Before homeschooling your child, learn which subjects are mandatory in your area and how to write the curriculum for their 8th grade year.
Some states require 8th grade students to take a course in foreign language. Usually there are several choices for foreign language, such as Spanish, French and Latin. If your state does not require this course, you can replace it with an elective of your choice. In addition, many states require that each student receive a required amount of hours dedicated to learning about drug prevention, abuse awareness and violence in schools or the community. The omission of one of these classes could prevent your student from receiving a promotion into the next grade. Other special courses required by your state might be computer sciences, career planning or home economics.
Many of the required courses also include subcategories. For instance, English might consist of several categories, such as reading, comprehension, spelling and writing. Social Studies might require a semester each in geography, history, world and current events, peoples and cultures. To assure that your student's achievements not only meet state standards, but also your own standards for a good education, list each class the student is required to take, along with all elective possibilities. Set up a schedule for each required course, then fill in the extra hours with the intended electives. For classes which will cover many aspects, list the subcategories to be included figure how many hours to apply to each section. Then, plan a course of education around the entire subject. In the course of a week, you might have reading and comprehension one day, creative writing practice the next day, and so on.
It's best to break down each subject, then plot the course your teaching will take during the year. If you plan on studying about the various countries throughout the year, decide how long you will spend on each country by dividing the number of countries you will study by the number of weeks you will be teaching. Large countries might require more time than a smaller country, so divide your in-class hours accordingly. Getting a yearly planner to write down the subjects, subcategories and special interest classes will help you have a clear idea of how to divide up your classroom time. In the best interest of your child's education, conduct your classroom like a real school by requiring work to be returned in a timely manner, use a standard grading chart, and include fun activities for the student from time to time.
