Homeschooling Middle School: Our Grade 7 Curriculum Choices

Inside: Are you homeschooling middle school? Many ask what we are using for the Grade 7 curriculum. Sharing our homeschool picks for the year! 

We finished up our homeschool year at the end of May.

I’m not sure who was more ready for a break, me or the kids. 

We spent the next week gathering information, such as final grades and samples, to send off as part of our final year-end report.

And then the fun begins…

Grade 7 homeschool curriculum list

Because we end up with almost 3 months of “summer break,” we spend 1-3 weeks picking out our homeschooling curriculum choices for the next homeschool year.

First, I check to see what is required, if anything, by law. I use the Department Of Education Website to print off the reporting forms and see if anything has changed.

Disclosure: I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Then I check The Well Trained Mind to see what homeschooling programs and resources I might want to include. I love the lists in this book!

Once I have an idea of what is required and what to use, I talk to the kids. My son is entering middle school!! Where did the time go?

The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at HomeThe Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at HomeThe Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at HomeThe Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home (Third Edition)The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home (Third Edition)The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home (Third Edition)

 

I find having a “mom and me” date really helps break the ice and help him open up about what he’d like to study. Letting him have a say helps him feel like he is in control and has a choice. Much like his mom, he likes control!

A favorite snack, a chilled drink, and we dive into homeschool resources and programs we’d like to try this coming year.

Then he agrees to test them before we send our “Homeschooling Middle School Plan” for approval.

This plan is subject to the plan, but we don’t need permission to change it up mid-year. After all, the best part of homeschooling is being able to tailor your homeschooling to your child’s needs.

If something ends up not working, we will switch gears as needed.

Grade 7 Curriculum Choices:

Here are our final choices and what was submitted. We are waiting back to hear if they are approved therefore these may change.

Math:

We are using Easy Peasy Middle School Math Step 2 for math this year.

UPDATED (2019) Easy Peasy has updated this math course and added printed workbooks you can purchase for learning offline. Both the Workbook and Parent’s Guide can be purchased on Amazon.

EP Math Pre-Algebra Workbook: Part of the Easy Peasy All-in-One HomeschoolEP Math Pre-Algebra Workbook: Part of the Easy Peasy All-in-One HomeschoolEP Math Pre-Algebra Workbook: Part of the Easy Peasy All-in-One HomeschoolEP Math Pre-Algebra Parent's Guide: Part of the Easy Peasy All-in-One HomeschoolEP Math Pre-Algebra Parent’s Guide: Part of the Easy Peasy All-in-One HomeschoolEP Math Pre-Algebra Parent's Guide: Part of the Easy Peasy All-in-One HomeschoolEP Math 2 Workbook: Part of the Easy Peasy All-in-One HomeschoolEP Math 2 Workbook: Part of the Easy Peasy All-in-One HomeschoolEP Math 2 Workbook: Part of the Easy Peasy All-in-One HomeschoolEP Math 6/7 Parent's Guide: Part of the Easy Peasy All-in-One HomeschoolEP Math 6/7 Parent’s Guide: Part of the Easy Peasy All-in-One HomeschoolEP Math 6/7 Parent's Guide: Part of the Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool

 

You can create an account, or you can skip it and bookmark the page. We plan on doing a “day” a day. The course is designed for 180 days however, I encourage my kids to work at their own pace. If we get stuck, we take more time.

Language Arts:

We divided our Language Arts into 3 parts. For writing, we are using Writing With Skill, Level 1: (The Complete Writer). This also comes with an instructor’s Manual.

For spelling, we will continue with Spelling Workout, Level E. You can read my review on why I love this series for spelling here.

Writing With Skill, Level 1: Instructor Text (The Complete Writer)Writing With Skill, Level 1: Instructor Text (The Complete Writer)Writing With Skill, Level 1: Instructor Text (The Complete Writer)Writing With Skill, Level 1: Student Workbook (The Complete Writer)Writing With Skill, Level 1: Student Workbook (The Complete Writer)Writing With Skill, Level 1: Student Workbook (The Complete Writer)SPELLING WORKOUT HOMESCHOOL BUNDLE LEVEL E COPYRIGHT 2002SPELLING WORKOUT HOMESCHOOL BUNDLE LEVEL E COPYRIGHT 2002SPELLING WORKOUT HOMESCHOOL BUNDLE LEVEL E COPYRIGHT 2002First language Lessons level 4 Set--Teacher's Guide and Workbook (First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind)First language Lessons level 4 Set–Teacher’s Guide and Workbook (First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind)First language Lessons level 4 Set--Teacher's Guide and Workbook (First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind)

 

And for grammar, we are using First Language Lessons. I wish I had found this series earlier, but it is never too late to begin.

History:

We are using The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child, Volume 3: Early Modern Times, we are using both the activity book and textbook.

Story of the World, Vol. 3 Revised Edition: History for the Classical Child: Early Modern Times (Story of the World)Story of the World, Vol. 3 Revised Edition: History for the Classical Child: Early Modern Times (Story of the World)Story of the World, Vol. 3 Revised Edition: History for the Classical Child: Early Modern Times (Story of the World)Story of the World, Vol. 3 Bundle, Revised Edition: Early Modern Times; Text, Activity Book, and Test & Answer KeyStory of the World, Vol. 3 Bundle, Revised Edition: Early Modern Times; Text, Activity Book, and Test & Answer KeyStory of the World, Vol. 3 Bundle, Revised Edition: Early Modern Times; Text, Activity Book, and Test & Answer Key

 

How I use Story of The World:

Story of the World can be overwhelming to those just beginning to homeschool. I highly recommend taking any homeschool program or resource you use and make it your own!

We do history three days a week:

Day 1:

I read aloud from the textbook. Then I ask the questions from the activity book and the kids answer orally.

We add the dates and characters to a timeline. I use a timeline from Notebooking Pages. I have the kids either write one paragraph summarizing what they learned, color a coloring page or map activity provided in the workbook.

Day 2:

I read aloud from the textbook what is left in the chapter. Most chapters are divided into 2 subheadings. I ask the questions from the activity book and the kids answer orally.

Again, we add the dates and characters to our timeline. I have the kids either write one paragraph summarizing what they learned, color a coloring page, or map the activity provided in the workbook.

Day 3:

On this day, we pick one of the extra activities to do. Sometimes it is a game we make from scratch. Cook a meal. Make a craft.

Again, always do what works for you. This is how I use Story of The World in our homeschool.

Geography Studies:

 We are using History-Geography, which is from Easy Peasy Year 3 History for Geography.

Although technically, our study of Story of The World contains geography, we wanted to use this program as well.

We used the levels of 5-8 sections and did not create an account, as this is new in the update.

They now have the printed book that is a companion to this course. It contains all the worksheets as well as the things to print and cut out.

I suggest carefully ripping out the pages for cutting when the day comes to use them because the pages are NOT perforated. Also, this is NOT a stand-alone workbook. It is to be used along with the online course.

Science: 

They are so excited to be studying Zoology this year! We are using Year 1 from Easy Peasy Zoology.

In this course, we used levels 5-8, and they learned zoology through readings, videos, and a variety of online activities. 

EP Ancient History Printables: Levels 1-4: Part of the Easy Peasy All-in-One HomeschoolEP Ancient History Printables: Levels 1-4: Part of the Easy Peasy All-in-One HomeschoolEP Ancient History Printables: Levels 1-4: Part of the Easy Peasy All-in-One HomeschoolEP Zoology Printables: Levels 5-8: Part of the Easy Peasy All-in-One HomeschoolEP Zoology Printables: Levels 5-8: Part of the Easy Peasy All-in-One HomeschoolEP Zoology Printables: Levels 5-8: Part of the Easy Peasy All-in-One HomeschoolEP Zoology Printables: Levels 1-4: Part of the Easy Peasy All-in-One HomeschoolEP Zoology Printables: Levels 1-4: Part of the Easy Peasy All-in-One HomeschoolEP Zoology Printables: Levels 1-4: Part of the Easy Peasy All-in-One HomeschoolHandbook of Nature StudyHandbook of Nature StudyHandbook of Nature Study

 

At this time, there was no printable workbook available. However, you can purchase the three books they will read, but this is NOT required. They are available online and within the course.

Homeschool Middle School Electives:

I love electives as they offer a great chance to really dive into the interests of my child!

Foreign Language:

She is diving into Spanish this year. We are using Duolingo, JW Langauge app, and Mango Languages.

Duolingo now has another free app that also helps called Tiny Cards.

Computer: 

We will be doing Easy Peasy Computer to learn about basic computer and internet usage and obtain word processing skills.

For typing, we will be trying out Dance Mat Typing, Typing Club, and Typing Web.

UPDATE: Our favorite program for typing is Typesy!

Art: 

My 7th Grader loves art and is known to go off on her own to draw and create. We are using Easy Peasy Early American Art to cover the “needed” requirements.

Some of her favorite art supplies can be found here.

Music: 

Due to not loving music or having interest at all, this course Easy Peasy Music: Early American is holding her attention and teaching her lots.

This is a once-a-week course. She will learn about both popular folk music of various historical periods to the classic music of many great composers during this time period, including Beethoven, Bach, Handle, Mozart, Vivaldi, and more. 

Health & Physical Education:

 We do a lot of exploring, camping and hiking outside. We also walk, swim, bike, and play different sports as a family. We have set 30 minutes of outside time each day for them to run and play without screens!

This is a great way for your kids to dig in and explore nature.

For more structured learning, we are using Easy Peasy PE/Health-Odds, levels 5-8.

Middle School Homeschool Reading List:

They were able to choose their own books this year. This is what we have planned.

Not all books have been pre-read, if you are using this list for inspiration for your own kids, I highly recommend reading the reviews before deciding which ones for your family.

Grade 7 Book List:

  1. Dear Dumb Diaries, Series
  2. Animal Ark, Scholastic
  3. Stargirl
  4. Tinks Mistake, Disney
  5. Junie B. Jones
  6. The Care and Keeping of You, American Girl
  7. The Care and Keeping of You 2, American Girl
  8. What Katy Did
  9. The Lost Treasure of The Emerald Eye, Geronimo Stilton
  10. Sophie Washington: Queen of the Bee
  11. Field Trip in Niagara Falls
  12. No Dogs Allowed
  13. The Cay
  14. Eye of the Crow, Shane Peacock
  15. Jacob Two-Two First Spy Case
  16. Anne of Green Gables
  17. MacDonald Hall Series
  18. How I Survived Bullies, Broccoli and Snake Hill
  19. Island of the Blue Dolphin
  20. Huckleberry Finn
  21. Carolines Journey, American Girl

There you have it, our grade 7 curriculum plan for homeschooling middle school. 

Are you homeschooling middle school? What is your favorite curriculum you are using?

Take care,

Jen

PS. Need more help? Check our Getting Started With Homeschooling Resources here.

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Grade 7 homeschool choices