How to Homeschool by Grade

Homeschooling is an exciting and rewarding experience for many families. But, as fun as it is, it’s very different from traditional school. To wrap your head around all the different aspects of homeschooling, many parents find it easier to think in terms of grade levels. Our sites help you homeschool by grade, but also give you the flexibility to design a curriculum outside of these guidelines.

The MiaPlaza family of online learning programs has been a leader in this field for more than 15 years. We know what it’s like to scour the internet, peruse book fairs, and wander through conventions looking for the right solution for your student. In fact, we understand how overwhelming homeschooling can be at times! That’s why we aspire to make your homeschooling journey enjoyable for you and your child. As a novice homeschooler, you may be asking questions like:

1. My kids are all different ages. How do I homeschool them together?
2. How is homeschooling an elementary schooler different than a middle schooler?
3. What resources do I need to homeschool kids of different ages?

We’ve got your back! We have put together a helpful guide to get you started, breaking it into early elementary, upper elementary, middle, and high school grades. Let’s take a look!

Homeschooling Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd Grade

Making it Enjoyable

The early years of a child’s education are a great time to introduce them to rich experiences and new information. Young minds retain information effortlessly, and kids are often eager to learn. Tactile, hands-on activities and creative endeavors keep little ones actively involved in their education. And, of course, lots of playtime is important! For young children, play is an essential part of learning. This can even include natural opportunities to play while exploring their world, like during a trip to the beach, or even a visit to Grandma’s!

Subjects to Homeschool by Grade

The curriculum for Kindergarten through 2nd grade usually includes language arts, math, science, and social studies. These subjects may be further narrowed to include reading and writing, grammar, penmanship, geometric figures, geography, and health. Many homeschool families include extracurriculars or electives as well. You may be required to include certain subjects depending on the state you’re homeschooling in. We advise you to check your state laws to know what is required.

Learning Goals

It is important to keep in mind when you homeschool by grade that children learn at different rates, and certain subjects are picked up more quickly by some students than by others. Every child has their own unique learning needs. Our flexible learning programs are designed to be accessible and accommodating to the needs of all kids. Your student can work at the pace that is right for them without comparing themselves to others by sticking to a certain grade level. Your child might thrive in 3rd grade reading, but 1st grade math. That’s okay! It just means that your student will have unique goals to achieve.

During these early years, many children will learn how to:

• Draw, cut, color, and paste
• Read and retell stories
• Write using basic punctuation and capitalization rules
• Manipulate numbers
• Add and subtract
• Recognize shapes

Here are some more learning goals you may wish to set for your child to achieve by the end of 2nd Grade:

• Recognize rhyming words
• Follow 5-step directions
• Read silently to understand the main idea of a paragraph
• Skip count by 2s, 5s, and 10s up to 120
• Complete simple word problems that involve adding and subtracting
• Recognize and draw basic 2D shapes
• Find their location on a globe or map
• Count coins and bills

Of course, be sure to check your state’s requirements on the subjects your curriculum needs to include! Some states set more stringent guidelines for learning goals by grade level for homeschool students than others.

Homeschooling 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade

Biggest Changes

As your child’s skills continue to grow, you may find they need to be challenged more. Kids at this age are beginning to develop more complex intellectual abilities. They may be asking more questions and really seeking to understand what they’re studying.

Making it Enjoyable

At this age, students are beginning to develop personal responsibility and independently take charge of their homework, chores, and time management. That means you can support their independence and heighten their engagement by encouraging them to start managing some parts of their homeschool routine. Introduce utilizing a planner to keep track of their schedules. Involve them in planning family outings, trips, learning enrichment, or other events. And, as always, encourage them to ask and seek answers to lots of questions!

Subjects to Homeschool by Grade

Your homeschool curriculum may not need to include all subjects. We advise you to check your state laws to know what is required. Curriculum for 3rd through 5th grade usually includes Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. These subjects may be further narrowed to include things like reading comprehension, geometry, life science, and state history. Extracurriculars and electives can also help kids apply their learning to different subjects and allow them to explore their interests. 

Learning Goals

Again, keep in mind as you homeschool by grade level that kids learn at varying paces. It may not be helpful to compare your child to his or her peers, because each may thrive in different areas. The beauty of homeschooling is empowering your student to learn at their own pace!

During the upper elementary years, children may be introduced to reading poetry, identifying parts of stories, and investigating the literary devices and descriptive words they encounter within them. Your child could work towards being able to read or present this kind of information out loud, or engaging in discussions to deepen their understanding. Learning more advanced punctuation, grammar, and capitalization rules will help your child write multiple paragraphs to explain what they’ve learned about different subjects. Your child may also start to master multiplication, division, and the order of operations. Here are some goals your child can aim to reach by the end of 5th grade:

• Understand types of sentences
• Recognize root words, prefixes, and suffixes
• Rely on context clues to understand information
• Use contractions, possessives, homonyms, synonyms, and antonyms correctly
• Use a dictionary, encyclopedia, and search engines to research topics
• Understand place value to 7 places, including reading and writing numbers to 1,000,000
• Interpret charts, diagrams, tables, and graphs
• Have knowledge of fractions, decimals, angles, and Roman numerals
• Use measurements to identify and understand weight, length, temperature, and time
• Identify systems of the human body and their functions
• Understand properties of Earth, including information about regions and climates
• Have a basic understanding of cultural characteristics around the world

Again, this is not an exhaustive list, but it will hopefully give you a place to start in your planning!

Homeschooling 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade

Biggest Changes

Individual passions, talents, and interests begin to take root at this age as students grow intellectually and prepare for adulthood. As kids stretch their wings, it can be a little tricky, but hang in there! The middle grades can be an amazing time of learning and growth.

Making it Enjoyable

At this age, students are maturing in a variety of aspects. Continue to encourage honesty, self-discipline, good conduct, and proper manners. Although they’re starting to develop longer attention spans and self-management skills, it’s still important to take frequent breaks so your student doesn’t get frustrated. Don’t let your students sit for prolonged periods at a computer screen. Additionally, try to encourage your student’s emerging passions and hobbies. You can start to instill a lifelong love of learning by allowing your child to have some control over what and how they learn. 

Subjects to Homeschool by Grade

The curriculum for 6th through 8th grade usually includes Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. These subjects may be further narrowed to include writing, algebra, geology, foreign languages, music, and more. Your curriculum may not need to include all subjects, so we advise you to check your state laws to know what is required.

Learning Goals

During middle school, your child could be exposed to comprehending various genres, understanding figurative language and identifying the main idea of what they read. They may be able to write multi-page essays about a variety of topics in social studies, history, geography, and science using complex sentence structure, correct grammar, punctuation, and capitalization. Always keep in mind as you homeschool by grade level that students master academics at different rates. All children are unique. If you’d like to set learning goals to give you some direction, you can aim for your child to master these skills by the end of 8th grade:

• Recognize, follow, and deliver different types of speeches/oral presentations
• Interpret culture, attitudes, and customs through reading
• Properly cite sources in research papers
• Master modifiers, prepositional phrases, comma/colon/semicolon usage, different kinds of verbs, clauses, and phrases
• Calculate ratios, percentages, and rates
• Understand negatives, exponents, square roots, and advanced computation
• Use the metric system
• Understand polygons, area, volume, and perimeter
• Actively investigate topics like cells, galaxies, ecosystems, and the human nervous system through questioning, modeling, and analyzing
• Understand the scientific classification of animals, plants, and minerals
• Use scientific method and form opinions based on known facts
• Use maps, graphs, keys, symbols, and legends
• Understand the history, governmental system, and geographical features of your own country
• Engage in geographical exploration, developing an understand of world trade and international relations

While these are some great goals to set for your child, make sure you also check with your local and state laws to ensure you’re following their curriculum requirements.

Homeschooling 9th Through 12th Grade

Biggest Changes

High school is a time of enormous change, as teens become more aware of who they are, what their passions are, and their place in the world. At this age, students need to have control over their learning as they contemplate what they would like to accomplish next.

Making it Enjoyable

There can be a lot of pressure on teens in high school, with thoughts of testing, college applications, and adult life looming on the horizon. Keep things enjoyable by focusing on what your student loves. Don’t forget that schoolwork isn’t everything! Encourage your teen to devote time to their hobbies and extracurricular activities as well. Celebrating skills in all areas will boost your teen’s confidence as they navigate these difficult years. Plus, these activities can often deepen their understanding of their academic studies.

Subjects to Homeschool by Grade

The curriculum for 9th through 12th grade usually includes Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and a Foreign Language. These subjects may be further narrowed to include civics, literary analysis, music, and more. Your homeschool curriculum may not need to include all subjects. You will need to check your state’s laws to know what is required.

Learning Goals

Again, as you homeschool by grade level, keep in mind that students master academics in diverse degrees. There is no timeline that says 12th grade is the last chance to learn a new skill. During high school, students read classic literature, do research, and write multiple page papers with focused thesis statements. Your student could learn to interpret new information, apply it, and take a critical look at it in relation to multiple subject areas. If you’d like to set learning goals to give you some direction, you could aim for your child to master these skills by the end of 12th grade:

• Support an argument by citing textual evidence, providing key details, and demonstrating knowledge in the subject area
• Read and comprehend a wide variety of literature
• Demonstrate an ability to respond to arguments in writing, in group discussions, and in oral presentations
• Apply and understand concepts in algebra, geometry, and statistics
• Apply and understand concepts in biology, chemistry, and physics
• Demonstrate an understanding of global relations and the world around them

Again, your local and state laws will guide also guide you through what curriculum your state requires.

Homeschool by Grade with Miacademy and MiaPrep

Now that you have some idea of what to expect when you homeschool by grade level, let’s take a look at how Miacademy and MiaPrep can suit your homeschooling needs.

Miacademy is an online education program serving students in Kindergarten through 8^th grade, and MiaPrep is our high school program. Both sites are accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges as a Supplemental Educational Program (SEP), and developed by certified teachers and highly qualified experts in various fields of education. Our curriculum is completely customizable, effectively motivates students to learn, provides real-world learning opportunities, and offers a safe social platform for students to share their learning with their peers. 

Each child follows a personalized Learning Path with lessons in the following areas:

• Language Arts (core)
•  Math (core)
• Science (core)
• Social Studies (core) 
• Music & Arts (elective)
• Foreign Languages (elective)
• Life Skills (elective)

You may assign work across varying grade levels and in longer or shorter terms. You can make adjustments any time to suit your child’s academic needs and to cater to any advanced skills or unique needs they may have. Coursework is typically introduced by engaging instructional videos. Increasingly challenging practice work follows, along with engaging extension activities for offline practice. Then, built-in, untimed assessments help you monitor your student’s progress. Plus, our rewards-system keeps children interested and eager to learn!

For your parent records, just print or download the detailed attendance, on-site time, and achievement score reports. Our sites do the heavy lifting for you, so you can relax and enjoy the benefits of homeschool by grade level! 

Join the Mia Community!

We invite you to partner with us on your journey! We are confident you’ll find a good fit right here with our online curriculum. To learn more, be sure to view our FAQs, join our community of Miacademy parents in our Facebook group, or contact our customer service team with any questions you may have.