Team Discovery


Welcome to Team Discovery!

Welcome to Team Discovery! On this two-year journey, you can expect to grow in many ways. The challenges that you will face will not be easy, but you will never be alone in your pursuit of mastering each and every one of them. Our mission is to foster your independence as a learner. You will see every obstacle as a puzzle that can be solved. You will learn to set goals, and strive to attain your personal best. You will learn to evaluate the outcome of each of your choices and to make informed decisions. We will provide you with the tools, the skills, and information, but it will be your fire and your initiative that decides how best to use them. Highlights of your journey will include working with various interdisciplinary units, interactions with peers outside of the classroom and various trips, including theater excursions, team building activities and culminating in the eighth grade trip to Washington, D.C.

Guidance Counselor	Mrs. Sue Poriss, sporiss@nwr7.org


Social Studies	Mr. Michael Stapleton, mstapleton@nwr7.org

American Studies is an exploration of the events and ideas that have gone into the creation of this American life. To make this study as meaningful as possible students are asked to place themselves in the roles of the people who played a part in our nation's development. Through simulations such as mock trial, Constitutional Convention, Senate Simulation, You Be the Supreme Court Justice, You Be the Juror, and activities such as the African American Museum students can better realize the promise, the progress and the process of our American Government.


Reading	Mrs. Krista Brazie, kbrazie@nwr7.org

Reading 8 focuses on developing a student's reading, thinking, and writing skills using a whole language teaching philosophy. Students will read self-selected books, as well as assigned material. Response journals provide a means for close interaction with text. Some of the skills to be addressed include comprehension, critical reading skills, and development of strategies for use in all content areas. Study skills such as organization, discriminative listening, following directions, study and testing strategies, and the use of textbooks will also be part of the curriculum.


English	Mrs. Val Hoffman, vhoffman@nwr7.org

English 8 is a comprehensive course in English stressing writing and literature. Units of study include an introduction to Greek mythology, essay writing, structure of the short story, and in-depth study of a novel; and skills of spelling, vocabulary, grammar, and usage are integrated into the study of writing as well as being stressed individually.


Science	Mrs. Alison Beauchene, abeauchene@nwr7.org

The focus of studies in seventh and eighth grade science is on the interaction of thinking processes with the content of science. Through the study of the living and nonliving worlds, students learn how to apply observations and intuitions to new situations and problems, they formulate hypotheses, design experiments, and draw conclusions. In seventh grade, topics in biological and physical sciences are addressed through the following content areas: Forces in action, energy at work, and earth materials and resources. In the second year of General Science, students learn about atoms and molecules, introductory chemistry, electricity and aspects of human physiology.


Math	Mrs. Kathleen Wheeler, kwheeler@nwr7.org

Eighth grade math is a continuation and extension of the curriculum as presented in Grade 7 math. Each topic presented is enhanced with more detail and at amore challenging level. In addition, new topics are also introduced; some of which are in preparation for a year's study of algebra in 9th grade. There is an emphasis on conceptual understanding and practical application of the mathematical topics being studied. The course is very carefully structured, so students have many opportunities for success. This is partially accomplished by utilizing a variety of presentation and assessment techniques.


Special Education	Mr. Richard Hinman, rhinman@nwr7.org
	Mrs. Carol Swanson, cswanson@nwr7.org (Paraprofessional)

Special education exists to help students to develop their own exceptional styles of learning and apply them to all of the curricular areas. Support in each academic class is provided, and options exist for separate special education classes.