By the time spring comes around, my eighth graders are tired, the state test is a few weeks away, and the second half of the curriculum is still fresh and shaky. Systems of equations, functions, scatter plots, irrational numbers: these are the topics that show up on the test and the ones students have had the least time to practice.
Grade 8 Mathematics Practice Workbook, Volume 2 covers exactly that stretch of the year: Units 5 through 8, aligned to the New York State Next Generation Mathematics Learning Standards. It picks up where Volume 1 leaves off and finishes the Grade 8 year.
Caption: Every lesson: Remember box and Worksheet 1, Worksheet 2, and a full answer key.
What is in Volume 2
Volume 2 has 4 units, 46 lessons, 92 worksheets, and more than 1,000 practice questions, all original, with complete answer keys at the back.
- Unit 5: Systems of Linear Equations (10 lessons). What a system is, solving by graphing, systems with one, no, or infinitely many solutions, substitution, elimination, and writing systems from word problems like “adult tickets cost $12 and child tickets cost $7.”
- Unit 6: Functions & Volume (14 lessons). What makes a relation a function, linear and nonlinear functions, rate of change and initial value, comparing functions given in different forms, sketching the story of a graph, then the volume of cylinders, cones, spheres, and composite solids.
- Unit 7: Statistics (12 lessons). Building and reading scatter plots, association, outliers and clusters, drawing and judging a line of fit, what the slope and initial value mean in context, predictions, and two-way tables with relative frequencies.
- Unit 8: The Number System (10 lessons). Terminating and repeating decimals, writing repeating decimals as fractions, square and cube roots, solving x2 = p and x3 = p, rational and irrational numbers, and estimating irrational numbers on the number line.
Each unit ends with an NYS-style mixed review lesson, so students practice switching between question types the way they will on test day.
The same three steps in every lesson
If your student used Volume 1, nothing changes here. Every lesson opens with a Remember box (the key ideas and a worked example), then Worksheet 1: Skill Practice, then Worksheet 2: Challenge & Reasoning with state-test-style multiple choice, multi-step problems, an error-analysis question, and an “explain your thinking” question.
Caption: Unit 5, Lesson 2: Solving Systems by Graphing.
Systems of equations are a good example of why I built the lessons this way. Students often find the crossing point of two lines, write it down, and move on without checking it. The Remember box for that lesson ends with one step in bold: check the point in both equations. Worksheet 2 then gives them a student who read the crossing point wrong, and checking it in both equations is how they catch the mistake.
Caption: Worksheet 2 mixes test-style questions with reasoning.
Real numbers, real situations
I wanted the word problems to sound like things students actually see. They write systems for burgers and drinks, figure out how much water a cylindrical tank holds when it is filled to a foot below the top, and decide whether hours studied and test scores have a positive association. Statistics, in particular, makes much more sense when the data is about them.
Caption: Unit 6: Volume of cylinders, with real-world tank and can problems.
Caption: Unit 7: Drawing a line of fit.
Answer keys you can rely on
The keys are organized by unit, lesson, and worksheet. Answers show the key step, and many multiple-choice answers explain why the other choices are wrong. Square roots are given exactly and as a decimal to the nearest tenth, and answers with π are given both in terms of π and as a rounded decimal. Every answer was checked by computing it independently.
Caption: Answer keys are organized by unit, lesson and worksheet.
Who this book is for
- Students in the second half of Grade 8, especially in the months before the state test.
- Parents who want organized practice at home and a key they can trust.
- Teachers and tutors looking for classwork, homework, intervention, or test review for Units 5 to 8.
- Homeschool families finishing a complete Grade 8 math course after Volume 1.
How I would use it before the test
From January on: one lesson every two or three days keeps pace with most classes. Check Worksheet 1 with the key before starting Worksheet 2, so mistakes get fixed early.
In the last few weeks: go straight to the four mixed review lessons. They pull the whole unit together and show quickly which topics need another look. The Standards Alignment chart at the front tells you exactly which lessons to go back to.
In class: the error-analysis and “explain your thinking” questions work very well as partner talk or a warm-up the next day.
Caption: The table of contents: 4 units and 46 lessons.
Start with Volume 1
The full Grade 8 year is more than 460 pages, so I split it into two volumes that hold up much better as paperbacks. Volume 1 covers Units 1 through 4: Integer Exponents & Scientific Notation, Transformations & Congruence, Dilations, Similarity & the Pythagorean Theorem, and Linear Equations & Slope. Together the two volumes cover every Grade 8 standard.
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Book details
- Title: Grade 8 Mathematics Practice Workbook, Volume 2 (Units 5–8)
- Author: Omer Zengin
- Pages: 228
- Size: 8.5 x 11 inches, paperback
- ISBN: 979-8161292976
- Includes: 46 lessons, 92 worksheets, 1,000+ questions, four mixed review lessons, complete answer keys, and a standards alignment chart
Common questions
Can my student use Volume 2 without Volume 1?
Yes. Each volume stands on its own, with its own lessons and answer keys. If your student’s class is already working on systems of equations or functions, Volume 2 is the right place to start.
Is it only for New York?
No. It is aligned to the New York State standards, but systems, functions, volume, scatter plots, and irrational numbers are Grade 8 topics in most states.
Is it good for test prep?
Yes. Worksheet 2 in every lesson uses state-test-style questions, and each unit ends with a mixed review lesson written in the style of the NYS Grade 8 Math Test.
If you use the book with your students or your own child, I would love to hear how it goes. Leave a comment below.
Mr. Omer Zengin
