Literature/Writing for 8th Grade?

[JessReplanted]

I need help finding a Literature/Writing program for an 8th grader (boy, who loves to read but misses details, and writes the least amount of information possible).

 

I would love for it to be one program, and also have some kind of answer guide so that I have reasonable expectations.

I'm honestly quite exhausted of trying to pull words out of him. :svengo:

 

And, it would be wonderful if it wasn't ridiculously expensive.

 

Is there anything like this?

 

Thanks!!

[Ms Brooks]

Oak Meadow one grade level above?

[MEmama]

Yep, check out Oak Meadow. I answered with more info on your thread in the K-8 forum.

 

It looks spot on for boys this age.

[MEmama]

Quoting myself...

 

We are going to use Oak Meadow English 8. It just came in the mail yesterday and we think it looks fantastic. The book selections for literary analysis are spot on for boys (especially) this age--The Giver, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Lord of the Flies...DS is SOOO excited and wants to start right away. Plus there is grammar and vocabulary and so much more. Yeah, he has NEVER been excited for English before!

[laughing lioness]

Lost Tools of Writing. Fantastic program that teaches the essay with ease and mastery. Worth every penny. 

[Carol in Cal.]

Explicit subject area requirements coupled with scaffolding.

 

For example, say he has to write a paper comparing two plays you have read or watched, and discussed.  First you ask for an outline of the paper, a 3 level one.  Then you talk about the outline.  Then you identify a minimum number of sentences in the final paper, and also what has to be covered (the whole outline).  Etc.

 

For a jump start on this, I strong suggest 'The Expository Essay' class from Bravewriter.  In that class students develop and write two essays, one more of a survey and one more of an advocacy approach.  The teacher walks them through the steps via a series of scaffolded assignments, and they have the opportunity to see feedback on their own work but also on everyone else's.  I suggest sitting with him and going through that feedback on other people's work--it's immensely valuable to see how other writers approach a similar assignment, and also to see constructive feedback on their efforts--it can help students start to think more critically about their own work.

Edited May 16, 2016 by Carol in Cal.

[StillStanding]

Next year ds'll use Lightning Literature 8 (my third child to do so) but he will also be doing a co-op class that uses IEW-B continuation.

 

We have used Oak Meadow here and there (not 8th grade, and different subjects) and we have loved their selection of books and projects but there is not a lot of hand holding when it comes to writing instruction.

 

LL8 doesn't have a lot of writing hand holding either, but we have enjoyed their introduction to literary terms, comprehension questions, etc.  It has good writing prompts as well.

[SilverMoon]

I'm going with Lost Art of Writing for my 8th grader too. His literature is scheduled in his Build Your Library 8 course, and we'll pull topics from that or something he's reading for history and/or science anyway. He'll have already gone through Figuratively Speaking by then, and can apply the terms easily during discussions.

 

(BYL is a Charlotte Mason flavor course. They have a lot of narration and dictation scheduled and a basic report about once a week or so. We're dropping all the narration/dictation in favor of Lost Tools, but may have him do the basic reports/summaries anyway.)

 

My rising 11th grader used Jump In! for 8th grade and thrived with it. Her literature was a homegrown course.