Homeschooling Middle School ELA Series – How Do I Fill in the Gaps?

Homeschooling Middle School ELA: How do I fill in the gaps with my middle school homeschooling curriculum?

If you’re homeschooling a middle schooler, chances are you’ve wondered: What if my child’s curriculum doesn’t cover everything they need?

Most likely, you have some kind of resource or guide that you’re working from. Maybe it is a fully developed curriculum. That’s great! Middle School ELA is hard, and kids working through this stage are working through a lot of new skills. But, as all teachers know, the curriculum doesn’t always cover everything. 

Sometimes, there are gaps. Or even just topics when your child needs a different approach.

Maybe grammar isn’t emphasized as much as you’d like.
Maybe spelling seems to be falling through the cracks.
Maybe you’re just not sure if they’re “on track” compared to grade-level expectations.

First, take a deep breath. 

Every student has gaps, whether they’re in public school, private school, or homeschooling. 

The key is knowing how to identify those gaps and using the standards as your guide to fill them.

Homeschooling Middle School ELA: Start With the Standards

Standards aren’t just a checklist; they’re your roadmap. They tell you exactly what skills your child should be working toward in reading, writing, language, and speaking/listening.

If you’re unsure about where to begin, grab a copy of the Common Core ELA standards (or your state’s version). Skim through the grade-level expectations for 6th–8th grade, and you’ll quickly see which areas need more attention.

Not sure how to “translate” the standards into kid-friendly goals? We’ve written many posts over the last couple years on translating the standards, and breaking them down into bite-size pieces. 

Spotting the Gaps

Ask yourself:

• Does my child struggle with sentence structure or punctuation? (That’s Language Standard L.2.)
• Are they shaky on word meanings, roots, prefixes, or figurative language? (Check L.4 and L.5.)
• Do their essays lack organization or evidence? (You’ll want to revisit the Writing Standards, W.1–W.3.)
• Do they breeze through stories but stumble when analyzing an author’s choices or purpose? (That’s Reading Literature and Informational Standards, RL and RI.)

The good news? You don’t have to reinvent the wheel to fix these gaps.

Use Standards-Based Units to Target Weak Spots

This is where our Grade Level Standards-Based Units come in. Each unit focuses on one specific standard, breaking it down into learning targets, activities, and assessments.

Instead of guessing what your child “should” know, you can choose a unit that matches the exact skill you want them to practice.

For example:

• If grammar is the gap, grab the L.2 Units.
• If word meaning or figurative language is the issue, Look at our L.4 and L.5 Units.
• If organization in writing is the challenge → Choose a W.1 (argument), W.2 (informative), or W.3 (narrative) Unit.
  

Our teacher-developed units are ready-to-use, so you don’t have to piece together lessons. They’re designed to make sure your child is learning what the standards require.

We’ve written blog posts on every middle school ELA standard, so feel free to head over to the blog to check them out. We’ve linked the Language Standard blog posts below.

Don’t Panic About “Behind”

Middle school is a huge developmental leap. Writing becomes more structured, reading comprehension deepens, and students learn to think critically about texts in brand-new ways. Some skills take longer to click, and that’s okay.

The goal isn’t perfection by Friday. The goal is steady growth over the course of most of your child’s “middle school” years.

By using the standards as your guide and choosing resources that target those exact skills, you’ll give your child the tools they need to catch up, keep up, or even leap ahead.

Final Thought: Use the Standards as Your Safety Net

Homeschooling doesn’t mean you have to guess. The standards provide the clarity, and standards-based units provide the support.

So when you find yourself thinking:
“What if my child is missing something?”
…just go back to the standards.

They’ll show you exactly what to focus on, and with the right resources, you’ll be able to fill in any gaps with confidence.

Ready to dig into standards-based resources? Click below to explore by grade level:

• 6th Grade Standards-Based Units
• 7th Grade Standards-Based Units
• 8th Grade Standards-Based Units