Best Homeschool Curriculum for Working Parents – Middle School

Please note: this article discusses homeschool curriculums for middle school students with working parents. If you are a working parent looking for a homeschool curriculum for younger or older kids, please check out our other articles: Best Homeschool Curriculum for Working Parents – High School and Best Homeschool Curriculum for Working Parents – Elementary. 

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  • Best All-Around: Calvert Homeschool Complete Online Curriculum
  • Best Christian: Lifepac 5-Subject Kits
  • Best for Gifted Students: Moving Beyond the Page Complete Curriculum Packages

More and more, parents have been asking whether it is possible to homeschool their children while working part- or full-time. The answer is a resounding YES! Although working while homeschooling can present extra challenges, it nevertheless can be done successfully. For some great tips on how to manage homeschooling when you also have a job, see our article Homeschooling While Working Part-Time. 

When it comes to homeschooling while working, choosing the right curriculum is of key importance. Some curriculums require a lot of parental involvement, while others are very easy for students to complete independently. In this article, we’ll tell you about our three favorite homeschool curriculums for middle school students with working parents. 

Best All-Around

Calvert Homeschool Complete Online Curriculum

We love Calvert Homeschool’s online curriculum options for many reasons. They are academically strong, user-friendly, engaging, and streamlined. They also make homeschooling much easier for working parents because students can complete virtually all the work independently. 

Calvert has been publishing highly-rated, secular homeschool curriculums for many years. All of its grade 3-12 curriculums have now gone completely online, and the online platform has made these courses even better. The lessons have the same academically thorough content, but the media-rich platform presents the material in dynamic ways that are effective for students with a variety of learning styles. Parents love that the online platform keeps track of schedules and assignments, while most of the grading is done automatically. At any time, parents can log in to the Teacher’s Dashboard feature to check on their kids’ progress.

Calvert’s middle school program provides solid instruction in the four core areas of language arts, math, science, and history and geography, while also offering electives. Here is a summary of the content taught in each middle school grade:

Grade 6

  • Language arts – students develop reading, writing, and thinking skills by studying fiction, non-fiction, and poetry; students also have the opportunity sharpen their spelling, phonics, and vocabulary skills through the grade 6 spelling course, which can be taken alongside or in place of the grade 6 language arts course.
  • Math – students focus on number theory, operations, decimals, and fractions and are introduced to statistical and geometry concepts.
  • Science – students explore the physical universe, including plants, animals, planet Earth, light and sound, astronomy, genetics, and more.
  • History and Geography – students gain a broad view of world history and geography, with units covering Greek and Roman history, medieval history, and the geography of South America, Africa, and Europe.
  • Electives – students can choose from courses in keyboarding and coding.

Grade 7

  • Language arts – students further develop their writing skills and consider themes such as innovation, exploration, and courage as they read from literary fiction, non-fiction, and other texts.
  • Math – students learn pre-algebra concepts including proportional reasoning and problem solving. They are also introduced to equations, integers, and geometry concepts.
  • Science – students learn about the Scientific Method as they explore themes such as biology, ecology, earth science, matter, and energy.
  • History and Geography – students study world civilizations from the earliest human societies through those of the twentieth century.
  • Electives – students can choose from courses in health and career exploration.

Grade 8

  • Language arts – students focus on a variety of literature, both classic and contemporary, dealing with themes from American history, world civilization, air and space, and natural history.
  • Math – students learn introductory algebra concepts such as graphing, integers, equations, and problem-solving; this course provides an excellent preparation for high school math.
  • Science – students explore topics such as geology, oceanography, astronomy, natural cycles, and more.
  • History and geography – students acquire historical research skills as they study American history from the period of early European colonization to the twentieth century.
  • Electives – students can choose from courses in health and career exploration.

All in all, Calvert Homeschool offers an excellent, comprehensive, and user-friendly online curriculum that students can complete independently while their parents are at work. Although courses can be purchased independently, the most convenient option is to choose one of Calvert’s subscription plans. These vary by subscription length and the number of students in your home who will be using the program.

Best Christian

Lifepac 5-Subject Kits

Published by Alpha Omega Publications, a leader in Christian homeschool curriculum, the Lifepac series is an excellent option for homeschooled students with working parents. Each course comes in a convenient, compact set. The curriculum is streamlined, carefully structured, and easy for students to complete independently.

Each of Lifepac’s courses consist of 10 consumable worktexts and a teacher’s guide. Students learn concepts incrementally and at their own pace with the step-by-step worktext format. Quizzes and tests are included, and minimal parental assistance is required. Many self-led learners do especially well with Lifepac courses.

The most convenient approach to using the Lifepac series, especially if you are a working parent, is to purchase one of their five-subject kits, which includes the four core courses (language arts, math, science, history/geography) and a Bible course. There is also a separate science manipulative/lab kit for each grade level, which has all the materials your student will need for that year’s science course. 

In addition to the five subject kits, Lifepac offers a variety of excellent elective courses (both single semester and full year) for middle school students, including:

Overall, Lifepac’s courses will give your middle school student a thorough education with a Christian worldview. If you are looking for curriculum with similar content but that can be done online, consider Alpha Omega’s Monarch Online Curriculum.

Best for Gifted Students

Moving Beyond the Page Complete Curriculum Packages

If you are looking for a homeschool curriculum that your middle school student can complete independently and that is especially designed for gifted students, consider the excellent offerings by Moving Beyond the Page. Perfect for creative and independent learners, this program is literature-rich, interdisciplinary, and hands-on. Because of the program’s unique cross-disciplinary structure and literature-based materials, students will develop their critical thinking skills as they learn how different subjects relate across space and time.

The approach of Moving Beyond the Page is unique. Language arts, social studies, and science are taught alongside one another in units that relate and overlap thematically. In one unit of the Age 10-11 (grade 6) course, for example, students read Lois Lowry’s Number the Stars while also studying the history of World War I and World War II. In one unit of the Age 11-13 (grade 7) course, students study the solar system while also learning about the “Age of Discovery” in their history unit. And in one of the Age 12-14 (grade 8) units, students read  the genetic-engineering themed story The House of the Scorpion while also studying genetics and DNA.

Moving Beyond the Page is an excellent option for hands-on, independent learners and students who love to read. The lessons plans are designed to be read and followed by students themselves, so self-led learners will also thrive with Moving Beyond the Page. The program has also been carefully designed to meet state and national standards. 

Three programs are available at the middle school level: Age 10-12 (generally grade 6), Age 11-13 (generally grade 7), and Age 12-14 (generally grade 8). The curriculum can be purchased in both print and online versions. The Full Year Packages provide students with a complete language arts, social studies, and science curriculum, as well as extra print materials and manipulatives.

Math is not included in the Moving Beyond the Page curriculum packages, so you will want to choose a separate math program for your child. One good option, which Moving Beyond the Page recommends, is the popular Life of Fred series. Life of Fred is an unconventional but effective math program that encourages kids to think critically and connect math concepts to real life situations. The Life of Fred Pre-Algebra set is appropriate for most middle school students. After successfully completing this program, students can move onto the Life of Fred High School Set 1.  

Conclusion

More and more, working parents are choosing to homeschool their children. Fortunately, there are some excellent homeschool curriculum options for middle school students whose parents work. If you are a working parent who is homeschooling a younger or older child, check out our other articles Best Homeschool Curriculum for Working Parents – High School and Best Homeschool Curriculum for Working Parents – Elementary. For more tips, check out our article Homeschooling While Working Part-Time.