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Creating these homeschool high school literature suggestions for teens is more satisfying now that my teens graduated. Looking back, I know their love of reading came from being exposed to a variety of genre. Also, look at my page How to Homeschool High School.
Having a variety of genre to choose from is just one element of keeping teens reading into adulthood.
Beyond reading to fill a high school credit, use your time with your homeschooled teens to shape and develop their thinking.
Contrary to what some educators think, teens are still questioning beliefs. Their thinking is not fully matured. Issues raised in literature gives you the opportunity to analyze beliefs.
Too, high school and college courses require your teens to interpret literary terms and techniques.
I found this was best done by classic literature.
The point is whether your teen is reading American, British, or World literature he is gaining a greater understanding of the world.
That is something which will stick with him well into adulthood.
This high school literature list will give you a starting point in choosing the best literature for your family.
Moreover, don’t fret if your teen is still not loving to read.
Some of these books will ignite a fire and did I mention some are short?
Whether you have a teen who is a voracious reader or who is an unenthusiastic reader, I have some high school literature suggestions for all.
See, I had to learn the hard way that a teen should have a choice in what he reads.
I remember being in English class in middle school and reading about boring topics.
I was a good reader, but not an enthusiastic reader until I read The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe. He’s not an author I thought I would be drawn to as a teen.
However, his stories and poems invoked a love for reading detective stories along with his great storytelling. I loved everything about that poem, the figurative language, the dynamics, and the theme.
Homeschool High School Reading
The point is I would have never picked up his book on my own when evaluating my choices.
So your teen needs your help. It literally takes one book your teen can’t put down for your teen to look at reading differently.
Now as a parent, it is a learned balancing act when each teen got to the high school level.
I tried to find their interests and themes they loved to weave that with other genre they weren’t interested in or thought so at the time.
Also, another way to engage your high school kids is to learn through a theme.
We love history in our house and learning history through living literature has been one of our very favorite ways to learn history.
Why Some Homeschoolers Choose to Read Banned Literature
Next, I also had to decide how I wanted to talk to my teens about sensitive subjects.
A lot of homeschoolers, including myself, reject some modern reading lists.
However, the similarity stops there when choosing literature. Families and teens differ in how they want to handle sensitive topic.
When you research about banned books, the Washington Post stated, “The American Library Association launched Banned Books Week in 1982 to celebrate the freedom to read.”
However, every since then, the topic of banned books sparks controversy for any education.
You too have to decide if you’ll present these banned books to your teen.
It’s been my experience that the sensitive subjects in books allows me the chance to direct my children about mistakes of the past.
I didn’t want to cover up mistakes in history, but to expose them so we learn from them. Most important that we don’t repeat them in the future.
Children relate to everyday things and some kids lives have had painful turns they couldn’t control. Although my kids didn’t experience the sadness of divorce and death at the time, they had friends who did.
Homeschool High School Books
It helped my sons to form a compassion for their friends. Every child has a different maturing rate and I was sensitive to each teen’s emotions.
The point is that you are the only one to know whether you want your children to read banned books or not. Me? I will do the choosing for my family and determine the values; you probably feel the same way.
As you see from this quick list that the books reflect personal tastes of each teen. In the end, you want your child to enjoy reading.
I stressed way too much about balancing the genre when my focus should have been on the short time I had with each teen.
Besides being forced-fed never worked for any reader. So use this list to begin your list for your unique teen.
Lastly, this is by no stretch all that each kid read in high school.
As I pore over my huge amount of books, I’ll update this post for you.
The point today was to get this quick glance to you.
In the end what matters is creating a lifelong reader.
Remember what Francis Bacon said “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not curiously; and some few are to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention.”
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Today in how to choose the best middle school literature I want to help you conquer the overwhelm by giving you a few seasoned homeschooler secrets.
Best Middle School Literature
When I approached the middle school years, there was no lack of middle school literature lists.
I loved having the lists, but I quickly learned that having tips on how to choose literature for my teen was better.
So first, look at these four questions asked and answered full of tips to help you decide which books are best for your family.
Four Middle School Literature Questions Asked and Answered
Question 1. Should I Read Every Book My Child Reads?
The answer is complicated. It’s both yes and no. The way you determine if it’s a yes or no is your purpose.
For example, if you’re wanting to use literature for analysis and to engage your child with understanding an author’s purpose it’s hard to do that unless you read the book.
Middle school is the time that most kids can do some introductory analysis. If you’re wanting to fill the literature requirement for just reading or for enjoyment, the answer is no.
I couldn’t read every book my kids chose, but focused on reading the few we would used for analysis. That secret tip helped me conquer the literature overwhelm in middle school.
In addition, this site for Banned and Challenged Books gives you an idea of the theme or worldview behind some books.
Question 2. How many books should my kid read each year?
That is another subjective answer. Some kids are voracious readers others not so much.
But if you’re using the literature to fill a credit (yes you can get high school credit in middle school), you’ll want to set your goal for a realistic amount.
Looking over some literature lists for middle schooled kids, I’ve seen some unreachable numbers.
Whatever the number of books you come up with lower it. It’s so much better to get through a handful of books with meaningful discussions than to overestimate and rush through them.
That is disheartening for both teacher and kid. Remember you can always add more literature for analysis anytime during the year.
I’ve had different requirements with each kid as my circumstances were different each year, but a good rule of thumb at this age was to analyze between 4 to 6 books or less.
Some years we did more, other years I struggled to get through three books, but it was still solid language arts.
The other books were pure pleasure and met my reading requirement.
Reading for Middle School
Again, this is NOT all your child will read, but it’s the amount you want him to read to help him with the critical thinking part of literature.
Question 3. Do I want my child to integrate other subjects or skills or to use literature as stand-alone?
My answer is to integrate as much as possible. My preference from the time I learned about how to integrate was to use this method for all literature.
Integrate means to combine several skills or to combine subjects. By integrating skills or subjects,
your child learns the practical application of grammar, vocabulary, or writing in a way that makes sense;
the areas of language arts that your child is weak at can be strengthened. For example, he sees the correct spelling of a word in literature and applies it to his writing;
your child can choose literature choices based on his interests or to cover a subject he may not like as well. Unlike public school, your child doesn’t have to follow arbitrary lists. Too, if he is not passionate about history, then well-written fiction prose can help him to fill a history credit. Literature can make a history time period come alive while filling both a literature and history requirement in a more fun way; and
one unexpected benefit was that my kids learned study skills and research skills.
Literature Analysis for Middle School
Question 4. Should I require my child to write book reports?
Although it’s not necessary for kids to write book reports, understanding the purpose of a book report lets you decide if it’s for your family.
Book reports, oral or written, are the blueprints for high school literary analysis.
The point is not whether you assign a book report or not, it’s that your child understands things like elements of fiction, genre, and figures of speech.
Whether you choose to do this orally, through a book report, a lapbook, or reading journal, it’s your choice. I have only one kid that loved book reports, but I orally reviewed with each kid the assigned books.
Next, look at this list of questions to include in a written book report or to go over them orally:
Was it better that . . . ?
What do you think . . . ?
In your opinion . . . ?
How would you change the character to . . . ?
How is ____ tied in or related to ____?
What choice would you have made ____?
Now that you have a quick overview of some of the general tips about how to choose middle school literature, look at this list of books.
Remember that you can choose classics, follow a history theme, favorite author or do a balance of genres. There are many genres to choose from.
Of course, if your child is college bound you will want to do a variety of genre even in junior high.
Reading for Middle School Homeschool
And one final thought there is a huge difference in maturity between sixth grade and eighth grade.
Keep that in mind in looking over this literature list as I provided options for different reading levels. This list below is a mix of literature that works well for this age, but you can always add to it.
Alternatively, you may want to use something besides just a reader or the literature.
Teacher Guides, Themed Guides and All-in-OneCurriculum
For my first time teaching literature at the middle school level I loved using teacher helps and many times I used them as life happened. Why reinvent the wheel?
You can choose a book along with a teacher guide to help you teach the important parts of the book or use an all-in-one guide or curriculum.
Look at some of your options below.
I love Lightning Literature and they’re perfect for the older grades because they have a schedule which helps when you’re first beginning to teach literature.
Still, I had the tendency to over teach literary analysis, but key to keeping it fun is to do a bit each day.
It is a Charlotte Mason gentle approach to literature and fits a lot of my likes; it takes an integrated approach which aligns with how I feel beautiful literature should be learned.
However, one of my VERY favorite resources for middle school kids was created by another homeschool mom.
You’ll love Literary Adventures for Kids which is online and self-paced. You choose the books and course and your child goes at his own pace. All the stress and prep for learning about literature was taken out.
If you’re looking for something that your child can do on his own, or you don’t have time to read every book, you’ll love Literary Adventures for Kids.
My kids can pick the book they want to read and we find the accompanying study guide. The guides cover background information, vocabulary, literary analysis, and more.
Covering history and literature simultaneously helped us to learn how to utilize our time and widen our reading diet.
If your child loves history, then integrating history and literature together makes practical use of your child’s time.
Did I mention that reading doesn’t become a chore, but becomes a time you and your child look forward to during the day?
Finally, paying attention to detail looks different for each book with each child, but that is the purpose of literature analysis. Too, our children can come to view each book loved as an artistic expression. It’s quite possible.
What books are you using for literature analysis for middle school kids?
How to choose the besthomeschool middle and high school language arts curriculum can be intimidating unless you have a road map. Also, look at my page homeschool middle school and how to homeschool high school page for more fun tips
Knowing the elements of language arts is important; knowing that not every teen needs the same amount of instruction for each component is equally important.
Using free language arts curriculum before you make a purchase can be especially helpfulfor many reasons:
Budget friendly curriculum allows you to assess problem areas in greater detail without busting the budget;
A free curriculum can be used as a reference alongside a purchased curriculum;
Your teen may need review in just a couple of areas and you can save your hard earned dollars to buy language arts where he requires in-depth focus or help;
Returning to free curriculum resources throughout the middle and high school years helps your teen review quickly; and
Let’s face it. Teen curriculum resources can be pricey, so having many options at your fingertips helps.
Homeschool Middle and High School Language Arts
Let’s start with a language arts road map.
Step one is knowing the language arts components.
Step 1. Identify the Language Arts Components.
The easiest, but most useful definition is that English language arts is any subject to do with written or oral communication, including listening.
Right away you can see that some things are not formally taught or don’t have to be taught in isolation.
For example, from the time your teen was a toddler, you started speaking to him in full sentences.
He learned your language through the art of conversation and discussion. That part still continues in the teen years.
Too, especially at the middle and high school years, teens need to make sense out of what they have been learning.
Combining language arts elements makes language arts practical and gives teens a reason to understand it.
For example, grammar can be revised or used while a teen writes an essay.
Next, let’s dive into the subject breakdown of what is language arts so you know that you’re covering it and that you choose the subjects your teen needs.
Language arts includes all facets of English: phonics, reading/literature, spelling/vocabulary, grammar, composition, and penmanship. In addition, it includes oral speech.
By this age your child has probably learned to read and write.
So penmanship turns to composition and reading becomes literature. Phonics is now spelling.
Step 2. Isolate the Language Arts Components Needed for Middle and High School Teens.
To help clarify this even further, here are the language art subjects for middle and high school grades.
Literature which is reading and could include literary analysis
Grammar
Spelling (if still needed)
Vocabulary
Composition
These subjects are the ones that most language arts all-in-one programs cover.
Next, now that you know the subjects that fall under the language arts umbrella, look at some of these homeschool language arts curriculum for middle and high school kids.
Step 3. Choose the EXACT Components Your Teen Needs OR Choose an All-in-One Curriculum.
Before you choose language arts, pay attention to the details to see if it’s an all-in-one program which covers most of the subjects for language arts OR if it’s just one component.
I have organized the elements for you so you can quickly see the choices for your child.
Grammar Homeschool Curriculum For Teens
Too, some of the resources can be used as a guidebook to assist your teen in his writing.
The first one I’m diving into is grammar. Grammar is the rules of a language.
Your teen has learned some of the rules naturally, so some of these resources can be used as a reference.
Other resources can be used as separate curriculum to shore up any weakness
Look at this list of homeschool grammar curriculum.
Rod and Staff English. Solid no fluff worktext for doing grammar stand alone or use for a reference. The books in the high school years made great reference books for us. It’s a faith-based curriculum, but I found it easily tweaked for faith-neutral approach.
Easy Grammar. This goes all the way to high school. It’s a secular view and a traditional approach.
Although I feel grammar is best covered in conjunction with writing so a teen sees the value, there are some teens who need grammar in isolation.
Before looking next at the composition options, keep a few key points in mind. If a teen is struggling with penmanship remember that he can type his essays.
Try to not make composition always about penmanship. Yes, it’s about doing neat work, but that is for the final draft.
Composition is about learning how to compose his thoughts. So if you have a teen struggling in both penmanship and composition, focus on one or the other until he gets more practice.
Go gentle in what you require of him if he is struggling.
You would think it would be easier to choose an all in one program which covered a bit of most of the components of language arts. It may or may not be.
The problem at this level is that most providers are assuming that your teen has had a fair amount of each component of language arts.
If you’ve switched homeschool approaches or resources, like most of us have, then you want to be sure you’re clear on what is the focus of the all-in-one language arts curriculum.
For example, it’s been my experience that curriculum may focus more on composition, while another one covers more literary analysis.
While yet another resource may focus heavily on grammar.
All-In-One Language Arts Homeschool Curriculum for Teens
So the important point I’m making is look over the scope and sequence so that you make a good fit for your teen.
Next, look at the options for all-in-one language arts programs.
Powerhouse or Acellus Academy.. They are both by same company. However, Acellus academy is accredited and more expensive, but Powerhouse isn’t accredited. Both are online and offer everything.
Step 4. Combine Many Components of Language Arts for Lasting Benefits.
Finally, the most important benefit of teaching language arts to our teens is so that it sticks with them. Understanding the mechanics of the English languages connects our teens to great minds of the past.
In addition, teaching valuable thinking skills is an important part of communication whether verbal or written.
For language arts to have lasting benefit and to teach thinking skills, combining the components of language arts is a superior way to teach.
When a teen works with a piece of literature, he focuses on grammar, writing, vocabulary, and spelling to name a few.
We want our teens to have a solid foundation for language arts whether he chooses a career track or college track.
More Homeschool Middle and High School Language Arts
Whether you’re wanting kids to step away from their devices, looking for a nature-inspired book for a unit study, or you want to inspire your kid’s inner naturalist, look at this roundup of books.
A young girl is left deserted on a pacific island off the coast of California. Karana must forage for food, build weapons for protection, and make clothes for covering.
A story of strength and resilience that will inspire. Beautifully written and perfect taking the readers to an island filled with dolphins, otters, and sea birds.
The sole survivor of a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian Roberson, finds himself stranded in the Canadian wilderness. He must fend for himself.
Brian slowly learns the survivor skills he needs to stay alive, building shelter, making fire, and foraging for food.
This novel takes the reader through a fifty-four-day journey of perseverance that forever changes a young man and his perspective about life and family.
Gary Paulson has many other novels that are set in the wilderness, and spends his personal time split between Alaska, New Mexico, Minnesota, and the Pacific.
Nature Book List for Kids
This book takes readers on an eco-adventure full of everything from the town’s well know bully to potty-trained alligators. There is a movie that would make a fun follow-up too.
A summer packed with outdoor adventure! Follow these kids as they discover the Virginian woods where they find secret caves, rushing waters, and rare treasure.
These books would be awesome for a state study of Virginia, as there are several more in the series that takes the reader to historical sites throughout the state.
16. Riding the Fumeby Patricia Curtis Pfitsch for ages 11 to 13.
Set among the giant sequoia trees in California, the novel is about a young girl faced with the discovery that her sister who died years earlier may still be alive. A must-read!
You’ll be transported by riveting adventure tales from around the globe, like being dragged off by a hyena in Botswana, surviving a Saharan dust storm, being woken by an intrepid emperor penguin in Antarctica, and coming face-to-face with a venomous bushmaster (one of the most dangerous snakes on the planet)—all told in lyrical prose and illustrations that wonder at the mysterious beauty of the wild.
I hope one of these 20 nature-inspired books will teach your kids about nature and revive a love of the great outdoors.
Whether you didn’t learn these skills in school or you’re determined to give your children the best education you’ll love these useful skills to teach.
Besides, teaching only academics and not life skills is a huge flaw in the educational world. We don’t want to repeat that same nonsense thinking.
So we choose to intentionally teach what other educators view as vintage or old-fashioned because we know some obsolete skills prepare today’s kids for adulthood.
Look at these 15 skills, academic or otherwise which homeschoolers still love to teach.
Old-Fashioned Skills for Today’s Kids
1. Cursive writing.
Unless a child has a special need, most homeschooling parents know that learning to write and cursive writing are valuable skills.
Beyond the fact that most early documents were hand-written, cursive writing supports hand-eye coordination and can reduce letter reversals.
Look at some of my tips below about how I teach writing.
For the first time, financial guru and TODAY Show regular Jean Chatzky brings her expertise to a young audience. Chatzky provides her unique, savvy perspective on money with advice and insight on managing finances, even on a small scale. This book will reach kids before bad spending habits can get out of control. With answers and ideas from real kids, this grounded approach to spending and saving will be a welcome change for kids who are inundated by a consumer driven culture. This book talks about money through the ages, how money is actually made and spent, and the best ways for tweens to earn and save money.
Sixth-grader Rufus Mayflower is betting that he can make a whole gallon of toothpaste for the same price as one tube from the store.
There’s just one problem, he has to solve real-life mathematical
equations first! With help from his good friend Kate Mackinstrey, can
these two entrepreneurs keep up with the high demand for their popular product? Beloved children’s author Jean Merrill introduces readers to the ins and outs of a budding business, from costs to profits, in this exciting tale about perseverance, ingenuity, and underdogs.
In Smart Money Smart Kids, financial expert and best-selling author Dave Ramsey and his daughter Rachel Cruze equip parents to teach their children how to win with money. Starting with the basics like working, spending, saving, and giving, and moving into more challenging issues like avoiding debt for life, paying cash for college, and battling discontentment, Dave and Rachel present a no-nonsense, common-sense approach for changing your family tree.
The perfect gift! Give the gift of financial literacy to your teen - they will thank you for a lifetime. You are not alone; it is often difficult to reach young adults on the topic of money management, but look no further. I Want More Pizza finally has teenagers excited about personal finance and is giving them the confidence that they can succeed. This resource is being used in classrooms around the nation as young adults enjoy the pizza model for learning about money management. Now available for the first time for you to bring into your home, give your young adult the gift of financial literacy and they will thank you for a lifetime. Primary topics discussed include saving, spending, prioritization, goal setting, compound growth, investing, debt, credit cards, student loans, mental blocks, and taking real world action.I am sure you have heard a few of these: "I don't need it", "I'm too young", "I need to spend my money on _____ ", and the list goes on. The pizza model for learning personal finance breaks down those barriers because, well, everyone loves pizza! Just because money management is extremely important doesn't mean that it has to be extremely complex. I Want More Pizza leaves them in complete control to find the plan that works for your young adult - it's their choice. If they don't enjoy math or don't like to plan, no problem, we've got them covered as well. And it's only ~100 pages, which young adults love given their busy social calendars. Money doesn't have to be stressful. Finally reach your young adult and help them become financially literate for a lifetime. After all, there is a lot of pizza in life to enjoy!
This down-to-earth guide is filled with practical advice on everything from how to budget and be a smart shopper to student loans, mortgages and insurance. An essential book for equipping young people with the skills they need to manage their money now and in the future. Includes links to websites with more tips and advice.
Long before they are of age to start working, kids want their own money. And whether they count bricks at a construction site as a kid like my entrepreneur husband did or just want some spending money, kids are looking for creative ways to earn their own bucks.
Nobody has everything they need, all the time – so how can we make do with what we have? Economics is all about understanding the choices we make to solve this problem. With bright, infographics pictures, this informative book describes why markets are so important, how businesses work out what to sell, and how governments choose how to run a country. Includes Usborne Quicklinks to specially selected websites for more information.
My kids started working while in high school and although they didn’t make enough to have to prepare a tax return, we still helped them prepare one.
When a child is living on his own he’ll have a basic understanding of tax deadlines and taxes.
He manages adult responsibilities way better than if you had never introduced basic tax how-tos.
8. How to cook from scratch.
The pandemic of 2020 is a perfect example of how life can throw a huge curve.
Because we want our kids self-sufficient, teaching them to cook from scratch like baking basic bread or from what is on hand saves money, teaches independence, and can be healthier.
Look below at a few ways I incorporated this into our learning day:
9. How to fill out a job application and how to do a job interview.
When I helped my first teen fill out a job application, it was hilarious.
School Doesn’t Prepare Us for Life
Although he knew what it was from the exploring career opportunities course in high school, preparing one was quite different.
To this day, he still thanks me and his dad for helping him to look at his set of skills both strengths and weakness realistically.
However, nothing compared to seeing him get ready for his first job interview.
He was pretty comfortable looking to apply for a job that required a dress jacket.
Just a word of advice, be sure your teen knows how employees are expected to dress after you go over your dos and don’ts for a first-time job interview.
10. Learn to read a map.
I love GPS too, but if you’ve ever hiked or walked in a remote area your cell phone is not really a good bet.
Besides learning about scale and distances, a map can teach local geography and can teach us what is around us.
No cell phone service needed.
Things No Longer Taught in School
Maps are engaging and foster a love of learning about places along the way instead of just getting to a point like a gps.
We can use both in our everyday and not let a generation grow up equipped without engaging with a map.
11. Diagramming a sentence.
To understand how words need to be arranged in a sentence to make their thoughts clearer, kids need many ways to learn word arrangement.
When kids have to break down or diagram each part of a sentence it leaves no room for ambiguity. This teaching technique still helps many students.
12. Auto upkeep.
Whether the tires need air or not, when and how to change the oil, and basic upkeep to maintain your safety and the life of a vehicle are important skills to know.
13. Home Economic skills.
I know home economics courses are now called some fancy name like Family And Consumer Sciences.
That is another post for me, but kids need to know how to read recipes, count food portions, food storage, food prep ideas and how to eat healthy.
And while we can teach these skills separately, it’s much easier to teach them while on the job.
Assigning your kids the responsibility to make a grocery list or a meal for the family works.
I started with easy meal ideas for my kids to make for the family and as they grew, so did the cooking skills.
Benefits of Life Skills
In addition, teaching a kid basic sewing can be a lost skill.
Back in the day learning basic sewing skills was a must because all clothes were hand-made. Learning how to sew on a button is still a valuable skill.
14. Latin.
Latin used to be taught at in a lot of public schools.
Today, not all homeschoolers teach Latin, but a lot do.
We see the value of teaching our kids the roots of modern-day language and how to analyze root meanings.
The deductive reasoning used while learning Latin helped my kids to know how to critically think.
15. High School Shop Classes.
Classes like woodworking, metal, and drafting classes seem to be dwindling.
Those types of hand skills are being lost. Electricians, plumbers, and carpenters are valuable skills needed in our community.
Also, these classes were taught in high school so that a teen had time to pursue passions and some of the classes were segues to a higher degree.
These skills are not outdated in our home, but they are skills which propel our kids to the future. A future where our kids are truly prepared for whatever comes their way.
Old Fashioned But Timeless Skills
How can a kid learn about the human body without preparing a meal?
And how can a kid value how fast human history changes unless he can read the thoughts of the founding father in their handwriting – cursive?
How can a child not be saddled with debt and stress the rest of his life unless we teach him now how to save and when to spend?
