I am a busy bee writing all of the homeschool curriculum posts for this school year. With a bunch of kiddos, comes a bunch of posts! Ha!
Next up: 8th grade Homeschool Curriculum Choices 2020-2021!
It’s hard for me to believe that my oldest girl (second born) is an 8th grader. She’s not really feeling school this year, so we’re staggering a few of her subjects and adding in science in a few weeks. She also doesn’t start her online classes until after Labor Day, so that’s been helpful for her as well.
My 8th grade girl is a hard worker and very diligent to complete all of her work, even when she’d rather be reading a book of her own choosing. I’m always proud of her!
Other 2020-2021 Homeschool Curriculum Posts:
→ 4th Grade Homeschool Curriculum Choices 2020-2021
→ 6th Grade Homeschool Curriculum Choices 2020-2021
→ 10th Grade Homeschool Curriculum Choices 2020-2021
Browse through all of the homeschool curriculum posts here at Mama’s Learning Corner.
This post uses affiliate links. You can see my disclosure policy at any time. I am not affiliated with Memoria Press at this time, except as an affiliate. I’m just a very happy customer.
A couple of years ago, we moved to mostly using Memoria Press. While I taught my children using unit studies and more delight-directed learning in the very early years, our homeschool is one that teaches classical education now.
→ Read more: How I Educate Myself as a Classical Homeschooling Mother
8th Grade Latin – Third Form Latin
My oldest girl will be taking Latin once again through Memoria Press Online Academy. She has studied Latin under Dr. Dray the last 3 years, and she will study under him again for Third Form.
The foundation that MPOA has given my girl in Latin is nothing but top-notch. Yes, my daughter has done all of the hard work to master the Forms so far, but MPOA has provided her the guidance and teaching needed.
Money well spent for our family!
8th Grade Math
My 8th grader is about 45 lessons into Saxon 8/7. We started it at the end of 7th grader, and we will just continue on until we finish the text.
I’m not sure what we will do for Algebra I. I’d love to hear your suggestions and recommendations!
8th Grade Bible Study
Since my 8th grader started Memoria Press cores “late” in the 6th grade, she hasn’t completed the Christian Studies I-III series yet. This is what we now use during our morning Bible study time. We are completing the last 2 units from Christian Studies II, and then we are heading straight into Christian Studies III.
Because we do so much of our Bible time orally, I require very little independent work for Christian Studies. Since there’s not too much on my 8th grader’s plate in regard to Bible study, she is also working through The Book of the Ancient World.
The Book of the Ancient World focuses on the ancient times and cultures. It is an overview of the Egyptians, Hebrews, Hittites, Persians, and Phoenicians.
I only felt comfortable adding in another Bible resource because 1) our Family Bible time is intentionally light on independent work and 2) the reading load for Ancient World is very doable.
8th Grade English, Spelling, and Composition
My 8th grader will continue to work in Rod and Staff English Grade 7 and then move onto Grade 8 if there is time. As I mentioned in the post with our 6th Grade Curriculum Choices, I slow down the pace of Rod and Staff English once my children reach 6th grade. They get an enormous amount of grammar in their Latin studies, which works with English grammar in such a lovely, synergistic way.
She will continue on with Spelling Workout F. Spelling has always been a challenge.
My oldest girl is so excited about taking composition with Dr. Dray in the Memoria Press Online Academy. She has taken Latin from Dr. Dray the past several years, and she really enjoys his teaching style. She will take Classical Composition: Refutation/Confirmation via MPOA.
8th Grade Literature
Even though it is one of the hardest pieces of the homeschool day puzzle for me to fit in, discussing literature with my daughter is one of my favorite things! To be honest, I’m usually reading her literature for the first time, so the novels are new to both of us. In fact, I haven’t read any of her literature books that will be assigned this year.
She will be reading and analyzing the books in Memoria Press’ 8th Grade Literature Package, which include Treasure Island, Wind in the Willows, Tom Sawyer, and Shakespeare’s As You Like It. We will also read many of the stories in Poetry & Short Stories: American Literature.
(As of writing this, I am 16 chapters into Treasure Island and it’s a page turner!)
8th Grade Classical Studies
This year, my 8th grader is focusing on Ancient Greece. During the first semester, she is working through Book of the Ancient Greeks, completing 1-2 lessons per week.
In the second semester, she will be reading and studying The Iliad and The Odyssey.
I am currently working through those Homer texts with my 10th grader, and I see how difficult they are. I’m a little concerned that my 8th grader will have too much reading during semester. If that ends up being the case, I’ll either drop some of her assigned literature novels, or I’ll push The Iliad and The Odyssey to high school.
I’ll evaluate her workload in December and January and decide how to proceed at that time.
8th Grade Science and Geography
My sweet girl is going to work through Geography II this year, which focuses on Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. Included in that Geography package is Geography I Review Book, which she will work on.
For science, she is studying Novare’s Physical Science text. I appreciate Novare’s approach to mastery, and the way the text is written to the student is ideal. Novare is new to me this year, and I look forward to seeing how it will work!
Novare also includes a link to applicable videos, which has already proven to be helpful. I love not spending time trying to find videos, as I desperately need to spend my time doing other school-related tasks.
What is your 8th Grader studying this year?
Continents Writing Booklet with Picture Dictionary
I am using the Novare Physical Science as well and am wondering where you found links to videos that go with the lesson. Not trying to recreate the wheel here….
Thanks!
Hey Jennifer! I’m really sorry for the delay in replying to your comment. To be very honest, Novare Physical Science was not a good fit for my daughter, and I had to switch to something different after the first 2 chapters.
I can’t quite remember, but I believe I got the links to the videos from the CD that came with the book. I’m sorry I don’t have a more concrete answer to give you!
xo, Lauren