# 8th grade program??



## yukon cornelius (Aug 9, 2012)

im sorry i know this topic has soooo been over.... we are going to be first time home schoolers! we wanted to from kindergarden but we let everyone talk us out of it. flash forward to 8th grade we finally got the courage to pull our oldest from public school. we are looking for a complete program for 8th grade. we prefer not all online and not all on paper. we would like it to be bible based. we are looking into our fathers world with saxon algebra. our son is a 4.0 student and we want him to be challenged. he is only slightly excited so it would be nice if it were extra fun and exciting! any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

Sonlight is another good option, similar to MFW. 

Did he take pre-algebra last year? If not, you might want to consider 8/7 or Algebra 1/2 before jumping in to Saxon Algebra... Not so much because the material is more difficult but just to give him a chance to get used to Saxon's approach.

You'll also need to add science as well as math to your choice. Apologia is a popular option for bible-based science.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

My only suggestion is to feel your way along slowly. I know a few people who use a "full curriculum" and are happy with it, but most I know that have tried that route and are unhappy in the end (one family - our current Homeschool leaders - fought with a well reguarded curriculum for 3 yrs. Finally she said something and we all agreed with her that it didn't work as written for most people...but if you tweak it "this or that" way it works. Now she is eclectic like the rest of us....using bits of this an that as things fit her each of her kids' learning styles). Just be willing to adjust things as you go. You may find part way through a year you need to change gears, change how you use a curriculum or flat out change curriculum. PLEASE if nothing else, PLEASE remember your child does NOT have to do every single problem in the book even if the teachers guide says to. Pick and choose for your child's needs.


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

> PLEASE remember your child does NOT have to do every single problem in the book


Or every mapping activity, extension project or writing response!

Most curricula, whether homeschool, private or public, includes FAR more than a student could ever do in one year. School teachers realize this and like to pick and choose within the options. 
Parents, OTOH, tend to get overwhelmed at first, trying to do it all.


PS: My only homeschooler is 8th grade, also. His first full year home after a three year hiatus back in school... 
Oh but this age is fun! lol


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## yukon cornelius (Aug 9, 2012)

well i guess we are on the right track then with mixing and matching. we just dont want to leave anything out. thanks for all the input and wish us luck! we know it is the right decision.


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## Canning Girl (Jan 13, 2010)

We started homeschooling last year with Sonlight, and I love it. My kids are 2nd/4th graders, but I suggest you look at their website. Their instructor's guides are very well laid out, giving you day-by-day assignments. It is literature based. I have also heard good things about Teaching Textbooks for math at the higher grades.


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## kasilofhome (Feb 10, 2005)

We tried lot's of stuff but what worked for us was 
http://pacworks.com/newpac/

http://pacworks.com/newpac/free-resources/


http://pacworks.com/newpac/curriculum/english/english-grammar-skills-8th-grade/

http://www.pacworks.com/samples/bio_1-3.pdf


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## Whisperwindkat (May 28, 2009)

I would suggest getting a feel for how your child likes to learn before spending the money on a boxed curriculum. I have found that boxed curriculums can be a mixed bag of challenging and too light material. Especially, now that you are moving into high school material and preparing them for college/life then it is more of a challenge of meeting those needs and goals. We like Apologia for science. It is very thorough, clear, and straightforward. We are using Saxon for math. It is a spiraling program which we adapt to suit my daughter's needs. It is what she was used to and comfortable with. My little one is starting out with a mastery program (Singapore). For history we read a lot of documents, personal accounts along with texts of the time period and we write a lot of papers. For 8th grade we used Abeka grammar and then moved into writing papers in 9th grade. This year 10th grade will be lots of papers and writing for both history and English. Essentially, what I am trying to say is that being in the higher grades often means that a boxed prepared curriculum might not work to give them the best educational experience and of course it depends on your child and their own strengths and weaknesses and learning style. Blessings, Kat


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## kasilofhome (Feb 10, 2005)

Kat is very much RIGHT on getting what will work for your kid --each kid IS different even in the same family.

I often was able to request sample of the format used ---I learned the hard way because as Kat has correctly pointed out it is costly to have to resell school stuff --even good stuff to afford something that will work.


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## BigM (Mar 22, 2008)

Switched on School House is good though we didn't care for the math. We found Teaching Text Books works great for our math needs.


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