Eighth Grade

Eighth grade is the last year before transcripts matter, and the best year to let a kid run. Algebra if they are ready, pre-algebra if they are not, and no shame in either. Writing that expects a real argument. Books that do not talk down to a thirteen-year-old.

How to use it: pick one math book. One novel a month, read closely and argued about at dinner, beats six skimmed. Keep the list of what got read; it is the beginning of a transcript.

The whole year in one place: The Whole Year: 8th Grade.