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When we first start homeschooling, high school can feel like it’s light-years away. It will be a future problem. We won’t worry about that now. But somehow, those years go by a lot faster than we think! So, now that I’ve graduated one kiddo and my other is in 11th grade, I thought I’d share what we’re using for our 11th-grade curriculum this year in case you’re planning ahead or looking for new ideas.
Remember, these are just the resources working for our family. Your child might be in a different place, and that’s totally fine; many of these could be used any time during the high school years.
Table of Contents
- 11th Grade English Curriculum
- 11th Grade Math
- 11th Grade Curriculum: Government
- High School Health
- Foreign Language
- Physical Education
- High School Science Curriculum
- Fine Arts
- Wrapping It Up
11th Grade English Curriculum
This year, we’re focusing on a mix of literature, writing, and grammar.
Literature
We’re keeping things flexible and enjoyable by choosing books my son will actually like reading. The beauty of homeschool, right?
We are starting the year with: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. We’re using a Teacher Pay Teachers literature study from Happy Edugator that includes:
- Chapter questions
- Vocabulary
- Word searches (a little fun never hurts!)
Other places I love to find literature studies are:
- Other Teacher Pay Teachers Sellers
- Memoria Press (my son’s favorite!)
- Progeny Press (my daughter’s favorite!)
Some families focus on American Literature, World Literature, and Poetry at various times during high school. We mix it up a bit each year but cover it all.
Grammar
We’re back to Fix It! Grammar from IEW this year. The last couple of years, we tried a new English program that incorporated grammar, but I didn’t use it. This wasn’t a good fit for my son. So, we didn’t end up doing grammar for a couple of years.
So we came back to Fix It! Grammar because:
- Only takes 15 minutes a day
- Uses classic stories to teach concepts
- Incremental, gentle learning
- It works!
👉 We’re using Level 4: Mowgli and Shere Khan (Grades 6–8) as a review since we skipped grammar the last two years.
Writing
For writing, we’ve returned to Structure and Style for Students Level C (IEW). This program has always worked well for my son. Like I mentioned, I thought we’d change things up with a different program. I shouldn’t have done this because this was working for us.
It offers:
- Video lessons taught with a real classroom of students
- Andrew Pudewa, the instructor, is an excellent teacher and very engaging for students of all ages
- Structured assignments
- Checklists for grading
- Step-by-step writing methods
⏩You can read my reviews of Level C HERE and Level B (middle grades) HERE.
11th Grade Math
Math can be tricky, but Math-U-See Algebra 2 is working for us.
What I like about Math-U-See:
- Video lessons with Steve Demme (for student or parent to watch or both)
- Practice and review pages for each chapter
- Honors option
- Instructor manual and tests
Other options we’ve tried that other homeschool families use:
11th Grade Curriculum: Government
Since Government is a state requirement, we’re using Principles and Precepts of Government from Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum (PAC).
Why it works:
- Straightforward, no-frills lessons
- Easy to grade
- Texts, workbooks, quizzes, and exams included
This half-credit course works great for my son. He loves the format of PAC’s courses.
The program is as simple as reading, answering the questions, and taking a quiz at the end of a section.
Like I said, simple!
We homeschool moms sometimes just need something that is easy and takes the pressure off us.
We have also used:
- Notgrass Exploring Government (popular with homeschool families)
High School Health
I searched all over trying to find a health program that would work for my son AND was more than body systems and nutrition. I finally found it.
We’re using BJU Press Health because it takes a more holistic approach:
- Physical, emotional, and spiritual health
- Disease prevention and safety
- Covers nutrition and body systems, too
✨ Using the BJU Homeschool Hub makes it even easier with automatic scheduling. I entered our school year’s dates, and the program divided the curriculum into three lessons a week.
Now, my son logs into the Hub, checks his assignments, and gets to work.
Another option we’ve used is Apologia Health and Nutrition.
Foreign Language
Languages have been a challenge in our homeschool, but this year my son is sticking with German through Rosetta Stone. He seems to enjoy it; he certainly isn’t complaining to me about it.
Other programs we’ve explored:
- SchoolhouseTeachers.com (Spanish & French)
- Memoria Press (Greek & Latin)
- Japanese from Zero
- Duolingo
As I mentioned, studying a second language has been tough for us. My kids don’t enjoy it. My daughter did stick with Latin, though, for several years.
The link for Rosetta Stone is through Homeschool Buyers Club. It is free to join, and you can purchase a lot of curriculum at a lower cost.
I bought this program at Homeschool Buyers Club because it was the best price. However, I bought the lifetime membership since we’d use it for more than one year. It was cheaper that way in the long run.
You can also get it by going to Rosetta Stone for Homeschool.
Physical Education
PE in high school is more than just gym class. There are many options to meet this requirement.
What counts as Physical Education in our home:
- Soccer (indoor winter session, spring session)
- Hiking and other outdoor activities done in Scouts
- Karate (any hours over 120 for the year)
- Weight training and conditioning
💡 Tip: Keep a record of hours. It adds up quickly! You’ll be surprised how many hours even a non-sporty kid can get in.
Other options include aerobic and strength training videos on YouTube, biking, daily walks, and working out at a gym.
Additionally, you can develop a weekly exercise plan and learn about terms like heart rate, endurance, flexibility, etc., to help improve physical health and measure progress.
Include a variety of activities to build a well-rounded physical education program.
✨The tricky part is what to include as P.E. and what to use for extracurricular activities for college applications. I’ve been told you really shouldn’t count them as both.
Team sports are great for extracurricular activities (for us, karate and fall soccer) and other sports.
Any extra time spent on a sport outside of the regular season, I count as P.E., such as indoor soccer in the winter and spring soccer. Both are outside the season that schools would typically offer this sport.
Of course, you’d have to check your state requirements.
High School Science Curriculum
We are BIG fans of Journey Homeschool Academy. This year, my son is taking Physics with labs.
Why do we like JHA:
- Well-made online video lessons
- Easy to follow weekly schedule
- Quizzes and exams graded for you
- Help on how to grade homework questions and lab reports
- Real science labs that kids would find in school
- Kids can learn to take responsibility for their schedule
- Teaches note-taking and studying for exams
I feel my kids receive a very good science education through Journey Homeschool Academy. Plus, I don’t do the teaching, which I was kind of afraid to do.
Another popular choice with homeschool families:
- Apologia (with labs included)
If you want to learn more about Journey Homeschool Academy and why we use all their science courses for high school, you can read more HERE.
Fine Arts
For fine arts credit, my son chose Photography from SchoolhouseTeachers.com. It’s a simple ½ credit course for those who don’t feel like an art or music class.
This course provides lesson plans for you, along with lessons that your student can read and complete independently.
Other fine arts we’ve done in the past:
- Filmmaking
- Guitar
- Art classes: acrylic painting (we love Step-by-Step Painting), digital art, chalk pastels, drawing, watercolors (check out Lily and Thistle for watercolor courses!)
- Theater
- Art History
- Music Theory
Wrapping It Up
Planning an 11th-grade curriculum can feel overwhelming, but remember: you don’t have to do it all. Choose programs that fit your child’s learning style, your family’s schedule, and your goals for high school.
👉 If you’d like more reviews and curriculum ideas, make sure you check out my other posts on different curriculum options. You can also sign up for my newsletter to get updates on resources that really work!
Happy Homeschooling!
{Please note that I include links to various curricula to make it easy for you to learn more. You can certainly shop wherever you buy your homeschool curriculum. Some are affiliate links, which means that if you purchase with that link, I may receive a small commission.}
