A student works on a painting for a fine arts middle school homeschool elective

Middle School Electives for Homeschool Students

From illustration to orchestra, middle school electives can enrich a student’s learning, expose them to future career paths, and even build their self-confidence. These classes are a chance for students to explore their interests and develop new skills.

For homeschooled students, electives can yield even more benefits. These classes can allow students to…

Make lasting memories with their family
Connect with their community
Practice essential life skills, such as collaboration and communication

At Miacademy, we believe that electives are an essential part of fostering every student’s passion for learning. In this article, we’ll break down what makes these learning opportunities so important for middle school students. We’ll also explore the elective options we offer and how to fit them into your homeschool curriculum.

Why Are Middle School Electives Important?

The early teenage years are an important time of self-discovery and growth. This formative time in every child’s life is when their bodies, emotions, and view of themselves and the world start to change. This might even include discovering passions and interests that inspire their future college and career choices.

For many middle school students, learning truly comes alive when it is connected to their life outside of school. That’s part of what makes electives so important for young teens. These courses give students the opportunity to explore real-world skills and hobbies in a supportive environment and to connect their curriculum to the broader world.

This can be especially impactful for homeschooled students. Homeschool middle school electives may inspire students to be more active and involved in their community. For example, electives can enable students to…

Participate in extracurricular activities that align with their interests
Make like-minded friends through shared interests
Develop a sense of connection to their community through volunteering

Electives can also support learning in core academic subjects. These courses help students develop key skills that can transfer to their other classes, like time management, communication, and problem-solving. Additionally, the interest-led learning that electives provide helps to engage students in the process of learning and increases their ownership over their entire curriculum. As a result, electives are an essential learning opportunity for middle school homeschooled students.

A homeschooled student playing on a soccer team as part of a middle school physical education elective

How to Choose Middle School Electives

Is your student interested in learning to draw, playing their favorite sport, putting on plays, or all of the above? With so many options, it can be daunting to select electives for middle school. To decide which elective courses your student will take, try to…

Let your student decide. Whenever possible, encourage your student to select their own electives, based on their interests and passions. Of course, you can help guide them in this process! Involving them in this decision can increase their engagement and motivation by ensuring they have buy-in from the first days of the course.

Plan ahead to accommodate your schedule. Make sure your student will meet the requirements for their grade level on time by planning their course schedule in advance.

Consider after-school activities and field trips. These can be great opportunities to incorporate your local community into your student’s elective schedule.

Think about your student’s post-graduation plans. We know middle school might seem early to start thinking about life after high school, but electives can be a great way to start immersing your student in their future interests! If your student is considering art school, encourage them to take an art class. If they’re interested in computers or coding, find a local STEM or robotics club. This could foster a lifelong passion!

Add These Electives to Your Child’s Middle School Curriculum

Electives can enrich your student’s education, encourage them to grow as a person, and help them discover lifelong passions and interests. Miacademy has many options for elective courses that can help you create a well-rounded curriculum for your homeschool student. These can also be an excellent way to deepen your student’s knowledge of topics they explored in their elementary elective courses. From fine arts to life skills, your student is sure to find topics they’re excited to discover in our self-paced elective homeschool classes.

Music & Arts

Song Writing: In this course, students learn how to write lyrics, arrange them into a song, create the accompanying music, and put all these components together into original songs.

Art Around the World: Our Art Around the World course takes students on a journey across the world and through different times to discover how art is as diverse as the Earth’s people! Students will be able to learn about Aboriginal-inspired dot paintings, Chinese watercolor techniques, Indonesian-inspired Batik, and West African printmaking. Students will also be able to explore some fun, hands-on projects, like creating a flipbook of crazy creatures!

Music Reading: This foundational course introduces students to essential concepts in music like rhythm, note reading, and musical symbols. It also introduces them to famous composers who used these techniques to create some of history’s most memorable pieces of music.

Drawing Essentials: Does your student have a passion for visual arts? In this course, students learn how to draw to increase their foundational art skills. They will also explore some famous works of art to discover how these techniques are applied.

World Languages

American Sign Language: This course introduces students to the basics of American Sign Language, including how to sign letters and common words.

Beginning Spanish: Students in our Beginning Spanish class will explore some useful words and phrases in Spanish, like words for household items, words for places around town, and other common vocabulary words.

Intro to Spanish: In Miacademy’s Intro to Spanish course, students will learn to improve their skill with the Spanish language by practicing its use in everyday conversations.

Beginning French: This introductory class teaches students useful words and phrases in French, like words for household items, words for places around town, and other common vocabulary words.

Beginning German: If your student is interested in studying German, Miacademy’s Beginning German course is a great place to start! This class introduces students to German words for household items, places around town, and other common words and phrases.

Classical Languages: This course can fuel your student’s interest in topics like history and literature or simply provide them with an interesting look into classical languages. In Miacademy’s Classical Languages class, students learn about Latin and Attic Greek.

Life Skills

Intro to Typing: Does your student want to improve their typing speed and accuracy? This course will teach them the proper way to type and provide lots of great typing practice.

Computer Skills: In Computer Skills, students learn about the different parts of a computer, hardware types, and get familiar with popular software such as word processors, spreadsheets, email, and more.

Intro to Programming: If your student is interested in learning how to code, our Intro to Programming course is a great way to get a head start! Learn basic functions, algorithms, and calculations in our interactive space-themed coding adventure.

Middle School Physical Fitness: Students will learn proper range of motion for common exercises, explore outdoor activities, and learn several different sports in our Middle School fitness course.

Career Exploration: In our Career Exploration course, students learn about different career paths they can pursue in the future, like becoming a teacher, a certified nursing assistant, a novelist, and a software engineer.

Biblical Studies

Bible Basics: This course provides students with an introduction to the Bible, including how to use their Bible to find, read, and reflect on scripture.

Jewish Holidays: In our Jewish Holidays course, students will be able to learn about the holidays, traditions, and history of celebrations like Hanukkah and Passover.

Old and New Testament Study: Students enrolled in this Bible study course can learn more about the Old Testament and New Testament.

Scripture Memory: This course encourages students to explore and learn more about a variety of Bible verses.

Jewish Bible Study: In this course, students will learn more about a variety of Jewish Bible stories.

A student practicing piano for a middle school music elective course

Miacademy’s Homeschool Elective Curriculum

Electives are an essential piece of every student’s curriculum. At Miacademy, we believe these courses are powerful opportunities for learning, self-expression, and personal growth alike. That’s why we strive to create high-quality, exciting elective courses for your middle school homeschool student. We’re always adding more courses to our site to provide even more enriching opportunities for learning, too.

Our electives (and middle school core courses like math, reading, science, and social studies) are flexible and self-paced. Once you set your student’s school term and choose their courses, Miacademy handles the rest by automatically distributing their assignments. You can even set planned vacations or take an impromptu day off — either way, our system will automatically readjust your student’s assignments without overwhelming them with a sprint to “catch up.”

This flexibility means Miacademy can be an amazing standalone curriculum or a supplement to another educational program. Since you can easily customize which courses, lessons, and even assignments within lessons that your student completes, our program makes it easy to switch to homeschooling at any point in the year.

Once your student’s courses and assignments are set up, they’ll have a rich world of online learning available at their fingertips. Every lesson is full of different ways for students to interact with the content, plus a variety of engaging features that make them excited to learn more.

Each lesson has a variety of fun activities that motivate students to learn, like interactive practice games, engaging video lessons, and untimed tests. These activities aren’t just fun — they also help meet the diverse learning needs of every student!

With permission from your parent account, students can also access our fully moderated community features. These can be an amazing supplement to elective classes in middle school! Students can practice their creative writing in our weekly newspaper, express themselves by creating videos, and even gain an understanding of economics by running a virtual business. These activities help motivate students to learn while also letting them become a part of a virtual community of their peers.

If you’re looking to add electives to your homeschool student’s middle school curriculum, Miacademy can help. Our friendly customer service team is always available to discuss how our expertly crafted courses can complete your homeschool curriculum. Feel free to send us a message and find out how Miacademy can work for you!

Updated 01/11/2024

Middle school boy holding a notebook and smiling

Social Studies Curriculum for Middle School

Middle school is a time of big changes for many students. They are inching into their teenage years, developing hobbies and interests, and beginning to wrestle with the big questions of the world. Their recent transition from elementary school to middle school has reminded them that more changes are in store soon, and they may begin thinking about their future career.

Middle school can also be challenging for parents, as children tend to ask to be treated like adults (even when they’re not quite there yet). These are the years when they’re starting to find their voices, exploring their passions, and developing opinions about society.

Regardless of where your child’s interests naturally lie, the topics discussed in social studies are valuable for every informed citizen. The goal of a strong homeschool social studies curriculum is to strengthen their civic knowledge, such as how voting works or how supply and demand can influence a local business. Social studies lessons should contribute to students growing into well-rounded adults.

Social Studies Curriculum for Middle School

A complete middle school social studies curriculum typically covers lessons that prepare them for their high school education and beyond. Middle school social studies bridges the foundational information of elementary school with the increasingly complex information they’ll later encounter. History topics in middle school social studies include…

American history
Government, civics, and economics
World geography
Migration, exploration, colonization, and slavery
Wars, political divisions, and alliances
Ancient civilizations to the modern world

Mom and daughter using a laptop together and smiling

Ancient World History

Suggested Grades: 4th-6th

In our Ancient World History course, students take a comprehensive journey across early civilizations, from Mesopotamia, Egypt, Israel, India, China, Greece, and Rome to the Americas. Students will be able to identify a civilization, understand the impact of geography on human settlements, and learn how ancient empires shaped the world we know today. Key topics include:

Cultural hearths, what makes a civilization, and the five themes of geography
The very first civilization in Mesopotamia
Egyptian and African kingdoms
Judaism and the Persian Empire
Dynasties and empires of India
Dynasties and the Imperial Period in China
Ancient Greek civilizations, from Athens and Sparta to the Hellenistic Period
The Roman Republic and Roman Empire

U.S. Government

Suggested Grades: 5th-7th

U.S. Government teaches students to describe cause-and-effect relationships and multiple perspectives, explain the use of primary and secondary sources when studying history, analyze data from diverse materials, synthesize information from multiple sources, and draw an evidence-based conclusion. Students will strengthen their social studies skills in a variety of areas to prepare them for advanced topics in high school. Key topics include:

Why the Constitution was created by the Founding Fathers
The three branches of government and what they do
Citizen’s rights and responsibilities and the branches of the military
Federalism, delegated powers, reserved powers, and taxes
How government works, including elections, lobbying, foreign policy, and more
Who the U.S. presidents are

U.S. History 1 : Exploration – 1877

Suggested Grades: 7th-8th

In U.S. History 1, students will learn about the history of the United States from discovery up to the Reconstruction period after the Civil War. Students will also learn about wars, treaties, legislation, and amendments that occurred up until 1877. Key topics include:

Native American cultures and contributions
European, Spanish, and Columbian exploration
The Colonial Period and major British colonies
The American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence
Early independence, including the Articles of Confederation and the Constitutional Convention
Westward expansion, including the Louisiana Purchase, Oregon Trail and removal of Native tribes
Changes in politics, slavery, the Industrial Revolution, and immigration
The Civil War and Reconstruction period

U.S. History 2: Reconstruction – 1960s

Suggested Grades: 7th-8th

U.S. History 2: Reconstruction – 1960s is the additional course that finishes U.S. History 1. In this course, students will learn about the history of the United States from the Reconstruction Period through the mid 20th century. This course helps students understand current events by analyzing those from the previous 150 years. Key topics include:

The Reconstruction Era under different presidencies and eventual abandonment
Western expansion, new opportunities, and immigration
The rise of big business, city living, and the development of the American working class
Imperialism in the Pacific and Latin America
The Progressive Era, Theodore Roosevelt, and social reform
World War I, diplomacy, and American involvement
The Roaring ‘20s: prohibition, gangsters, the Harlem Renaissance and mass entertainment
World War II & the Cold War

Bonus Social Studies Activities for Middle School

There are many exciting ways to integrate your child’s interests into history lessons! Here are some fun social studies activities and resources to explore with your child:

The Smithsonian Museum

This Smithsonian Museum’s National Museum of African American History and Culture provides a wealth of videos, lesson plans, and valuable stories that celebrate and recognize African American history.

National Archives

Students can use this website to search genealogy records, investigate their heritage, and read foundational documents of the United States.

TeachRock

This searchable collection offers a huge selection of music-related lesson plans that combine historical and cultural events with the music they influenced.

Miacademy’s Social Studies Homeschool Curriculum

Our social studies lessons are designed to be as flexible as you need them to be. We believe that homeschool students learn best when parents can adapt their curriculum to a variety of learning needs and lifestyles. Each of our lessons gives you the room to include your own experiences, connections, and resources. Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, we offer a one-stop shop for you and your child.

We have dozens of social studies lessons for students on any grade level, and we’re adding more all the time! Our lessons include engaging videos, fun activities, games, and helpful PDFs. Students can use our read-aloud feature for their quizzes to aid comprehension, and students can repeat any assignments or videos for extra practice.

Additionally, supplementing with our social studies curriculum lets you apply learning in fun, engaging ways. Our site also gives students the flexibility to move ahead or slow down where your other curriculum will not.You can adjust the pacing and lessons to your student’s needs to help them grasp new concepts.

Furthermore, our curriculum is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Schools, Western Association for Schools and Colleges (ACS-WASC). Our accredited middle school courses are designated as a Supplementary Education Program, meaning they meet the high educational quality standards for a homeschool or distance-learning program. Our resources and lesson quality also meet state and federal standards, such as the C3 Framework for Social Studies.

If you have any questions about how Miacademy or MiaPrep’s online social studies curriculum can benefit your child, feel free to chat with one of our friendly customer service agents! They’ll be happy to help you with any questions you may have.

Updated 1/12/2024

Young boy reading in a circle with his friends

Middle School Language Arts Curriculum

In middle school, language arts courses are important for students to effectively communicate their ideas and understand others. A quality program should also promote critical thinking and prepare them for high school.

Our goal is to teach your students to be successful readers and fearless writers! Miacademy’s middle school English language arts lessons cover everything students need to know for ninth grade. Students learn to apply the writing process to multiple genres, including everything from poetry to drama and historical fiction. With daily reading opportunities and vocabulary practice, your students will learn something new each day.

Reading Comprehension Level G (Revised 2023)

6th Grade

Our Reading Comprehension courses let students practice their reading skills with a wide variety of literature. These include different genres and exercises for students to practice the techniques and strategies they learn in our Language Skills courses. For our Reading Comprehension Level G course, key topics include:

Fiction, including excerpts from works such as The One and Only Ivan, Holes, and Stargirl
Literary nonfiction, including excerpts from works such as I Am Malala and Hidden Figures
Drama, including original works such as The Mentor’s Game and Flight of Mystery
Poetry, including excerpts from Love That Dog and Brown Girl Dreaming
Nonfiction, including topics such as Egypt, cacao beans, and royal corgis

Language Skills Level G (Revised 2023)

6th Grade

Our Language Skills courses teach students techniques and strategies to become stronger readers and writers. In sixth grade, students learn about the writing process, grammar, conjunctions, types of nouns, main ideas, and paragraph structure. We also recommend that students participate in our Daily Vocabulary Practice. Key topics include:

Context clues, synonyms, and antonyms
Reading skills, such as summarizing, making inferences, determining point of view, and more
Figurative language, such as similes, metaphors, personification, and hyperbole
Different types of poetry and poetic devices
Elements of fiction, such as characters, setting, plot, and more
Grammar, including pronouns, antecedents, sentence fragments, and tone
How to write an expository essay
Independent novel study project

Reading Comprehension Level H (Revised 2023)

7th Grade

Similar to the Reading Comprehension course for 6th grade, in this course, students will read many different genres and practice their language skills through reflective exercises. Students will gain new reading strategies by taking our Language Skills courses. The Reading Comprehension courses reinforce those skills. For Reading Comprehension Level H, key topics include:

Fiction, including works such as The Lightning Thief and When You Trap a Tiger
Literary Nonfiction, including works such as The Boys in the Boat and The Playbook
Drama, including original works such as Mark is Missing and works such as The Diary of Anne Frank
Poetry, such as “The Road Not Taken” and “A Dream Within A Dream”
Nonfiction, including topics such as the Bermuda Triangle, dragons, and parkour

Foundations in Language Arts 1

7th Grade

In this course, students will continue to learn about various parts of speech, advanced punctuation, and persuasive writing. The skills students will learn in this course can be applied and practiced directly in Reading Comprehension Level H. We also recommend that students participate in our Daily Vocabulary Practice. Key topics include:

Pronoun case, demonstrative adjectives and pronouns, correlative conjunctions
Comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs
Persuasive writing with The Wizard of Oz
Greek and Latin roots vocabulary

Reading Comprehension Level I (Revised 2023)

8th Grade

Similar to the Reading Comprehension course for 7th grade, in this course, students get to read many different genres and practice their language skills through reflective exercises. Students will gain new reading strategies by taking our Language Skills courses. The Reading Comprehension courses reinforce those skills. For Reading Comprehension Level I, key topics include:

Fiction, including works such as Refugee and The Outsiders
Poetry, including works such as “Annabel Lee” and “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”
Nonfiction, including topics such as black holes, video games, and the electric guitar

Foundations in Language Arts 2 (NEW 2023)

8th Grade

Our Foundations in Language Arts 2 course teaches reading comprehension, writing, critical thinking, and language skills. We also recommend that students participate in our Daily Vocabulary Practice. Key topics include:

Exploring the themes of “home” and descriptive writing
Elements of short stories such as theme, characterization, and setting in narrative writing
Exploring how exceptional individuals overcame adversity through a study of nonfiction
How to research, including identifying bias and reliable sources
Analysis of literary devices in a close reading of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night
Techniques of effective persuasive writing

Miacademy’s Language Arts Homeschool Curriculum

As a main curriculum, our language arts program includes all of the necessary resources to take students through middle school and beyond. Our curriculum is built with our MiaPrep high school curriculum in mind, so students using it as their main curriculum will be perfectly prepared for what’s coming their way in upper grade levels.

With our homeschool language arts curriculum, students are engaged with a combination of high-quality lesson videos, practice questions, assessments, and PDF extension activities. Our lesson plans offer many different assignments to strengthen students’ writing skills and knowledge of grammar rules and sentence structure. Our commitment to quality, accessibility, and inclusion helps Miacademy meet the needs of various learners.

Many lessons provide graphic organizers, methods for brainstorming, reminders about the writing process, and editing checklists. Plus, we provide detailed rubrics allowing students and parents to clearly see the objectives for these lessons. Our goal is to provide students with the tools they need to make themselves successful readers and writers for life.

Additional Resources for Language Arts

Check out these fun resources to shake up your language arts curriculum!

Free Rice

Practice vocabulary words while helping to feed the world! Each correct answer earns 10 grains of rice for the UN World Food Programme.

National Novel Writing Month

This is a fun challenge to draft an entire novel in a month, as well as participate in smaller year-round challenges.

Quill.org

Funded by a community of nonprofits, Quill.org provides free literacy activities that build reading comprehension, writing, and language skills for K-12 students.

If you have any questions about how Miacademy or MiaPrep can help your child on their reading and writing journey, feel free to chat with our friendly customer service agents! They’ll be happy to help with any questions you may have.

Updated 01/03/2024