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I'm not getting much info on the K-8 boards and was hoping someone from this board might be willing to share their 8th grade plans?

 

I realize this is a huge year for us. I want to do my best to prepare for bridging over to High School.

 

Could you share your 8th grader's plans with me?? I want to make sure I don't overlook anything!

 

Thanks!:001_smile:

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I'm not getting much info on the K-8 boards and was hoping someone from this board might be willing to share their 8th grade plans?

 

I realize this is a huge year for us. I want to do my best to prepare for bridging over to High School.

 

Could you share your 8th grader's plans with me?? I want to make sure I don't overlook anything!

 

Thanks!:001_smile:

 

We are in 8th grade right now, and I have one child who is working a bit advanced (not gifted) and my other who is pretty average I think. Here's what my dd is doing(did):

 

History - TOG Year 4

 

Literature - TOG Online Bridge Lit class

- Literary Lessons From Lord of the Rings

 

English - Finished SWI C (from IEW), then did Teaching the Classics, now starting Put That in Writing, which we'll finish in Grade 9

 

Science - Tarbuck's College Earth Science

 

Latin - Latin 1 through Lukeion

 

French - Breaking the French Barrier 1 and Skyping with French tutor

 

Math - Foerster's Algebra

 

Civics - icivics.org and TeenPact

 

Extras - violin lessons, tennis, teen book club, and she's employed outside the house for 6 hours a week

 

My son is doing:

 

History - TOG Year 4

Literature- TOG lit, Lighting Lit 8

English - SWI C, TtC, Put That in Writing

Science - Prentice Hall Science Explorers Earth Science (several books)

Latin - Latin Prep

Math - CLE 7 and soon starting Foerster's Algebra

Civics - icivics.org

Extra - archery

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Here's what we're using this year:

 

Latin - Started with Cambridge, switched to Wheelock's last month

Writing - Writing with Skills, Write Guide skill sheets

Grammar - Warriner's

Japanese - Irasshai

Science - Misc. Information, Communication, and Technology

Math - Algebra (combination of MEP, Dolciani, and now Lial's)

Literature - Literary Lessons from Lord of the Rings

Art - Harmony Fine Arts Medieval/ Renaissance

History - Renaissance/Reformation/Elizabethan times with variety of books

Logic - Discovery of Deduction

Edited by elegantlion
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DS20 did (before they had some of what is available now. This is about all we knew at the time!):

English/Lit.--A Beka

Math--AO Lifepacs

Science--A Beka Life Science

History--A Beka

PE

Piano

Bible--Our own program

 

DS18 did:

English—Rod & Staff/ Vocabulary From Classical Roots

Math--TT Algebra 1

Science--Physical Science, Apologia

History--Ancient History, SOTW and other sources, including Hey Andrew Greek books 1-4

P.E.

Piano

Bible--Our own program

 

DD14 did:

Bible--Our own program

English--Hake

Math--CLE

Science--Rainbow Science

History--Early American History, Book 1 and MANY books and reports/papers

PE

Piano

Huge Community Service Project

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My youngest will be in 8th next year. Here is what she will be doing:

Dd 8th

History: American History explorers-civil war, America A Narrative History, Hippocampus, and a book list.

LA: WWS 2, LL8, AG, Wordly Wise 8

Math: Algebra MUS/LoF or Lials

Science: PH Physical Science Concepts in Action w/DIVE

Foreign Language: Breaking the Barrier French I

Music: flute in high school band at a local private school; drums - private lessons + youth worship band

Competitive gymnastics

 

Last year when ds was in 8th he did:

History: SL Core 6

LA: SL Lit, LL8, Easy Grammar Plus, Wordly Wise 9

Math: Pre-Algebra MUS & Pre-LoF Algebra w/Biology

Science: PH Physical Science Concepts in Action

Foreign Language: Rosetta Stone Spanish

Logic: Finished Orbiting Logic series & Fallacy Detective

Music: Clarinet in high school band at a local private school & homeschool orchestra; music theory and intermediate guitar also through our homeschool orchestra program

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Doing 8th grade this year here with my twins:

 

Literature - Literary Lessons from Lord of the Rings

Grammar/Vocab - MCT

Writing - Lively Art of Writing; Write Guide tutor

Math - dd1 - Lial's Introductory Algebra; dd2 Foerster's Algebra I

Science - CPO Physics: A First Course

History- K12 Human Odyssey, Oxford World in Ancient Times, hist. fiction and documentaries

Spanish - Breaking the Spanish Barrier 3

German - German Sat. School

PE - dd1 ballet; dd2 skating

Music - dd1 Violin and Orchestra; dd2 Piano

Other (outside classes) - both: Art, Video Production; dd2 Robotics

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I see that you are using WriteShop. I would encourage you to complete it by the end of 8th grade. I see that you are using MUS. I'm not sure what level your ds is working at, but if it will be Pre-Algebra or Algebra in 8th grade, I encourage you to supplement with Patty Paper Geometry for a fun, hands-on introduction to Geometry. Here is a thread about PPG:

Please tell me about Patty Paper Geometry

You can use the tag at the bottom of the thread to see more threads.

 

Here is what we used in 8th grade:

Foerster’s Algebra

Patty Paper Geometry

Lightning Literature 8

Figuratively Speaking

Analytical Grammar

Write Shop

Megawords 7 & 8

Science Explorer Sound & Light

Science Explorer Motion, Forces, & Energy

TOPS Machines

TOPS Electricity

History at our House European History

Home2Teach/Aubrey

Critical Thinking

 

FWIW, I don't recommend Home2Teach. Aubrey is a member on these boards who taught 9th grade English pre-kids. She worked with ds on revisions to his history and literature essays. She was very helpful.

 

HTH!

Edited by Sue in St Pete
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My 8th grade son.

 

Bible: Balancing the Sword + some worldview books

History: homemade History of Science

English: Magic Lens I, Word Within a Word I, Essay Voyage, Lightning Lit 8

Geometry: Jacobs 2nd edition (started the year with 3rd edition...it was awful)

Science: BJU Physical Science

Latin: Lone Pine Classical Latin 100

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Current 8th grader (strong student, I'll have a different type in 2 years and the list will not be the same!)

 

Algebra - Foerster Algebra 1 supplemented with NEM, we might finish early and get a head start on Geometry, but this is the second year doing this.

 

Science - He is working through BJU Earth Science. Sometimes he writes summaries of what he has learned

 

Logic-Traditional Logic II

 

Latin-Finished up Henle 1 and started Henle 2 at semester (planning on taking 1.5 yrs to get through Henle 2 and Lingua Latina)

 

History-Churchill Birth of Britain and TC Middle Ages Lectures

 

English/Writing Lost Tools of Writing AND an imitation program and some grammar from R&S 8th grade book.

 

Literature-I'm not assigning any this year. He reads on his own time without me needing to assign. Working on the writing heavily this year.

 

 

I share my current 8th graders schedule, but in 8th grade I think skills are more important than content. What I wish I had done with my previous 8th grader is

 

1) make him write more, even if I only had time for some of it to be just words on the paper. They need to gain speed. So focused writing instruction and then write-a-narration-or-something daily writing.

 

2) Make sure he could learn/remember material for a test. I didn't do tests/textbooks in K-7 and didn't know that he couldn't do this. My other children around him remember everything and so this was/is not something I needed to work with them on. When we hit Biology he was not prepared.

 

3) Make sure reading comprehension is strong and teach strategies for approaching difficult text. Have them practice these strategies on difficult text (science, lit, history)

 

4) solid Algebra skills. Don't rush Alg 1. I took 1.5 years with two children and 2 years with the 3rd. I don't regret this at all.

 

I'm sure I've missed something important, but these are the things I'm thinking about as I look ahead to a struggling student 8th grader.

Edited by Kendall
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My young 8th grade ds is doing:

 

Bible: Eschatology and Devotional

Philosophy for Kids

Fallacy Detective

Lightning Lit 8

Shurley English 7 (but not the writing)

Writing Strands 6

Life of Fred - flew through both pre-algebra books this year and began algebra last week

 

History and science have been a bit of a mix of several informal things this year; we've not settled on one single curriculum.

 

Extras include Civil Air Patrol, soccer, and TeenPact.

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I'm not getting much info on the K-8 boards and was hoping someone from this board might be willing to share their 8th grade plans?

 

I realize this is a huge year for us. I want to do my best to prepare for bridging over to High School.

 

Could you share your 8th grader's plans with me?? I want to make sure I don't overlook anything!

 

Thanks!:001_smile:

 

My 8th and 7th graders track together

 

History: I start with the schedule for TOG year 3 and then adjust heavily to reflect the books I have access to. (And to beef up the Euro history for the period.)

English: Adventures in Reading from HBJ (using the Pegasus edition as I don't like the later Athena edition). We read and they are working up to an essay per week. Also doing Writing with Skill because what it teaches is so foundational.

Math: Art of Problem Solving Intro to Algebra. Self study, not online course

Science: Earth Science. Last semester was weather. This semester is geology. Using Earth by Tarbuck/Lutgens and Teaching Company How the Earth Works DVD. This is a lead in to AP Environmental Science next year.

Latin: Ecce Romani 1

German: OSU German 1

Coop: Graphic Design and art for 8th grader, creative writing and yearbook for 7th

 

Extra: Scouts, swim team for 8th grader, 5k training for 7th grader

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Next year's plan:

 

Jacob's Geometry

 

Latin 2 (w/ VPSA)

 

Composition 1 (w/ VPSA)

Omnibus 2 Secondary (w/ VPSA)

Analytical Grammar cont'd.

 

ToG Year 2

 

Physical Science w/ Derek Owens

 

Logic: still deciding! Probably Art of Argument & Fallacy Detective

 

P.E.: He's a competitive, year-round swimmer, so he gets LOTS of exercise!

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We will be starting 8th grade in a few months and still undecided on a few things:

 

Math: Chalkdust Prealgebra

 

Science: Holt Earth Science and Life Science

 

Writing: Undecided but might use IEW

 

Literature: Literary Lessons From Lord of the Rings and TLP guides

 

Vocabulary: Undecided, might just continue to study word roots

 

History: Trisms History Masterminds, Beautiful Feet guides, or EpiKardia

 

Foreign Language: Latin Alive

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I'm not getting much info on the K-8 boards

 

Thanks!:001_smile:

 

I'm glad you are getting help here. Just wanted to add that you posted your question in the wrong section really on the K-8 board. The Logic Stage & Middle Grade Challenges is where most if not all of the 8th grade type questions are answered on the K-8 board. It's up more at the top of the forum.

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there are so many things that my 8th grader has done so far and things that he has not:

 

1. Science-Exploring Creation with Physical Science

2. History-reading the constitution

3. Math-Saxon Algebra 1

4. Writing-Essay Voyage and Time 4 Writing

5. Vocabulary-Cesar's English 2

6. Grammar-Rod and Staff 8

7. Foreign Language-Rosetta Stone Spanish

8. Bible-Reading One Year Bible

9. Reading- 20,000 Leagues under the sea, Romeo and Juliet, and Out of the Silent Planet

 

Just to clarify: My son completed Rod and Staff 8 in November, Essay Voyage in December, and the One Year Bible in December. Also, he finished reading 20,000 Leagues Under the sea in October and Romeo and Juliet at the end of January. He currently follows Ambleside Online year 8 for a lot of his readings, history, nature study, art, etc. He is currently taking an online course called Time4Writing.

 

10-Physical Education-Frisbee, Basketball, and Indoor Soccer.

11-Music-Violin and Piano and Junior High Choir

 

I think that is it. In terms of physical education, frisbee is played in the fall and spring outside. Basketball and Indoor Soccer are played through the town and are winter sports. I want to keep them physically active. I just went overboard with it this year.

 

That's all!

 

Blessings,

Karen

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

Edited by Testimony
forgot to put something
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It is amazing to read of all the different roads one can take for 8th grade. Well any grade for that matter. Here are my tentative plans:

Math - Saxon 8/7 (currently use 7/6 but my DD commented today that she forgets some concepts b/c it was introduced lessons ago then pops up unexpectantedly later :glare: Not sure how to fix this "problem."

 

Language Arts - LL8, WWS, grammar resources (BJU, Easy Grammar, etc.)

maybe English From the Roots Up (which has fallen by the wayside this year) and/or self made vocabulary program.

 

Science - Apologia Physical Science (co-op)

History (Geography/Cultures/Missions) MFW ECC + /7/8 supplement - (taking a break in History to focus on Language Arts)

Drama - co-op 1x/week

Self-Defense - co-op 1x/week

 

As I'm typing this I'm tweaking in my head :lol:

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I'm curious how you have felt about Time 4 Writing? It looks pretty neat. I am curious to hear your experience??

 

Thanks for sharing!

 

 

 

 

 

there are so many things that my 8th grader has done so far and things that he has not:

 

1. Science-Exploring Creation with Physical Science

2. History-reading the constitution

3. Math-Saxon Algebra 1

4. Writing-Essay Voyage and Time 4 Writing

5. Vocabulary-Cesar's English 2

6. Grammar-Rod and Staff 8

7. Foreign Language-Rosetta Stone Spanish

8. Bible-Reading One Year Bible

9. Reading- 20,000 Leagues under the sea, Romeo and Juliet, and Out of the Silent Planet

 

Just to clarify: My son completed Rod and Staff 8 in November, Essay Voyage in December, and the One Year Bible in December. Also, he finished reading 20,000 Leagues Under the sea in October and Romeo and Juliet at the end of January. He currently follows Ambleside Online year 8 for a lot of his readings, history, nature study, art, etc. He is currently taking an online course called Time4Writing.

 

10-Physical Education-Frisbee, Basketball, and Indoor Soccer.

11-Music-Violin and Piano and Junior High Choir

 

I think that is it. In terms of physical education, frisbee is played in the fall and spring outside. Basketball and Indoor Soccer are played through the town and are winter sports. I want to keep them physically active. I just went overboard with it this year.

 

That's all!

 

Blessings,

Karen

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

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Here's our plan:

 

Algebra-Chalkdust, but starting to add in some MUS. Will do LOF over summer.

Latin: Lukeion 1

English: WWS, Bravewriter Essay, MIddle School Writing (Homeschool Connections)--a bit of overkill, but we've neglected writing. Almost finished w/AG (which we love), MCT vocab. Reading in free time

History: AAH, TC American History dvd

Geography/Earth Science: Runkle

Science: PH Phys. Sci (we're not making too much progress with this, but we're also doing Rainbow to make it more fun).

Religion: Finished Faith and Life 8, getting ready to start Teen Great Bible Adventure.

Speech-fall semester

Traditional Logic 1, this semester.

 

Laura

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Here's what ds is doing in 8th this year...

 

 

Algebra II -- With Derek Owens. This is our second year with Derek for math, and ds adores him. :)

 

Physics -- Also with Derek Owens.

 

History and Literature -- Modern period.

--->We're using Spielvogel's Western Civilization (chap. 22-29) and Hakim's History of US (books 6-10) for history along with some other supplements (Genevieve Foster's Abraham Lincoln's World, several of Russell Freedman's and Albert Marrin's books), and a handful of historical fiction books.

--->Various literature from the time period. I'll include a list down below.

--->Windows to the World for literary analysis. I love this. It uses short stories, so it won't be overwhelming on top of all of the lit we're reading with history, but she does a wonderful job of explaining literary concepts to kids, giving parent/teachers a window into how *she* teaches, taking kids through literary analysis essays step-by-step...

--->Michael Clay Thompson's Poetry and Humanity.

--->Killgallon's Grammar for Middle School -- this was a nice break from Stewart English, which I consider more thorough. I wanted ds to continue with a little grammar but do something slightly different.

 

Creative Writing -- The One Year Adventure Novel. Ds was really excited about this one, but he's had trouble keeping up with it along with all of his other work. It'll likely last into the summer at least.

 

Latin -- high school Latin 3 with an outside teacher. They're reading Caesar's Gallic Wars and reviewing grammar concepts, etc.

 

Greek -- I planned for ds to continue with Greek, but decided it was just too much. He got through Elementary Greek 1-3 and part of Athenaze in 6th and 7th grades, but we just don't have enough hours in the day!

 

Additional "small" subjects:

Bible -- Christian Studies 3

Music Appreciation -- Discovering Music (just watch the dvds and listening to appropriate recordings -- we may go back through it again later with all of the notes and additional assignments)

Art History -- Just reading through Calvert's A Child's History of Art program.

Civics -- Just reading through Civics in America. This could be a bigger course, but I think his main subjects are pretty hefty this year, so I'm just asking him to read a chapter a week.

Logic -- Traditional Logic 1

 

Extra-curriculars: Ballet 4x/week (plus several performances through the year), Boy Scouts...

 

------------------------

Reading list for modern History / Lit:

Spielvogel Western Civilization, chap. 22-29

Joy Hakim's A History of US, vol. 6-10

Traitor's Gate, Avi

Charles Darwin and the Mystery of Mysteries

Abraham Lincoln's World

Across Five Aprils

The Red Badge of Courage

Virginia's General, Marrin

Unconditional Surrender, Marrin

Lincoln: a photobiography

Lincoln's Ten Sentences (part of MCT's Self-Evident Truths series)

The Man Without a Country

Little Women

Invincible Louisa

Huckleberry Finn

A Study in Scarlet

The Time Machine

The Call of the Wild

One of Ours, Cather

All Quiet on the Western Front

The War to End All Wars

In Flanders Fields (just a picture book that gives the background of the poem and the poem itself)

Murder on the Orient Express

Harlem Stomp: a cultural history of the Harlem Renaissance

Children of the Great Depression

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Freedman

Farewell to Manzanar

Once There Was a War, Steinbeck

Life: Century in Pictures for Young People

Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl

1984

Animal Farm

To Kill a Mockingbird

Martha Graham: a dancer’s life, Freedman

Free at Last: the language of Dr. King’s Dream (again from MCT's series)

Linus Pauling and the Chemistry of Life

... Most of these are not being "studied" as literature -- just read and discussed. The kids (ds and our friend who follows our history/lit assignments) just read and write a journal entry for most of the literature in this list. (They'll be getting literary analysis in Windows to the World and, to a lesser extent, from One Year Adventure Novel.) I ask them to copy out interesting / amusing / disturbing / thought-proving quotes from the literature they read and to write a 1-2 page journal entry for each, but we'll only "study" a couple of these from the list. (Some of the non-fiction history titles also have outlining, summarizing, or other assignments attached.)

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I'm curious how you have felt about Time 4 Writing? It looks pretty neat. I am curious to hear your experience??

 

Thanks for sharing!

 

I love it so far. We are currently doing it. I like the feedback that my son is getting on his writing. I like that he is getting an immediate response. You see my son is enjoying the program. So, he is keeping up with the assignments. Everytime he writes something, he gets a grade back. He does not like some of his low scores and so he tries to improve. I enjoy the fact that everything that I have told him the teacher is telling him. I feel that the subject that he is learning right now is simple, but needed.

 

Just to tell you, I wanted hime to work on essay writing. I felt, however, that he would be better off learning how to improve on his paragraph writing. He is trying to incorporate what he has learned from IEW and CW which is good. He wrote his first official paragraph today. We will see how he did. I think that the best way to have a good essay is to start with a good paragraph. So, my logic was begin with paragraphs and move on to essays.

 

Oh and the price was right too!

 

Hope that helps!

 

Blessings,

Karen

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

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Just to tell you, I wanted him to work on essay writing. I felt, however, that he would be better off learning how to improve on his paragraph writing. He is trying to incorporate what he has learned from IEW and CW which is good. He wrote his first official paragraph today. We will see how he did. I think that the best way to have a good essay is to start with a good paragraph. So, my logic was begin with paragraphs and move on to essays.

 

 

So he's taking their Paragraph class? How many weeks in are you?

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My 8th grader this year is using:

 

Bible: 4 short studies for teen girls

 

Math: Teaching Textbooks 7

 

Language Arts: Literary Lessons from Lord of the Rings, IEW Medieval History Themed Writing, Sequential Spelling for Adults

 

History: Biblioplan Year 3 supplemented with some Great Courses lectures

 

Science: Rainbow Science Year 1

 

Greek: Hey, Andrew, Teach me Some Greek (currently on level 3)

 

She's doing some keyboarding, art, and guitar on her own.

 

Blessings,

 

Laura

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