Year 8 Homeschool Curriculum
$440.00 inc. GST
Our Year Eight homeschool curriculum is a literature rich, family friendly homeschool program for children.
Written to comply with the Australian Curriculum, NESA syllabus and WA Curriculum. Our Charlotte Mason inspired curriculum also includes New Zealand and international resources for those wanting a more global focused curriculum.
Recommended Ages: 13 to 14 years old.
International Grade Comparison
Year 8 Homeschool Curriculum Summary
Stage 4 NSW Syllabus
Here are some of the highlights of our Year 8 Homeschool Curriculum. There is plenty to love.
Parent Involvement
Students will often work independently but may need help setting up a work schedule. Parents will still need to aid students in their oral presentations, reading some texts together, doing dictations, checking written work and participating in discussions as needed.
English
For English, we continue to strengthen your student’s writing skills through written narrations and creative writing opportunities. We also trace English literature’s origins. Shakespeare, Beowulf, and Bede appear.
Literary Lines (Semester 1) teaches writing, grammar, and punctuation via classic, contemporary, and Australian literature. Artful Persuasion (Semester 2) examines historic speeches, speech structure, introductions, conclusions, spoken language, and presentation.
Shakespeare, nature literature, science fiction, historical fiction, and plenty of other book suggestions are enjoyable inclusions.
Maths
My Homeschool understands that families want to choose the right maths program for their teen. Instead of a “one size fits all” (that doesn’t fit), we give a thoughtful shortlist of the best math programs for homeschoolers. Choose the one that suits your needs.
We also include Alboe, a bonus revision resource which includes ‘a little bit of everything’ from the Australian Curriculum’s Year Seven Mathematics syllabus.
We also include discounts to some Maths programs to help with the costs involved.
Science
Science studies human anatomy all year. Your notebook will contain narrations, diagrams, and experiments. Easy home experiments are also offered. An inspirational medical biography completes this topic.
Semester 2 also includes a Physics book to read on matter and energy and Nature Notes, a cross-curriculum English, Science, and Geography resource, that will revive an interest in nature study.
History
Semester 1 history includes the fall of Rome, Viking attacks, and the Crusades. Semester 2 covers Renaissance and Japanese history. Writing activities, pictures, videos, and Book of Centuries dates follow reading. This period includes fascinating novels and biographies.
Geography
Semester 1 covers population geography. Population trends in Australia, the US, and China and town planning subjects are studied in detail. The unit on asylum seekers and refugees supports Current Affairs study. Landforms and Landscapes includes Earth Science, physical Geography, Literature, Poetry, and Art Appreciation. The Semester 2 resource includes rock classes, landform processes, and geomorphological hazards.
Along with fieldwork projects and other practical geographical skills taught, this year will inspire your student to be interested in the world around them and to seek to understand the forces that shape our planet.
Economics and Business (Semester 1)
Enjoy reading a contemporary author who teaches economic principles. His engaging style delivers a remarkably easy and fun explanation of money (its origin and history), investment cycles, recessions, inflation, the demand for money, government intervention and more.
Civics and Governance
Liberties and the Law, an Australian focused resource, examines multicultural rights and responsibilities. We investigate the Westminster origins of Australia’s legal system, obligations, liberties, Australian Aboriginal indigenous customary law, and national identity.
Plutarch’s Lives is an optional extra for both Semesters. It gives students an opportunity to explore themes of leadership and good governance in an Ancient History context.
Civics and Critical Thinking (Semester 2)
To complement Artful Persuasion we will be looking at the way speech can be manipulated to change the narrative, persuade or deceive. Students will learn to write and present with confidence.
And More…
There are also opportunities for plenty more, including more reading suggestions, Art Appreciation, Music Appreciation, and caring for your child’s physical education and health.
Exams
End of term exams are provided at the end of each team. These are optional and very helpful as a revision and assessment tool.
Sample Lessons
We Use A Blended Learning Approach
At My Homeschool most of your lessons will be completed offline (reading from a book, doing a field trip, or writing in your notebooks) and some will be online learning (watching videos, reading online etc.).
All our resources are digital and are located on Moodle, a renowned online learning platform used by many schools and universities. Using this format means we give you exceptional functionality which enables you to record your progress, and access your lessons from various digital devices and locations. This format also enables us to keep our resources fresh and dynamic.
A laptop, tablet, or desktop computer is needed to use our courses. Access to a printer is also necessary. PDFs can be downloaded and printed for offline reading but other resources can only be viewed from our learning platform.
The majority of our classes require reading from a real book or paper-based resource. Writing exercises involve pencils and paper and many lessons are oral or conversation based.
Video lessons require access to the My Homeschool learning portal.
The Moodle App can be downloaded onto your smartphone for on the go lessons and checking progress but is not recommended as the main digital device for reading and viewing lessons.
A Co-ordinated Curriculum
My Homeschool offers parents the confidence that their child is gaining knowledge, learning content, and developing skills in an age-appropriate way. This is achieved by presenting courses that follow a rich curriculum that ensures your child builds on their knowledge year after year.
From Foundation to Year 10 your child will have the benefit of a streamlined curriculum without overlaps and unnecessary busywork.
Our program development is based on the education philosophy of Charlotte Mason and the Australian Curriculum (which includes the NSW Syllabus & WA Curriculum).
Registration and Reporting
At My Homeschool, we do not do your registration plans for you. Registration applications are meant to be specific for each individual child and so parents are the best person to do this. However, we make your registration (or an exemption) so much easier because we provide so much support for this process. All our courses includes:
- An Education Plan offered in a format that you can individualise for your child;
- A Scope and Sequence showing how My Homeschool reflects the Australian Curriculum and NSW Syllabus;
- End of Term Report templates;
- A printable week-by-week planner with plenty of space to make notes specific to your child (no need to purchase a separate planner!); and
- An online Weekly Planner, complete with links to all the online resources required.
We also provide you with access to our State Rego and Planning Course which guides you through your homeschool application (and some international options!) when using our courses.
We give you a shortcut to help you get straight into giving your child a delightful and robust education without spending days and days researching and tweaking unsuitable content.
Community Support
Teaching Support
We also offer regular teaching support opportunities and have an extensive library of homeschooling resources, including resources on the specific registration and reporting requirements of a number of states, territories and countries. Whether you are just starting out or have homeschooled for years, there is something to teach and inspire you.
Curated Content
Year 8 Homeschool Curriculum is Harder
When I homeschooled my last child through a Year 8 homeschool curriculum we really had some fun. But planning her lessons still required a thoughtful approach. I needed to get the curriculum mix right. I knew after graduating three other children that these last years matter and I wanted to make sure I gave her an education that kept her options open for university, supported her moral and spiritual development, and let her explore her passions.
Many parents want that as well, but with so many options it’s hard to narrow the curriculum down to a workable load that leaves space to explore and the confidence that you are doing enough.
However, there is another stress to working out a Year Eight homeschool curriculum – you need to show how it meet state registration criteria as well.
Unfortunately, following the registration curriculum requirements is a problem for most Australian homeschoolers.
As registration criteria begins to tighten in each state, many people give up their educational philosophy and go back to worksheets, textbooks, and online tick the box products, some go unregistered and hope they won’t get caught, some send their kids back to school and some just lie about what they teach in order to pass registration.
None of these are good options!
But I’ve found a solution. In 2007, I started publishing resources for Australian home educators and showing them how to use the Charlotte Mason method for registration. And when my children had graduated from my homeschool and gone to university, I launched My Homeschool so I could continue serving the Australian homeschooling community and help others successfully home educate their children.
I hope we can help you too!
Story by Michelle Morrow (Founder of My Homeschool)
We really appreciate being able to follow the Australian curriculum with your programme. Although we are unable to register for homeschooling from here with the NSW Education department (NESA), we anticipate that evidence of her following your programme will ensure no issues if we end up back in Australia (currently on hold).
I would say I feel very comfortable with the programme as offered, and there are not really any issues with the delivery - perhaps with the exception of long wait for books which has been a bit of a problem during Covid with limited freight from Australia to Malaysia.
The My Homeschool Yr. 8 programme has been a fantastic way for my son to progress through middle school. Michelle and Jo have covered a wide selection of subjects that develop analytical, observational and critical thinking skills while immersing the student in a feast of language, history, science and the arts, all while meeting the requirements of the Australian Curriculum. We have thoroughly enjoyed discussions around the dinner table on his history units, and are eagerly looking forward to progressing through the rest of the programme. I couldn't have implemented such a well rounded programme if I had to collate the information myself.
I love My Homeschool!
We have tried several styles of teaching but always seem to come back to the Charlotte Mason Method.
This year, My Homeschool has provided a steady rhythm for our 13 year old. The work is set out on Moodle in a clear and concise way. This has made moving from being told what needs to be done, to being a self starter a very smooth transition. We have noticed that there has been just the right amount of stimulation, information and written work to keep him interested (in the past this has been challenging) and questioning things.
History lessons have been topic of conversation over dinner and discoveries made during geography have been talked about endlessly with his dad who has geomorphology qualifications. The choice of literature is rich and the online links have been valuable resources.
We have been very happy with all that Year 8 has been and look forward to the rest of the year. I believe that this year, academically, has been his greatest leap forward.
Year 8 Homeschool Curriculum
$440.00 inc. GST
Our Year Eight homeschool curriculum is a literature rich, family friendly homeschool program for children.
Written to comply with the Australian Curriculum, NESA syllabus and WA Curriculum. Our Charlotte Mason inspired curriculum also includes New Zealand and international resources for those wanting a more global focused curriculum.
Recommended Ages: 13 to 14 years old.