Welcome to Grade 8 Learn-At-Home!
This page is designed to help provide you with resources to teach your child at this level and to give you some confidence as you tackle this adventure. It focuses on the core subjects, but you can add in any extras that you would like to include. The resources listed are based on the various curriculum learning outcomes presented by the provinces and territories.
Remember that learning at home is a different experience than learning in a classroom. You do not (and should not) do seatwork and focused learning for the whole day. Keep your intentional learning times short and engaging. Learning happens outside of that official "school" time just fine. Provide an environment of learning and see what happens!
A typical school year is divided up into 180 days / 36 weeks. Simply make a plan for each week to pull together your homeschool year. Here is a simple schedule.
- EVERY DAY: Math, Language, Reading
- MWF: Science
- T/TH : Social Studies
- Add in art, music, French, health, and phys ed as desired.
For Math, pick a program that will work best for your child and use it a little each day.
For Language, the main sections of a language program are literature, writing, spelling, and grammar. Try to include something for each area over the course of a week.
For Reading, just read with your child. Pick some classic children’s literature and snuggle together to read aloud. Ask lots of questions as you work your way through the book and have them engage in conversation. Let them come up with theories of what’s going to happen next. A fun idea is to pick books that have been made into movies. Read the book, and then follow up with a movie. If your child is an avid reader on their own, make time to have them read to themselves and to you.
For Science, divide the year into unit topics. Most provinces have 4-5 units in the year. That means you have 7 to 9 weeks for each topic, three times a week. (21-27 lessons for each.) Watch related TV shows like Magic School Bus or Bill Nye, play online games, do experiments, and let your child be a natural scientist.
For Social Studies, divide the year into 3 units of about 12 weeks each, two times a week (24 lessons for each.) Some subjects may need more time and that's okay.
You can add in additional subjects as you would like, whether that be an intentional part of learning time or just as extra learning throughout the day.
- For Art, you can do free art time, follow the instructions of someone else (such as the YouTube channel ArtHubForKids), join an art club like KinderArt.com, or use a series of art lessons. You can even just look at various pieces of art and talk about what they see.
- For Music, quiet listening time to different kinds of music from different time periods and different cultures can be a lot of fun. Talk about the instruments they hear, the rhythm and beat, and the speed of the tempo. They can even move their bodies how they think the music makes them feel.
- For Phys.Ed & Health, make sure to get some intentional active time each day to keep moving. Talk about how to be safe in all kinds of scenarios and the importance of proper food.
The main thing? Have fun.
This page contains affiliate links.
MATH
If you would prefer a workbook based math program, consider one of these cost-effective options.
- JUMP Math 8.1 and JUMP Math 8.2 - Teacher Guides are free on their website, but are optional.
- Complete MathSmart 8
- Mathematics 8 (look under the Secondary tab)
Please note - there are many other math courses and curricula available. These are just some Canadian-centred ones that are cost-efficient.
SOCIAL STUDIES
- Use this set of lesson plans (intended for a classroom so you might need to adapt some slightly.) It explores worldviews in the Renaissance, the Spanish Conquest vs the Aztecs, and in Japan. The textbook is available here. Click the Social Studies 8 Textbook tab at the top of the page to get to the other units. There are some additional fiction book suggestions here, if you want to add any in.
LANGUAGE ARTS
- Easy Peasy Language Arts 8 (this is a free online homeschool program. It is a faith-based program, although I'm not sure if there are any references to faith in this language program.)
- Daily Grammar
- Khan Academy Grammar
- Canada: Neighbours with a Difference - an online video teach program with a printable workbook
Prefer a workbook or worksheets? Here are a few options.
- EnglishSmart 8
- Grammar on the Go - Look under the "Intermediate" section for this.
- Grade 7 Worksheets
Here are some ways to add language arts to your day without a curriculum.
- Read books and do a Book Report
- Write a Story
- Play Scrabble or Bananagrams
THE ARTS
- Pick a project from KinderArt
- Play in the Chrome Music Lab.
- Play some games on Classics for Kids. You can also listen to their podcasts to learn more about classical music.
- Play Charades. Need some ideas? Check out this Charades Generator.
FRENCH
SCIENCE
Just want a general workbook?
(This unit is covered in all provinces and territories.)
In this unit, students explore the importance of water to humans and animals.
Here are some Parent-Interactive resources. Although most of these are intended for a classroom setting, you can complete most of these lessons and activities at home.
- Fresh and Saltwater Systems: A review page for the unit in the Alberta Grade 8 Science textbook (which you can access here.)
- Project FLOW: Activities and lessons that explore watersheds, the Great Lakes, pollutants and more. There is a bright yellow "Get This Resource" button on the sidebar to access the file.
- Water Systems on Earth: This resource takes a look at various water sources in Canada like glaciers and oceans, as well as tides, shorelines, and drainage basins.
Here are some Independent Learning Resources.
- The Watershed Game
- Bill Nye Video: The Water Cycle
(This unit is covered in all the provinces.)
In this unit, students explore light and how it moves.
Here are some Parent-Interactive resources. Although most of these are intended for a classroom setting, you can complete most of these lessons and activities at home.
- Light and Optics: Lesson plans based on the Alberta Grade 8 Science textbook (which you can access here.) Includes worksheets and answer keys. The unit on light begins at page 371.
- Optics: A multi-lesson resource that focuses on the reflection, refraction, and properties of light. It is intended for a class study so it might need some adaptation.
Here are some Independent Learning Resources.
(This unit is covered in almost all provinces and territories.)
In this unit, students explore the flow of liquids.
Here are some Parent-Interactive resources. Although most of these are intended for a classroom setting, you can complete most of these lessons and activities at home.
- Mix and Flow of Matter: Lesson plans based on the Alberta Grade 8 Science textbook (which you can access here.) Includes worksheets and answer keys. The unit on fluids begins at page 14.
- Fluids: A multi-lesson resource that focuses on density, viscosity, and forces in fluids. It is intended for a class study so it might need some adaptation.
Here are some Independent Learning Resources.
(This unit is covered in all provinces / territories)
In this unit, students explore what cells are and how they work. You might need access to a microscope for this unit, although you might be able to find images online instead if you don't have a microscope.
Here are some Parent-Interactive resources. Although most of these are intended for a classroom setting, you can complete most of these lessons and activities at home.
- Cells and Systems: Lesson plans based on the Alberta Grade 8 Science textbook (which you can access here.) Includes worksheets and answer keys. The unit on light begins at page 371.
- Cells, Tissues, Organs, and Systems: A multi-lesson resource that focuses on cells, their reproduction, interdependence, and healthy and unhealthy bodies. It is intended for a class study so it might need some adaptation.
Here are some Independent Learning Resources.
- Explore a Cell interactive
- Cells Alive! website (games, interactive features, images and more.)
- Cell Craft Game
- Bill Nye Video: Cells
(This unit is covered in all provinces / territories)
In this unit, students discover more about simple machines, transfer energy, and how machines change over time.
Here are some Parent-Interactive resources. Although most of these are intended for a classroom setting, you can complete most of these lessons and activities at home.
- Mechanical Systems: Lesson plans based on the Alberta Grade 8 Science textbook (which you can access here..) Includes worksheets and answer keys. The unit on machines begins at page 2.
Here are some Independent Learning Resources.
(This unit is covered in Grade 8 in British Columbia.)
In this unit, students explore the layers of the Earth and how it moves.
Here are some Parent-Interactive resources. Although most of these are intended for a classroom setting, you can complete most of these lessons and activities at home.
- Planet Earth: Lesson plans based on the Alberta Grade 7 Science textbook (which you can access here. Look under the PLANET EARTH folder for the pages in this unit.) Includes worksheets and answer keys. The unit on structure begins at page 199.
- Plate Tectonics - 6 lessons that explore the earth layers and tectonics. It even uses food!
- The Earth's Crust - A multi-lesson resource that focuses on the earth, rocks, and dirt. It is intended for a class study so it might need some adaptation.
Here are some Independent Learning Resources.
PHYS.ED & HEALTH
Use activities from GoNoodle to keep active.
- Food and Heatlh: This course through Coursera, although designed for older learners, is clear and covers nutrition, sustainable food practices, and processed foods. Delivered through a video format with quizzes at the end of each unit.
