Choosing a Homeschool Curriculum for Upper Elementary Students

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Choosing a homeschool curriculum in 4th, 5th, and 6th Grade- Resources to help children learn and love to learn.

The materials we use are an important piece of each homeschooling year. When it comes to a homeschool curriculum for upper elementary students, I look for resources that invite critical thinking, independence, focus on process and sequence, and speak to my children’s interests. With a little guidance, my kids choose the curriculum they use. Below you’ll find the homeschool materials and curriculum we used and loved for the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades.

Upper Elementary Curriculum- Reading

Reading together and independently is a constant no matter my kid’s age. Our reading curriculums often consist of books and conversations.

Family read-alouds happen daily.

As my children get older, they take turns reading out loud, and our conversations about the books deepen. I believe that the best reading curriculum consists of good books. By good, I don’t necessarily mean the classics or what is taught in schools. I mean books that capture our child’s interest, imagination, and curiosity. Good books speak to them. You’ll know when they find them.

Upper Elementary Classes, Curriculums, and Lessons

Materials

Books, books, and more books. Our favorites are in our bookshop.

Upper Elementary Curriculum- Writing

At the beginning of 4th grade, both of my children were not huge fans of writing. A little worried, I wanted them to write more, but I didn’t want to push them. Unless your child asks you to give them a nudge, pushing rarely goes well. What I found is like reading, my kids didn’t need to be told when or what to write; they needed people to write with them.

We started writing together, and they joined creative writing circles. I also found writing that has a purpose other than just learning is important. Both of my kids are motivated to write emails to friends, create plans for a club, write thank-yous to their grandparents, create blog posts, write Minecraft stories, and use writing to create Youtube videos. Fast forward, my son still isn’t a huge fan, but he is a pretty proficient writer, and my daughter enjoys writing on her own.

Classes, Curriculums, and Lessons

Materials

Blank books (I pick them up at the dollar section in Target)
Fun pencils, pens, and markers
Comic book templates
Letter writing and thank you supplies
Writer’s Notebook
Big Life Journal
Grammarly

Upper Elementary Curriculum- Math

Math is a subject we have always tried to work on daily. When my son was in elementary school, he wouldn’t say math was a favorite subject, but he enjoyed understanding and applying it. He loved to cook and was (still is) always building something. He used math a lot when he was younger, but much like writing, he needed to see a purpose.

When it came to seatwork or learning a new concept, he got pretty frustrated, especially if he struggled to catch on or recall the steps to a problem.

As someone who struggled with math, I also found it difficult to help him. He needed a resource that quickly broke down the steps (in a language he understood) and reminded him (us both) how to do a problem.

Enter the Math Handbook. This, by far, was the most helpful resource he’s used, and the best part, he created it! It held notes and examples of every type of math problem he learned over the course of three years. A table of contents easily directed him to the notes and needed examples. The act of writing down notes and examples was also a wonderful way to practice. He had to pause and put the concept into his own words.

I was so pleased to see him stick his math handbook in his backpack when he went off to public middle school. Two years later, and about to start ninth grade, it has a permanent spot next to his desk.

My younger child has always loved math. In 4th grade, we used Kate Snow’s math books and CTCMath. We continue to use CTCMath.

Classes, Curriculums, and Lessons

Upper Elementary Curriculum- Science

While we have enjoyed online science classes and field trips, when my son was in elementary school, I locally outsourced many of our upper elementary science units so they would be hands-on. My son took several homeschool science classes through science museums and co-ops, learned to cook with a professional chef, our homeschool group hosted science fairs, and we took advantage of our local community college. They offer a variety of wonderful College for Kids classes. He loved their cooking, magic, and robotics classes.

My daughter started BookShark’s Biology, Taxonomy, and Human Anatomy curriculum in 4th and 5th grade. I also created several science unit studies. They are easier to create than you might think.

There are so many scientific topics to explore. Let your children’s interest lead! My kids’ favorites are wilderness skills, coding, birding, biology, chemistry, cooking, robotics, geology, and physics.

Classes, Curriculums, and Lessons

Materials

Books- There are so many great books for Science Lovers! Check out our favorites in our bookshop.
Easy Nature Crafts Your Kids Will Love
Microscope
Butterfly Kit

Upper Elementary Curriculum- History

History is one of those subjects that can be incorporated into all your units. Traveling is one of our favorite ways to learn about history. We also enjoy games, books, and unit studies.

Classes, Curriculums, and Lessons

Art History Kids
BookShark’s Reading with History
Ancient History with GameED Academy-(Minecraft)
FieldTrip Zoom
Travel into the Little House Series
Who Was Show and Who Was Books
Greek Mythology& Greece
- Body Biography

Looking for a homeschool curriculum for upper elementary students. Here are resources to help your children learn and love to learn.

They LOVE to build!

Upper Elementary Curriculum- Art

One of our family’s favorite ways to spend time together and alone, creating and visually expressing ourselves is a big part of our lives. Like history, reading, and writing, art can be incorporated into most units. Create collages, draw a scene, build a replica, and learn about the people of a time period by examining the things they made.

Classes, Curriculums, and Lessons

Roasting marshmallows over a fire he made.

Life Skills

One of the most important “subjects,” I think, is life skills. While my heart wants to keep my children home with me forever, one of my jobs as their mom is to make sure when they head out on their own, they have the knowledge and skills to do so.

We all knew that person in college who didn’t know how to use a washing machine. While knowing how to do laundry is important, I think life skills definitely go beyond clean clothes. Being a leader, managing time, budgeting, cooking, and working as a team are all skills we practice often.

Looking for Support?

I help families and teachers put together a curriculum, create unit studies, create a homeschool and family rhythm, and find strategies to help kids learn and love to learn.

Be sure to check out the curriculum we used each year and the resources my children loved.

Choosing a Homeschool Curriculum– Tips to Get You Started

Choosing a Homeschool Curriculum- The Early Years

Choosing a Homeschool Curriculum- Early Elementary

Choosing a Homeschool Curriculum- Upper Elementary