By the time i reached 8th grade, most the kids i grew up with were (already) either interested in math or hated it. The source that sparked my interest was probably closer to 4th grade, while we were still being taught the 3 R's (Reading, wRiting, aRithmetic). I remember my 4th grade teacher making math fun to learn, but reading/writing were so boring.
But are you trying to get 8th graders interesting in learning math and science, reading about math and science, or writing reports about math and science. In my opinion, those are not completely the same.
Slashdot Mirror
By the time i reached 8th grade, most the kids i grew up with were (already) either interested in math or hated it. The source that sparked my interest was probably closer to 4th grade, while we were still being taught the 3 R's (Reading, wRiting, aRithmetic). I remember my 4th grade teacher making math fun to learn, but reading/writing were so boring.
But are you trying to get 8th graders interesting in learning math and science, reading about math and science, or writing reports about math and science. In my opinion, those are not completely the same.