Need some help!

Hi Virginia and welcome! 🙂

Have you looked at the free curriculum guide here at SCM? It gives guidelines and suggestions for all ages.

I’ve used Math U See for most of my 14 years of homeschooling and have been very pleased with it up to Algebra. My son began to struggle at this age (as many kids do) and I can’t say if it was the curriculum or him. We tried several different things and never found anything we loved.

I’m now trying Math U See Algebra with my daughter who is in 9th grade. So far so good, but I’m still a little nervous how she’ll do as it continues to increase in difficulty.

For language arts in 8th grade it all depends on what your 8th grader has already covered. Does he/she have a firm grasp of grammar? If not, I like Easy Grammar for this purpose. Copy work and Dictation work wonderfully for penmanship and spelling instruction. Spelling Wisdom is a great resource to implement these things. For literature, we simply read and discuss great books. SCM offers suggestions for literature in their free curriculum guide as well.

I would start with oral narrations with all of your children and add in written narrations as your two older students become familiar with the process-maybe 1 a week for your 4th grader and I would start with the same for your 8th grader and add in more as he/she grows more proficient.

For science, I love SCM’s science offerings for young children. Most use Apologia, Answers In Genesis God’s Design For Science or living books in 8 grade and continue with Apologia and/or living books through high school.

We use a combination of Apologia and living books from 8th grade up.

Hope your first year homeschooling is wonderful!