How to Homeschool Sixth Grade
As you and your child get ready for sixth grade, we’ve compiled a list of useful information to help you swift through the process stress-free.
- How to Homeschool Sixth Grade
- What Schedule is Best for a Sixth Grader
- What Subjects are Taught in Sixth Grade
- Sixth Grade Learning Objectives
- Reading Book List for Sixth Grade
- Sixth Grade Homeschooling Tips & Ideas
- How Time4Learning Can Help You Homeschool Your Sixth Grader
- Additional Sixth Grade Homeschooling Resources
How to Homeschool Sixth Grade
Before you start homeschooling sixth grade, there are some steps you should take.
- Check out your state’s homeschooling requirements
- Choose a curriculum
- Select a place in your home for a classroom
- Create goals and outline a schedule
- Choose a means for tracking your child’s progress
- Include entertaining activities
- Assess progress
While you’re thinking about how to homeschool a sixth grader, don’t forget that there is a recommended sequence you should follow. The sequence helps develop the necessary skills your child will need for the year. Use our sixth grade scope and sequence page to plan out the year.
What Schedule is Best for a Sixth Grader?
So how many hours do you homeschool a sixth grader? That depends on your children, but most experts believe that three to four hours a day is adequate. Some homeschoolers break up the day into units of time. For instance, each lesson lasts approximately a half an hour, and they also take short breaks when necessary. This helps your kids stay focused and involved in their school work.
If you’re a working parent, you could homeschool for four days, or take a day off during the week and homeschool for half a day on Saturday. Homeschooling offers flexibility, so you can do whatever works best for your family.
Homeschooling Planner
Start planning out your homeschooling days with this free easy to use daily planner.
What Subjects Are Taught in Sixth Grade
What is taught in the sixth grade varies from state to state but the main subjects are usually standard. They include:
Many parents include additional subjects such as physical education, arts and crafts, hobbies that their children enjoy and different types of electives. Use your imagination and talk it over with your children.
Sixth Grade Learning Objectives
The goal of sixth grade education is to have your children reading and writing increasingly complex material, solving equations using ratios, applying complicated scientific methods, and more.
Additionally, sixth grade learning objectives will include:
- Recognizing and explaining the point of view in a text
- Using a variety of media formats to prove their understanding of a topic
- Identifying the roots of words, and use digital and physical reference materials such as dictionaries, thesauruses, and glossaries
- Using more complex vocabulary when speaking and writing about a subject
- Writing logical narratives, both true and fictional, that include descriptive details of characters, settings, and experiences
- Planning, revising, and editing writing with your assistance
- Solving equations using ratios, rates, or percentages
- Solving equations with negative numbers
- Developing skills in statistical analysis and applying statistical concepts
- Establishing the main ideas of a scientific text and point out specific evidence to support the ideas
- Using measurement and mathematical calculations while working with data.
- Understanding topics such as ancient civilizations to gain a deeper understanding of history
- Build environmental literacy skills and understanding of scientific concepts
Reading Book List for Sixth Grade
Here are some popular 6th grade reading books list to help you get started:
- Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
- Love and First Sight by Josh Sundquist
- My Name is Not Easy by Debby Dahl Edwardson
- Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt
- Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall
As your children’s vocabulary and reading comprehension improves, start adding different genres to their reading list. Additionally, students have access to a variety of excerpts on several topics with Time4Learning’s sixth grade language arts curriculum.
Sixth Grade Homeschooling Tips & Ideas
Having a list of tips and ideas will give you a better understanding of how to homeschool a sixth grader. Use these homeschooling tips as a guideline as you progress through the year.
- Improve their research skills: As your children grow, you should focus on improving their research skills. Internet search skills, using reference sites and locating key data will help them as they grow older.
- Taking advantage of your child’s learning style: If your child is a hands-on learner, use more hands on lessons and activities. The same goes if they’re an auditory learner or verbal learner. This will keep your child more focused on their studies.
- Read everyday: Reading is so important in the development of a child’s education. This goes for all grades. Read at least 30 minutes a day and mix up the genres — also, don’t forget news stories, current events, and popular magazines.
- Socialize more: Parents sometimes get so caught up in their homeschooling duties that they forget to socialize. Invite your children’s friends over, join a homeschool group, and include social activities such as sports or a music club.
- Take advantage of technology for learning: Technology plays a massive role in our everyday lives. Start using educational software programs, multimedia tools, and mix in real-life lessons. For example, show your kids how to pay bills online.
- Include field trips:Take your kids to a planetarium, a local museum, or a working farm. They can keep notebooks about everything they learned outside the classroom. These trips also inject fun into your children’s educational experience.
- Encourage independent learning: Now that your kids are growing, have them study more on their own. Many online programs promote independent learning, which will help them as they progress through the grade levels.
- Give them choices: Sit down with your kids and give them an opportunity to choose some of the subjects that they’ll be studying. This will build their confidence and give them a sense of responsibility
How Time4Learning Can Help You Homeschool Your Sixth Grader
Time4Learning is the program of choice for veteran homeschoolers and parents who are just starting to homeschool sixth grade. Its animated lessons make it ideal for teaching new concepts. Parents also enjoy the activity scheduling, automated tracking system and more.
Time4Learning offers:
- Interactive lessons that simulate video games and keep your child engaged.
- An automated grading and reporting system that tracks your student’s progress.
- A detailed sixth grade scope and sequence allowing you to plan out the whole year.
- The ability to repeat lessons, activities, tests and quizzes.
- Accurate reporting for homeschool portfolio usage.
- Student-paced learning allowing your child to learn at their own rate.
- Homeschooling students with special needs is easy with our closed-captioned video lessons.
- Easy access to materials in the fifth-grade for review purposes.
- As a bonus, Time4Learning includes Time4MathFacts. This program helps students better comprehend addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts that are vital for learning more difficult concepts.
- Parent forums where homeschoolers go for support, problem-solving with peers and conversation.
- A totally web-based product with nothing to download.
- 24/7 access so your child can learn from wherever the internet is available.
Additionally, check out our Time4Learning Facebook Families group to connect other parents who are also navigating the homeschool world with their children!
Additional 6th Grade Homeschool Resources
Return to the 6th-Grade Curriculum Overview. Or explore the our other sixth-grade resources:
