8th Grade Curriculum Guidelines for Homeschooling & Assessing 9th Grade High School Readiness

8th Grade Curriculum Guidelines for Homeschooling & Assessing 9th Grade High School Readiness
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The following four basic subjects are outlined here: Math, Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies. You may be homeschooling other subjects, but they are not required to move on to the next grade level. These guidelines tell what a student must have accomplished by the end of the eighth grade.

Note, however, that guidelines and regulations for homeschooling vary by state. Check this article to see where your state falls within the spectrum of strict to lenient requirements. Your state may require curriculum approval or have different requirements than these general guidelines.

Math

  1. Ability to convert decimals to percentages and fractions by hand.
  2. Ability to convert decimals to percentages and fractions with a calculator.
  3. Understand square roots and exponents.
  4. Master multiplication and division with and without a calculator.
  5. Master the use of a number line.
  6. Ability to add and subtract using the order principal.
  7. Ability to do addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division equations.
  8. Ability to evaluate problems with more than one step.
  9. Ability to measure angles.
  10. Ability to bisect angles.
  11. Ability to create word problems.
  12. Ability to understand and solve word problems.
  13. Understand the area of a rectangle.
  14. Understand inequalities and be able to graph them.
  15. Understand the Pythagorean Theorem.
  16. Ability to use pi.
  17. Master the mean, median, and the mode.
  18. Ability to measure the area of a triangle.

Language Arts

  1. Memorize 20 spelling words per week.
  2. Memorize 20 vocabulary words per week.
  3. Review synonyms and antonyms.
  4. Review adjectives, adverbs, nouns, and verbs.
  5. Understand what a cliché is.
  6. Review prepositions.
  7. Review sentence fragments and run-on sentences.
  8. Understand symbols and how to use them such as colons, semicolons, dashes, and parentheses.
  9. Understand dangling participles.
  10. Review settings, plots, characters, and conclusions.
  11. Create your own fictional story.
  12. Create a non-fictional story.
  13. Ability to site sources.
  14. Ability to conduct research for stories.
  15. Ability to complete a book report.
  16. Ability to give an oral book report with and without props.
  17. Review different types of poems.
  18. Create a poem of your choice.

Science

  1. Review measurements for use with science experiments. This include liquid and dry measurements.
  2. Discuss factors that are constant and others that are variables. Know the difference between the two.
  3. Have a good grasp on mass and matter.
  4. Research potential and kinetic energy.
  5. Master force and motion.
  6. Review gravity and Newton’s Law of Gravity.
  7. Understand velocity and acceleration.
  8. Understand inertia and friction.
  9. Understand the pulley system.
  10. Review sound waves and frequencies.
  11. Discuss noise pollution.
  12. Understand how lenses work in both the eye and a camera. Compare and contrast the two.
  13. Review electricity and its uses in the home.
  14. Review magnets and the magnetic field.
  15. Review pollution and the ozone layer.
  1. Ability to define civics.
  2. Understand the politics that took place when America was declared free.
  3. Study the Constitution.
  4. Study the Bill of Rights.
  5. Discuss what Freedom of Religion means.
  6. Understand the ways in which a person can become a US citizen.
  7. Understand the Executive branch and its functions.
  8. Understand the Judicial branch and its functions.
  9. Understand the Legislative branch and its functions.
  10. Understand voting and how it works.
  11. Know the difference between civil law and criminal law.
  12. Map out your community leaders, local government leaders, state government leaders, and federal government leaders.
  13. Review how pollution affects a community.
  14. Discuss various career choices.
  15. Discuss taxes.