Instead of a full language arts curriculum in 8th grade, we use a strong vocabulary program and a steady diet of reading and essay writing. The vocabulary program is Vocabulary from Classical Roots – Level A (see details ). Comprised of several levels, each level’s book has 16 lessons. Each lesson features several Greek or Latin roots and the English words… Read more »
We use no specific writing curriculum in 8th grade. Essays associated with daily Reading/History assignments are the most frequent writing assignment. You should also have your student write about any special events attended or unique occurences that effect the family. Examples are trips to the opera, classical music concerts, or museum. Attendance at debate/speech competitions, science fairs, or homeschool days… Read more »
8th grade History has no specific curriculum but consists of reading good challenging books across a variety of subjects and time periods and writing essays on these readings. In the middle of the year, we begin an overview of philosophy to begin introducing the background of great ideas in western civilization. Recall that 7th grade was spent on U.S. History…. Read more »
Planning for your math subject is simple since you will follow a lesson by lesson curriculum such as Saxon Math. You should follow the curriculum in order with little flexibility. You can be flexible in how much work you require, the pace for the student, whether you test periodically, and so forth. Most math curriculums are arranged in 4 or… Read more »
The most important subject of all is the Bible. Our goal is to be conformed to the image of Christ. We know that to be like Him, we must see Him. We see Him primarily through the Bible which is His spoken, written revelation to the world. Your child should have a habit of daily personal Bible reading and prayer… Read more »
Subjects for 8th grade include skill areas of Math, Logic and Vocabulary and more general subjects of Bible, Reading, Writing, and Science. We’ll look at each of these in detail considering the goal of the subject study, particular methods, resources, and pacing of each task for the year. The idea is to determine what the student should learn in a… Read more »
The 8th grade plan assumes the student has completed the 7th grade plan. This is not necessary since, as mentioned elsewhere, the idea of hard stops between grades is the wrong approach. You can easily pick up in the middle of the 7th grade plan for a child who is of “8th grade” age. But the 7th grade plan sets… Read more »
Discussion of how to educate an 8th grader. Issues include the continuing maturing of the young adult’s mind and thinking processes, the learning environment, timeframes, and resources. Includes lists of resources required, a general strategy for each subject, and a two months sample of the detailed daily lesson plan and schedule that we implemented with our kids. Our hope is… Read more »
This program of video classroom lessons combined with the student textbook and answer key is a complete introduction to “formal” logic study. It is essential that students are introduced to the formal principles of reasoning in the middle or early-high school years. Though Logic is not created but is discovered, and is therefore intuitive in some sense, it is critical… Read more »
Another great book by the Bluedorn brothers. This book, though not a sequel to Fallacy Detective, should be studied after Fallacy Detective, and preferably after a more formal introductory logic program. Each of the 35 lessons can be done in a single sitting, making this a perfect resource for your middle schooler. Answers to all exercises are included in the book,… Read more »
