journalism and Poetry |
Feb – Apr | Introduction to Analysing Texts | Texts Through Time |
Apr – Jun | Introduction to Persuasive texts | Representation and Perspective |
Jul – Sep | Introduction to Shakespeare | Shakespeare – Romeo and Juliet |
For many students, Year 8 will be the first time they encounter Shakespeare. Shakespeare is an important figure in English literature. Students undertaking English Advanced in Year 12 must study a Shakespearean play. In addition, students will keep developing their communication skills. Key amongst these is the ability to write complex analytical paragraphs.
Year 8 students can expect to face questions like this for English at school,
Image: Year 8 Sample English Question
Learn how to ace Junior English with our comprehensive Guide. Read it now.
Year 8 Mathematics further develops students skills and consolidates their existing knowledge. The mathematics topics that students learn in Stage 4 (year 7 and 8) are outlined below:
More detailed information about Stage 4 Mathematics can be found on the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) website. At Matrix, students address all of the topics set by NESA in their Year 8 Mathematics Theory Books. Each lesson is designed to ensure students meet the Stage 4 outcomes.
Year 8 students will learn how to solve more difficult equations. These will have real-world applications and feature one and two variables or unknowns. Students will be introduced to statistics. They will study introductory probability, single variable data analysis and their practical applications.
Year 8 Mathematics teaches students practical skills that have important applications in the real world.
The table below outlines the Year 7 and 8 Mathematics program at Matrix:
Table: Matrix Year 7 and 8 Mathematics Program | ||
Year 7 | Year 8 | |
Oct – Dec | Directed Numbers Fractions Decimals & Percentages | Indices Algebraic Techniques Linear Relationships |
Feb – Apr | Algebraic Techniques Financial mathematics Ratio Time | Equations Rates Length Area |
Apr – Jun | Algebraic Equations Angle Relationships Properties of Geometrical Figures Length & Area | Algebraic Techniques Equations Properties of geometrical figures Volume and Capacity |
Jul – Sep | Pythagoras’ Theorem Area Linear relationships Data Collection & Representation | Probability Similarity Financial Mathematics |
A year 8 student needs to be confident answering questions like this:
We hope this survival guide and the links provided are a useful resource in preparing you for what’s to come in Year 8, and in achieving your academic ambitions.
You need to get the Maths foundations right in Year 8. Do you know what they are? Read our Beginner’s Guide to Year 8 Maths to see the strategies we’ve used to helped thousands of Year 8 kids succeed.
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