Homeschool Unit Studies

As you are about to see, a unit study takes a topic and totally immerses you in it. Rather than a brief overview, as you might get in a traditional text book, you focus on a particular topic for an extended period of time...usually anywhere from 4-8 weeks.

First, unit studies make learning (and teaching) FUN! Not only is it more fun for your children, it's more fun for you too! It gives everyone, INCLUDING MOM, a break from mundane textbooks.

Second, they are flexible. Some families schedule their unit studies everyday, some every other day. For us, it was more convenient to concentrate the majority of our unit study activities on one day each week.

Third, homeschool unit studies are a family affair. Your whole family studies the same topic at the same time, no matter your children's ages or learning styles.

Fourth, due to their engaging, creative, and hands-on learning style, unit studies increase long-term, memory retention.

Fifth, each of your school subjects (other than math) revolve around a specific topic.

For instance, take the life science topic of birds, a homeschool unit study would might look something like this:

BIBLE: While studying birds, your family devotional could revolve around a particular character trait like "attentiveness" or around the awesomeness of God's creation.

READING: Homeschool unit studies take advantage of our wonderful library system of living books. Your children read (or listen to) books and watch movies and documentaries about bird identification, bird habitats, bird feeding, nest building, bird anatomy, migration, biographies, etc.

Even your younger, non-readers get to join in as you or their older siblings read classics like Henny Penny, Are You my Mother?, and Chicken Little to them.

CLASSIC LITERATURE: As you have just seen, classic literature is also incorporated into your unit study with either your children reading something like Aesop's Fables or you reading aloud to them from a great classic or award winning book such as The Wheel on the School.

SCIENCE: Science is a given while studying a topic like birds. As your children read an assortment of science related books, they may also conduct science experiments and complete assignments that revolve around such things as bird anatomy and the science of flight.

LANGUAGE: Your children complete language assignments while keeping a nature journal or writing a composition about John James Audubon after having read a biography (HISTORY) about him. They could even write a poem about birds or a creative written assignment entitled "If I Were a Bird."

SPELLING/GRAMMAR/MORE LANGUAGE/PENMANSHIP/KEYBOARDING SKILLS: From their rough drafts you can teach to their spelling or grammatical errors which will provide you with spelling and grammar lessons for the week. At the end of the week you can give them a spelling test.

You could also have them write you a final draft using the proper spelling and grammar they learned. Require they write it in their best penmanship, or practice their keyboarding skills using a computer.

Younger children could narrate a story. Those who are beginner writers could write a sentence or two, while middle school children may write a paragraph or more, and high school students a full page essay.

PUBLIC SPEAKING: Occasionally, you may choose to have them prepare an oral report, as opposed to one that is written, which would count as a public speaking assignment.

VOCABULARY: Vocabulary can be included by having them keep a vocabulary notebook. Each time they come across a word that is new to them in their reading, have them look it up in a dictionary. Then have them write the word syllabically, its pronunciation, and its definition in their own words.

GEOGRAPHY: As your family is learning about migration, you can include geography while charting the migration paths.

ART: While your children are learning to identify birds, include some art assignments by giving them time to sketch, paint, or photograph the birds they see.

FIELD TRIPS: Remember those school outings you enjoyed so much as a child? Why not plan a homeschool field trip to a bird sanctuary, pet store, zoo, or wildlife refuge?

Look at all of the subjects you just covered while studying birds!

As you can see, the homeschool unit study approach is a very natural way to learn and turn homeschooling into what I call FUN-SCHOOLING!

Please visit Once-A-Week Unit Studies to learn more.

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