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8th Grade! That joyful year of getting a new teenager in the house. I will say that teenagers are . . . different. I have two so far. But I still homeschool all the way through high school. Anyway, here’s how we homeschool using vintage books for 8th grade.
My Curriculum Choices for 8th Grade 2020-2021
- My home library
- Robinson Curriculum
- Dollar Homeschool
- Religious resources to fit your family’s needs
8th Grade Schedule for 2020-2021
Teaching Assembly
This is exactly the same for everyone every day. Everyone participates. I have a different child lead each week, in rotation.
- Pledge of Allegiance
- Psalm 23
- Sing the weekly hymn
- Read the daily Bible story
- Talk about the day (traditions, liturgy, saints)
- Pray
Teaching Math
This year, my 8th grader will be doing Algebra. He wants to be an engineer, so he’s putting extra focus on math. At this point, he mostly self-sufficient, because he sees the goal and can push himself to get to that goal.
He actually uses both Saxon math and Ray’s Arithmetic. He has some learning difficulties, and sometimes he needs to switch between the two so that he can wrap his brain around a new concept. He has also repeated whole math books at times.
Teaching Writing
Our 8th grade homeschool writing looks like a lot of content creation. Basically, the teenager writes a page of cursive, longhand content a day. Every day.
My oldest wrote 2 pages a day when she was in 8th grade, but she’s a natural writer. My son is not. It still is a stretch for him — not coming up with a topic, but putting the words on paper. So he does 1 page a day.
After he is done with his writing, he does a quick workout and then goes on to language arts
Teaching Language Arts
For this year, the student will keep diagramming sentences (last year of diagramming sentences in English) and doing vocabulary (also the last year). He’s doing logic this year, using Schuyler’s Logic from Dollar Homeschool, finishing McGuffey’s 4th Reader, and working through McGuffey’s Eclectic Speaker.
Teaching Reading
Reading selections come from the Robinson Curriculum booklist. Extra reading includes Tolkien, books from Dollar Homeschool and Heritage History library, and some books on becoming a man.
Teaching Drawing
This is the last year of guided notebooking. So, this year, since my 8th grader is interested in engineering, I included lessons in technical drawing.
Daily Living
My teenagers are responsible for helping with the dishes after dinner, doing farm chores, and keeping their bedrooms and bathrooms clean. They also spend time taking care of their little siblings, and they do their own laundry. I have a list of life skills, manners, and lost arts that I want all my children to master before I send them out into the world.
Are You Starting 8th Grade This Year?
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