What to Teach When Homeschooling Eight Grade is part of our “What to Teach” series. Click here to learn what to teach for other grades. For even more details, check out the Year-by-Year Teaching Guide for Homeschoolers.
Eighth grade builds on knowledge and skills gained in seventh grade while exposing children to increasingly more complex topics. This year should also help prepare your child for more rigorous work in high school. Here’s a simple guide for what to cover and develop in eighth grade.
What to Teach When Homeschooling Eighth Grade
Eighth Grade Language Arts
Among the topics your child should study in eighth grade are passive and active voice verbs, verb moods, and informal versus formal English. During this year, your child should demonstrate the ability to read and spell at grade level. Your eighth grader should also learn to use variations in sentence types, styles, and patterns to make a written passage more interesting, increase grade level vocabulary, and use new words appropriately.
Eighth Grade Writing
Among the things your child should focus on in eighth grade are producing written passages, projects, and reports that present clear reasoning and arguments across a variety of subjects. Your child should also demonstrate the ability to support arguments, opinions, and statements in written passages and use feedback and the editing, revising, and rewriting processes to improve writing.
Eighth Grade Math
Among the topics your child should focus on in eighth grade are decimal expansion of rational numbers, number lines, radicals, and fractional exponents. Your eighth grader should also learn and apply concepts related to linear equations, functions, and angles. During eighth grade, your child should also learn to apply the Pythagorean Theorem to math problems and calculate the volume and surface area of cylinders, cones, spheres, and pyramids.
Eighth Grade History
Among the topics your child should study in the eighth grade are the exploration of the Americas and the first Americans, colonial life in America, and the Mayflower Compact. Your eighth grader should also explore the American Revolution, study the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, and examine the early government of the United States.
Eighth Grade Science
Among the topics your child should study in the eighth grade are development and reproduction of plants and animals, cell division, and growth. Your eighth grader should also study genes, gene mutations, genetic diseases and genetic engineering. This year should also include study of natural selection, adaptation, and diversity.
Eighth Grade Health
Among the topics your child should study in the eighth grade are the importance of taking personal responsibility for one’s health and the characteristics of physical, mental, and social health. Your child should also explore social pressures, eating disorders, puberty, sexual behavior, and healthy relationships.
Eighth Grade Art
Eighth graders continue creating and exploring art using different mediums and tools. They may also view art, learn about famous artists, and observe art in its various forms.
For more details on what to teach when homeschooling eighth grade and the other 13 grades, check out our Year-by-Year Teaching Guide for Homeschoolers.
