Language Arts for an 8th grade Boy

[mcaskey826]

My nephew, who is in 8th grade, came to live with us last year and although I am homeschooling my younger boys, I put him in public schools because, well, truthfully, it was too much to take on at the time. I thought that if we gave him discipline and structure and help with homework that he could catch up to his grade level. He is again failing in ps and is so far behind he is embarrassed to ask his teachers for help. I've spent many hours in prayer trying to come to a solution and I've decided to pull him out of ps and hs him. I know that God will not bring me to do anything that he won't equip me for, so here I am. Trying to get equipped!

I think I've decided on Apologia Science, that has always been his strongest and favorite subject, I've read many posts that Teaching Textbooks is great and I may have to go back a level since math is the biggest area of struggle, Mystery of History, but I'm still not decided on LA. He is not a strong reader, needs a lot of help with vocabulary, spelling, and grammar. I don't want something that is going to burn him out since we are going to have to go back and redo so much, but it needs to be thorough. Oh, and did I mention, he is VERY ADHD! He's medicated, and there is definite improvement, but still some struggle. Any advise? Also, any good Bible studies that include character and moral building for a 14 year old boy with a bad attitude? I appreciate any help you guys can give!

[Sasharowan]

We are using Growing with Grammar 7 for my 8th grader.

[Julie in MN]

I'm still not decided on LA. He is not a strong reader, needs a lot of help with vocabulary, spelling, and grammar. I don't want something that is going to burn him out since we are going to have to go back and redo so much, but it needs to be thorough.

 

Also, any good Bible studies that include character and moral building for a 14 year old boy with a bad attitude? I appreciate any help you guys can give!

 

Language arts is a huge subject. The public schools often do it in sections at this age -- a literature unit, then a grammar unit, and so on. Or you can have most of the sections going all the time, but just not every day of the week. You can't do everything if he's behind in everything.

 

Reading - It's important to at least build on this skill in preparation for high school. I'd have him read a chapter every single day, or 2 if you can get him to do one in the evenings. But what he reads can start out slowly if needed. Folks around here are likely to have lots of book recommendations, or you can use a pre-planned reading program such as Lightning Literature 7. Eventually, he needs to take a step up into thinking deeper about what he reads, and LL7 is a gentle way to do that. You can also get guides for specific books through Progeny Press etc. and just have him dig into one or two books a year.

 

Vocab & Spelling - I'd work on these together or just get his spelling firmly in place before you push him in the vocab area. I'm not sure what kind of kid he is, but I'd try to work on words that are just out of his reach. If that means really easy words, then you might go back to basic spelling rules -- most kids don't learn them in public school. If he can spell easier words already, then maybe he knows enough rules to head into Spelling Power or something like that. There are also several spelling programs that target specific weaknesses, so you might spend some time just watching how he spells.

 

Grammar - I'd keep this simple until you are confident he can produce a good simple sentence. Things like capitals, punctuation, and verb tense and number need to be solid. The thing is, almost every kid "knows" these types of rules automatically in their speech, so it's just a matter of making the transitioning to writing.

 

Writing - That's got to be added. I told my son several years back that he must write a little every day, in at least some subject. It just needs daily work over a long time. We do a ton of notebooking about what we read, which helps us work on basic grammar use and organization. I add Writing Strands for those odd skills that don't pop up in notebooking, such as perspective and the fine details of tense -- but there are other programs for writing. Just don't make it too huge and scare him :)

 

Bible - Can he do this with dad or another older male? My dh & ds are reading Boyhood and Beyond, and it's wonderful. I also am a fan of just reading through the Bible together.

 

Julie

[jelbe5]

I really like Christian Light Education for LA. It is an all in one LA program (except for Lit . . . they do have a separate Reading program). CLE LA covers grammar, handwriting, spelling. You could have him take the placement test to see where to put him, or eyeball the test yourself to determine a good level. You can also look at the sample sheets on the webpage.

 

I would not be concerned about putting him in a lower level at all since I think CLE LA is very good and advanced. Probably way more LA than most public school children receive.

 

Rod and Staff is also a very good LA/English program, but the focus is on grammar. Again, don't be afraid to go down to a lower level as R&S is HARD in the upper levels. Down side about R&S is it is not a workbook like CLE. The student will need to write anwers in a notebook or mark up the text.

 

http://www.clp.org/store/by_subject/3

 

Adrianne in IL

[amtmcm]

My 8th grader is using CLE LA 7 and CLE Reading 8. She is strong in LA and CLE LA 7 is plenty challenging. It is a spiral program and my older DD is doing very well with it. There is not much writing included.

 

How about Bob Jones? I like how Grammar and Writing are intertwined. It is a 1 semester course and Literature is the other semester. You could teach them concurrently at a slower pace to add variety, or do the courses as intended. Bob Jones is mastery method instead of spiral. We're going to be using this next year for 9th grade.

[cougarmom4]

For character & moral building, I'd recommend getting William Bennett's Book of Virtues for young people. It has several sections covering topics such as work, responsibility, compassion, etc. I can't remember details, but if you'd like to know more I'll pull it off my shelf and type it in. Just let me know.

[jelbe5]

Oh, another thought is Learning Language Arts Through Literature (LLATL). It is also a nice all in one program. It includes several literature works which you would also need to purchase or check out from the library, but, if I recall correctly, nothing that is difficult to find. Anyway, it might be a nice economical option to look at. I have a friend who is using it with her 7th grader this year and she is very pleased.

 

http://www.commonsensepress.com/

 

Adrianne in IL

[Stacy in NJ]

I'd really recommend trying to firm up this prior to focusing on more grade appropriate curriculum.

 

I'd spend quite a bit of time evaluating his readings skills to determine at what level he's actually able to read comfortably and retain what he's read. You can have him read aloud selections with differing levels of difficulty. Once you know where he's at there, then you can put together a reading list that's appropriate for his level. I'd have him read material at his reading level every day all year long, and I would discuss these with him to ensure that he's understanding. Nothing is more important the adequate reading skills. The Sonlight readers are a good place to start for a list.

 

For another way to improve his reading skills try REWARDS reading program. Here's a link. http://store.cambiumlearning.com/ProgramPage.aspx?parentId=019005266&functionID=009000008&pID=REWARDS&site=sw

 

For spelling I'd use Spelling Through Morphorgraphs. For this program you need the two Teachers Presentation Manuals (1 and 2) and the Student Workbook. It can be a bit pricey but worth the cost. Here's a link: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_1_11?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=spelling+through+morphographs&sprefix=spelling+th

 

For Grammar I'd use Winston Grammar Basic: http://www.winstongrammar.com/

 

And for Writing I'd try Writeshop: http://www.writeshop.com/

 

I've recommended these program in part because none of them have steep leaning curves. For the most part, you'll be able to pick up the teachers manuals and teach without too much or any real prep, and this may be a vitally important for you if you've never taught a struggling 8th grader before.

 

For his first year at home, I suggest you really focus on math, reading and writing. I wouldn't attempt a full course of standard 8th grade curriculum if he's struggling at his grade level. Unless you have the time to read aloud all of his science and history lessons to him, you may find that Apologia and any formal history program may end up overwhelming him. It could be very teacher intensive for you.

 

I would approach history and science more as enrichment, reading interesting books, doing hands on experiments, watching videos.

 

Here are some enrichment like things for history and science:

 

http://www.drivethruhistory.com/

http://www.delta-education.com/siansplash.aspx?subID=5&menuID=17

 

Also, for math, I know many folks are really enthusiastic about Teaching Textbook, but in my humble opinion it can be disjointed and not ideal for struggling students: Here's an alternative, just in case: http://www.keypress.com/x6469.xml

 

Finally, does he have a particular talent or interest? If he's artistic, musical, mechanical or athletic, don't forget to make sure he has outlets for the things he's good at.

 

Best wishes,

Stacy

Edited November 9, 2009 by Stacy in NJ
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[lisabees]

I have a struggling 7th grader, who is hs for the first time, and I am using much of what Stacy has recommended.

 

I remember a friend, who hs, telling me at the beginning of the year that my job is get to my son reading and writing. The other stuff is icing on the cake. I have discovered that math is also an area in which he struggles, so that, too, is a priority.

 

We used REWARDS and my son jumped at least 2 grade levels (I also used phonogram cards and the Blend Phonics Reader). I cannot recommend this program enough.

 

I am also using Spelling Through Morphographs and Megawords for spelling. For writing, I am using IEW and I'm a bit confused how it teaches writing, but writing comes naturally to me. DS can't even write a complete sentence, so we have to start from scratch (Writing Strands). I am considering Write Shop. I need much more hand holding and structure.

 

I wasn't using any formal grammar, but Analytical Grammar should arrive any day now. Winston Grammar is probably a great choice too.

 

For history, we are using a Teaching Company DVD with Linwood Thompson and Oak Meadow, audiobooks and historical fiction. For science, we use Oak Meadow, Supercharged Science, along with LOTS of hands-on experiments. DS loves science! I do read these lessons aloud to him.

 

In the beginning of the year, I thought ds was ready for prealgebra. Lo and behold, I discovered that he didn't even know his basic math facts. We are now happily using Math Mammoth.

 

What I have discovered is ds needs lots of practice and repetition. And...he needs to start with the basics. So, I agree with Stacy. Don't think your nephew will be fine with 8th grade materials. Take your time and discover the kind of learner he is. Eventually, that will tell you what he needs most.

 

Best wishes. :grouphug: