Our 7th Grade Homeschool Curriculum for 2026–27 

Seventh grade is a bit of a turning point in our homeschool.

This is the year when we begin introducing more live, online classes and outside teachers into our children's education. Not because I think homeschooling means doing everything myself, but because part of my job as a homeschool mom is knowing when my children are ready for more independence and would benefit from outside teaching.

As our kids get older, I want them to gradually learn how to manage deadlines, prepare for tests and quizzes, communicate with teachers, participate in discussions, and be responsible for work that isn't coming directly from Mom.

And, if I'm being completely honest, there is another reason I'm excited about this transition:

I still have a baby and much younger children at home!

There are only so many hours in the day, and while I love teaching my older kids, I don't need to personally carry every subject all the way through middle and high school. So 7th grade is the year that we intentionally bring in outside teachers for several of her core subjects while continuing to keep many of our favorite family subjects at home.

It's a shift toward greater independence—but not away from family learning.

Here's what our 7th grade year will look like.

Live Online Classes: Learning From Other Teachers

This year my daughter will take math, Spanish, writing and literature, and Great Books through live, online instruction.

I love what these classes give her beyond the actual subject matter.

She'll have to show up on time. 

She'll have assignments with deadlines.

She'll learn how to prepare for quizzes and tests.

She'll participate in discussions with other students.

And she'll have the opportunity to learn from teachers who aren't Mom.

These are skills I want her to develop before she reaches high school, when the academic expectations and workload become even greater.

There is something valuable about learning that your teacher is your teacher, even when that person isn't your parent.

It gives children another kind of academic responsibility and helps prepare them to manage their own education.

And for me, it means I can spend my time where I'm most needed instead of trying to keep every advanced, skill-based class moving forward while simultaneously caring for younger children.

That's one of the great gifts of homeschooling: we can adapt the structure of our education to the needs of our family in each season.

Math: Advanced Math 7

For math, she'll be taking Advanced Math 7 through a classical online academy.

At this stage, I want her math instruction to be consistent and appropriately challenging, while also giving her the opportunity to learn from someone who can devote the time and attention to keeping a higher-level math course moving.

Having a live teacher also gives her another opportunity to ask questions, participate in class, and learn how to prepare for assessments independently.

This is a small step toward the kind of academic ownership she'll need in high school.

Spanish 1

She'll also be taking Spanish 1 through the same classical online academy.

Learning a foreign language with a live instructor gives her the opportunity to actually use the language with someone other than Mom and to work within the structure of a formal class, where she has plenty of weekly opportunities to practice Spanish with her peers. .

Again, the goal isn't simply learning Spanish.It's also learning how to be an organized student.

Writing & Literature: 20 Books + Lots of Writing

This is probably one of the classes I'm most excited about this year.

We have a wonderful homeschool mom in our community who has a Ph.D. and a strong background in writing. She teaches small cohorts of homeschool students, and my daughter will be joining a new cohort this year.

The class uses Janice Campbell's Introduction to Literature and meets weekly.

The students study approximately two major works each month, participate in weekly discussions, and complete regular writing assignments.

And here's the really exciting part:

She'll read 20 books this year.

The reading list ranges from Shakespeare to the Brontës to Mark Twain, giving her a wonderful introduction to classic literature.

This is exactly the kind of literary education I want for her at this age: challenging books, thoughtful discussion, and lots of opportunities to wrestle with ideas.

But one of the biggest reasons I love having someone else teach this class is the writing feedback.

My older daughter takes this class as well, and it has been a game changer for us.

Writing is one of those subjects that can take an enormous amount of time to teach well. Reading a student's paper carefully, giving thoughtful feedback, helping them revise, and then doing it all again takes a tremendous amount of time.

And at this age, there can also be something awkward about having Mom pick apart every sentence of your writing.

Sometimes a child needs another voice.

Having a teacher who is experienced in writing give thoughtful, specific feedback takes some of that tension out of the parent-child relationship while giving the student the benefit of serious instruction.

It's one of those areas where outsourcing has genuinely made our homeschool better.

 

Great Books

She'll also participate in a Great Books discussion course through live, online instruction.

This is another area where I love having an outside teacher.

Great literature is meant to be discussed.

It isn't simply about reading a book and answering questions at the end of a chapter. It's about entering the Great Conversation that has been passed down through history and wrestling with theological and philosophical ideas, and thinking deeply about the meaning of the human experience.

Having a teacher facilitate those conversations gives her practice expressing her thoughts, listening carefully to others, defending an idea, and being willing to reconsider her own thinking.

Those are skills that go far beyond just reading.

Science: Chemistry

Science will continue to happen through our homeschool co-op.

This year she'll be studying chemistry using Elemental Science: Chemistry for the Logic Stage.

I particularly love doing science this way because the students can complete their experiments together at co-op.

There is something wonderful about children learning science in a group—especially when they have teachers who are genuinely enthusiastic about the subject.

They'll be able to experiment, ask questions, observe results, and learn alongside their friends.

At home, she'll also read The Mystery of the Periodic Table by Benjamin D. Wiker, giving her another perspective on the fascinating world of chemistry.

History: Stories, Connections & the Book of Centuries

History will also be taught through our co-op, using The Story of Civilization as our spine.

At home, we'll supplement with The Story of the World to broaden our geographical perspective and make connections between different civilizations and events.

We'll also do several projects at home that dovetail with what she's learning at co-op.

And every week she'll continue working in her Book of Centuries.

I love this practice more and more as my children get older.

Instead of history existing as a collection of disconnected facts, the Book of Centuries gives them a visual way to see people and events in relationship to one another.

They're building their own record of the historical story they're studying.

Shakespeare Takes Center Stage

This year's history cycle includes Shakespeare, which means we're going to have quite a lot of Shakespeare in our home!

Last year we read Twelfth Night together, and this year we'll read Much Ado About Nothing.

We'll spend time learning about Shakespeare's life and works and talking about his plays as a family.

But then we're going to take it a step further.

At the end of our co-op year, we'll spend seven weeks preparing for a large production featuring both plays, with more than 60 students involved.

And I'll be directing!

My daughter will be part of the production, which means Shakespeare won't simply be something she reads for school.

She'll experience it.

She'll memorize lines, work with other students, rehearse scenes, learn about performance, and ultimately help bring the stories to life on stage.

This is one of those experiences that makes me so grateful for our homeschool community.

Religion: Independent Study + Family Theology

Religion will look a little different this year because we're intentionally giving her more independence.

She'll work through Into the Deep Level 3 on her own and then have conversations with me about what she's learning.

She's old enough to begin taking more responsibility for her own study while still having me there to ask questions, discuss ideas, and help her process what she's learning.

My husband is also developing a theology curriculum that he'll teach to both our 7th and 9th grade daughters throughout the year.

He's especially excited about this one!

They'll read several books together and then have regular discussions with him about what they're learning.

He's put a lot of thought into developing this course, so I'll have to share more about it in another post because it deserves its own conversation.

Family Learning Isn't Going Anywhere

Even though we're adding quite a bit more independent and outside instruction this year, I don't want anyone to think that our family learning is disappearing.

Quite the opposite.

We'll still gather as a family approximately twice each week for many of the subjects that are so important to our homeschool.

We'll study:

• Poetry

• Music

• Picture study

• Art

• Bible

• And several other family subjects

These shared studies are some of my favorite parts of homeschooling.

I love that my children can be at very different academic levels and still sit around the same table and encounter a beautiful poem, a painting, a piece of music, or a great idea together.

The older kids bring their perspective.

The younger kids ask unexpected questions.

And everyone gets to be part of the conversation.

I'll share more about our family-style subjects in another post.

Our 7th Grade Plan at a Glance

Math: Advanced Math 7 — live online
Spanish: Spanish 1 — live online
Writing & Literature: Introduction to Literature + 20 classic works — live online
Great Books: Live online discussion course
Science: Elemental Science: Chemistry for the Logic Stage + The Mystery of the Periodic Table
History: The Story of Civilization + The Story of the World + projects
History enrichment: Book of Centuries + Shakespeare study no
Literature: Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and Much Ado About Nothing + 20 works through literature course
Religion: Into the Deep Level 3 + family theology course
Theater: 7-week Shakespeare production
Family subjects: Poetry, music, picture study, art, Bible & more
Community: Weekly homeschool co-op

The Beginning of a New Kind of Independence

When I look at this year's plan, what I see isn't simply a seventh grader with a lot of classes.

I see a girl beginning to take more ownership of her education.

She's learning how to manage assignments from someone other than Mom.

She's learning how to prepare for tests.

She's learning how to meet deadlines.

She's learning how to participate thoughtfully in academic discussions.

She's learning how to receive feedback on her writing.

She's learning how to work independently while still being part of a family that learns together.

And I'm learning something too:

I don't have to do it all.

Homeschooling doesn't mean that I have to be the only teacher my children ever have. It means I get to thoughtfully decide who and what will serve them best in each season.

As our children get older, sometimes that means bringing other teachers into the picture.

Sometimes it means letting them work independently.

Sometimes it means Mom still sits beside them at the table.

And sometimes it means everyone puts down their individual work and gathers together to read a poem or listen to beautiful music.

That's the beauty of this stage of homeschooling.

We're slowly handing them the reins while staying close enough to guide them.

This is the sweet spot for 7th grade in our family.