What to teach in 6th, 7th and 8th grade: a parent's map
Middle school can feel like the point where teaching at home gets hard. The math has letters in it. The reading has arguments in it. Your student has opinions about all of it.
The good news: the shape of the three years is clear. Once you can see it, a week is easy to plan.
This is our map. It is built from what we actually teach in grades 6, 7 and 8, subject by subject.
What changes in middle school
Three things shift between 5th and 6th grade.
The work becomes abstract. In elementary math, a student counts, groups and measures. In middle school, a student reasons about things that cannot be counted on fingers: negative numbers, unknowns, rates.
Reading becomes about evidence. It is no longer enough to say what happened in a story. A student has to point to the line that proves it, and explain why that line matters.
Students start working alone. This is the big one. A middle schooler can read a lesson, try the problems and check the answer key without you beside them. Your job moves from teacher to coach.
The three years, subject by subject
Here is what each year covers in our curriculum. Every topic names the standard it addresses, and the full lists are on each grade's page.
Math
- 6th grade: ratios and rates, dividing fractions, negative numbers, expressions and exponents, one-step equations, area and volume, statistics.
- 7th grade: proportional relationships, operations with positive and negative numbers, multi-step equations, scale drawings, circles, probability.
- 8th grade: irrational numbers, exponents and scientific notation, slope, systems of equations, functions, transformations, the Pythagorean theorem.
We go deeper on this in middle school math at home.
Reading
- 6th grade: citing evidence, finding the theme, how plot and characters change, point of view, tracing an argument.
- 7th grade: using several pieces of evidence, how a theme develops, how a text is organized, judging an argument's reasoning.
- 8th grade: choosing the strongest evidence, dramatic irony, connotation and allusion, spotting irrelevant evidence.
Writing and grammar
- 6th grade: pronouns, commas and dashes, Greek and Latin roots, narratives with dialogue, arguments with clear reasons.
- 7th grade: sentence types, misplaced modifiers, cutting wordiness, arguments that answer other views, citing sources.
- 8th grade: verbals, active and passive voice, verb mood, formal essays, counterclaims, judging whether a source is credible.
Science
- 6th grade: cells and body systems, atoms and molecules, states of matter, the water cycle, moon phases, weather.
- 7th grade: chemical reactions, conservation of mass, photosynthesis, food webs, the rock cycle.
- 8th grade: forces and motion, energy, waves, heredity, natural selection, plate tectonics, electric and magnetic forces.
History and social studies
- 6th grade: the first civilizations, ancient Egypt, China, Greece and Rome, the Silk Road.
- 7th grade: the fall of Rome, the Islamic Golden Age, West African empires, the Middle Ages, the printing press.
- 8th grade: the road to the American Revolution, the Declaration, the Constitution and Bill of Rights, westward expansion, the Civil War and Reconstruction.
Life skills, entrepreneurship and psychology
These three are where middle school feels most real to a student.
- Life skills: budgeting a first income, online safety, stress, cooking, credit and loans, paychecks and taxes, planning for high school.
- Entrepreneurship: a one-page business plan, supply and demand, costs and profit, reading an income statement, a balance sheet, an investor pitch.
- Psychology: how memory works and how to study, attention, habits, thinking errors, stress and coping, social media and the mind.
How to plan a week
You do not need every subject every day. A plan that works for many families:
- Math most days. One lesson step, then a short practice set.
- Reading and writing on alternate days. They feed each other.
- Science and history two or three times a week each. These lessons are longer and benefit from a full sitting.
- One slot for life skills, business or psychology. Rotate them.
Keep the week the same for a month before you change it. A routine is what lets a middle schooler work alone.
Start where your student is
Grade labels are a guide, not a rule. A student can be in 7th grade math and 6th grade reading, and that is ordinary.
Each of our topics opens with a Quick Check. If your student scores high, move faster. If not, slow down. You will know in ten minutes instead of three weeks.
Where to go next
- See every topic for one grade: what should a 6th grader know, 7th grader, 8th grader.
- Try one full topic free: free 6th grade math worksheets, or browse every free sample.
- Practice on screen, free: 6th, 7th and 8th grade math, plus reading, writing and science.
- See the whole plan: the curriculum and the store.
We publish kindergarten through 8th grade now. High school is coming soon.
Questions about any of this: support@uponlylearning.com.
Common questions
What are the core subjects in 6th, 7th and 8th grade?
Math, reading, writing and grammar, science, and history or social studies are the usual core. We also teach life skills, entrepreneurship and psychology at every grade, because middle school is when students start handling money, stress and decisions on their own.
Do I have to follow the grade label exactly?
No. Start where your student actually is. Every topic in our lessons opens with a short Quick Check, so you can see what your student already knows and move faster or slow down from there.
How much time does middle school take at home each day?
It varies by student and by family. A common pattern is one lesson in two or three subjects a day, rotating through the week, with short math practice most days. Adjust after the first two weeks based on how the work actually goes.
Do you publish high school?
Not yet. We publish kindergarten through 8th grade now, and high school is coming soon. For the summer after 8th grade there is Prepare for High School: Math.