Best Language Arts Homeschool Curriculum – Middle School

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Please note – this article is part of a series on the best language arts homeschool curriculums. This article focuses on middle school programs. If you are homeschooling a younger or older student, check out our articles Best Language Arts Homeschool Curriculum – Elementary and Best Language Arts Homeschool Curriculum – High School.

Best Basic Program

Writing With Skill and Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind, Well-Trained Mind Press

If you are looking for an excellent language arts curriculum that is straightforward, user-friendly, and very effective, we recommend the Writing With Skill and Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind series, both published by Well-Trained Mind Press. The two programs focus on writing and grammar, respectively, and so are best used in combination with each other. Although both programs include excerpts from classic literature, literature study is not a central component of either program, so you may want to supplement these programs with Memoria Press’s Literature Guides (see Best Classical Approach for more information on these).

Both Writing With Skill and Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind generally follow the classical approach to homeschooling promoted in The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home. Yet while these programs do incorporate elements of copywork, dictation, and subject mastery that are important to the classical approach, they are far less rigidly classical than some other programs. Instead, they use a simple, direct approach to teaching writing and grammar that is easy for most students and parents to follow, requires virtually no prep time, makes for short daily lessons (often only five minutes), and is extremely effective for most kids.

Writing With Skill and Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind are separate programs but follow a similar format and are often used together because they compliment each other very well. Both programs have multiple levels (Writing With Skill has three levels and Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind has four), each of which is designed for one school year and can be taken anytime in grades 5-8. 

If your middle school student is new to this curriculum, it is fine to begin with the first level of both programs regardless of your his or her grade level. For the writing program, you’ll need to purchase the Writing With Skill, Level 1 – Instructor Text and Writing With Skill, Level 1 – Student Workbook. For the grammar program, we recommend purchasing the Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind – Red Full Course Bundle. 

If your child is interested in creative writing, you may want to supplement this curriculum with The Creative Writer series by Boris Fishman. The first course in the series is The Creative Writer Level One: Five Finger Exercises.

Best Classical Approach

Classical Composition Series and Literature Guides, Memoria Press

If you are looking for a rigorous language arts curriculum that is thoroughly classical in approach, consider the language arts programs published by Memoria Press. A leader in Classical Christian homeschool curriculum, Memoria Press has some of the best course offerings when it comes to language arts. For a complete middle school language arts curriculum, combine the Classical Composition series, which focuses on writing and grammar, with Memoria Press’s literature guides, which introduce students to some of the best works of fiction and poetry in Western history.

The Classical Composition series is inspired by the framework of the progymnasmata, a method developed in ancient times for teaching effective communication. Famous ancient writers like Cicero and Quintilian learned to writing using the progymnasmata. Memoria Press has adapted this framework for modern students, allowing them to learn to write using the same techniques that were taught to William Shakespeare, John Milton, and Benjamin Franklin. 

Gifted students and independent learners do especially well with Classical Composition. Not only does the program teach students how to write exceptionally well, but it also helps them understand the history of writing as an artform that has developed in the Western world since ancient times. The Classical Composition program will thus provide your child with an increased ability to understand, analyze, and appreciate classic literature into high school, college, and beyond. Most sixth graders can begin this writing program with Classical Composition III: Chreia & Maxim. You’ll need to purchase the Student Book, the Teacher’s Guide, and the instructional DVD set. 

For the best experience, use Classical Composition in combination with Memoria Press’s fantastic literature guides. These guides are available for numerous grade-appropriate classic texts from The Adventures of Robin Hood and Anne of Green Gables to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Hobbit. The Student Study Guide for each book helps students understand the text by giving background information, explaining vocabulary, providing comprehension questions, and more. The Teacher Guide for each text gives sample answers to the questions in the Student Study Guide and also provides background information to help parents further guide their kids in understanding the stories. 

Students using the literature study guide will typically read about four classic texts a year, though some may read the books and go through the guides faster. Memoria Press also offers a middle-school poetry anthology called Poetry for the Grammar Stage, which can be used with a corresponding Teacher Guide and Student Study Guide. All of the literature Teacher and Student Study Guides can be purchased individually at Christian Book or in sets at the Memoria Press website.

Best Charlotte Mason-style

Learning Language Arts Through Literature Series, Common Sense Press

If you are looking for a middle school language arts curriculum that will immerse your student in the world of classic literature, consider the wonderful series Learning Language Arts Through Literature. The program provides a complete language arts curriculum (including reading, writing, grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and more) that is thoroughly literature-based. Each lesson revolves around real, classic books and requires little to no prep time on the part of parents. Regular assessments and review activities ensure that your child is comprehending the material presented in this living-books program.

Whether your middle school student is already a bookworm or you are simply hoping to introduce her to the world of classic literature, Learning Language Arts Through Literature is a fantastic option. The detailed lessons are simple and easy to follow, and require students to use higher-level thinking as they analyze the texts they are reading. Lessons also point out commonly misspelled words, encourage dictionary usage, and include dictation and observation exercises.

Learning Language Arts Through Literature offers courses for students grades in grades 1-12, with each course assigned a color. The color-levels corresponding to middle school are tan (grade 6), green (grade 7), and gray (grade 8). Each level is designed for a 36-week school year. The required materials for each course are listed here:

Grade 6 (Tan)

•  Learning Language Arts Through Literature – The Tan Book: Teacher’s Guide, 3^rd Edition, Common Sense Press
• Learning Language Arts Through Literature – The Tan Book: Student Activity Book, 3^rd Edition, Common Sense Press
• Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, Jean Latham
• The Bronze Bow, Elizabeth George Speare
• Big Red, Jim Kjelgaard
• The Horse and His Boy, C. S. Lewis

Grade 7 (Green)

• Learning Language Arts Through Literature – The Green Book: Teacher’s Guide, 3^rd Edition, Common Sense Press
• Learning Language Arts Through Literature – The Green Book: Student Activity Book, 3^rd Edition, Common Sense Press
• The Star of Light, Patricia St. John
• The Mysterious Benedict Society, Trenton Lee Stewart
• Much Ado About Nothing, William Shakespeare

Grade 8 (Gray)

• Learning Language Arts Through Literature – The Gray Book: Teacher’s Guide, 3^rd Edition, Common Sense Press
• Learning Language Arts Through Literature – The Gray Book: Student Activity Book, 3^rd Edition, Common Sense Press
• Daddy-Long-Legs, Jean Webster
• A Lantern in Her Hand, Bess Streeter Aldrich
• Eric Liddell, Catherine Swift
• God’s Smuggler, Brother Andrew

Conclusion

There are many excellent homeschool language arts curriculums for middle schoolers. If you are looking for a homeschool language arts curriculum for an older or younger child, check out our other articles: Best Language Arts Homeschool Curriculum – Elementary and Best Language Arts Homeschool Curriculum – High School. If you are looking for a middle school writing curriculum, see our article Best Homeschool Writing Curriculum for Middle School. And if your student a seventh grader, check out our related article Best 7^th Grade Language Arts Homeschool Curriculum. If you have questions or would like more information on this topic, please email us!

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