Soror Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 Alright, the threads are starting to pop up left and right :)Â Â I want to talk 8th grade for my oldest, please share your plans. Â I'll be back to post mine :) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purduemeche Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 Bible - Apologia Who am I? Science - Apologia Physical Science Latin - Second Form Latin Math - finish Math 7/6, Algebra 1/2 Grammar - Rod and Staff Book 7 Tapestry of Grace Year 4, Dialectic Level Logic - Discovery of Deduction online Karate 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted January 22, 2017 Author Share Posted January 22, 2017 (edited) I've went back and forth on what grade to call my son but the current plan is to consider next year 8th. I believe I've about got my booklists finalized, just a bit of tweaking to do. He loves reading but I'm to make sure I don't overload him.  We might use the guide with Story of Science but I'm undecided if it is worthwhile or too much busy work. I've got to decide on output, the reading list are the easy part! Maybe we can look at changing some of the topics in LAoW to fit what we are already studying? I need to read it all of the way through. I plan to pull in the Lit we are reading for assignments when we do WttW  Math- Finish 2nd half of AoPS pre-A; Arbor School- Chuckles the Rocket Dog  English- Spelling(still really needs this) MegaWords 1&2 Grammar- Grammar Revolution Vocab-- Finish CE1 & CE2; ( I meant to do this last year but just started this semester & he loves it- he will make it through L12 by the end of this year) Composition -- Finish Lively Art of Writing (assuming this goes well- fingers crossed we are scheduled to get half done) & Windows to the World w/ Pike Syllabus(minus TTC as we did it this year); Lit- 1 book per month- w /discussion, short stories for more in-depth analysis(monthly)  History- Story of Science Newton w/ Mom made booklists-bios--and other Non-Fic; It will be a science slanted history but that was his request.  Science-Dr. Art's Guide to Science; McHenry's Carbon Chemistry & McHenry's Brain for spines- mom-made booklists :) Our brain study will also include a general study of psych per his request. Might add in some info from Science Matters.  Extras-- PE w/ Mom, Family Nature & MP Poetry study, Philosophy-- his request- will start out with Philosophy for Children just for discussion and go from there; Figuratively Speaking--- discussion w/ sister     Edited January 23, 2017 by soror 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 (edited) . Edited August 30, 2023 by SilverMoon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollyhock Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 (edited) Mine will likely be doing: Â TT Pre-Algebra, unless he somehow tests into Algebra 1 LLATL Gray, CLE Reading 8 WTM writing across curriculum The Fallacy Detective + Thinking Toolbox Apologia Physical Medieval history with the rest of us Edited July 6, 2017 by hollyhock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa B Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 (edited) Algebra I  -  AOPS with WTMA Geometry  -  AOPS or Saxon with WTMA Spanish I  -  ???? Earth/Space Science  -  with FLVS and BYL 8 & 9 Grammar & Composition  -  WWS 3 with WTMA, Megawords, Grammar Voyage, Figuratively Speaking Literature  -  BYL 8 & 9 History of Science  -  BYL 8 Prehistory/Evolution (.5)  -  BYL 9 Art (.5)  -  BYL 8 & 9   Edited March 12, 2017 by Melissa B 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc26 Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 This kid....He is a "just hand me a workbook and let me get it done" kind of guy.   Math:  Algebra TBD  History:  Going to do a geography year.  He loves geography.  I have MP Geography III for World and Trail Guide for US.   Science:  Considering Bookshark Science 7 (Robotics).  Also looking at PAC Integrated Physics and Chem.  May save that for 9th.   English:  Daily Grams, Vocabu-lit, MP Greek Myths, lit to be combined with older brother (read alouds that we discuss).  No idea what I am doing for writing.   Foreign Language:  ???  PE:  Competitive tennis training-he plays about a zillion hours a week. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 (edited) French-Up in the air--I'm leaning toward something like CAP Primer B or MP First Start French and library resources. Basically, we are having fun with French before we have to count it as Foreign Language. We will probably watch a lot of movies in French if I can dig them up. Latin- Finish MP Third Form over the summer and move into Fourth Form by fall. Math-CLE 800 series, Key to Measurement Grammar and Composition-We ought to finish WWS, and then we will see. KISS grammar. Continue informal spelling.Creative Writer 3, and lots of books to read. History-OUP, library resources Science-There is a series on physics that I'll probably borrow from the library and see if I want to use it as a spine. We might possibly end up with an engineering project later this year that they could help with. Logic-TBA Geography-probably MP again. PE-running, walking, playing, boating and floating our local rivers, hiking to various waterfalls and getting to know the best places in the state to explore. Art-continue watercolor painting, sketching. Â The summer we hope to start driving practice in the pasture using my truck. I suspect they will both get tutored in the skills of changing oil and changing tires this year. They need to learn how to use the tractor. In home ec the goal is to have both boys comfortable with all the housekeeping tasks and also to have both of them take over one evening per week to plan and cook a meal for everyone. I like to cross-train. :D Â Edited January 23, 2017 by Critterfixer 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgrace Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 (edited) We school year round, but I have a pretty good idea of where we'll be for most subjects next year:  Math (twins with different needs in programs)--CLE Algebra (starting in April or May I believe); Jacobs and Crocodiles and Coconuts (currently started) followed by Chuckles the Rocket Dog  History--Journey Across Time (Glencoe) mixed with Discovery Social Studies Techbook. I'm hoping to move one child particularly to more independence in history this year.  Science--Science Techbook (Discovery)  Spelling--a combo of methods using Spelling Power for my word lists  Other LA--Fix It (IEW) and CLE LA for grammar; CLE Reading; I am considering trying EIW Literature. What I'm doing now is taking too much time.  Composition--Completing the already started Empowering Writers Comprehensive Argument Writing Guide with Lively Art of Writing mixed. I 'm not sure where we're headed after those--maybe BraveWriter's Help for High School. We haven't hit a good grove in composition instruction yet.  Latin--Galore Park Latin Prep  Logic--Fallacy Detective (started currently), followed by Art of Argument.  Other: I want to do some type of targeted study skills work. I would like to do some formal drawing instruction this summer. My special needs kiddo is doing some targeted work on executive skills.       Edited March 30, 2017 by sbgrace 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinivanMom Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 Math: Jurgensen Geometry English/Literature: American literature (still working on this list) & continued work on essay writing History: K12 American Odyssey Science: Great Courses Oceanography supplemented with books, documentaries, & (hopefully) some classes at the aquarium Latin: Latin Alive 3 French: Aim Academy French 2 Linguistics: Great Courses Linguistics & The Story of Human Language & maybe a few other resources (still working on this one) Creative Writing: No curriculum - just a daily writing time and maybe a few new references for inspiration 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 (edited) My current 7th grader plans his own stuff for most subjects but still want me to give suggestions  History - world history not sure what we will use yet English - 2017-FALL-SRH Socratic Discussion for the Rhetoric Stage Mathematics - intermediate number theory (summer), statistics, WOOT Science - physics (???), chemistry (PAH) Language other than English - continue with German class and Chinese with a tutor Visual and performing arts - piano (year round) and music theory exam of some kind because this kid like tangible targets Elective - economics PE - undecided Edited March 30, 2017 by Arcadia 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaceful Isle Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 (edited) changung things up a bit... Edited May 29, 2017 by Peacefulisle 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 Right now all I know is... Â Mushroom will need to finish up Jacob's Algebra. I'm hoping he'll be halfway done by the time we start "8th" grade. BalletBoy will probably do Dolciani's Algebra I. He's been doing really well with Dolciani Pre-Algebra so I think he'll probably finish it up easily this year. Â I'm toying with doing BYL for BalletBoy. But I'm not sure. Probably I'll chicken out on that and DIY things again. I know that I want him to have a good booklist to read again. Definitely To Kill a Mockingbird. And some meatier, longer nonfiction. Not sure what else though. He'll keep doing Spanish, I assume. Most of the topics will be up to him though. Â I'm not sure about Mushroom at all. I'll probably have him do some more of the Evan-Moor stuff to practice grammar and spelling type skills. Those have been good for him. Not sure what else though. Â It's too far away, you guys! Â Honestly, my mind has been a little more on 9th grade and whether things will change significantly for us at that point and if so, what I want to change in 8th grade to prepare ourselves. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coralloyd Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 (edited) Math- MUS Algebra 1  Grammar- Jensen's Punctuation, Editor in Chief level 2 (She is almost done with grammar. 8th will be just staying on top of some weak points. )  Spelling- LOE Essentials Vol. 2-level C (when it comes out)  Writing- IEW SICC-B  Bible- Tru U dvd program  World Geography- of my making  Science- Apologia Physical Science  Literature- (still making the list)  ETA: Extras outside the home are- Cooking classes Guitar lessons Art Classes PE  Edited January 23, 2017 by coralloyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted January 23, 2017 Author Share Posted January 23, 2017 (edited) Snip  I'm toying with doing BYL for BalletBoy.  Honestly, my mind has been a little more on 9th grade and whether things will change significantly for us at that point and if so, what I want to change in 8th grade to prepare ourselves. Fwiw we are using BYL this year and although I likethe Booklist fairly well (that is why I picked it) the amount of tweaking to make it work for us has been crazy. I hate the way she schedules books, some just a few pages a day. I hate the way it is a 5 day schedule. I disliked most for of the assignments. And lastly the layout of the schedule was the opposite of what I would do, so much wasted space and crap to wade through. I would have been ok with it had it been an editable PDF but alas it is not. So I had to scroll through 300 pgs just to get to the schedule so I could then retype and reschedule them on my own sheet in a way that worked for us. This year we are doing history of science but I am scheduling it my own way. I think it will be much less work on my part in the end.  Your last comment is exactly why I am spazzing about planning early, I actually started in November. I have been researching about High school and am trying to map things out. Edited January 23, 2017 by soror 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meriwether Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 I can't believe Ds12 is going to be in 8th grade next year. It really doesn't seem possible.I think we'll be doing something like: Â Foerster's Algebra I Â He is currently doing Jacobs, but I always intended doing a second year with him.TOG Year 3Apologia's Physical Sciencefinish SYRWTL SpanishStill up in the air a bit:something with Latincontinue Chinese with MikeMapping the World with ArtLogic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 Fwiw we are using BYL this year and although I likethe Booklist fairly well (that is why I picked it) the amount of tweaking to make it work for us has been crazy. I hate the way she schedules books, some just a few pages a day. I hate the way it is a 5 day schedule. I disliked most for of the assignments. And lastly the layout of the schedule was the opposite of what I would do, so much wasted space and crap to wade through. I would have been ok with it had it been an editable PDF but alas it is not. So I had to scroll through 300 pgs just to get to the schedule so I could then retype and reschedule them on my own sheet in a way that worked for us. This year we are doing history of science but I am scheduling it my own way. I think it will be much less work on my part in the end.  Your last comment is exactly why I am spazzing about planning early, I actually started in November. I have been researching about High school and am trying to map things out.  You're reaffirming my desire not to do it and just steal half the book list, which we did last year actually because we were doing evolution and dinosaurs and extinct animals and I got lots of good ideas from their list. But Fahrenheit 451, Midsummer Night's Dream, To Kill a Mockingbird, Frankenstein, The Disappearing Spoon, Animal Farm, Carry on Mr Bowditch, Code Talker... That could be a great 8th grade book list for BalletBoy. But when I look at the samples... yeah, I'm not as psyched about the layout of the work. And he did a year of topics in physics that he was interested in this year - did a Great Courses and practiced taking notes, read a Michio Kaku book, made comics about different particles, an ad for impossible products... he's had fun with it. It feels like it would overlap a lot with the BYL stuff.  I have also been lurking on the high school board and thinking about the future. Right now, other than math and a few little things - like BalletBoy's Spanish work and Mushroom's remedial spelling and writing mechanics stuff, pretty much everything we do is integrated around topics the boys want to study. I know we'll continue that next year... but I'm not sure if we can do it beyond that. And right now I assign very few fiction books to Mushroom - he reads a decent amount and he chooses books that are pretty good (like, he adored The War that Saved My Life, and The Seventh Most Important Thing last year, both of which he chose for himself which were good, meaty upper middle grades books), but he's a beast when he didn't pick the books. But, again, I don't know if that will work for high school at all and I'm torn about how much to prep him for it next year.  Right now, I feel like we're just going along in the moment... we'll see what happens... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lots of boys Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 My DS1 will be doing the following: MATH - CLE 8 SPELLING -Apples and Pears (finished series) WRITING-finish IEW -SICC, work on essays SCIENCE- Ellen McHenry -cells, botany (finished elements and brain this year) HISTORY/GEO -homemade Canadian study plus Mapping the World with Art. GRAMMAR -not sure. I think we are done CLE which we have used for the last 5 years. Looking for something new... PE- he plays on a competitive basketball team plus karate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 (edited) We are, hopefully, starting on some round the world travels January of 8th grade, so I will be looking for semester-long classes only. Probably two DE classes but not sure in what, another online G3 class, and some sort of Foerster Algebra 2 class though again, not sure what class we can do for a semester. We will use thinkwell for geometry while wandering around, keep beloved French tutor (and maybe pop in to see her in the flesh?). same forArabic tutor who is a displaced Syrian Ă¢Â¤Ă¯Â¸ My main prep is coming up with book lists by country/region. I'm taking notes these days. Eta that we will do the first semester of CLRC Great Books II class, which should cover the Aeneid. This class has been really great for us. Of course, I feel totally indulgent making plans that far ahead of time because I could well get hit by a bus, DH might lose the job that finances my nonsense, etc etc Edited January 23, 2017 by madteaparty 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastweedpuller Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 Math: finish Jacobs Elementary Algebra Language: Irish (Rosetta Stone, conversation with local native speaker) English: Literary Lessons from Lord of the Rings (she's doing The Hobbit now with the Memoria Press guide); not sure if it will take all year though so we will wing it with other books History: complete Modern with Oak Meadow's World History (7th) and History Odyssey and SOTW as needed per subject, including extra novels Civics: Oak Meadow Civics 8th Science: toying with Earth Science and Astronomy from Elemental Science  Art, PE, nature: community classes. She'll continue volunteering at the Nature Center and this year that might involve helping teach the younger homeschool group  Also toying with doing formal testing, like SSAT. Any testing we'd ever done was pretty informal, but showed her aptitude for science and language. This year though she's decided she likes math (!) so maybe that will be reflected in the tests too.  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momto6inIN Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 (edited) My 8th grade DD will be doing:  Video Text Algebra Reading list to go with history and doing an IEW style story sequence chart for them Lit guide on The Yearling and The Giver Figuratively Speaking Analytical Grammar season 3 Vocab from Classical Roots Finish IEW SICC B, then moving on to Elegant Essay Art of Argument some career research stuff Codemaven Piano Artistic Pursuits Apologia Physical Science Human Odyssey III and 2nd half of MOH IV - doing an outline/summary each week & keeping a timeline Trail Guide to US Geography Whatever Happened to Penny Candy  ETA: Speech class once a week for 1st semester   Edited January 23, 2017 by Momto5inIN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 Yay! I saw all of those.  So, I am always thinking about what's next. Here is what I know so far. Most will be just moving up a level.  Math: She will be in Rod and Staff 7 next year. English: She will be in Rod and Staff 6 next year. Spelling: We will continue with Dyslexia Games and word loading methods we got from her teacher at Vision Therapy. I would like to incorporate the section D parts of Rod and Staff Spelling at some point. The 6th grade book starts with the history of language. We may do those as reading comprehension. History/Lit: WTM logic stage Middle Ages using the KHE, timelines, map books, and CHOLL book selections and some of their lesson plans that I still have printed from the old blog. Latin: Third Form Spanish: ? maybe continue a bit with EasyPeasy and readers. Maybe take the year off, and pick it back up after Latin studies are complete. I plan for this child to get through a high school credit of Latin I, then switch and do 2 years of high school Spanish.  Science: I don't know. Her co-op usually has a class. I usually just purchase what they are doing, as she is very motivated to keep up with the reading and assignments for them. I can add nature study or another science topic into our journal time or summer school or scouts work if there is something I want to cover.  The only thing I hate is that I always have to buy some expensive new text for the class when I have shelves full of stuff that her sister used. Art: no particular plan yet. But this child plans on art school. So we try to incorporate it wherever we can. I plan on reading up on a high school plan for this over the summer once I learn about PSATs and and all of that for the current high schooler.  I need some teacher/planning days to sit and digest a lot of WTM threads on testing and such. :)  Journal time: this will cover a lot of extras.  I got us each the same Funschool Journal that we will do for about an hour or so every morning together. It will cover Bible. I am working on which resources we will use for this. I really like a book I saw on the Hebrew alphabet and the Psalms. But it is $40. I have enough resources around that we could use and save that for another year. We will do poetry at this time. We will do our read alouds, nature study,creative writing, geography, math games, etc. We will just rotate through these each morning. My ideas include the Tree Book for Children and their Adults for the nature study. Our Geography Coloring books that we already have plus the internet for the geography days, Kahn academy for the math days plus math games, spelling games and vocabulary from our lit readings for the spelling days, etc. I downloaded the Tutor free Charlotte Mason magazine and may print those out. There are some stories in there that I would never read aloud to my kids, but there is a good collection of poetry readings around the nature themes and original source speeches and other useful things. It would be easy to print those for Bible, poetry, some nature and read alouds.  This will be our morning time/basket time. I have always done this in the afternoons, but we are trying out some in the mornings this semester and I really like the results I am getting from starting the day off together.  1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 Your last comment is exactly why I am spazzing about planning early, I actually started in November. I have been researching about High school and am trying to map things out.I am working backwards too for this kid as we could count math and world languages from 7th grade for state universities. My kid is not interested in the state universities at the moment so we are looking at what other universities require so as not to close doors. E.g. from one of the private universities that we might look at and similar to many private US universities requirement. The overseas universities are looking at AP exams so we are looking into that as well. 4 years of math (including calculus) 1 year of physics 1 year of chemistry 3 years of English (4 years recommended) 1 year of U.S. history/government SAT with Optional Essay or ACT with Writing (official scores from testing agency) SAT Subject Test in Mathematics Level 2 (official scores from testing agency) 1 SAT science subject test: biology (ecological), biology (molecular), chemistry, or physics (official scores from testing agency) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 You're reaffirming my desire not to do it and just steal half the book list, which we did last year actually because we were doing evolution and dinosaurs and extinct animals and I got lots of good ideas from their list. But Fahrenheit 451, Midsummer Night's Dream, To Kill a Mockingbird, Frankenstein, The Disappearing Spoon, Animal Farm, Carry on Mr Bowditch, Code Talker... That could be a great 8th grade book list for BalletBoy. But when I look at the samples... yeah, I'm not as psyched about the layout of the work. And he did a year of topics in physics that he was interested in this year - did a Great Courses and practiced taking notes, read a Michio Kaku book, made comics about different particles, an ad for impossible products... he's had fun with it. It feels like it would overlap a lot with the BYL stuff. Â I have also been lurking on the high school board and thinking about the future. Right now, other than math and a few little things - like BalletBoy's Spanish work and Mushroom's remedial spelling and writing mechanics stuff, pretty much everything we do is integrated around topics the boys want to study. I know we'll continue that next year... but I'm not sure if we can do it beyond that. And right now I assign very few fiction books to Mushroom - he reads a decent amount and he chooses books that are pretty good (like, he adored The War that Saved My Life, and The Seventh Most Important Thing last year, both of which he chose for himself which were good, meaty upper middle grades books), but he's a beast when he didn't pick the books. But, again, I don't know if that will work for high school at all and I'm torn about how much to prep him for it next year. Â Right now, I feel like we're just going along in the moment... we'll see what happens... What is BYL, please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted January 23, 2017 Author Share Posted January 23, 2017 What is BYL, please? Build Your Library  I probably made it sound worse than I meant, I mean there is a lot that is good. I like the booklists for the most part. The schedule and assignments are just not in line with what works for us, which ended up being WAY more work than I had thought to the point that I might as well schedule it myself. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 Build Your Library  I probably made it sound worse than I meant, I mean there is a lot that is good. I like the booklists for the most part. The schedule and assignments are just not in line with what works for us, which ended up being WAY more work than I had thought to the point that I might as well schedule it myself. Thank you! I am intrigued by your conversation, will look into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted January 23, 2017 Author Share Posted January 23, 2017 I am working backwards too for this kid as we could count math and world languages from 7th grade for state universities. My kid is not interested in the state universities at the moment so we are looking at what other universities require so as not to close doors. Â E.g. from one of the private universities that we might look at and similar to many private US universities requirement. The overseas universities are looking at AP exams so we are looking into that as well. 4 years of math (including calculus) 1 year of physics 1 year of chemistry 3 years of English (4 years recommended) 1 year of U.S. history/government SAT with Optional Essay or ACT with Writing (official scores from testing agency) SAT Subject Test in Mathematics Level 2 (official scores from testing agency) 1 SAT science subject test: biology (ecological), biology (molecular), chemistry, or physics (official scores from testing agency) I've been looking at college requirements too, which was a great help to get sorted as to what he needs to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 (edited) We're enjoying BYL 8. :) We skip all the writing and poetry and read and discuss the rest. DS (the rising 9th grader) frequently "accidentally" reads ahead of schedule and finishes a good book early. Then we just go through the schedule without it. I ditched the lit questions; they were just comprehension variety. Edited January 23, 2017 by SilverMoon 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourisenough Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 Algebra I - AOPS with WTMA  Geometry - AOPS or Saxon with WTMA  Spanish I - ????  Earth/Space Science - with FLVS and BYL 8 & 9  Grammar & Composition - WWS 3 with WTMA, Megawords, Grammar Voyage, Figuratively Speaking  Literature - BYL 8 & 9  History of Science - BYL 8  Prehistory/Evolution (.5) - BYL 9  Art (.5) - BYL 8 & 9 Talk to me about doing Algebra and Geometry at same time... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted January 23, 2017 Author Share Posted January 23, 2017 We're enjoying BYL 8. :) We skip all the writing and poetry and read and discuss the rest. DS (the rising 9th grader) frequently "accidentally" reads ahead of schedule and finishes a good book early. Then we just go through the schedule without it. I ditched the lit questions; they were just comprehension variety.  I wish I could just use it as is but there was just soooo much tweaking here. At some point it becomes more effort than it is worth. After trying this or that what I finally did was go through and print out all the schedules so I get the big picture of the order of books and then scheduled it to suite us in Scholaric, whch then automatically counts my hrs as I have to do that for my state. So, stripping away all the assignements and then having to schedule them myself just left me with a booklist, at which point I might as well make my own. I really wanted it to work as it is my ideal, a secular lit-based curriculum but the format is wrong for us and I don't think I got enough out of it to make it worthwhile to do it again. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldkgates Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 So far 8th grade looks like this..  Algebra 2- Saxon with DIVE  Physical Science- Apologia  American History- Notgrass  Grammar - this is where we have struggled. 6th grade with Rod and Staff went well. Tried it this year for 7th but it seemed dull. Tried Giggly Guide to Grammar- was not a fit. Gave up and just let him use MobyMax for grammar and vocabulary.  Composition- Writing is hard for him. He just goes blank. Nothing has clicked. I will admit I have not tried tons of different programs but I don't want to spend the $ only to have it fail again. We are doing a BraveWriter class now. If this is successful we will try another class next year.  Literature- This year he has read books on the Notgrass list for Civics and books he has picked. For 8th he will have his list from history. He will also have an additional list I need to figure out. He will also do a Shakespeare play each semester. TBD  He will continue with coding he is involved in 4H Robotics PE is swimming when warm, treadmill, walking, outdoor play  Of course this all may change after we attend the homeschool conference. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017  I wish I could just use it as is but there was just soooo much tweaking here. At some point it becomes more effort than it is worth. After trying this or that what I finally did was go through and print out all the schedules so I get the big picture of the order of books and then scheduled it to suite us in Scholaric, whch then automatically counts my hrs as I have to do that for my state. So, stripping away all the assignements and then having to schedule them myself just left me with a booklist, at which point I might as well make my own. I really wanted it to work as it is my ideal, a secular lit-based curriculum but the format is wrong for us and I don't think I got enough out of it to make it worthwhile to do it again.  I will admit to having become very complacent in recent years. '16-'17 was rough for everyone, and '17-18 started out rough. We've got our comfortable groove worn in again and we're mostly smooth sailing now. The rough patches made me very glad to pay someone else to do all that scheduling work though. Whatever BYL scheduled we're stuck with. LOL I'll tweak on the fly for him if needed, but he rarely complains. He's gone head over heels for some of those book choices that I probably wouldn't have brought home otherwise.  Neither of us were nearly as interested in BYL 9's description though. I've no idea where DS is going for history next year. It's not really his thing, but he's LOVED premade unit study type history courses built around science. I think those options run out by high school though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 That rising 8th grader though? After discussing gobs of options with big sis and me she wants to cook her way around the world. She doesn't mind history but sees more kitchen time with geography. :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeacefulChaos Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 (edited) My oldest will be in 8th.  This year it's a lot of continuing what we're already doing.  Foreign Language: Japanese (Irasshai) - continued from this year  Grammar: I'm thinking Hake right now.  Reading list from TWTM + additional books from the reading suggestions  Logic: Discovery of Deduction  Math: finish pre-algebra and start Algebra 1.  I'm still on the fence on which Algebra he'll be doing.  Civics: Uncle Sam and You (Notgrass)  History: WTM 8th grade history  Science: Apologia Physical Science  Vocabulary: Vocabulary from Classical Roots C&D  Writing: WWS 2  Bible: The Most Important Thing You'll Ever Study, Book 4   When he turns 14 (about a year from now lol), he'll be old enough to do some of the classes at the clay shop here, which I think he'll enjoy.  He'll have 4 extracurriculars at co-op, too - this year the 8th graders had Woodworking, Current Events, Art, and P.E..  I'm assuming it will be similar.  Edited January 24, 2017 by PeacefulChaos 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 (edited) I'm toying with doing BYL for BalletBoy. But I'm not sure. Probably I'll chicken out on that and DIY things again. I know that I want him to have a good booklist to read again. Definitely To Kill a Mockingbird.I found this website has lesson plans suggestions for To Kill a Mockingbird https://edsitement.neh.gov/common-core-text-exemplars-summer-reading-teachers/common-core-text-exemplars-summer-reading-teachers-grades-9-10 My DS12 reads so much that I am looking at lists of what I want him to read for him to pick. I'm looking at the common core exemplars list and thinking I would ask him to pick from these, some he has already read for leisure: Homer. The Odyssey Ovid. Metamorphoses Gogol, Nikolai. Ă¢â‚¬Å“The Nose.Ă¢â‚¬ De Voltaire, F. A. M. Candide, Or The Optimist Turgenev, Ivan. Fathers and Sons Henry, O. Ă¢â‚¬Å“The Gift of the Magi.Ă¢â‚¬ Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451 lsen, Tillie. Ă¢â‚¬Å“I Stand Here Ironing.Ă¢â‚¬ Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart Lee, Harper. To Kill A Mockingbird Shaara, Michael. The Killer Angels Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club Ăƒlvarez, Julia. In the Time of the Butterflies Zusak, Marcus. The Book Thief Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales de Cervantes, Miguel. Don Quixote Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice Poe, Edgar Allan. Ă¢â‚¬Å“The Cask of Amontillado.Ă¢â‚¬ BrontĂƒÂ«, Charlotte. Jane Eyre Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby  Plays: Sophocles. Oedipus Rex Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman  ETA: My husband can handle the poetry selections and discussions :) Edited January 24, 2017 by Arcadia 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted January 24, 2017 Author Share Posted January 24, 2017 I found this website has lesson plans suggestions for To Kill a Mockingbird https://edsitement.neh.gov/common-core-text-exemplars-summer-reading-teachers/common-core-text-exemplars-summer-reading-teachers-grades-9-10  My DS12 reads so much that I am looking at lists of what I want him to read for him to pick. I'm looking at the common core exemplars list and thinking I would ask him to pick from these, some he has already read for leisure: Homer. The Odyssey Ovid. Metamorphoses Gogol, Nikolai. Ă¢â‚¬Å“The Nose.Ă¢â‚¬ De Voltaire, F. A. M. Candide, Or The Optimist Turgenev, Ivan. Fathers and Sons Henry, O. Ă¢â‚¬Å“The Gift of the Magi.Ă¢â‚¬ Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451 lsen, Tillie. Ă¢â‚¬Å“I Stand Here Ironing.Ă¢â‚¬ Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart Lee, Harper. To Kill A Mockingbird Shaara, Michael. The Killer Angels Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club Ăƒlvarez, Julia. In the Time of the Butterflies Zusak, Marcus. The Book Thief Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales de Cervantes, Miguel. Don Quixote Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice Poe, Edgar Allan. Ă¢â‚¬Å“The Cask of Amontillado.Ă¢â‚¬ BrontĂƒÂ«, Charlotte. Jane Eyre Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby  Plays: Sophocles. Oedipus Rex Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman  ETA: My husband can handle the poetry selections and discussions :) These are showing up on the 9-10 and 10-12th exemplar lists for the ones I looked at. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted January 24, 2017 Author Share Posted January 24, 2017 (edited) I will admit to having become very complacent in recent years. '16-'17 was rough for everyone, and '17-18 started out rough. We've got our comfortable groove worn in again and we're mostly smooth sailing now. The rough patches made me very glad to pay someone else to do all that scheduling work though. Whatever BYL scheduled we're stuck with. LOL I'll tweak on the fly for him if needed, but he rarely complains. He's gone head over heels for some of those book choices that I probably wouldn't have brought home otherwise. Â Neither of us were nearly as interested in BYL 9's description though. I've no idea where DS is going for history next year. It's not really his thing, but he's LOVED premade unit study type history courses built around science. I think those options run out by high school though. More power to you if it worked for you! I don't think it is "bad" as is the style just didn't work for us. I am certainly on the lookout for programs I can find that I can use as is and have figured out that I can't do it all exactly my way and have it get done educating 3, soon to be 4 kids, some can pull it off but not me, perhaps with more experience but not yet. Must not let the perfect be the enemy of the good! Edited January 24, 2017 by soror 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa B Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 Talk to me about doing Algebra and Geometry at same time... Â Honestly, I think doing Algebra II and Geometry is a better match up if one wants to do two maths in one year. However, my daughter wants to keep open the option to go into a magnet program in 9th grade and the program she wants requires a student to have completed Algebra I and Geometry by 8th grade. Most of the kids will have taken Algebra I in 7th and Geometry in 8th. I thought about doing it that way, however, the magnet program is only one option and I preferred she do a more rigorous pre-algebra for 7th (AOPS) rather than jumping straight into Algebra I as it would be more beneficial to her if she chooses any other route. She is a strong math student and I do think that her specific pre algebra program is enough to prepare her for Geometry (especially Saxon geometry.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 These are showing up on the 9-10 and 10-12th exemplar lists for the ones I looked at. Most of novels in the list, I did as a young 12 year old in 7th grade. My older is a strong reader and has read more than half that list for leisure. Â The plays I did for literature in 7th/8th grade in public school. Except for Death of a salesman which I didn't do. I had 12 angry men by Reginald Rose instead and I'll probably let my boy study that play too. He did the Romeo & Juliet class last semester. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 Neither of us were nearly as interested in BYL 9's description though. I've no idea where DS is going for history next year. It's not really his thing, but he's LOVED premade unit study type history courses built around science. I think those options run out by high school though. Â I cannot for the life of me figure out BYL's 9th grade booklist and focus. It's downright bizarre. And I say that as someone who really thinks they have chosen the best books for their other years. All I can think is that it must have been designed with a specific kid in mind. It's just weird. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 I cannot for the life of me figure out BYL's 9th grade booklist and focus. It's downright bizarre. And I say that as someone who really thinks they have chosen the best books for their other years. All I can think is that it must have been designed with a specific kid in mind. It's just weird. Â Good to know I'm not the only one. We have really, really enjoyed the books for BYL 8, and I'll probably use some of the 7 titles for my rising 8th's geography. 9 seems off in left field in comparison. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmstranger Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 I cannot for the life of me figure out BYL's 9th grade booklist and focus. It's downright bizarre. And I say that as someone who really thinks they have chosen the best books for their other years. All I can think is that it must have been designed with a specific kid in mind. It's just weird. Â Well, she does design it and use it for her kids, so maybe that played into this year more so than others. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluemongoose Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 8th ACH! Â This is what I'm thinking: Â Science: Conceptual Chem Math: Finish AOPS Intro to Algebra and move on to AOPS intro to Geometry Writing: W&R Spelling/Grammar: R&S History/Geography/Lit: TOG year 4 Logic: CAP Languages: Latin for Children finish B and start C, Spanish for Children B, Getting Started with French Bible: Telling God's story with Younger sibs Music: Viola and composer study Art: picture study portfolios and making art Dance: Tap 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 DD would be in 7th grade by age for PS, but has been doing "8th grade" this year. However, I'm concerned she won't be ready for high school in the fall, so I'm considering doing another semester or year of "8th grade" to get her ready. Tentatively, I'm planning on a semester.  Currently we're doing: MUS Algebra I (just started this semester) Spelling You See Winter Promise 7th Grade LA Shmoop Five Paragraph Essay Build Your Library 8th Grade (history of science) Ecoutez! Parlez! book 1 Drawing Textbook  Next semester would be: MUS Algebra I Spelling You See Adventures in Fantasy mom-assembled reading list Shmoop Study Skills & Critical Thinking still looking for something for English (comp (essays) & grammar) maybe Civics and Environmental Science - something out of the standard high school path something more formal for French, or maybe moving to ASL 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delinwareham Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 I'll play, too.  Math: Lial's pre algebra with a bunch of other resources, too numerous to name...  Writing: homegrown. Lit essays once a week, creative writing twice a week and a TBD semester project once a week with a variety of writing styles. We might try for a long creative writing project at some point.  Easy Grammar as necessary, but probably not daily. We also use Warriner's. Plan is to remediate with study and worksheets relating to mistakes that happen during writing.  Literature: one Shakespeare play, TBD; poetry; plenty of books. Thinking To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, Night, plus a few more goodies that are floating in my head. And whatever reader's choice books come up.  US History: Hakim's condensed, C & D.  World History: Human Odyssey, etc. Renaissance to modern. We usually do Minecraft projects for history.  Science: undecided, probably some intro physics and intro chemistry  Spanish: Duolingo and maybe Breaking the Barrier. Possibly a four-week immersion course somewhere. Undecided  We also do several extra curricular activities per week.  That's it for now!     Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in the UP of MI Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 (edited) Math: Finish AOPS Intro to Algebra, then Geometry (not sure if we'll do AOPS or something else) Literature: EIL Introduction to Literature Grammar: ?? Writing: I have several books on the self. Â Not sure which ones we'll be using next year. History: Modern History with Light to the Nations volume 2 Government: Uncle Sam and You, part 2 Science: finish chemistry, then ?? (probably conceptual physics/physical science or biology) Logic: The Discovery of Deduction German: She's been studying German with dh using library resources this year. Â Hopefully she'll do something a little more serious next year. Â I haven't found much for German, though. Religion: continue church history and Chief Truths of the Faith, plus other sources Edited January 28, 2017 by Lisa in the UP of MI 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Governess Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 I know the subjects but have yet to decide if/which online courses we will utilize for some of them:  Math: continue working through Algebra 2 and Geometry Science: Conceptual Chemistry English: continue to work on Literary Analysis skills, annotating, essay writing.... History: Reformation onward with a focus on US History Latin: Latin 2 Chinese: Chinese 2 Programming: Introductory course  I don't think we will make it through WWS3. I may purchase the book and go over portions of it with her, but her other courses are beginning to require more of her time at this point, and doubling up on the writing is not as feasible as it was in the past. She is a good writer and has gotten a lot out of the program so far. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tumbatoo Posted January 27, 2017 Share Posted January 27, 2017 So far....  VP Omnibus 2, primary and secondary Jacob's Algebra Conceptual Integrated Science Explorations w/lab Latin Christiana 2, then Wheelock's?? MCT Voyage Discovery of Deduction  Trumpet Boy scouts 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deerforest Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 (edited) Uh, I don't know... History--make it to the modern world finally. Mix of Human Odyssey 3, Hakim US History, and Prufrock's materials Math--finish algebra (Foerster's) if we haven't this year and then switch to geometry (Jacob's) Spanish--EspaĂƒÂ±ol Santillana. We're finishing 1B this year so we'll start high school level 1 next year. I'm hoping to encourage her to use Homeschool Spanish Academy for conversation practice, plus they're Guatemala-based, and she's Guatemalan-born! My accent is castellano so it would be good for her to have some diversity. Latest updates (2/12) Story of Science--Einstein Oak Meadow 8th Grade English (lit of the Giver, Hitchhiker's Guide, The Hobbit, Call of the Wild, Lord of the Flies, Wrinkle in Time, Tom Sawyer) (it has a lot of writing and grammar too so will try not to add more...) Oak Meadow High School Geography Study skills, note taking, etc. (Great Course and book) Anatomy & Physiology -- continue with Hole's (started this year but we won't finish)  Extras Aerial dance, a billion hours a week, more or less, private tumbling, maybe floor dance 1 full day outdoor school pottery volunteering (preschool and aerial studio) chorus, maybe Edited February 13, 2017 by deerforest 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 (edited) I just deleted my entire post...  What a lot of changes this past 5 months have been!!!  Right now...the only thing set in stone for my dd is Mathnasium.  Thank God SOMETHING is set.  UPDATE:  Starting POints at the Friday Homeschool Academy- The teacher adds extra Writing teaching and assignments so this covers: English Literature Bible/Worldview History  I will need to do a lot of follow up on grading and maybe read a few of the books with/alongside my dd for her to get hte most out of it. :)  Apologia Physical Science at the Friday Academy  American Sign Language using Signing Naturally at the Friday Academy  Mathnasium for Math  That is it :)      Edited July 2, 2017 by Calming Tea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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