9th Grade Homeschool Curriculum

Looking for 9th grade homeschool curriculum? Choosing high school curriculum doesn’t have to be daunting. After years of homeschooling, these are the resources I have grown to love for the high school years.

9th Grade Homeschool Science Curriculum

Once you get to high school, you’ll need to make sure you know the requirements of your state. You can find these on the HSLDA website. Although each state varies, most will look a little like this:

Three credits in the following: Biology, Chemistry, Physics.

You’ll also want to see if the college your child is interested in attending requires certain high school science credits.

Now is not the time to lose your creativity though. You still have options. First, you might consider taking a course at a local co-op so you can take advantage of the lab element. Unless of course, you like dissecting things in your living room. Haha.

Seriously, a co-op is a great option, but not everyone has that opportunity. Other options include dual enrollment at a local community college and online courses.

Last, but not least, we are trying a new curriculum this year called Biology 101. It’s a little on the light side, but for this particular child, it’s a great fit.

Remember to consider first your child’s academic needs and not to squash them with curriculum that will frustrate their efforts. Particularly if reading is a struggle, pull back on the textbook format and allow them to explore other options.

9th Grade Homeschool Math Curriculum

For addition/subtraction math facts, daily practice is required. Be careful because most math curriculums do not cover this in-depth enough. They move on to other topics and kids are lost. Don’t let that happen. Focus here EVEN if nothing else gets done. Remember, math is a cycle and the same concepts are taught year after year. They just go a bit more in-depth as kids get older. If you focus on getting the basic facts very strong, the other stuff will be simple to pick up on.

MATH MASTERY IS ABOUT BASICS.

We use Xtramath for daily fact practice. I’ve used so many different things, but this one wins every time because each child has a login and is able to practice the exact facts he/she is struggling with. The website is smart and that makes mastery much easier. Oh, and it’s totally FREE!

WHEN YOU GET STUCK IN HOMESCHOOL MATH

The place most people get stuck in math is when they can’t figure out how to do a problem the way the book is teaching. They quickly think it’s too hard or they simply are unable to understand. What you need to know is… there is ALWAYS another way to think about it! Put the book down and find another way. This goes for basic facts like 1+5 as much as for difficult algebra problems.

As they get older, YouTube the specific task (i.e. how to divide fractions). We find Khan Academy to be very helpful at getting us outside of the one way we were taught and helping us actually grasp the concept. Just type the topic in the search bar of YouTube and look for answers from them.

There are more ideas for when your child struggles with math in this post.

9th Grade Homeschool Curriculum for Teaching Math

We are rather simple with our math curriculum. It’s easy to fret and over-think things. Don’t give in to that. Stay simple and use what works for your family. And if unexpected life circumstances come your way, that’s ok too! Here’s how to adjust math when life throws you a curveball.

3rd grade and up: Teaching Textbooks, XtraMath

As mom, I love the instant grading feature. This makes my homeschool day so much easier. I also love that my kids are getting immediate feedback when a problem is incorrect. So often students do the whole page wrong only to learn they have to start over again. Teaching Textbooks doesn’t allow that to happen.

Read more about why we love Teaching Textbooks here.

One final thought: If math really is more than you can handle as a homeschool parent, rest assured you can always outsource it to a co-op or online class. Sometimes taking the subject outside of your realm is good for your student and your relationship!

If your child struggles with math, I would encourage you to check out this post for ideas too. My friend Toni over at Happy Housewife has another great review for Teaching Textbooks here.

9th Grade Homeschool History Curriculum

At this point, you will need to be sure you are meeting your state’s requirements. Don’t guess at this. LOOK IT UP for yourself. Most states require 3 high school credits: world history, American history, and Government/Economics. You can do them in any order or style.

We prefer to match our history with English requirements. That means we take American Literature and American history at the same time so everything we are learning fits together nicely. This kind of complementary learning encourages a life-long love for knowledge.

The cycle of history can be repeated even if you’ve done it before. Since the student is much older, the knowledge is much deeper when you cycle back. For us, we’ve used this curriculum to lay the foundation so we move on to Notgrass (below) in high school.

Economics for Everybody by R. C. Sproul Jr. is what my high schooler took for her economics credit.

GREAT LIVING BOOKS FOR TEACHING HOMESCHOOL HISTORY

We love reading real stories about history. This can be a great way to learn and can actually be all the curriculum you need, if you’d like to do it that way. Here are some of our favorites.

9th Grade Homeschool Language Arts Curriculum

For your 9th grade homeschool curriculum, an English credit will be required. This is truly the combination of all of the earlier elements (reading, spelling, grammar, writing). You don’t need separate curriculum pieces for this. In fact, if you had that, your child would really struggle to keep up. There’s a lot going on in high school. No need to make it harder than it already is.

You’ll find a wide variety of available options for high school English. My favorite is actually Notgrass History. This combines the social studies credit, a Bible credit, and an English credit all in one curriculum. It is strongly focused on a biblical worldview and the supplemental literature is a perfect fit for an English credit.

After the 3 history credits are done, you can easily pick something for contemporary lit (English IV). We plan to create and maintain a blog, but the sky is really the limit.

Master Books Literature is another good option. They offer both American and British Literature.

Another great option is IEW British Literature. My oldest loved this course.

And last, but not least, it’s possible to create your own English course. As a 9th grader, my daughter studied general literature. We called it English Literature 1. She did interest led reading, and I chose tests and activities from Teachers Pay Teachers based on the books she read.

Here are some other great reading resources for teens:

• Best Children’s Audio Books Your Family Will Love
• Good Horse Books for Kids
• 11 Wholesome Chapter Book Series Your Kids Will Love
• Free Printable Homeschool Booklist For Every Age Level
• 14 Must-Read Christian Books for Teens

9th Grade Homeschool Electives Curriculum

In high school, electives have a dual purpose. First, we have to meet those pesky state requirements. Be sure you find out what yours are and follow those guidelines. Most states require very little, thankfully.

Typically it’s a PE credit, maybe something in the arts, and a computer science credit. You may also need to meet the suggested college electives if your child is interested in college. Remember, while you have to meet requirements, you can still think outside the box. 

For example, a physical education class doesn’t have to be the way the school system does it. Your child could take a swimming class at the YMCA or a spinning class at the gym. My daughter rides horses. You could also do health, wellness, or any traditional sport.

Fine arts doesn’t have to be an instrument, it can be an appreciation class where you learn about different periods and styles of music for a few weeks, then art, then drama. Why not mix it up if the arts aren’t your thing?

Computer requirements tend to be pretty easy. There are keyboarding classes, coding classes, and everything in between.

Once you get the required things out of the way, you will still probably have some credits to fill. This is your chance to have a LOT of fun. But I would strongly suggest you steer your fun in the direction of your child’s interests, particularly regarding a career. 

Spend time thinking about what they want to do when they graduate and let them explore it now. Or have them take a class to help prepare them for it. I know a young man who spends every afternoon in the woodshed with his dad making cabinets. His elective? Woodworking. This is the perfect way to help your child dabble in a possible career choice so they don’t waste 50K on a degree that they still don’t know what to do with.

Most of the time, I want electives to be guided by the interests and passions of my kids, but there are 5 must-take high school electives on our list.

1. FOREIGN LANGUAGE ELECTIVE COURSES

In our home, college is not the holy grail. If my kids want to start their own business or go to trade school, that’s great. But, my rule is, we don’t close the door unless we can’t keep it open.

Most colleges require two years of a foreign language, so with that in mind, unless my kids literally can’t handle it, they take foreign language so the door is open should they decide to go to college. No one wants to decide in their senior year to go to college after all and realize they didn’t get the credits they needed.

Pro tip: Sign language is a really great option for a student who struggles with language arts and is worried about conjugating verbs.

My kids have personally chosen Latin, Greek, and Sign Language so far. Here are our favorite resources:

• SignIt! (ASL)
• Masterbooks (Biblical Greek)
• Classical Academic Press (Latin, Greek, Spanish, French)

2. Personal Finance Elective Courses

More than 80% of Americans are have debt they can’t afford to pay back. That’s a staggering number, but worse is the number of people who live paycheck to paycheck, have no money for a rainy day, and can’t afford even a “little” emergency.

This is a serious problem and it’s largely caused by the fact that schools (and parents) are no longer teaching any kind of personal finance classes. Don’t let that happen to your kids.

One of the most important classes they can take in high school is learning to manage their money! Not just because of the debt problem, but because people who don’t understand money are easily scammed and never get ahead.

In addition to this curriculum, my kids read a few crucial books.

• Smart Money, Smart Kids (targeted at parents, but good for teens, too)
• Rich Dad, Poor Dad
• The Millionaire Next Door
• Debt Free Degree and 5 College Mistakes

3. Fine Arts Elective Courses

Most states require some sort of fine arts credit for high schoolers. I love this idea because even if art doesn’t seem to be “your thing” there is so much to be learned from the study of music, theater, and art. Here are some of my favorites by category.

Music Electives

• Still Singing Hymn Study (music appreciation)
• Music Theory I and II
• Instrument Lessons
• Orchestra/Band (call local schools or youth orchestras to join)
• Voice Lessons (here’s a place that does online lessons)
• Piano Lessons (we take local lessons, but this online option is interesting)

If your student hasn’t really shown much interest in fine arts, opt for a course that is labeled “appreciation” like our hymn study curriculum below.

Art Electives

• Art Appreciation (or this Art Appreciation curriculum is for grades 4-8!)
• Easy Peasy has a free art appreciation course
• Artistic Pursuits
• Drawing with Realism (video course)
• Lamppost Homeschool has drawing textbooks (if you prefer a book)
• Creating a Masterpiece (video course for budding artists- great for parents who aren’t. Haha. My kids love this one.)
• Painting
• Studio Art
• Photography

Other Fine Arts Elective Classes

The sky is the limit on fine arts electives. You don’t have to stick with art and music. For example, my kids are actively involved at The Academy of Arts. Their mission is to make the Bible come alive for young people and I can personally testify that they do it so very well!

The Academy of Arts provides online classes in drama and filmmaking. Plus and in-person seminars for groups. They will bring a team to your area or you can come to Greenville, SC. My kids are actively involved here and have been so blessed by this ministry.

4. Health and Life Skill Courses

This is one of those electives that most of us skip over. Most schools are skipping over it, too. But this is super important. If we send our kids out into the world with math and science knowledge, but they can’t take care of themselves, what good have we really done them?

Here are just a few ideas for Health and Life Skills Electives:

• Health (textbook)
• First Aid/CPR
• Home Economics
• Babysitting Basics
• 4-H gardening, animal care, etc
• Drivers Ed.
• Grocery Budget Makeover
• Wilton’s Cake Decorating
• Sewing, Crocheting, Knitting, etc

Many states require a physical education elective credit as a part of this category. This could include a general class, one you joined at the YMCA (check with your local branch for homeschool classes), or a favorite sport.

5. Christian Worldview Elective Courses

You know what they say, last, but not least. In fact, this category might be the most important. Our kids need a STRONG worldview and we aren’t going to get there with one or two high school electives, BUT I think this is still a crucial addition to your high school transcript.

Here are some of the things we’ve done:

• Comparative Religions by Masterbooks
• Apologetics in Action by Ken Ham and Masterbooks
• Impact 360 (Leadership academy for Christian teens)
• Biblical Archeology by Masterbooks
• National Bible Bee (Bible quizzing memorization)

If you want more electives ideas, check out The Ultimate List of High School Electives for Homeschoolers.

More Christian Homeschool Curriculum

Click the image below to find more homeschool high school curriculum and to learn how to choose the best Christian homeschool curriculum.