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Post by jadsmama on Nov 30, 2007 10:15:59 GMT -5
Hi! I have a question about Unit Studies. What are they exactly, how do you go about doing them and do the children get all of their required subjects (in GA they are required to have Reading, SS, Science, English & Math) when they do these? A little homeschool history about us... I was homeschooled throughout HS. We tried PS with our oldest son from Pre-K through 1st grade (part of the reason was that he was receiving speech therapy and the school was on the military base where we lived and it was a wonderful school). Well, by the time our middle child, a daughter was ready for Pre-K this fall and our son having experienced a not so good 1st grade year at an actual PS (not the military one), we prayed hard and felt led to homeschool. So, this is technically our first year homeschooling even though I know some about it due to my own homeschooled years. I use a curriculum currently but am looking at Unit Studies to possibly be able to include both (well all 3 really, my youngest daughter is 2) of them at the same time while they can still learn the things that they should learn for their grade level. Okay, sorry about that...it did sound so much better in my head then it looks written out.. I apologize if what I wrote is confusing. Thanks and have a blessed Friday!
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Post by keflavik on Nov 30, 2007 10:45:20 GMT -5
A Unit Study is where a certain topic or over riding theme is presented, discussed and studied. It could be on anything really. Let's use Boats as the example for the Unit. (I'm sitting here looking at one) You could cover all your basic core classes by a little research on your own or finding a curriculum to purchase. You could read about the various types of boats, both current and historic, Science: figure out how they stay afloat by building one (bathtub sized) Math: how fast each goes in certain wind speeds, which is better for river current vs. ocean, size and cargo capacity, etc. Writing: reports on slave boats and the conditions thereof. History: Viking ships, canoes, pirate boats, ects. Field trip: Tour a marina or an old battleship. Do you get the jist of it? It can actually be very fun when your child helps to choose the topic and is interested in it. The nice thing about a unit study is that you can very easily break it down for all levels. (A small child can build a boat out of Legos) What gets a little more difficult is keeping track of the progress. By keeping folders of the work helps. For smaller children, I would suggest topics they can easily relate to like bears (Teddy Bears, Goldilocks and the 3 Bears, Corduroy, Paddington, etc.) Best of luck.
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Post by jadsmama on Nov 30, 2007 11:16:54 GMT -5
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tbhas6
Senior Member
Posts: 1,146
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Post by tbhas6 on Nov 30, 2007 11:50:42 GMT -5
We homeschool our three younger children ages 17, 9 and 6. Obviously, with #3 being a senior it is difficult to do unit studies that include him. Also his learning style does not work well with unit studies. However, I do use a unit study approach with the younger two in certain areas - specifically with social studies/history, science, art & music appriciation. I have actual reading, spelling, English & math curriculum for my third grader.
The beauty of unit studies is that you can taylor them to your family's specific needs and/or interests, and you can get as detailed and indepth as you desire. Since we have some freinds that just moved back from Australia, we decided to study Australia this past summer. It went something like this. We learned some of the social morays of the country (social studies), we learned about the history (history), the animals (science), about continentents and oceans, longitude & latitude (geography), we looked at art and architecture (art) and listened to music from Australian artists (music appriciation). I could have added requirements for a written report that would teach/reinforce sentence structure, parts of speech, writing skills (English and spelling) & of course there is all that reading we had to do to learn all this stuff (reading). The library is a vital tool for our unit studies, otherwise, we could not afford it. I have heard many folks incorporating math into unit studies, but I've yet to figure that out.
The primary complaint I've heard about unit studies during the elementary years is poor spelling & behind in math. However, many folks I know swear by Spelling Power and have seen dramatic improvments with that curriculum. It's a little pricey @ about $65 new, BUT it is the only curriculum you will ever have to purchase - Your children will use it through grade 12. The same folks also swear by Math-U-See. They use both programs in conjunction to their unit study approach.
I hope I've explained this so that you can understand it. As always, I suggest that you and your husband pray about the approach you take with your children's education. The Lord will never lead you astray and He ultimately knows what will be best approach for your children - after all He created them.
Well, I have to get back to school ... Blessings to you and yours .. tb
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Post by jadsmama on Nov 30, 2007 13:50:07 GMT -5
Thank you! You are so right when you say that the Lord will never lead astray! It is only through Him that we are able to do anything!
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