Sixth grade marks the start of middle school and often a move toward more independence. I look for well-rounded curricula that is academically robust, interesting, and easy to use. Below you will find all of the secular 6th grade homeschool curricula I chose for my own kids and recommend to others.
Subjects to Teach in 6th Grade
What subjects should you teach in sixth grade? In sixth grade, you’ll continue most subjects from previous years.
These are the subjects that most 6th graders need:
- Language Arts
- Literature
- Writing
- Grammar
- Vocabulary
- Math
- History
- Science
- Art
- Music
- PE
If your student does not know how to type, then they should also do a typing course.
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6th Grade Language Arts Curriculum
Language Arts is a multi-pronged subject that often requires multiple curricula to cover all of the pieces of it.
6th Grade Literature Curriculum
For literature we use novel studies that I created and sell at LitHouse Learning. For my kids, we will use three Level 2 novel studies in the fall. Then move up and use three Level 3 novel studies in the spring.
In addition to these LitHouse novel studies for both modern and classic books, we will also be using Exploring the World Through Story Level G from Stone Soup Press.
Both of our literature curricula include writing. We also use the LitHouse History Writing Workbooks to embed writing instruction in our history study. And he will write a narration for his science lessons as well.
6th Grade Independent Reading
It’s important for kids to read every day. Every year we do a reading challenge for our kids to read 100 books every year. It’s very motivating for my kids. At this age, they are reading both middle grade books and graphic novels. I don’t require them to read anything specific. Set a goal that works for your kids! 100 might be too many for them. You can do 25 or 50 instead.
Since we want our kids to enjoy reading, it’s important that they get to choose the books they will read independently. I suggest a weekly trip to the library to let them pick chapter books or graphic novels to read. It can also be a good idea to get the Libby app to access ebooks.
My kids really enjoy reading fantasy books, and that’s what they tend to choose. I just ask them to read for at least 30 minutes every day. They often read more than that, though. We also keep track of the books they read with this Book Review Journal and on Storygraph.
See my tips for using your local library here!
6th Grade Vocabulary
In addition to the vocabulary activities in the LitHouse Novel Studies, my 6th grader will continue using Word Build Online. This only takes about 5-10 minutes a day. It’s been great for both vocabulary and spelling. My child is also going to start using Critical Thinking Company’s Word Roots Level 1 workbook.
6th Grade Math Curriculum
My oldest completed Beast Academy 5 at the end of 5th grade. Once they finish BA5, kids are usually ready for a pre-algebra class. I went around and around trying to choose the curriculum we would start after BA. I prefer outsourcing math, so we are going to use Thinkwell. He will either be in the 7th grade honors class.
6th Grade History Curriculum
In 6th grade, we will be re-starting the history cycle! We finished modern history at the end of 5th grade, and we are going to go back and do Ancient History in 6th grade! We are using Curiosity Chronicles Ancient Times and the LitHouse Learning Ancient History Writing Workbook – Level 2.
In addition to these, I have put together a plan with videos and additional books to read to dive a little deeper into ancient history this year. We’ll be doing this as a family subject with differentiated activities for each age/grade. You can get these Ancient History Plans for grades 4-8 here.
We’ve really enjoyed using Curiosity Chronicles to teach history. If you do not like the format of Curiosity Chronicles, I recommend History Quest or History Odyssey.
6th Grade Science Curriculum
In 6th grade, my student will use the Science Mom Biology 1 and 2 courses. I’ve been really impressed by everything I’ve seen from Science Mom.
6th Grade Art Curriculum
We have come to love the Glitterbombers Art Membership! It’s great for the whole family. It’s so easy to find art projects that relate to history, literature, and even science. And my kids love browsing and finding fun projects that appeal to them.
Usually you can only join certain times of the year, but if you use my link, you can join right now!
6th Grade Music
I recommend having your kids choose an instrument to learn and getting regular lessons. If you can afford private lessons, that’s ideal. Your kids might also be able to take music classes at a co-op or your local public school. Alternatively, there are options for learning music online. Hoffman Academy has online piano lessons. You can also find lessons on Outschool.
6th Grade Homeschool Curriculum
Those are all of our curriculum choices for 6th grade!
