Grade 8 curriculum

Here is our eighth-grade course of studies, based on the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. The list of textbooks is included under each subject. This curriculum has been approved by our local public school district:

ARTS*
Dance: Jazz & Tap, Musical Theatre
Music: piano and music theory or voice
Theatre: Basic Acting and Improvisation, playwriting or other
Visual Arts: two-dimensional and three-dimensional art
Field trips: attend a theatrical performance, attend a concert and visit an art museum
*courses taken as available through local organizations

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
Word origins, vocabulary, spelling, grammar

Texts: The 100+ Series Grammar by Mark Dressel, Grades 7-8
Using the Standards: Building Grammar & Writing Skills, Grades 7-8
Spelling Puzzles, Grades 6-7

Composition
Autobiography, biography, process analysis, comparison/contrast, persuasion
Test essays
Researched report with proper documentation
Poems
Script (see ART above for playwriting)
(All composition instruction will include discussion of grammar, usage, mechanics, research, spelling and vocabulary.)

Texts: Notebook Writer’s Guide by American Educational Publishing
Using the Media: Fact, Fiction and Opinion, Milestone

Study skills
Developing strong study habits, taking notes and outlining

Text: Note Taking & Outlining, Grades 6-8

Reading
American authors, Colonial through Civil War
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Poetry
Short stories

Analysis of language styles in literary works using selections outlined in the Massachusetts English Language Arts Curriculum Framework, page 102

Discussion of genre

MATH
Number sense and operations
Patterns, relations and algebra
Data analysis, statistics and probability
Measurement
Geometry

Texts: The 100+ Series Standards-Based Math, Grades 7-8 by Harold Torrance
The 100+ Series Mixed Skills in Math, Grades 7-8, by Marge Lindskog
Spectrum Math, Grade 8
Math Twisters by Joseph A. Kunicki, Ph.D., Grade 8
Skill Builders Geometry, Grades 6-8
Skill Builders Algebra I, Grades 6-8
Algebra Made Simple by Theresa Kane McKell, High School

SCIENCE
Scientific Method (including experiments with lab reports)
Physical Science
Life Science
Earth and Space Science
Science and Technology
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
History and Nature of Science

Texts: Spectrum Science, Grade 8
Science Up to Standards, Grades 5-8, by Pam Walker and Elaine Wood
Inexpensive Science Experiments, Grades 5-8, by Pam Walker and Elaine Wood
50 Terrific Science Experiments, Grades 5-8, by Pam Walker and Elaine Wood

SOCIAL STUDIES
World History, 1500 to present
American History, Colonial Era through Reconstruction

Texts: The Complete Book of World History, Grades 4-8, American Education Publishing
U.S. History People and Events, 1607-1865 by George Lee
Highlights in American History from its beginnings to 1850 by Grace Kachaturoff
Highlights in American History from 1850 to present by Grace Kachaturoff

FOREIGN LANGUAGE: FRENCH
Stage 2: Student uses sentences, strings of sentences and recombinations of learned words, phrases and expressions with frequency of errors proportionate to the complexity of the communicative task.

Texts: The Ultimate French Review and Practice with CD-ROM by David M. Stillman, Ph.D. and Ronni L. Gordon, Ph.D. (audio modules included)
Easy French Reader by R. de Roussy de Sales

HEALTH
Human life cycle and body functions
Genes and heredity
Diet and nutrition, nutrition labels, safe food handling, eating disorders
Sexual education
Sexual discrimination and harassment
Feelings and self-esteem
Peer pressure and relationships
Hygiene
CPR
Addictive behaviors
Environmental and ecological health
Public health and safety

Text: Instructional Fair’s Health and Safety Curriculum, Intermediate

PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Tennis, swimming, golf, dance or other instruction as available

Designing a curriculum

By far, the most daunting part of homeschooling is designing a course of studies based on your state’s curriculum frameworks. For those who don’t want to create their own, curricula are available for purchase online. Complete online education is also available. These options cost hundreds--or even thousands--of dollars. You can save money by devising your own curriculum.
Here is our middle school curriculum, based on the Massachusetts frameworks:

ARTS*
Dance: Jazz & Tap, Musical Theatre
Music: piano & music theory, World Music survey
Theatre: Basic Acting and Improvisation, playwriting or other
Visual Arts: two-dimensional and three-dimensional art
Field trips: attend a theatrical performance, attend a concert and visit an art museum
*courses taken as available through local organizations

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
Origins of Modern English
Etymology: Greek and Latin roots
Dictionary use
Grammar
Texts: Words on the Vine: Thirty-six Vocabulary Units on Root Words by Claudia Vurnakes
The 100+ Series Grammar by Mark Dressel, Grades 7-8
Using the Standards: Building Grammar & Writing Skills, Grades 7-8

Composition
Narrative, argument, comparison/contrast, process analysis (how to)
Test essays
Researched report with proper documentation
Poems
Script (see ART above for playwriting)
(All composition instruction will include discussion of grammar, usage, mechanics, research, spelling and vocabulary.)
Texts: Notebook Writer’s Guide by American Educational Publishing
Using the Media: Fact, Fiction and Opinion, Milestone

Study skills
Note-taking and outlining

Literature
Greek and Roman mythology, epic tales, drama; other myths, fables and fairy tales
Poetry
Short stories
Analysis of language styles in literary works using selections outlined in the Massachusetts English Language Arts Curriculum Framework, page 102
Discussion of genre
Texts: Bulfinch’s Greek and Roman Mythology (or other)
Story Elements for Middle School Students, Milestone

MATH
Number sense and operations
Patterns, relations and algebra
Geometry
Measurement
Data analysis, statistics and probability
Texts: The 100+ Series Standards-Based Math, Grades 7-8 by Harold Torrance
The 100+ Series Mixed Skills in Math, Grades 7-8, by Marge Lindskog
Spectrum Math, Grade 7
Spectrum Math, Grade 8
Is the Answer Reasonable?: the Test Connection, Grade 7
Math the Write Way: Thinking and Writing about Math, Grades 6-7
Creative Problem Solving: Multiple Strategies for the Same Answer, Grade 7, Milestone

SCIENCE
Scientific Method (including experiments with lab reports)
Physical Science
Life Science
Earth and Space Science
Science and Technology
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
History and Nature of Science
Texts: Spectrum Science Grade 7
Spectrum Science Grade 8
Science Up to Standards, Grades 5-8, by Pam Walker and Elaine Wood
Inexpensive Science Experiments, Grades 5-8, by Pam Walker and Elaine Wood
50 Terrific Science Experiments, Grades 5-8, by Pam Walker and Elaine Wood

SOCIAL STUDIES
Geography
Early civilizations
Ancient and Classical Civilizations
Introduction to World History to 1500
Texts: Teaching the Five Themes of Geography by Bonnie Dill (teacher resource)
Art and Civilization Ancient Rome, McGraw-Hill
Art and Civilization Ancient Greece, McGraw-Hill
The Complete Book of World History, Grades 4-8, American Education Publishing
Children’s World Atlas, Igloo

FOREIGN LANGUAGE: FRENCH
Stage 1: simple communicative tasks, common phrases and expressions
Texts and tools: The Everything Kids’ Learning French Book, by Dawn-Michelle Baude, Ph.D.
The 100+ Series French: Middle/High School, Frank Schaffer Publications
Lingua Fun! French audio CD and cards
Mango Languages online

HEALTH
Human life cycle and body functions
Genes and heredity
Diet and nutrition, nutrition labels, safe food handling, eating disorders
Sexual education
Sexual discrimination and harassment
Feelings and self-esteem
Peer pressure and relationships
Hygiene
CPR
Addictive behaviors
Environmental and ecological health
Public health and safety
Text: Instructional Fair’s Health and Safety Curriculum, Intermediate

PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Tennis, swimming, golf, dance or other instruction as available

Getting started

Your local school district may or may not be helpful in your efforts to teach your child at home. When we decided to homeschool, I received a form letter from our local district which appeared to be helpful per se but contained lists of websites that were no longer active. Being familiar with your state’s educational requirements and devising an educational plan fall squarely on your shoulders. By law, if you come up with a sound educational plan that meets curriculum requirements, your local school district must approve your request to homeschool. In most states, you do not need to be a certified teacher to homeschool your child.

First, obtain a copy of your state’s curriculum frameworks. These documents should be available online at your state’s Department of Education website. You may review the documents online or download them at no charge. For roughly $50, I purchased hard copies of the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, which includes guidelines for all subjects, grades K through 12. I’m glad I did. I refer to these documents often.

My educational plan is based on the Massachusetts frameworks, some of the highest educational standards in the nation. If you follow the Massachusetts frameworks, you will provide your child with a solid education in the classical tradition.

Being familiar with your state’s curriculum frameworks makes you a better judge of an individual school’s curriculum. You might be surprised by how well or how poorly your child’s school adheres to the frameworks. In sixth grade, Allegra’s Language Arts class studied none of the literary classics outlined in the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, opting instead to spend class time on four works by contemporary authors, two of whom aren’t even suggested by the frameworks. When she asked if she could read Howard Pyle’s The Story of King Arthur and His Knights for her individualized reading requirement, her teacher said it was not “on the list” and advised her to choose another work from the list, such as Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight. Pyle’s version of the King Arthur legend is, in fact, on the list provided in the state curriculum frameworks, so we are studying it this year.

Allegra's take: When I first saw the Massachussetts Curriculum Frameworks in September 2009, I was shocked at how little my former middle school had covered of the frameworks the previous year. My class had not done any of the required reading and had covered little of the mandatory history, geography and science concepts mentioned.

Taking inventory: our first year

Daily schedule, alternating weeks

As my 13-year-old daughter and I wrap up our first homeschool year, we are taking inventory of all we have accomplished vis-à-vis the state curriculum frameworks--and I am amazed. Starting last September, we comfortably met all the academic requirements by April 1. In December, Allegra passed a seventh-grade Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System test with only three incorrect responses. She’ll be taking another standardized test in June. Meanwhile, we have moved on to eighth-grade materials. We follow a schedule, but we don’t adhere to it strictly. The alternating two-week lineup is shown above.

The four-hour morning block is more fluid than it appears on the schedule: sometimes we spend more time on Language Arts, other times more on World History and often the two meld. The same applies to math and science. We’re flexible about taking field trips and attending programs of interest. Some homeschoolers eschew a schedule, but I find it keeps us organized and on task. The beauty of homeschooling is that your child can work at his or her own pace, while exploring his or her particular interests. The downside is lack of student interaction. Homeschooling can be isolating.

Allegra's take: It’s true that homeschooling is isolating; lack of interaction with peers is really the only major limitation homeschooling has. Although a few of my extracurricular activities are taken with other children my age, the fact remains that it is only my mother and I in the “classroom” all day.

The variety of the schedule is good and keeps things new: one week we have more English and history, the next week we focus more on math and science. As I have been in public school all of my life before this year, at the beginning of homeschooling I found the fact that we didn’t study all major subjects every day disconcerting. I have gradually become accustomed to the new way of doing things and am now quite content with it.

The schedule also gives us the chance to meld our classes into one. For example, when we were studying the ancient Greeks and Romans, we learned the history of the people, the literature of the time, and Greek and Latin root words all morning, combining English and history into one long class. On math and science days, we discussed contributions the Greeks and Romans made to the sciences and mathematics. This type of learning, which is often not available in public schools, prevents much confusion and puts concepts into context.