The 8th grade is often considered the “launchpad” year. It’s the last leg of middle school, where mastery of the knowledge and skills may be needed for a successful launch into high school. The 7th grade, then, is the “bridge” year, where kids cross over from the foundational skills of elementary school into more complex, abstract content. Moving backward, that makes 6th grade the “swing” year because it “swings” between childhood and adolescence based on the child’s maturity and academic readiness.
So, what’s the best 6th grade homeschool curriculum? It will be the one that “swings” in the right direction at the right velocity for your child. In this article, you’ll learn about subjects typically covered, how to build and plan, and elements to look for in a 6th grade homeschool curriculum.
What’s a 6th Grade Homeschool Curriculum?
A 6th grade homeschool curriculum is a structured sequence of learning goals and materials designed for kids learning at home rather than in a traditional school setting. It allows the parent to “swing” toward a more elementary grade experience in areas where the child needs more support and toward a more middle school experience in areas where they are ready for more advanced expectations.
How homeschooling changes from elementary school to 6th grade
Probably the biggest shifts made between the elementary years and 6th grade deal with exposure to content and mastery of skills. While a major goal in elementary school is to spark curiosity and encourage a love of learning, in the 6th grade kids, are now asked to assist in managing their learning. Previously, you may have read every book, explained every concept, and facilitated every project. But this year, you may begin a transition to more of a coaching role.
Also, in each academic area, the material usually gets more specific. Instead of a general science class that could involve any number of topics, in 6th grade the focus may be on “earth science.” Also, your child moves from being able to state preferences and recall concrete details to begin grappling with “why” questions, like, “Why do you think the author chose that crazy plot twist?” Or, “Why do you think that battle in the war was so important?”
This is the year when your management of all your child’s work “swings” a little more in their direction and asks them to start thinking about time management and organization (Association for Middle Level Education, “Transitioning”).
Subjects Covered in 6th Grade Homeschool Curricula
There’s still a lot of flexibility when homeschooling for 6th grade. If your child discovers a new interest in painting, great! You can cover history through the lens of famous artists. However, 6th grade typically includes these core subjects.
Mathematics
The main goal for 6th grade math is arithmetic fluency. It’s the year to lock down mastery of the basics, including decimals, fractions, percentages, basic probability, and positive and negative numbers (Common Core, “Math”).
Language arts
The main goal here is to build a strong foundation for the expository and persuasive writing that will become a focus in 7th grade. Descriptive and narrative writing continue to be emphasized, along with building strong paragraphs. Grammar often includes topics like subject-verb agreement and different sentence structures. Reading moves from a sole focus on plot to introductory explorations into character motivation, point of view, and theme (Common Core, “English”).
Science
Typically, 6th grade is a year for earth science (including geology, weather, and plate tectonics), although basic physical science is another option. The scientific method is a major area of study because it will drive scientific discovery in future years.
Social studies
While there is plenty of room for other options, usually this year focuses on ancient civilizations, especially through geography, mapping, and how communities were shaped by environmental factors. Also, an introduction to civics and the concept of rights and responsibilities are additional features (National Council for the Social Studies).
Types of 6th Grade Homeschool Curricula
Curriculum options for 6th grade homeschooling are generally based on “delivery method.” These are the types most frequently selected.
- All-in-one: This “boxed” curriculum package provides everything you need for all the core subjects listed above. It typically includes a yearly plan, daily schedule, teacher guide, student workbooks, and other learning materials. It removes the guesswork in the preparation process, but it can be demanding in its pacing and inflexible when it comes to customizing areas of strength and growth. And of course, comprehensive materials usually come with a price tag to match (Cheng and Hamlin).
- Subject-specific: This eclectic approach involves choosing a different curriculum for each subject area. One advantage here is the ability to customize the curriculum to your child’s strengths and weaknesses: more rigorous for disciplines where your child thrives and gentler and more game-based for areas in which they struggle. But this requires a lot of management on the parent’s part to get the scope and sequence from each area to line up reasonably well.
- Project-based: This one may be more of a style than a curriculum. It usually starts with a question like, “If you were designing a museum exhibit about the ancient civilization you find most interesting, what artifacts would be essential to tell the true story of the people and their time?” This approach can be very engaging for kids and provides opportunities for real-world connections, but it requires a large investment of time from the parent, and it can be difficult to track progress for state requirements without having specific standards identified.
- Video-based: This curriculum uses pre-recorded videos of lessons and practice that kids work through at their own pace. It usually includes an online platform that grades the work submitted right away. This can relieve parents of lesson planning and grading duties, especially in areas where they don’t feel as confident in teaching themselves (Martin et al.).
- Virtual or online classes: This curriculum provides live, online group classes that take place in real time. It provides the same benefit of relieving parents of instructional duties, but much more engaging because kids are working in real time with the teacher and other students, which also encourages the development of social and communication skills (Culbreth and Martin).
What to Consider When Choosing a 6th Grade Homeschool Curriculum
Not sure how to choose the curriculum that’s right for you and your child? That’s okay! We’ve got you covered. By evaluating these key elements, you’ll soon be able to choose the best option for both of you.
Teaching capacity
It’s important to be honest about your capacity to implement the various curriculum options. A rigorous curriculum that requires tons of time to familiarize yourself with the content, plan and implement lessons, secure the necessary materials, and evaluate progress can be fantastic, but only if you have the time for it.
Also, consider your own subject-specific needs. If you are a great reader and writer and love getting into books and writing assignments with your child, then you’ll be good to go for language arts. But if you feel less confident teaching math or science, it’s probably best to find options that outsource the instruction to experts (Kunzman and Gaither 281-85, Osho 98-130).
Learning profile
At this age, kids often develop unevenly. They may swing toward the older adolescent’s ability to organize themselves and their work in some areas, but then swing toward the younger child’s struggle to work through frustration when they don’t immediately “get it” in others.
Also, 6th graders commonly discover new interests they never recognized before, so it’s helpful if the curriculum you choose can accommodate forays into specific new areas, like basic game design or forensic science (Opdenakker).
State requirements
States in the US differ widely in the laws that govern homeschooling. Some have detailed, stringent requirements, while others have few, if any, must-haves. Many are somewhere in between.
As important as parent capacity and student learning needs are, meeting state requirements is essential. Outschool provides a very helpful page that details the homeschool laws in each state. This is a great resource for every homeschool family, but it’s even more essential if you plan on transitioning your child into a traditional school down the road.
Budget
All-in-one boxed sets provide the ease of an open-and-go option, but also come with a high price tag. Also, some apparently affordable options may come with hidden costs. For instance, you might find a great teacher’s manual for 6th grade science, but be sure to check the fine print.
If it also requires expensive lab equipment, it might not be such a great value after all. Also, it’s often worth paying more for expertise than for materials. It’s not that hard to find second-hand materials or to utilize resources from the public library, but it can be a time-consuming challenge to make yourself into enough of an expert to feel confident teaching some challenging content (Kunzman and Gaither 270-76).
How to Build or Plan a 6th Grade Homeschool Curriculum
The early elementary years might have been as simple as a spin on the playground Merry-Go-Round. But now that 6th grade has arrived, implementing your own homeschool curriculum might feel like swinging too high on the trapeze without a net to catch your fall. Don’t let the “swing” year intimidate you. By following these straightforward steps, you’ll be flying high in no time.
Step 1: Identify learning objectives for core subjects
While there is a lot of flexibility in what kids learn in the 6th grade, a typical homeschool curriculum usually includes five main content areas and standard goals for learning.
- Math: Working with fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios, negative numbers, multi-step word problems, and pre-algebra concepts like expressions and simple equations
- Language Arts: Reading more complex books, writing strong paragraphs and short essays, using correct grammar and punctuation more consistently, and supporting opinions with evidence
- Science: Learning through experiments and observation, studying earth, life, and physical science concepts, explaining findings
- Social Studies: Studying world history or U.S. history, working with geography, timelines, and cause-and-effect, discussing basic civics
- Elective: These learning goals will depend on the particular discipline: coding, music, art, foreign language, woodworking, etc. (Common Core State Standards Initiative; National Research Council; National Council for the Social Studies)
Step 2: Choose the delivery method
There’s no one “right” curriculum for every 6th grader. But there is one that’s best for your child. Use the information above about the different “types of curriculum” and “what to consider” when selecting one to arrive at the best option (Kunzman and Gaither).
Step 3: Outline a plan for the year
It may be counterproductive to map out the learning for the whole year in detail because sticking to a rigid plan means that you can’t take deep dives into new areas of interest your child develops or spend extra time on concepts that need more work.
Instead, consider breaking a 36-week academic year into four to six-week chunks. Then, within those chunks, decide on a “unit” of study for each subject area. For instance, in math, you might choose to work on fractions, decimals, and percentages. In language arts, you might pick a novel to read and a personal narrative to write. Science could focus on plate tectonics and social studies on the Mayan civilization (Kraft and Novicoff).
Step 4: Create a weekly rhythm
Instead of planning every minute, develop a rhythm for how often each subject occurs. A typical weekly 6th grade rhythm might look like this:
- Math: 4-5 days per week
- Language Arts: 4-5 days per week
- Science: 2-3 days per week
- Social Studies: 2-3 days per week
- Electives: 1-3 days per week
Within a framework like this, consider scheduling the most difficult content for your child in the morning when they’re fresh and electives or subjects they love in the afternoon when energy wanes (Levenson and James 33-41).
Step 5: Decide on a tracking system
Daily grades aren’t always necessary. Instead, you may opt to simply track your child’s progress through any or all of these options: weekly checklist, reading log, writing samples, and end-of-unit reflections on what was learned.
Another great strategy is the use of a portfolio that contains samples of work products from each subject.
Step 6: Build in growth outside academics
Your child will most likely swing between behaviors and attitudes typical of younger children and those of older adolescents, sometimes in the same day!
So, it’s helpful to plan activities that promote growth outside of the usual school subjects. Things like playing sports, independent research projects, music lessons, field trips, and chores are all great options.
Example Routine for 6th Grade Homeschooling
One of the great things about homeschooling is its flexibility, but as noted, establishing a daily routine that can be altered as needed is an effective strategy. One way to approach daily scheduling could look like this:
- Morning: A 15-minute check-in time to review the day’s plans, answer questions, and clarify expectations is a great way to get started (Levenson and James 33-41). Then the next 45 minutes could focus on math, followed by a 15-minute break, followed by another 45 minutes of language arts, divided between reading and writing. After that, the next 45 minutes can be devoted to science or social studies; these subjects usually alternate days.
- Lunch: It’s important to take time not just for a meal but for your child to have some unstructured free time.
- Afternoon: After lunch, the scheduling might shift to lighter, more flexible learning activities, like art, music, foreign language, PE, passion projects, or field trips (Opdenakker).
Popular Homeschool Curricula for 6th Graders
There are countless ways to go about implementing a 6th grade homeschool curriculum, but some resources rise to the top year after year, each with their own pros and cons. Consider these easy-to-access options.
Outschool’s online curricula and classes
Outschool offers a wide array of full 6th grade classes and curricula that cover every subject area and are customized for every ability level. Homeschool parents love that the classes are taught by vetted professionals, which provides much-needed support, especially in subject areas that they feel less confident about teaching themselves.
They also appreciate that their kids are engaged in the lessons and can develop social skills by interacting with other students in real time online. Kids love the high-energy instruction and fun activities. Class options include full all-in-one courses that cover the entire year, individual subjects for an entire year, or shorter-length classes focused on a targeted area, like grammar or various operations in math. They also have self-paced options, virtual club opportunities, and even one-on-one tutoring.
State resources
Each state’s Department of Education outlines the standards for each grade and can be found free of charge online. These can be helpful when figuring out what to teach, but they don’t provide information on how to teach it, so this would most likely need to be supplemented with other materials. It’s great to know that your 6th grader needs to learn how to write effective dialogue in a personal narrative, but if you don’t know how to equip them to do that, the standard alone doesn’t get you very far.
Public libraries
The public library system is a treasure trove of learning materials: books, documentaries, journals, recorded interviews, podcasts, etc.
However, you need to know what to look for when you are searching for useful materials. If you don’t know whether there are any high-quality documentaries about the water cycle and current weather patterns, you can waste a lot of time hunting for a sound educational needle in a haystack of random media (American Psychological Association).
Frequently Asked Questions: 6th Grade Homeschool Curricula
It’s okay if you don’t yet feel like you’re in the “swing” of things. We have some of the most common questions that parents have, with helpful answers.
Should 6th grade be treated as elementary or middle school in homeschooling?
In the US, there is no single, universal placement for the 6th grade in the public school system. Some districts define elementary school as K-6, often due to staffing, space, or developmental philosophy rather than academics. A majority refer to elementary school as K-5 and call middle school grades 6-8. Therefore, homeschool families are not bound by such labels.
Often, they “swing” between the two just as their kids “swing” from behaving as young children one day and older adolescents the next. A common approach is a “hybrid” model that takes one of two forms. The first uses middle school-level content (deeper reading, projects, electives) along with elementary-style supports (frequent review, breaking concepts down into smaller pieces, frequent check-ins to assess progress). A second approach to a hybrid model is to swing between an elementary approach in subject areas the child finds challenging and a middle school approach for disciplines where they excel (Cooke et al. 1-6).
How much time should a 6th grade homeschool day take?
A typical homeschool day includes roughly 4 hours of focused academic time, which is less than a traditional day in school since learning at home is more efficient and individualized. At home, there’s no need for classroom management, transitions, waiting for other students to complete tasks, or repeated instruction until the majority “get it.”
A helpful rule of thumb is to spend 2 to 2.5 hours of the day on core academics, like math, language arts, and either science or social studies. Then the remaining 1 to 1.5 hours can be spent doing independent reading, completing projects or research, or working on elective options like sculpture, coding, or a foreign language (Kunzman and Gaither 286–92).
What assessments work best for 6th grade homeschoolers?
Assessment for kids at this age is usually best when it’s low-pressure and growth-oriented. Common evidence-based strategies include “formative assessments,” which are ongoing, informal checks on a child’s learning progress without the pressure of a “summative grade.” While it can be a quiz or worksheet, it can also be a basic discussion, a written reflection on the topic of the day, or even a game. Anything that gives you information about what has been learned so far counts as formative assessment (Black and Wiliam 7-10).
In Full Swing
Whether you think of your child as an elementary school kiddo or a middle school almost-adolescent, a strong 6th grade homeschool curriculum will have you covered. By using the guidance provided here, you’ll feel confident in both meeting your child’s learning needs and honoring your own priorities. With the right curriculum approach, your child will soon be swinging for the fences with you in the stands, cheering wildly in your role as #1 fan.
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