I’m still surprised by the fact that I’m homeschooling a 6th grader. The years feel like they have just flown by.
Even though I’m homeschooling an only child, each year looks a little different – and this has been no exception. Take a look at our 6th-grade homeschooling schedule.
6th Grade Homeschooling Schedule
My goal for this year is to increase TJ’s independence. We’ve slowly been working on that for the past year and will continue to make things a little more independent this year. That starts with our daily schedule – creating lots of time for TJ to work independently.
Each morning she gets ready for the day (around 8:30 or 9 am) and works on a few independent tasks. We keep a list on the fridge and she goes through the items. What isn’t finished by 10 am (when we start our morning meeting) gets put onto her daily checklist to work on after our meeting time. Here is what’s on her list this year:
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Bible reading – one chapter from the New Testament
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Math – Horizons math
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Typing – Typing.com
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French – Duolingo
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Literature – 1 book each month
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Piano – Hoffman Academy
Morning Meeting
At 10 am we start our morning meeting and work on the subjects that TJ doesn’t do independently and I assign her other assignments that she can do on her own. We usually go through her checklist (she writes it herself), adding what she needs to complete from her morning work and any other assignments she can complete on her own (usually grammar and vocabulary). Then we work on a few subjects together – Latin and writing are our major focus. When we’ve finished with those subjects TJ continues working on her own, through her checklist, until we take a break at 11:30 am. She stays at the kitchen table where I can keep an eye on her progress or I’ll let her take one subject at a time to her room (but she has to check in with me – it’s very easy for her to end up dawdling away her time).
Afternoon Studies
In the afternoon we spend an hour and a half on history together each day – reading aloud, working on projects with Project Passport, writing assignments, map work, and independent reading time. This year we’re focusing on the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation.
We’ll work on history for 24 weeks and then switch to science for the last 12 weeks.
We wrap up the afternoon with 30 minutes of free reading time – TJ is free to choose her own books. I only have 2 rules – no comics or books that she has read before. She’s not a huge fan of reading so I don’t want to impose too many rules on her choices.
When we’ve finished our reading time TJ finishes any assignments from her checklist and then we are done for the day.
Fun Fridays
On Friday we change up the routine a bit. I’ve worked out our schedule so we can complete most of her regular work 4 days a week, giving us one day a week for those fun extras that I have a hard time fitting into our schedule. She still does math and has 30 minutes of free reading time, but other than that, we just have fun. We watch documentaries, work on drawing or art projects, a bit of science, poetry, and music.
Are you homeschooling any middle school children? How are you encouraging them to work independently?
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