Before I launch into all the details on these incredible free 9th grade homeschool curriculum options, I want to give a brief explanation of my perspective and background.
I’m a bit unusual, in that my kids all started in a college-prep private school, then we pulled them all to homeschool, and at this point, I homeschool two kids on an academic track and I have two kids in public school — one in a SPED program and one taking a combination of regular, honors, and AP classes at our local high school. TLDR version: I’m familiar with what’s being taught in public schools, in private schools, and what’s available in homeschool curriculum.
You probably know that homeschool can be pretty expensive if you don’t know where to look. But you don’t have to buy a huge, expensive boxed curriculum or join a pricey online school. The truth is, there are some really great resources out there that won’t cost you anything.
Before I get into those details, I want to share one last tip for saving money: joining a homeschool co-op. As opposed to a tutorial (where tutors are paid to teach students, like a la carte private school), a co-op is very inexpensive and parents share the teaching load. We are members of a very active, community-oriented co-op where I teach high school English and the classes available to my kids range from physics, Spanish, ACT prep, Apologetics, Drama, art, and American Film Studies. We meet just once a week, and it is a great way for us to fill
Note: I’m basing this 9th grade plan on Tennessee state requirements for graduation. At the time of this post, that included 4 credits each of math and English, 3 credits each of science and social studies, 2 credits of foreign language, and a smattering of fine arts, health/PE, personal finance, and electives. Please consult your homeschool umbrella or other consultant before making final class choices! Not all states are the same.
More like this: How to read “Pride and Prejudice” along with the BBC miniseries
Math (2 semesters, 1 credit)
Khan Academy has an incredible range of math classes for students in high school, starting with Pre-Algebra and going all the way through AP/College Statistics and multivariable calculus. Each unit has a video lessons, practice problems, and quizzes. It’s all self-paced and a great option for students who are able to learn from video and pace themselves to finish on time without a huge amount of oversight.
English (2 semesters, 1 credit)
There are so many incredible books in the world, and it can be daunting to put together a list that covers everything. One of my favorite ways to build an English class reading list is to check my local schools to see what books they’re reading and to look online at packaged curriculums to see what they include in their books. My favorites are Beautiful Feet, Memoria Press, Brave Writer, or Tapestry of Grace.
From there, I head over to Fishtank Learning or Common Lit. Both sites are built for public school teachers and have seemingly endless resources. You can search by book, by grade, or (on Common Lit) by genre to find teaching aids for the texts you want your child to read. Both have really nice suggestions for paired readings to go along with your main texts.
For the writing component, I’d recommend they write one descriptive essay, one persuasive essay, and one literary analysis essay based on a novel they read. You can google “9th grade descriptive essay grading rubric” and so on for some really great resources to help your student know what’s expected in their paper.
More like this: How to read “Sense and Sensibility” along with the BBC miniseries
Science (2 semesters, 1 credit)
I think science classes are one of the hardest to do from home if you’re trying to incorporate labs, which most colleges will want on a student’s transcript. Most schools recommend (read: require) Biology for their 9th grade students, and Khan Academy has several Biology class options. I’d recommend their High School Biology NCSS, which is aligned to Next Generation Science Standards, or their AP/College Biology course.
I am not a science teacher, nor am I a science-minded person. To me, the importance of the labs is for the students to learn the scientific method (something you can easily teach by googling it) and that they learn to write a lab report. Check your local library or used bookstore for a copy of the Student Lab Report Handbook by John Mays. It’s a great resource on writing lab reports that will last them through all of high school.
To complete the labs, get creative. You can do many of them virtually online (this is how most of my daughter’s labs were done at her top ranked public school, FYI), get a group of friends to meet together once a month for a fun Biology Lab Day, or ask your co-op to offer a lab-only companion to Biology class.
History (2 semesters, 1 credit)
Be sure to check your state requirements carefully for this credit. In Tennessee at the time of this writing, a student needs 1 World History, 1 US History, and .5 Government/.5 Economics for graduation. In our public school, they do either World History of AP Human Geography their freshman year.
We have thoroughly enjoyed World History via the OER Project’s history curriculum. Their interesting, high-quality instructional videos and abundant teacher resources keep kids really interesting.
They have several course options: from the early humans to the present, from 1200 to the present, from 1750 to the present, and an AP course. They are aligned to most state standards and include super engaging videos alongside interesting reading assignments. It’s interactive and interesting and very, very well done. The Gates Foundation has helped fund it, and you can tell that this is high quality work…and it’s amazing that it’s all free for us to use.
Foreign Language (2 semesters, 1 credit)
My kids have been lucky enough to get excellent Spanish instruction from a native speaker at our co-op, but if that’s not available to you there are still plenty of other great options. Check your local library for access to free language courses online. Set your child up with 30 minutes of free DuoLingo every day, and supplement with a conversation group in your community. Check out Spanish language books at the library, watch Spanish language shows, and listen to Spanish language music. (And, of course, you can fill-in-the-blank with whatever language your child has chosen. Mine did a short stint learning Korean, and we really enjoyed the resources from Go! Billy Korean.)
More like this: How I taught middle school Geography at our homeschool co-op
PE / Wellness (1 semester each, 0.5 credit each)
I’d recommend rounding out your Freshman year by knocking out those PE and Wellness credits. Our guidelines include 75 hours of physical fitness for a PE credit. We started a log and every hike, every swim, every bike ride was written down with the time spent doing the activity. Before we knew it, we’d passed 75 hours. For wellness, have your child complete the BSA merit badge requirements for Personal Fitness and First Aid, and that should cover it.
Elective
I like to have my high schoolers do at least one elective each year, of their choosing. To qualify for a full credit, your child should spend 150 hours in this subject. Here are some ideas for you:
- join a theater group and participate in a play — Fine Arts
- take a cooking class at your community center, or have your child plan and prepare meals once a week for the year — Culinary Arts
- have a weekly movie night where you watch through the AFI top 100 list and learn about the history of movies — American Film Studies
- read Tim Keller’s The Reason for God and The World’s Religions by Huston Smith — World Religion
- choose any of the BSA merit badges and create an elective around that (you don’t have to be a scout to use these resources!)
- If they are involved in an extracurricular, use that experience! One friend created an “Outdoor Leadership” course based on her son’s 2 high adventure trips, his year as troop SPL, and his work on his eagle project.
If you have any other great tips or resources you’ve used personally, please mention them in the comments below!
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