Homeschool Share  is having a unit writing contest!  If you've created a unit or lapbooking unit around a great piece of literature, you may want to mosey on over to their website and see if you can enter it in the contest.  There are great prizes awaiting the winners! 

As we entered the second half of our Medievel history unit, I realized I hadn't taken much time this summer to pre-plan our earth science unit.  So, I've been busily searching my shelves, my files and the internet to see what I can find.  These are the resources I found that I'll pull from....

Primarily Earth (I LOVE these AIMS units.  They are so full of meaningful math and science activities.  Most of the time, there are great graphs and/or data sheets to go along with the activities, too.) 

Rocks and Soil by Teacher Created Materials

Considering God's Creation (the part pertaining to earth science)

Earth Science for Every Kid by Janice Van Cleave

Weather by Teacher Created Materials

Water Precious Water by AIMS

Awesome Rocks and Soil Links!

Water Cycle Video

Science Vocabulary Hangman

Earth's Resources

Earth's Features

Atmospheric Cycles

Engaging Science

Droplet and the Water Cycle

Last week we finished up a short, but successful unit on our state.  I think all involved liked the change of pace this time around.  Mahayla practically completed her readings, worksheets and projects on her own, while Caleb and I tackled his work at our own pace.  Here are just a few highlights.  (By the way, the camera that died recently revived itself to coma status.  It will charge enough to take two or three pictures as long as there's plenty of sunlight.  Until we can buy my new camera, I'll take coma over death!)

Completed notebooks.

A scavenger hunt of our county.  (I had a picture here and then realized that it gave too much information about us.  Sorry!)

This was fun.  Basically, I just wrote down facts concerning our county that I wanted the kids to know.  We went to the courthouse, city building and tourism office asking different people to help fill in the facts.  Afterward, we visited the cemetery to learn more about some noteable people buried there and attempted to visit our local museum.  (They were closed this month.)

Here are the scavenger hunt items:

 *Name three important historical sites.

*Find the names of two famous people from ___ County.  What made them famous?

*What important invention came from ___ County?

*Who holds the following offices?

     Mayor

     Judge Executive

     Chief of Police

     Sheriff

     District Judge

     Curcuit Judge

     State Representative

     State Senator

*What is the purpose of the tourism department?

*What offices are located in the Court House?

*What is ___ County's largest industry?

*What are three natural resources found in ___ County?

Field Trip Journals from Mammoth Cave.

They each had to learn about an animal native to KY.  Mahayla chose the raccoon and Caleb chose the black bear.  After preparing a diorama including the animal in a complete habitat, they had to give an oral presentation telling everything they learned about it. 

They also had to research a famous Kentuckian and give a first-person report.  I know you'll have no problem figuring out that Mahayla is Jenny Wiley, a pioneer woman taken captive by indians, who bravely escaped.   One of our state parks is named after her.  And of course, Caleb is Daniel Boone, the explorer who basically paved the way for pioneers to settle in Kentucky.  :)

After a week's break to catch up on some artist and around the world studies, we're off to medieval times next week!

Our Middle Ages unit is going to be so much fun!  This is one of my favorite time periods to study, and I have to admit that it's going to be hard to tame the fun down to a manageable unit.

Here are the books I'm using as I plan. 

Hands-On History: Middle Ages

Days of Knights and Damsels Activity Guide

Story of the World Vol. II

Medieval, Reformation & Renaissance History

Websites

A to Z Homeschooling - Medieval Times

Homeschooling About.com - Medieval Times

Library Books - See the sidebar for the chapter books.

The Knight's Handbook

The Making of a Knight

A Medieval Feast

Mrs. Frizzle's Adventures: Medieval Castle

A Medieval Cathedral

Canterbury Tales

How Would You Survive in the Middle Ages

I Wonder Why Castles Had Moats

Castles

It's almost time to get the 2nd half of our school year underway.  This semester holds some exciting studies - units on our state, the Middle Ages, earth science and an artist lapbook.  First up is a study of our state - Kentucky. 

I'm straying from the typical sort of unit study we do around here.  This unit will be mostly worksheet-based, with final projects being research-based.  Why?  Well first, I want the unit to be really quick.  Second, Mahayla has covered this topic before at co-op, so it just made more sense to provide them each with worksheets covering different topics.  Third, for Mahayla, I want this unit to be independent as much as possible.  And fourth, remember, I'm whatcha call curriculumADHD - I can't help myself from bouncing around!  :)  I think it's good for all of us to learn in different ways.  Each type of learning encourages new and varied skills.

So, the plan is to give them each their own notebook full of worksheets on everything from state symbols to government to industries.  Mahayla will be on her own to complete the assignments as she sees fit.  The only stipulation is that she must be finished by a certain date.  Caleb and I will work through his notebook together over about a week and a half. 

Each day will find us reading lots of library books together.  I've found several non-fiction, historical fiction and picture books about Kentucky simply by typing "Kentucky" into the library search engine.  I also will be checking out some books by Kentucky authors.  We'll also do a few projects together like a cookie relief map of the state and making a derby pie (yum!)

After the notebooks are completed, I will give them a list of possible projects from which to choose.  Mahayla will choose three or four (depending on how hard they are) and Caleb will choose one or two.  The choices will range from....

*Research a native american group that lived in KY.  Build a model of their home and present information about the group to your parents.

*Choose a famous Kentuckian to research.  Create a poster-sized body of your person and cut the face out so your face fits in the hole.  You will present first-person information about your famous person as you hold the poster.

*Learn all the words to "My Old Kentucky Home" and sing the song to your family.

And, voila, there's the unit in a nutshell.  Worksheets, books, a few family projects and a few research projects with presentations.  We should knock this one out in two to three weeks. 

Here's a link to some of the resources I'm using.

Here are a couple online resources we'll use.

AWAKE - KY Wildlife Site

USA Geography - states, capitals, geographical features

And finally, here are a few things that will be out for free time fun during the unit.  Books, nature journals with wildlife and bird guides, a US state puzzle, a KY board game, some US board games and a bird concentration game.   

Co-op gals - Here’s the basic outline from the unit study presentation.  I posted this same blog last year, but have added some new websites, a section about grades, and a couple of other things.  Have fun learning!

What is a unit study? A unit study is really any subject that you spend time learning about.  Many times a unit study will integrate many academic subjects.  For instance, if the unit focuses on the Civil War, you might plan reading, writing, science, art, music, spelling, Bible, home ec, and other academic assignments, as well as the obvious history lessons.  A unit study doesn't have to integrate other academic subjects, though.  For example, if you plan a math unit around m&m's, you may choose to only do math activities and not add any writing, history, etc. to the unit. 

Why do unit studies? They can be done with all ages at once, they’re fun, they provide a nice change of pace, they provide more learning in less time, they can be geared towards your children’s interests/talents/gifts, they cover a multitude of subject areas, work can be kept in notebooks or lapbooks which make a nice finished product, they’re inexpensive (or free), they can be fairly hands-on, they involve mom and/or dad in the learning process which excites the kiddos and they promote self-inspired learning and research skills.

What could be a difficulty? It takes a bit more planning and preparing on the part of mom. If you use them as "commercial breaks" from the regular schedule, it could be hard to get the regular schedule going again. There is a ton of information for mom to choose from when planning, so information overload can occur.

How do you plan your own study?

1. Decide on a topic. Science, History/Social Studies/Geography, Literature and Bible topics lend themselves well to a comprehensive unit.

2. Write down your major goals for the unit. You can figure out what you might need to teach by finding a "spine" book (one that you will use as the main teaching book) and using its contents as your goals. Or you can do an internet search. For example: "ocean scope and sequence" will bring up topics about the ocean that your children need to know.

3. Gather your resources

-things you already have on your shelves (teaching guides and reading books)

-check the internet for already made units to give you ideas

-visit the library for teaching and reading books

-buy a pre-made unit if you feel like you still don’t have enough to make a complete unit

4. Chart out your plan. I make a little chart with each subject area (science, history/social studies, geography, Bible, writing, vocabulary, other language arts, math, art, music, P.E./health, field trips, cooking) and just start jotting down my ideas. Most of the time I have way too much, so I start pairing down to the best, most meaningful ideas. Then I decide about how long the unit will be and write out a rough plan of what I’m going to do each day. This always changes when we actually get into the unit.

5. Go for it! Jump into the lessons and be prepared to have lots of fun!! Beware - if you try to plan too much - your kids WILL get bored and learning WILL stop. Think about their learning styles and plan accordingly. If your kids love to talk and move, have them finish off the unit by putting together a video of what they learned. If they love to scrapbook, they would love putting their work into lapbooks. You get the idea. ALWAYS end the unit with a bang - a field trip, a family party that goes along with the theme, or a showcase of their work to grandparents. It makes the unit really stick out in their minds.

6. Keep the work well-organized. Put it all into a notebook, lapbook or colorful folder. They will appreciate looking back through their work. When you present the work in a meaningful way, they respect the work much more! (It would also make a lovely thing to hand over to those well-meaning DPPs if they ever show up on your doorstep!!)

Helpful Websites and Such

The Checklist by Cynthia Downes - www.oklahomahomeschool.com (If you’re worried about whether or not you’re covering what you need to, this could be a helpful resource.)

How To Create Your Own Unit Study by Valerie Bendt (I’ll be happy to walk you through your first one, though.)

FREE Unit Sources

www.homeschoolestore.com (Free weekly book)

www.homeschoolmom.com

www.homeschoolinthewoods.com

www.homeschoolshare.com

www.oklahomahomeschool.com

Do "free unit studies" search on the web

Companies That Sell Unit Studies

www.handsofachild.com

www.knowledgeboxcentral.com

www.fiveinarow.com

www.konos.com

www.heartofwisdom.com

www.homeschoolinthewoods.com

www.learning-adventures.org

www.cadroncreek.com (Prairie Primer- based on Little House books)

http://www.freewebs.com/brandenburgstudies/  very comprehensive, internet-linked studies for older children who might prefer to work independently. 

Other Notes

I usually don’t include math and grammar into my units. If I find a really good activity, I will add it to the unit, but I continue with my regular math and language curriculums while the unit is going on.

I also keep up with our regular Bible time. I do add extra Bible when it fits with the unit.

I try to keep the books we check out from the library to a minimum. I used to leave the library with stacks of books to go with a unit. That was information overload for my kids. I’m more selective now, choosing only the best informational and literature books.  That being said, I still go home with tons of books.  Often, I'll allow the kids to choose from the abundance of books the one or two that they are most interested in for "digging deeper" into a subject.

A unit doesn’t have to cover every subject every time. Some units will be heavier in science, others will be heavier in history. Some units will include lots of art projects, some may include none. It all seems to work itself out in the end, especially if you are keeping your eyes open to what you need to include more of in the next unit.

 

What About Grades?

The first aspect of this is a question I'm always asked - How do you keep grades?  Um, I don't.  I keep narrative report cards that tell what my children are doing, what they have done well with and in what things they need extra practice.  That's not to say you can't keep grades during a unit study.   Giving quizzes or tests based on the info covered would be acceptable.  Creating scoring guides for projects they put together would be acceptable.  For me - at this stage in the game - I just don't see any purpose for grades.  I expect my children to do well.  If they don't, they often have to redo or rework things.  Not always, but if the poor work is for a lack of effort, I usually don't let it slide.  In other words, all their work is expected to be "A" effort and "A" finished product.  I find it much more meaningful to "tell" about their progress than to write a bunch of "A's".

The next question is - How do you know what grade your children are in if you don't follow a graded curriculum?  It's pretty simple really.  My son is seven, the typical age of a 2nd grader - so I call him a 2nd grader.  In some subjects he might be considered on a 3rd or 4th grade level, in some he might be doing typical 1st grade work.  The grade doesn't really matter to me as long as I'm giving him things that challenge him to grow at whatever pace he needs.   

PLEASE let me know how your units go!! If you already use and love units, PLEASE leave a comment to encourage others!!

Just a quick note about the first week of our astronomy unit....

The kids are loving our space station!  It's just some star lights along the stair railing with astronomy themed books lining the steps.  On the landing below, there's a reading chair and a box covered with star fabric.  I've placed an astronomy game and more books on and around the box.  I've tacked up a poster of the planets and some of their projects as well.  Simple, but effective!

Last week we wrapped up a very fun Ancient History unit.  After learning what history is, we spent about a week on each of the following civilizations:  Ancient Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Israel, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Ancient China and Ancient Aztecs. 

This past week, I asked them each to choose the civilazation that was their favorite and create a presentation about it.  They could choose to present their information any way they liked and we video taped them. 

Mahayla created a poster with information about various aspects of the Ancient Greek lifestyle.  She made a discus, drew a wonderful picture of a horse and chariot, set up a book for a visual and dressed in a Greek fashion of the time.  She really took this project seriously and made a great presentation.  :o)  (Sorry for the dark pictures.  I keep saying we need a new camera and I really mean it!)

Caleb also created a poster, but his was mostly pictures he (we) found on the internet that he labeled.  He made a clay model of the Geat Wall of China, dressed in a robe and served us hot tea.  I thought it was excellent for his first-ever presentation like this.

I really liked doing an end of the unit project and I think the kids did, too.  I think we'll make these part of each unit this year.  Here are a few pictures of the notebooks we worked on throughout the unit. 

Next stop:  Space!

This year we'll be doing a unit study about Kentucky.  I found a WONDERFUL easyfunschool unit study online that I thought I'd pass along to all you KY gals. 

Between this, The Big Kentucky Activity Book and State Report Projects For Any State, we should be set!

I think I mentioned in an earlier post that we LOVE the Apologia Elementary Science studies.  Since we use the four-year cycle (classical approach) to science and history, this year's science needed to cover plants, animals and human body.  We just finished the Exploring Creation With Botany  book, so I decided to change gears and do my own human body unit before Christmas.  We're about two weeks into it and the kids are loving the "change of pace". 

I'm using the human body section from Considering God's Creation as sort of a spine.  I'll typically read a library book as an intro to the body system we're talking about, then do some of the activities and Bible reading from Considering God's Creation.  I've been supplementing (or even substituting) some of the activities with ideas from a wonderful book called Easy Make and Learn Projects: Human Body from Scholastic.  The hands-on projects are really adding to our learning!

From just those two resources, we are creating a GREAT notebook of our studies.  (When I can figure out how to resize pictures, I'll post some!)  Another couple of resources I'm using just to add a little here and there are The Human Body -Intermediate Level by Teacher Created Materials and some coloring pages for Caleb from the human body section of the Living Learning Books curriculum.

I really enjoy putting together my own units!  With our new little guy due in just about a month, though, I think we'll stick to Apologia's Exploring Creation With Zoology II  for spring studies.  That's after a nice long "get to know our baby" break this winter. 

Coming soon......Our Christmas Unit