Fifth Grade Homeschool Curriculum 2024-2025

By Janny Jackson

Note: I am not affiliated with Rainbow Resources, therefore all links featured in this blog post are not affiliate links.

We are currently still finishing up our 2023-2024 school year, and as we do so I have been doing research and purchasing curriculum for next school year.

We have been extremely blessed to have been granted the 2023-2024 PEP Scholarship funds from the Step Up For Students program here in Florida. Having these funds has opened up access to many different curriculum and resources that I would not have considered otherwise if I had to purchase out of pocket.

I’ve been in research mode for months now writing down all of the companies and curriculums I come across that seem like a good fit for my rising fifth grader and watching tons of reviews on the different curriculums. Though we have these scholarship funds available I have tried my hardest to be very intentional with how I spend the funds to only buy things we will need and use in our homeschool.

That being said, my son’s lineup this year is $$$ (at least from my perspective) and I would never expect anyone to feel obligated or pressured into feeling like these are the specific required curriculum for fifth grade. There are tons of resources available to buy books and curriculum used, as well as sales throughout the year when you can purchase what you need for cheaper.

I curated this curriculum lineup with my son’s best interest in mind. Though he is very bright and a quick learner in some areas, there are other areas that we could spend some more time in to improve his skills.

My son is hard working and does his school work willingly but I have yet to find a curriculum or subject that has really piqued his interest and really lit a fire under him to want to learn more about. I want him to enjoy learning, not just complete his work because he has to. I’m praying that his exposure to the curriculums I’ve chosen for him this year will get him more interested in his education, and as we communicate about his schooling, we can fine tune his education to fit him even better.

Independent Work

We have used 180 Days of Spelling and Word Study for years in our homeschool and it continues to work really well. It focuses on grouping vocabulary words with the same sound blends together and using them in the proper context in different ways such as fill in the blank, alphabetical order, analogies, synonyms and antonyms and so much more. These workbooks are great for extra spelling and vocabulary practice and reinforcement.

Handwriting Without Tears is another crowd favorite in our homeschool. I really like how effective it is in teaching the strokes of writing, both print and cursive. My son has been doing cursive for two years now and I don’t necessarily think he needs the extra practice, but I want to make sure he doesn’t lose this skill so he will continue practicing cursive for his fifth-grade year.

Group Subjects

I have yet to do a formal spelling curriculum in our homeschool and this is the year we will begin. My son has always struggled with spelling. I’ve tried many different ways and methods to try to help him learn to sound out what he’s speaking but nothing has stuck with him. So, we are going back to the basics and starting from the beginning, and I think he is at an age now that he will really be able to grasp the spelling concepts needed to make him the great speller I know he can be.

My kids have been fascinated with mythology lately so I’m excited to do a little unit study about it together. I am a huge fan of Memoria Press and their literature guides, so I am really excited to see how this topic is presented and taught.

Main Subjects

I have loved Math Mammoth for my son. It’s not his favorite subject but he has excelled in it regardless. It is a no-frills approach to math with tons of practice and quick testing after each chapter to make sure the concepts learned have truly been grasped. The creator Maria Miller also has free YouTube videos of her actually teaching the math concepts, and links are provided for additional online help and practice.

The big one

This next curriculum choice was made with a little hesitation, I won’t lie. My main reason behind choosing a “box” curriculum for my son was that I was feeling a bit overwhelmed about all of the required subjects I knew he needed to be taught and didn’t know where to look to even begin fulfilling those requirements.

What I like most about Moving Beyond the Page is that it is literature based and that it is written to the student to encourage independent learning as a fifth grader.

The specific package I chose includes Language Arts (vocabulary, grammar, writing, spelling, story elements, and figurative language), Science, Social Studies (geography, history, government, and culture), and Character Education. It is quite literally the complete package (minus math), including all of the books and materials needed.

I am a bit nervous about the workload for both of us with this curriculum because although it is meant to help with independence I will absolutely be right by his side helping him along, especially in the beginning while we are adjusting to a new curriculum. I am, however, excited about the subjects and literature in this curriculum package that he will be diving into over the 2024-2025 school year.

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I believe this 2024-2025 school year will be a pivotal year in my son’s learning and will really challenge him in ways he hasn’t been challenged yet, as well as continuing to grow his love for learning.

I feel so privileged to be part of his learning journey and I am so excited to see how much he will grow!

As always, thanks for being here!