8th grade is the last year of middle school and the preparatory stage for high school. More often, the 8th graders go through a lot of stress and get so much worried about maintaining and improving the academic performance for entering the high school.
In addition to that, it is that time of the academic life where parents and relatives are starting to expect more from the kids and why shouldn’t them as the students are soon entering high school. So, if you’re an eighth-grader or parents trying to help their kids to master the ways of middle school and become super ready for high school, this 8th grader guide would help you.
8th Grader Vocabulary
One of the most common issues found in middle school students is that their vocabulary and spelling have still not developed after passing all these years, which could become very problematic in high school. As in high school, the academic life gets tougher than ever before. That’s why it’s crucial to get a stronghold on the grade 8 spelling words. Make sure to learn new words every day. The good vocabulary will also highlight the student, whether when writing an essay or giving a presentation. It’s not only limited to academic success, but a good vocabulary will also help the person in professional life.
Build Writing Skills
No matter how much technology grows, good writing would always matter as it used to be back in time. Education is indeed becoming digitalized, and there is now much software that eliminates all the errors from the writing and assists the person in writing better. Still, students need to build exceptional writing skills because organic improvement always gives more benefits. You can start with writing argumentative essays, present reasoning by using clear statements in your writing. Check the spelling mistakes and try to eliminate all the spelling errors from your essay. You can take help from the spelling for grade 8 lists.
Reading Skills
Reading improves the overall academic performance of the person. Students who read more often perform better in exams and in professional life as compared to the students who don’t. In order to build reading skills, the student should start with comprehension material. This practice helps the student evaluate the evidence in the text quickly and answer the questions with strong supporting ideas. Keep a pencil or highlighter during the practice is essential because they can highlight the main idea or the theme of the text in the given text. Reading also helps students understand the different use of the language, including analogies, allusion, etc.
Introduce PSAT AND SAT
Even though students don’t have to appear on PSAT or SAT but 8th graders should be introduced to the PSAT or SAT. This early instruction could help them prepare in advance and match the standard of these tests. By doing that, they can score higher on the SAT that can open many scholarships for the top college of your state and save a lot of college fee money. Students can take help from many educational sites, not just for SATS or PSATS for all the other test preparations. SpellQuiz is one of those sites, which is an excellent source of learning for middle school and high school students.
Extracurricular Activates
Studies are all good but should never skip “Extracurricular Activities.” It’s a great way to explore the interest out of the educational field. We see around ourselves many young millionaires and successful content creators. What’s the one thing common in them? They didn’t limit themselves to the studies only and explored their interests through the work they love with studies. So, extracurricular activities are a must, be it any mind game like chess, computer games, sports club or gymnasium. Parents should encourage their kids to engage in these activities. This will also boost their academic performance as well.
Independent Learning
Students should not limit themselves to in-class learning or course books. Instead, they should try self-learning and take full responsibility for understanding things on their own through internet sources or different other books apart from the curriculums. This helps to build the research skills in students who are crucial for high school and then college.
Take good care of Mental Health.
Preparing for high school and targeting to ace the 8th grade is a brilliant idea, but the students should not neglect their mental health during this process. Positive stress is good for growth, and it helps the person to become smart, punctual, and work in a tough environment. However, when academic stress gets out of control, it can cause some permanent damage to the student, which results in anxiety and depression.
Middle School Counseling Lessons
Counseling is critical for middle school students, especially 8th graders, to develop career awareness, get academic support, and establish their identity. Get friends with the school counselor and share your academic interest and goals with them. Many students make a mistake for choosing the wrong field and later regret doing that. That’s why one should start working on that from grade 8 that will help in making rightful academic decisions.
Final words
Middle school is the crucial stage of the student’s academic career. That’s why students should become extra cautious in grade 8. If they lack somewhere, they should rectify that problem before entering high school. But that doesn’t mean skipping all the middle school fun and memories, as success is all about keeping the balance in life. Learn that, and nobody can stop you from being successful.
