Homeschooling middle school in Spanish or Portuguese
Middle school is when a home language often starts to slip.
The schoolwork gets harder, and all of it arrives in English. The home language stays the language of dinner and family calls, but not of science, history or math. By high school, a student may speak Spanish or Portuguese well and still not be able to read a textbook in it.
If you want both languages to grow, grades 6 to 8 are the years to plan for it.
Two languages, one set of topics
The simplest approach is to teach the same topic in both languages.
Our grades 6, 7 and 8 are published in parallel in English, Spanish and Portuguese. The same topics, in the same order, at the same grade, in all eight subjects. That lets you:
- Teach in one language, practice in the other. Learn ratios in Spanish, do the practice page in English.
- Switch by subject. Math and science in English, history in Portuguese, for example.
- Teach siblings together. One student works in English, another in Spanish, on the same topic at the same time.
In the Spanish and Portuguese books, the lesson is in that language. Any English, such as an original reading passage, is kept separate in a light blue box, so it is always clear which language is which.
Academic vocabulary is the real goal
A middle schooler who speaks the home language well usually knows everyday words. What is missing is the vocabulary of school: evidence, ratio, photosynthesis, constitution.
These words have to be taught on purpose, in each language. A few habits help:
- Keep a two-column word list for each subject. One column per language.
- Say the key words out loud in both languages at the start of each lesson. Every lesson in our books opens with its key words.
- Use the subject vocabulary flashcards. The flashcards include vocabulary decks for each subject in grades 6 to 8.
Keep English reading strong
If your student will continue school in the United States, English reading and writing need full attention in middle school. Arguments, evidence and formal essays all arrive in grades 6 to 8.
A balanced plan for many families: Reading and Writing in English, with the explanations available in Spanish or Portuguese when a concept is hard. Then one or two other subjects fully in the home language.
A week that works
Here is one example. Adjust it to your family.
- Math: lesson in the home language, practice in English.
- Reading and writing: in English.
- Science: in English, key words reviewed in both.
- History: in the home language.
- Life skills, entrepreneurship or psychology: in the home language. These are great subjects for conversation at the table.
Buying for two languages
Every workbook is $19.99, and every grade is published in all three languages. If you want the full grade in two languages, the grade packs bundle them: English and Spanish, or English and Portuguese, for $199.99; all three languages for $279.99. See the store.
Where to start
- English: what should a 6th grader know
- Español: qué debe saber un estudiante de 6.º grado
- Português: o que um aluno do 6º ano deve saber
- Free practice on screen: Spanish and Portuguese math, 6th grade
- Every free sample: free workbooks
We also wrote about homeschooling in Spanish for the younger grades.
We publish kindergarten through 8th grade now. High school is coming soon.
Questions: support@uponlylearning.com.
Common questions
Can my student use the same curriculum in English and Spanish or Portuguese?
Yes. Our grades 6 to 8 are published in parallel in English, Spanish and Portuguese, with the same topics at the same grade, so a student can learn a topic in one language and practice it in the other.
How is English handled in the Spanish and Portuguese books?
The lesson is in the book's language. Any English, such as an original reading passage, is kept separate in a light blue box, so the student always knows which language they are reading.
My student speaks Spanish at home but struggles to read it. Is middle school too late?
No. Spoken fluency and reading are different skills, and many heritage-language students are strong in one and weak in the other. Middle school texts are a good place to build academic vocabulary in both.
Do you publish high school in Spanish or Portuguese?
Not yet. We publish kindergarten through 8th grade in all three languages now, and high school is coming soon.