Need help deciding what homeschool resources to add to your 6th-grade curriculum? What subjects should you include as your child enters middle school?
Below I have listed our 6th-grade curriculum picks for this year. Many of these curriculum choices come from the resources we have used and love. Others are new and seem very promising.
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Our 6th-Grade Curriculum Resources
Math
We have been using Math-U-See for the past three years and it works very well for our family. The boys really enjoy watching the videos and seeing if they can solve a given problem before the answer is given.
This year they will be taking on Zeta level which deals mostly with decimals and percents, but also metric conversions, mean, median, mode, probability, area of a circle, angles, and more. Click here to read how best to schedule and use Math-U-See in your homeschool.
6th-Grade Curriculum for English
Language Arts/Writing
For our Language Arts and Writing assignments, the boys will be using BJU‘s English 6 Curriculum. We used BJU for 3rd and 4th grade, but last year I decided to try a more Charlotte Mason approach to this subject.
Unfortunately, we ended up going back to BJU’s curriculum because Joshua was having trouble with dictation. We did well with BJU in the past so we are sticking with them again.
Literature Used in Our 6th-Grade Curriculum
Our approach to this curriculum will be a little different this year. Each month we are going to tackle a different form of literature.
For August, we will complete our last ‘Classical Start’ lap book activity for Gulliver’s Travels, by Confessionsofahomeschooler.com. We really enjoyed their literature curriculum.
In September, we will concentrate on the poetry of Robert Louis Stevenson. The twins will read and discuss selected poems from his book, A Child’s Garden of Verses.
For October and part of November, and in April, we will delve into Shakespeare covering the plays “Much Ado About Nothing” and “As You Like It“.
In the past, we did one Shakespearean play per year but I am doubling that now mostly because the boys really love it. Every day we read a scene and then watch a movie clip for that scene.
In March, we will cover selected short stories by O. Henry and other authors.
In between these assignments (part of November-March), the boys will be given independent reading time. I selected the Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan and Classic Start’s The Man in the Iron Mask.
6th-Grade Curriculum for History
World History and World Geography
This year we will stick to our newly loved curriculum, Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer, Volume 3, Early Modern Times.
We will also use Homeschool in the Woods’ timeline record for placing the figures and events that we touch upon.
6th-Grade Curriculum for Science
This year I am taking a different approach to our science curriculum. This summer I came upon Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding by Bernard J. Nebel, Ph.D. After reading the introduction to this book, I was hooked.
In fact, I went ahead and purchased the next book as well, Elementary Science Education. The first book is geared towards K-2 grades but as the author suggests, no matter how thorough a science course is, there may be gaps that are missed.
Nebel recommends using his books (there are 3) together as he has created a way to integrate science topics for better understanding. He provides a flowchart for how to teach each topic as well as the pre-requisite topics students need before moving on to the next topic.
6th-Grade Curriculum Electives
Technology
This year I am introducing the boys to some technology curricula. I scoured the internet over the summer trying to find an appropriate curriculum for computer science and found Homeschool Programming Inc.
They offer various courses including programming for young gamers. They also provide a curriculum syllabus for each course helping to plan out my whole year. The course we will be taking is called Digital Savvy.
Another technology course I am adding as an elective is called EEME. This is a monthly subscription service that sends out kits with various electrical components that kids get to put together and create different functions. I came upon this after being disappointed with Lego’s pricey kits.
Typing
This is also a new subject for the boys. Seeing that they will be taking a computer course I figured they should start learning to type as well. I chose the Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing Family Edition download from Amazon.
U.S. Geography
Just as last year, we will use Productive Homeschooling’s Notebooking Pages United States state study forms to research various state facts such as the state motto or state symbols.
We also accompany this with Confession of Homeschooler’s Road Trip USA curriculum and Highlight’s Which Way, USA subscription. We only have 16 states left this year and will finish this curriculum in March.
U.S. Government
For the month of October, I added this curriculum with a focus on presidential elections. This will primarily consist of reading Presidential Elections and Other Cool Facts by Syl Sobel and watching presidential debates as they air on T.V. Naturally, we will watch the election coverage come November.
Spanish
I am currently working on creating this curriculum as opposed to buying one. For the past three years, the boys’ Spanish consisted mainly of naming and labeling objects.
I believe they are ready for small phrases and sentences. I’ll keep you posted if I am able to create this curriculum or give in and buy a curriculum.
Finances
Money 101 for Kids by Walter Andal
Although I added this to our 7th-grade curriculum resources, it is appropriate to this grade level as well if you would like to add it to your curriculum. Click the link above to learn more.
Health
This year I decided to add this book as the boys are embarking on puberty very soon. I chose Kelli Dunham’s The Boy’s Body Book because it has a strong focus on puberty, hygiene, and safety. I plan on adding this in when our U.S. Geography component is finished in March.
Well, this is it, guys. It seems like a lot but I do spread this out so the kids can get done before 3 pm. I usually allow about 30 minutes per subject. Click here to see how we schedule our 6th-grade homeschool curriculum and the strategies we are using this year.
So what are you planning for your 6th-grade curriculum? I would love to see what curriculum you prefer and will be using in your homeschool. Comment below. I am always looking for a great curriculum.
Need help with other grades? Click any of the posts below:
- 5th-grade homeschool curriculum resources
- 7th-grade homeschool curriculum resources
- 8th-grade homeschool curriculum resources
- 9th-grade homeschool curriculum resources
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Jen says
Hello, I was wondering if you would share which version of Much Ado About Nothing and As You Like It you used to follow your reading. Thank you very much.
Dionne says
Hi Jen,
I actually own the Easton Press Shakespeare collection and is what I used for our curriculum. However, Amazon has some versions if you are looking for it in e-book format, budget-friendly, or easy-to-read. Hope this helps.