This post contains affiliate links and we may earn a commission when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Seventh grade is such a wonderful time for language arts! At this stage of their intellectual development, students begin to think more abstractly and make new connections across subject areas. Most students are solid readers by this age, and many are downright bookworms! Their vocabulary and writing abilities are rapidly expanding, yet they maintain the vivid imagination of younger kids, setting them up to flourish creatively through language arts during the middle school years.
There are many different approaches to teaching seventh grade language arts in the homeschool setting. The right approach depends on your student’s strengths, your family culture, and your homeschool teaching style. Here we’ve reviewed six of our favorite seventh-grade homeschool language arts curriculums.
You may also want to check out our recommendations for related curriculum: Best Homeschool Literature Curriculum for Middle School, Best Poetry Homeschool Curriculum for Middle School, and Best Homeschool Writing Curriculum for Middle School.
These are our picks for the best 7th grade language arts homeschool curriculums. Continue reading below for more detailed reviews.
- Traditional Approach: Saxon Grammar & Writing 2nd Edition Grade 7, Curtis Hake
- Best Classical Style: Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind, Susan Wise Bauer, Audrey Anderson, et al.
- Best Christian Program: Lifepac Language Arts, Grade 7 Alpha Omega Press
- Best Literature-Based: Learning Language Arts Through Literature (Green), Common Sense Press
- Best for Building Strong Writers: Institute for Excellence in Writing Language Arts Programs
- Best Budget Option: Core Skills Language Arts Grade 7
Best Traditional Approach
Saxon Grammar & Writing 2nd Edition Grade 7, Curtis Hake
If your seventh grader does well with traditional curriculum options, we recommend the Grade 7 kit from Saxon Grammar & Writing. This is a rigorous program based on the concepts of incremental development and continual review. With incremental development, students carefully master one step at a time, making sure not to move onto any concept until they fully understand those that come before. The practice of continual review means that throughout the school year, students will be asked to review the concepts they have previously learned in order to make sure they are not forgotten.
Saxon Grammar & Writing is a comprehensive curriculum offered for grades 3-8. It is just fine if your student is beginning the program in seventh grade. The program focuses on grammar, writing, spelling, and vocabulary development. It does a nice job of incorporating material from other core subjects, such as history, science, geography, and literature. Topics covered in the seventh grade program include sentence types, capitalization, parts of speech, phrases and clauses, abbreviations, and much more. The Student Textbook includes around 110 lessons, each of which take about 30-50 minutes to complete. If your seventh grader is following a typical 36-week homeschool schedule, you would want to plan for about three lessons a week. This can be modified if you want to finish the program at a slower or faster rate.
The components for the Grade 7 Kit can be purchased separately on Amazon. The three items you will need are:
- Student Textbook
- Student Workbook
- Teacher’s guide, which includes texts and answer keys.
Best Classical Style
Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind, Susan Wise Bauer, Audrey Anderson, et al.
If you are looking for a classical, thorough model of grammar instruction in
homeschooling your seventh grader, you should consider the Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind series from Susan Wise Bauer and Well-Trained Mind Press. Intended to follow the First Language Lessons series for younger students, it is completely fine to begin this grammar curriculum anytime in grades 5-8, and it can be used throughout any or all of those grades. This is a rigorous grammar curriculum that will give students a thorough understanding of the English language. At the same time, it is approachable and user-friendly.
Three main principles guide this series: prescriptive teaching, which focuses on the comprehension and and memorization of rules; descriptive instruction, which emphasizes repeated exposure to the accurate use of such rules; and practical experience, achieved through regular practice in using those rules. Following the ideals of the classical method, this program emphasizes mastery of the material through repetition.
The program structure and sequence is unique. There are four color-coded “levels”, each of which consists of a consumable Student Workbook and non-consumable Answer Key (red, purple, blue, and yellow). These color-levels can be completed in any order by students in grades 5-8. There is also The Grammar Guidebook and a Core Instructor Text (both non-consumable) that will be required for the program; The Diagramming Dictionary is also recommended. These items can be purchased once and used through as many color-levels as the student ends up undertaking.
It is perfectly acceptable for your student to begin Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind in seventh grade, even if he and she has not used any corresponding curriculum before.
Because of the focus on mastery through repetition, the same lessons, instructions, and examples are taught every year in the intermediate (5-8 grade) series, with the different color-coded books providing new (but not harder) exercises each year. Thus your seventh grader may start with any of the color-levels without being behind in the series as a whole.
Because this series is – as its title implies – focused mainly on grammar, you may want to supplement it with a writing program. For the greatest fluidity we recommend using Susan Wise Bauer’s Writing with Skill; if your seventh grader is interested in creative writing, you may also want to include The Creative Writer series.
Best Christian Program
Lifepac Language Arts, Grade 7, Alpha Omega Press
If you are looking for a solid seventh-grade language arts program inspired by a Christian worldview, we recommend the Lifepac Language Arts, Grade 7 set. The program emphasizes grammar, spelling, comprehension, and composition. It is Bible-based and includes selections from the King James Version. It has as simple, straightforward approach that most students appreciate. Parents love how students can do this course mostly independently and at their own pace.
The seventh-grade kit includes topics such as word usage, biographies, structure of language, the nature of English, language mechanics, the novel, literature, compositions, and more!
Like other Lifepac sets, this one includes everything you will need to complete a year of instruction: 10 student workbooks and the Teacher’s Guide, along with the required reader, The Hiding Place. You may want to supplement this program with additional literature selections.
Best Literature-Based
Learning Language Arts Through Literature (Green), Common Sense Press
If you are looking for a seventh-grade language arts curriculum that will thoroughly immerse your student in the world of classic literature, look no further than Learning Language Arts Through Literature. The series offers a complete language arts curriculum for grades 1-12, with each grade corresponding to a different color (seventh grade is green). Your seventh grader will learn grammar, writing, vocabulary, and many more skills while also being exposed to timeless classical literature. Each lesson is undertaken in the context of real, classic books, making this a great choice if your seventh grader is a bookworm or you want to inspire his or her interest in great books. Parents love that these lessons require little to no preparation and that assessments and review activities are included.
Like the other color-levels in this series, the seventh-grade program is designed for a 36-week school year. Required materials include the Student Activity Book, the Teacher’s Edition, The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart, Star of Light by Patricia St. John, and Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.
For Charlotte Mason-style homeschoolers who want a more interdisciplinary and flexible program, we also recommend Moving Beyond the Page.
Best for Building Strong Writers
Institute for Excellence in Writing Language Arts Programs
If you’re looking for an excellent and effective language arts program for your seventh-grade student, consider the curriculum offerings from the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW). IEW is known for its systematic approach to teaching writing skills, and its programs are widely used in homeschooling, traditional classrooms, and by educators seeking to improve writing instruction.
IEW publishes a wide range of courses that allow students to gain essential language arts skills beyond writing – including grammar, spelling, poetry, and literature study – through theme-based units that explore science and history topics. Some of these courses include video-based lessons or audio components, making it easy for students to work independently. Each course is carefully organized and can be completed at the student’s own pace.
A seventh grader new to IEW’s curriculums will want to start with Year 1, Level B of the Structure and Style for Students program. Different package options are available, but we recommend this one, which includes the video course and all course materials. In addition to this course, we recommend Level B of IEW’s Phonetic Zoo spelling curriculum, especially if your student struggles with spelling. And to round out your student’s language arts education, consider IEW’s poetry and literature programs, as well Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization and Teaching the Classics.
Best Budget Option
Core Skills Language Arts Grade 7
If you’re looking for an affordable, straightforward program that will teach your seventh grader essential language arts skills, consider Core Skills Language Arts Grade 7. This is a consumable workbook that covers all the basics your student needs to know: parts of speech, sentences, vocabulary, writing, and research skills. It includes more than a hundred lessons with worksheet exercises. Most students will be able to complete this program on their own fairly efficiently.
Although this is a great option for teaching core language arts skills, it does not have a literature component, so we recommend using it alongside a good literature curriculum (for our favorite middle school literature curriculums, click here). Or, you might want to use this program alongside a literature-rich social studies curriculum such as those offered by Beautiful Feet Books.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a great seventh-grade homeschool curriculum, you have many wonderful options to choose from. Don’t be afraid to try out something different from what you would typically use, especially if your student is struggling. Sometimes a fresh presentation of the material is all that your student needs to get excited about language arts. And whichever curriculum option you go with, encourage your seventh grader to read read read. Reading is the most natural way to familiarize kids with the proper use of the English language. It can also teach valuable morals and ignite their imaginations. If your seventh grader loves reading and getting packages in the mail, you might even want to consider a young adult Book of the Month subscription!