Language Lessons for a Living Education 8 (Download)

Our family loves this Language series! It truly is written by homeschool moms for homeschool families, and includes features we have come to love with Master Books courses: open-and-go format with a schedule in the front, easy to follow layout, concise lessons written directly to the student, answer key in the back of the book, along with helpful essay templates, word art examples, and more. Most important to our family is the decidedly Biblical worldview. I love that this course will actually guide students through writing their own statement of faith, and help them analyze other statements of faith as they come across them.

Literature studies and analysis selections include a variety of excerpts from nonfiction works, hymns, poems, and Scripture (the final selection is from Pilgrim’s Progress, which will whet students’ appetites for the indepth study of this wonderful work in the following year with Language Lessons 9!). From these excerpts are taken the vocabulary and spelling words for the week, so they are first studied in context which makes them much more practical than simply a list of spelling words. Students will also study famous works of art, learning to observe details of brush stroke types, the way color choices affect what is communicated, etc.

I love how this series makes grammar and punctuation so practical and straightforward. Often the passages used for practice exercises are stanzas from hymns, famous poems, or otherwise edifying reading material. The courtesy lessons that were begun in Language Lessons 7 are continued, reinforcing the understanding that communication is ALL to be done to edify others and glorify God - whether that is remembering to kindly greet family members in the morning, dealing with bullying, or realizing the importance of replacing negativity and criticism with joyfulness and contentment.

Repeated overview of the Bible, gaining more depth with each successive volume, is one more feature I appreciate about the Language Lessons series. This volume continues what was begun in Level 7 reading through God’s Story (or reading the accounts in their own Bible) and gaining practice summarizing and identifying the main message of the Biblical account. I know that while the language and writing skills they learn will equip them to be successful in their communication, an understanding of the Bible will give them a solid foundation to continue to build upon as they grow in their walk with God.

I am thrilled that this series is being continued to include every level through high school, and look forward to watching my students grow in their faith and communication skills as they progress through all of them!

The curriculum for Language Lessons 8 is tailor-made for junior high students! This curriculum for students ages 12-13 is amazing and teaches so many important concepts, like grammar and punctuation, vocabulary and spelling, and most importantly, developing a solid, biblical worldview. Students will learn how to analyze literature via book excerpts, hymns, scriptures, and poems.

I cannot say it enough, we LOVE that MB has continued the Language Lessons for a Living Education series! LLFLE 8 will take your student through a series of exercises designed to sharpen and build upon skills they have learned in prior levels, increase communication skills, build their faith and more. Exercise 1 is about vocabulary, spelling, memory verses and special features. Exercise 2 is about grammar and punctuation. Exercise 3 is about communication. Exercise 4 is about their worldview - this is where the companion book God’s Story will be used; students can use their own Bible but God’s Story is a gorgeous book retelling many stories in the Bible in a simple to understand way; the author uses conversational language like you are sitting right next to him as he explains each story and it is a great addition to your home library! It is used for both LLFLE 7 and 8 - the back of the text has a coordination guide for reference. Exercise 5 is a review and can be utilized as a quiz or test, if needed. There are also optional bonus activities throughout the text as well. Overall, I love how easy the authors have made the LLFLE series to work with. IT IS ENOUGH for most students - they don’t need a ton of extra work, it’s more about the method in which they learn. For students that DO need extra work, it is easy to incorporate additional practice and there are ideas in the back of the book for extra writing and communication assignments (which can also incorporate spelling, vocabulary, grammar and punctuation). The back of the book is a wealth of information, templates, additional practice and extras. I love the Optional Bonus Activities being listed out all in one place - it’s so helpful as you are planning for the year or looking for extras for certain lessons.

LLFLE 8 is a thorough study of upper middle school level grammar, vocabulary, and writing. Your child will learn to write essays using a clear and concise method. The worldview development, scripture and poem studies, art studies, and built in review days make this an outstanding curriculum that addresses and develops the purpose of being an effective communicator. Adding God's Story provides another great tool and can be used over and over as a family devotional for kids of all ages. This is a well laid out and challenging curriculum the gives your child the tools to grow in their faith and in their communication.

In the words of my 8th grader, “It’s tough, but I like it!” He feels more challenged than in previous ELA curriculums, but also isn’t overwhelmed or frustrated by it. We both like how it integrates all areas of ELA into one open and go book and offers a variety of activities to avoid boredom. I really like the Biblical worldview, the exposure to different literature, art, hymns, and scripture, and how it incorporates writing, grammar, spelling, vocabulary, communication, and character development.

The overall format of this curriculum is great for students and parents. The week flows very smoothly with one front and back lesson per day. Each day of the week presents the same areas of study (for example, Tuesdays are for grammar and punctuation), and every Friday is a review of the week’s study. This curriculum is what we have been looking for, and I am so glad we found it!

I cannot say enough good things about Language lessons and I am so happy that they have continued the series so my family can continue to enjoy each level! If you have an experience with previous levels, you will be happy to know that this level follows the same format. I am so pleased with this because my kids start each new year of language lessons with such confidence, knowing what is expected, and ready to step up their skills.
This level continues using the book “God’s story” for their worldview day. They will read the passage, summarize and give a sketch. You can choose to use your own bible for this portion, but my family loves Gods Story and it is very well written with beautiful illustrations, it is also helpful to use this book as well as your bible for your child to learn about summarizing.
This is an all in one course, everything is set up and scheduled for you! You just have to begin! I highly recommend this course/series and have used with all 4 of my children!

We have loved using the Language Lessons for a Living Education (LLFLE) series and I am so excited for Level 8 - it is everything that I thought it would be and more!

It continues in the daily rhythm that has been set since the beginning of this series, but encourages your student to work more independently and prepares them for a high school level of work. My favorite surprise with this level is that throughout the year, the worldview section walks your student through writing their own personal statement of faith. Such a gift!

The intentionality in the writing of this course is present on each page. I love that I can provide my child with a LA program that is going to challenge them in grammar & punctuation, communication, worldview, reading, bible study passage, and more, all while pointing them to the gospel. This course is truly a treasure!

I am so happy that Masterbooks is adding all grade levels to their Language Lessons for a Living Education series. Level 8 is everything I had hoped it would be. It is set up just like the other levels and is very easy to follow and understand. It is age appropriate for those who are in 8th grade or around that age and education level. The companion book for level 8 is God's Story, which is amazing in and of itself.
This level is set up as follows: exercise 1 is a special feature (which includes a hymn study, picture study, poem study, etc.) as well as vocabulary and spelling words, exercise 2 includes grammar and punctuation lessons, exercise 3 is all about communication, exercise 4 is where the student reads from God's Story and summarizes what they have read, and exercise 5 is for review and tests and quizzes.
The layout is simple, yet beautifully thought-out. It is student-led. It is challenging and engaging for the student as well. It intertwines God's word all throughout the book. Everything points back to God and Jesus and the Bible.
The companion book, God's Story, is truly inspired by the Holy Spirit. It is beautifully written and the illustrations take you straight to a biblical scene. It takes you through the Old Testament and shows God's redemptive love and mercy on His people. The sections are short but very detailed. It is a great addition to any homeschool morning time or for an evening devotional for families. The littlest family members as well as the biggest can appreciate the story being told and can connect with God through each page. I am very encouraged reading through each page and finding new truths each time. I highly recommend this book for anyone with children and it especially goes well with Language Lessons for a Living Education 8.

This is a beautifully done and very well organized course. The authors provide plenty of opportunities for students to practice writing different styles of essays such as: descriptive, comparative, narrative, expository, etc. There are 2 book reports assignments: regular and critical.

The authors break down each essay assignment into manageable parts for the students to work on and to structure for each week. It gives them the opportunity to write a well constructed essay and not to feel rushed. Every essay and book report assignment is explained in very good detail and easy to follow. Even before students are expected to write their first essay, they are taught the basics of how to write a great thesis sentence, a paragraph, etc. step by step. This course even introduces students to citations. At the end of the book there are rubrics provided for each essay to help teachers and parents to correctly grade the essays.

The first day of Language Arts level 8 provides a Special Feature of the week which could be: a certain passage from a book or the Bible, poem or psalms/hymns, or a picture study. This is where the student gets their vocabulary words, memory verses and decides on the independent reading for the week.

On the Second day students are taught Grammar and Punctuation. I absolutely loved how well organized this section is written. The grammar is easy to follow and builds on each other. At the end of the book, all of them are listed in one section for students to review or refer to on demand.

I also liked the Courtesy sections. Even though some of them felt like they are too young (which is understandable because every student comes to this curriculum from different walks of life and some need these to build a great foundation), but a big chuck of them were right to the point of what a teen should know and practice: table manners, how not to bully, how to be considerate of others, love and respect people with disabilities and so on. These are provided on the third day alongside the Communication Skills section which includes assignment and explanation of how to write an essay.

In addition, this course creates a very strong foundation in Christian worldview: there are verses to memorize in chronological order on the first day of each week, study of the statement of faith and passages to study and summarize on the fourth day. Throughout the whole course the students study how to construct their personal Statement of Faith and are expected to write their own. I think it is a great way for them to grow in their faith and to confirm what they truly believe.

The fifth day is a review day. It consists of the review of everything that was taught during the week. I like that the authors included it because it is a great way to summarize what was taught previously and see if a student still needs help in certain areas.

Overall, it is a very wonderful and strong Language Arts set and well worth waiting for. It works very well with other levels which build on each other and yet still can be used separately.

Our family has really enjoyed several levels of the Language Lessons for a Living Education series. I am so thrilled that the author is writing the higher levels. This book really is a comprehensive resource. Reading, writing, spelling, grammar, and Bible in one book! Before we came to Master Books a few years ago, we had a book for each of the above topics (and sometime more than one, if I didn’t feel the topic was covered well enough).
This course is a joy for both the parent and the student. It is well organized and is designed to equip the student develop effective communication skills. The schedule and included resources (much like the other levels) are very useful! I highly encourage parents to read through the course description, as it really helps to understand the purpose of the different activities the student will complete.
The lessons are perfect for junior high level. While there is enough to challenge the student, it is not overwhelming. It truly is set up for ease of use and for retention! There are a variety of learning activities. One of these is developing a personal statement of faith. What a meaningful activity!
I love that the companion book is God’s Story, which is absolutely beautiful. The illustrations are stunning, and the sections that tie pieces of scripture together are wonderful!
This is, by far, the best language arts curriculum I have found. My kids enjoy this series and are retaining what they learn. I love that I don’t have to worry about the content or whether it is sufficient. The authors did a great job on this book!