8th grade curriculum help please!!

[StaceyinLA]

Okay, asking for my daughter’s sister-in-law whose son is going into 8th grade at a private school. This kid has always had a bit of a time at school. He just doesn’t thrive in a traditional school setting. With everything going on, his mom feels like she’d rather just home school than jump through the hoops required to work with the private school.

Going into 8th grade, wants a curriculum that would provide a smooth transition from school to home, knowing there’s a possibility he COULD return to school at some point before graduating. She’s open to pretty much anything, including computer programs, online, a mix, etc. 

She is totally new to this. Her oldest daughter is in grad school, she has this one going into 8th grade, and she has a 2yo (that will likely be home schooled when the time comes). Talk about your child spacing... 😜

I’d really love to get some good suggestions for her. WWYD?

[almondbutterandjelly]

A kit from Timberdoodle?

https://timberdoodle.com/collections/curriculum-kits/products/2020-eighth-grade-curriculum-kit

[kristin0713]

So first of all, taking a year to homeschool 8th is a great idea.  High school is a different animal, though. She will need to look into the laws of her state and possibly her district to see if they would accept homeschool high school credits if she decides to send him back into school after starting high school at home.  (Does that make sense? Some high schools will not accept homeschool credit and would make him do it over.)

For 8th grade, this is not a concern, although obviously she will need to look into her state requirements as far as homeschooling in general.  My first question about curriculum is math.  Where is he with math skills?  Did he do pre-algebra yet and is he ready for algebra 1, or does he need a year of pre-algebra?  And then for everything else, there are so many approaches.  Literature, video, textbook, live online, correspondence.  This really depends on his strengths and interests like the pp said as well as his learning style.  I think most importantly, she needs to figure out what he needs for math.  Second most important IMO is writing/language arts, and reading comprehension, as well as preparing for the increased workload of high school.  

[Momto6inIN]

If she's not sure about homeschool or private school for high school, I would use an 8th grade year at home to work on making sure he's ready for Algebra (or starting Algebra if he's ready), mastering a basic essay, brushing up on formal grammar (especially if he hasn't had much), having fun with some geography online games, and researching, performing, and writing up some kind of science fair experiment. Beyond that, I would just let him read and have time to develop his own interests. This will prepare him well regardless of where he goes to high school, and it's often where private and public schools fall short, IMO.

For her, I would suggest using this year to research her state law for homeschoolers and whether she'd like to attempt high school and if so, what that might look like. 

[Lori D.]

Whatever method is decided on (i.e., Virtual Charter/free public school at home, or all-online like Time4Learning, or all-in-one provider, or individual providers for each subject) -- these are the topics typically covered in 8th grade, with bolded being the main subjects to be sure to hit in some way:

English: Literature (reading and digging into books)
English: Writing (solid paragraph structure; solid essay structure; descriptive, narrative, expository, persuasive writing)
English: Grammar (proof-editing, in support of Writing
(English: Spelling -- optional -- if still needing it)
(English: Vocabulary -- optional)
Math (usually Pre-Algebra or Algebra 1 in 8th grade)
Science (usually Physical Science, or possibly Biology in 8th grade)
Social Studies (frequently World Geography, but could also do some period of World History)
Foreign Language (optional -- but frequently students start this in middle school)
Fine Arts (optional -- but frequently students are studying a musical instrument, or art, or involved in theater)
Elective(s) (choice of a topic of interest, or something like Computer, Logic, PE, Health, Religious Studies, etc.)

[StaceyinLA]

Thank you all for the information. I think she’s more interested in the curriculum providers that would make an easy transition. I’ll definitely try to find out more about his level.

As far as interests, he’s pretty outdoorsy, and does the hunting/fishing thing with his dad. I think he’s generally been fairly blah about school.

Our laws are easy. She’d likely have no issue getting him back into the private school if desired. PS wouldn’t be an option at any point.

[StaceyinLA]

Okay, a little more info, although not a whole lot. My dd is going to talk to her more about his actual educational level later today.

He is definitely more outdoorsy, mechanically inclined, doesn’t like to sit in a desk, and never really has. He doesn’t love to read, so lots of reading/lit based stuff probably won’t appeal to him (obviously he will have to have SOME).

What stuff is out there that’s a different/more interesting way of learning some of the typical subjects? Either quick and painless learning (if there’s such a thing), or just presented in a more interesting way.

Some things that came to mind, although they may not fit what I’m talking about:

Teaching Textbooks 

Easy Grammar (simple and to the point)

Notgrass History (just because it’s written in a little more readable way - can’t really get out of reading some stuff for history)

At a loss for science. We always liked Apologia. I’m not sure where they stand on old/young earth stuff. I know Christian perspective is welcome, but IDK how much.

LLATL - I thought of this because it’s different, and would still incorporate SOME literature without being reading overkill, and then maybe the EG as a crash grammar course somewhere in the middle - IDK

I’m sure there’s a lot of good stuff out there. It’s been a lot of years since I taught a middle schooler.

Edited July 24, 2020 by StaceyinLA