The Best Homeschool Block Schedule for Middle & High School

Our homeschool day schedule has varied over the years.  And as the boys have gotten older, I’ve found that a homeschool block schedule for middle & high school (with a daily checklist) is the easiest to implement while still giving the boys freedom to complete their assignments in the order they want.  

The blocks give them a rough framework to keep them on task while the checklist keeps them accountable for their assignments. 

The daily homeschool schedule that we are currently implementing includes 3 blocks:

• Morning Tasks Block
• Independent Work Block
• ELA/Science Block

Because each of these blocks contains assignments and tasks that are unique to that particular block, I want to look at each one individually to show you EXACTLY what is included and how we get homeschooling accomplished each day. 

Daily Homeschool Block Schedule for Middle & High School

1. Morning Tasks Block

The boys usually wake up and begin their homeschooling day at 7:30 am.

This morning tasks block includes 4 sections.

• Personal hygiene is the first thing they do.  This always begins with a shower for my oldest and face washing for my youngest.  Then they put away their pjs, choose their clothing for the day, and put on deodorant.  I found that they needed a reminder of what they needed to do each morning, so I made a list of EVERYTHING for them.  Now, they simply look at their weekly checklists if they forget.
• Breakfast is usually a bowl of cereal or oatmeal for my youngest and a small snack for my oldest.  My older son doesn’t typically like to eat when he first gets up, but my youngest is just like me…he wakes up hungry and ready to eat!
• Bedroom pick up involves making up beds and picking up any dirty clothes or random clutter that happens to have appeared during the night!
• Weekly chores are the things that do not require daily attention, but that definitely need to be completed each week.  These include things like cleaning their bathroom, dusting their bedroom furniture, and washing their personal laundry.

2. Independent Work Block

This is probably the one block that has evolved the most over the years.  

When the boys were in elementary school, they were able to read a book of their choice independently, but the rest of our day was usually spent with me bouncing back and forth between the boys teaching and assisting as needed.

If there were opportunities for them to complete a task or lesson independently, I let them.  But, for the most part, I typically instructed them in math, writing, science, and history.

As they’ve gotten older, I’ve given them the tools they need to be independent learners.  So, both of my boys use Teaching Textbooks for math, various Bible studies from Kim Sorgius, an online History class for my oldest through Modern States, and Rosetta Stone for Spanish.

Each of these classes is completed online in some form or fashion.  Therefore, I am not needed to “teach” anything in these particular subjects.

If they have trouble or are confused on any aspect, they know they can ask for my help at any time.  However, they are generally able to complete their assignments for these subjects without any intervention from me.

To keep them accountable, they have to write down what assignment they completed and I go behind them to check their work.  Now that my oldest is in high school, I generally check his independent work every two days.

3. ELA & Science Block

This is the block that requires the most facilitation from me.

Although I call it the ELA & Science block, this is also when we talk about the Bible studies they are completing and pray together.  When they were younger, we did ALL of our Bible time together.  But, as they’ve gotten older, I have given them the opportunity to complete their Bible study independently.  

Making Bible study part of their morning routine is encouraging them to spend time growing spiritually every day and to develop personal relationships with the Lord.  

ELA

English and Language Arts (or ELA for short) is the only subject that I actually teach them individually every day.

This includes everything from grammar and mechanics to spelling and writing.  Since this is a broad subject, and one my boys are NOT fond of, I have had to find resources that were easy for them to use but still encouraged deep thinking.

My youngest son uses the Article of the Week and Short Story of the Month resources by Lovin’ Lit.  (You can find these for a variety of grade levels on Teachers Pay Teachers, and I cannot recommend them highly enough!!)

My oldest is currently using the Full Year High School English by Laura Randazzo from Teachers Pay Teachers.  (It is the most inclusive product I could find…and it is AMAZING!!)

They both use Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) for writing.

Science

Science is something they can both complete semi-independently.  In other words, some days they can complete this without any help at all, other days require minimal assistance, but some days require a LOT of my help.

That’s why I have included that in this block of our daily homeschool schedule.

If they can complete it on their own, I definitely encourage it.  But, if for some reason they need help, I am available to facilitate.

We LOVE Apologia science!  

It is very in-depth and my favorite part of this curriculum is the audio CDs of the textbook.  (This is just one more way to help them be more independent while making sure that they are hearing the correct pronunciation of large scientific words.)

Homeschool Daily Schedule Printable with Checklist

I created this daily/weekly schedule printable with checklist as a visual reminder to help my boys be aware of what they needed to accomplish each day in a given week. 

And as with most things, the design (and layout) has changed since they’ve gotten older.

Originally, I wrote down the tasks and assignments they needed to complete each day in a “lesson plan” book just like I did as a public school teacher.

This was the easiest way for me to stay on track with what the boys needed to accomplish.

However, as they’ve gotten older, I’ve started letting them take more responsibility for their learning by giving them a blank daily schedule.  

They write down their daily assignments, and then check the box when they’ve completed the assignment. 

Then, at the end of the day, I check to see what they’ve written down and completed for the day.  

Of course, I’m very aware of what they need to be doing each day and I remind them to write down everything in the event that a section is left blank.

This removes the temptation and potential for dishonesty as well as the possibility for a subject to get overlooked.  

Truthfully, creating a homeschool block schedule for middle & high school has proven to be the BEST homeschool schedule template for us.

The boys have started taking personal ownership of their learning! And the daily schedule printable has provided them with the tangible accountability that they need to become successful.

Want Two FREE Homeschool Schedule Templates?

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