Ah, the middle years. Pre-pubescent, gangly, awkward kids with attitude problems. That’s what I used to think about middle schoolers, until I raised some. Now, I can honestly say that this stage of childhood is a special, bittersweet time- the time when you get a front row seat to watch your kiddo blossom into the beginning stages of becoming a young man or woman.
According to the trivium, the middle school years are better classified as the “logic stage”. This is the age that the student begins contructing logical arguments and considering abstract topics. Mathematics moves on from basic arithmetic, language arts puts all those nouns, verbs, and adjectives to work, and the student takes more ownership for their education.
Here are a few curriculum suggestions for these years, based on what has worked for our family.
Language Arts
Reading, grammar, writing, and spelling begin to combine at this age. The student is usually able to put their thoughts down to form cohesive reasonings, drawing from the language arts knowledge they gained in their elementary years. Their handwriting ability is generally pretty solid, and notetaking comes more naturally.
Brave Writer is a program that I regularly recommend. It allows for these language arts concepts to blend while focusing on good quality literature. It’s also flexible enough to be used with multiple ages, keeping the family all centered on one thing. To try out Brave Writer for yourself, use this link for a $10 discount on any Brave Writer product!
Mathematics
I have only ever used Saxon Math for our kids, but am looking forward to see what The Good and the Beautiful offers for middle school levels.
As for Saxon, manipulatives are no longer needed for the grades after third, and lessons are meant to be read and carried out by the student. My kids generally needed me to come beside them to help them with unfamiliar or challenging topics, but if that is not an option for you, I suggest trying Nicole the Math Lady. Her website provides full teaching for each Saxon math lesson.
I have had all my kids skip Math 8/7 and begin Algebra 1/2 in 7th grade, and take Algebra 1 in 8th, giving them an early start on their high school credits.
History
I spend the middle years tightening up world history, cycling my kids one more time through the four levels of Story of the World. Yes, that means they will have gone through this series twice, however, the activity guides are so full of supplemental reading recommendations and projects, that the two experiences with it will never look the same. I appriciate that the assigned mapwork also helps familiarize students with world geography before they begin a more focused study on that subject in high school.
Science
I have jumped around quite a bit when it comes to science! We have done notebooking studies, unit studies, labs, literature-based… but here are a few of my favorites!
Ellen McHenry’s Basement Workshop is full of workbooks, activities, and 3D models to craft. I really appriciate her fun, down to earth approach to science.
Apologia offers focused notebooking studies on a wide range of science topics with a Christian worldview.
For the 23-24 school year, I will be trying Master Books for the first time with my 4th and 8th graders. I like their simple lessons, wide range of hands-on activties, and notebook pages. This company also teaches from a Christian worldview.
Guest Hollow is one of my most favorite curriculum companies! They offer literature-based studies for an array of subjects and ages. They also host several Facebook groups where you can ask questions and learn about sales directly from the creators. Their science studies include The Science of the Seasons, Anatomy, Actions & Reactions, Botany, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.
In addition to these resources, I have also created a few studies that can be found in the My Island Homeschool store. A closer look at these studies can be found here on the blog:
The FREE Guide to Studying the Human Body
A Guide to Studying Astronomy in Your Homeschool
Studying Monarchs in Your Homeschool
Logic
I like to introduce the formal study of logic beginning with puzzles like Mind Benders, or board games that teach deductive reasoning, like Clue. After those, our family has used the books by the Bluedorns- The Fallacy Detective and The Thinking Toolbox. A Free PDF workbook for the Fallacy Detective can be downloaded here.
Do you have a curriculum for the middle school years that your family loves? Share it in the comments!
Happy homeschooling, friends!
My Island Homeschool 
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