Middle School ELA Curriculum for Homeschool Co-ops and Microschools
ELA Complete – Middle School gives a homeschool co-op or microschool a full year of grades 6–8 reading and writing for a group class: short stories, articles and speeches to analyze, plus narrative, informative and argumentative writing taught step by step. You get 100+ no-prep resources with answer keys, so the tutor leading the group knows what to teach each time you meet.
See the ELA curriculum →ELA Complete – Middle School is a no-prep reading and writing curriculum for grades 6–8 that works well for a homeschool co-op or microschool group class. It covers fiction and nonfiction analysis (plot, theme, point of view, text structure), the writing process from planning to editing, and argumentative writing with textual evidence. It costs $149.90 for 100+ resources, or $189.90 with the Teach-Life-Balance teacher course.
The curriculum
ELA Complete – Middle School, Grades 6–8
Start with the full curriculum. The other resources below are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
The real problem
Where co-op ELA classes tend to stall
In many co-ops, ELA means a book club. Everyone reads a novel at home, and the group meets to talk about it. That has value, but talking is the easy half. The hard half is writing. A twelve-year-old who can tell you why a character lied often cannot turn that into a paragraph with a claim, a quotation and an explanation. When the class meets once a week, writing instruction tends to become a weekly assignment and nothing more. Students bring an essay, the tutor writes comments, and the same mistakes return the following week. Mixed ability makes it harder. One student reads at a high school level, another still guesses at unfamiliar words, and both are in the same discussion. Parents also bring different expectations: some want grammar, some want literature, some want five-paragraph essays before high school. What the tutor actually needs is a sequence. Which reading skill comes first, when to introduce author's purpose, how to move from paragraph to full essay, and what to do in class so that drafting and revising happen with you rather than at a kitchen table at 10 p.m. the night before.
Why it fits
What it gives a co-op reading and writing class
The curriculum separates reading analysis and the writing process, then links them through textual evidence.
- Short stories, excerpts, articles and speeches fit into a single session, with no shared novel needed.
- Lessons on plot, character, setting, theme and conflict give discussions a shared vocabulary.
- Writing is taught as planning, drafting, revising and editing, so class time can cover each stage.
- Argumentative writing with textual evidence prepares students for the essays high school will ask for.
- Differentiated worksheets let a strong reader and a struggling reader work on the same text.
- Answer keys for comprehension work free up your marking time for students' actual writing.
Getting started
The first weeks of a co-op ELA group
This is a suggested start for a group that meets once a week. It is not a calendar from the product, and you should adjust it to your own schedule.
- Pick one short story to open withChoose a short story from the reading section and read it aloud together in class. Use the plot and conflict worksheet so that everyone, including slower readers, finishes the first meeting with something done.
- Teach the evidence move earlyIn the second session, have students find a sentence in the text that proves a claim about a character. It is a small step, and every later essay depends on it.
- Switch to nonfictionBring in an article or a speech next. Talk about author's purpose and point of view, and compare how a nonfiction text is structured with the story from the first week.
- Draft in class, not at homeStart a short argumentative paragraph during the session, with planning sheets in hand. Students then revise at home and bring the revised draft back, which lets you see the change.
- Edit togetherUse the editing and language material on the drafts students bring back. Peer editing works well in a small co-op group if you give each pair one specific thing to check.
Which version
Choosing your ELA version
The $149.90 version holds the full set of 100+ resources for students and teachers, and for most co-op groups it is all you need. The $189.90 version adds Teach-Life-Balance, a separate course with a planner, guides and templates to help you organize your own time. That can help a parent who teaches their own children at home and also leads the co-op class, but it adds nothing for students. If your co-op has a high school literature group as well, ELA Complete – High School uses the same structure, and code TEACHMORE15 gives 15% off when you buy two Complete Curriculum packages.
Honest limits
What you supply and check yourself
This is not a literature-based program built around full novels, so if your co-op reads whole books, those are yours to choose and buy. The curriculum is written for U.S. middle school classrooms, but it does not by itself meet a state homeschool law, portfolio review or credit requirement, so confirm what your state or umbrella school expects. The licence is for the buyer's instruction. If other tutors in the co-op will use it, message Teach Lessons first. If it does not suit your group, you can exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value, not cash.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is this aligned to Common Core or accepted for homeschool records?
It is written for U.S. middle school ELA classrooms, but it is not endorsed, certified or approved by any state, by Common Core or by any other standards body. It also does not satisfy homeschool law, portfolio or credit requirements on its own. Compare the content list on the product page with your state's rules or your umbrella school's expectations.
Do students need to buy novels?
Not for the curriculum itself. The reading work uses short stories, excerpts, articles, speeches and informational texts, which fit within a single class meeting. Many co-ops still read one or two full novels a year alongside it, and the skills students practice here, such as theme, conflict and point of view, carry straight over to a longer book.
How do I handle very different reading levels in one group?
The worksheets are differentiated, so you can keep the whole group on one text and the same skill while handing out tasks at different levels. Reading aloud in class also helps weaker readers keep up with the discussion, and strong readers can be asked for a second piece of textual evidence instead of moving on to new material.
Does it cover grammar?
Language and communication is one of the strands, and editing is a stage in the writing process the course teaches, so grammar comes up in the context of students' own drafts. It is not a standalone grammar program, though. If families in your co-op want daily grammar drills, plan to add a separate resource for home practice.
Can two parents split the class?
Because the units are sequenced, a second parent can see what was covered and continue from there. The licence covers instructional use by the buyer, so send Teach Lessons a short message before another tutor teaches from your copy. Do not post the files in a shared co-op folder for all families.
We only meet once a week. Is there too much material?
You can work through it as a full sequence or choose individual units. A once-a-week group often uses class time for discussion and in-class drafting, with worksheets as light homework between meetings. Whatever you do not cover in class still works as review, or as extra practice for a family that wants more reading at home.
Turn book talk into written arguments
The product page lists every part of the reading and writing strands. Check it against what your group needs.
See the ELA curriculum →