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Beginner to Advanced: 9 Steps to a Unique Unit Study – Step by Step Example of How to Begin an Easy Unit Study on the American Civil War

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Beginner to Advanced 9 Steps to a Unique Unit Study @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Bored with your present homeschool approach? Beginning or switching to another homeschool approach like a unit study doesn’t have to be daunting. I have plenty of ideas to help you out on that.

So today, in my beginner to advanced: 9 steps to a unique unit study, I have tips on things to do in a unit study, arranged in order from least difficult (for when you just want to tip toe over) to most difficult (when you want to plunge head first).

Even if never thought about switching your homeschool approach, one or two of these ideas may have you rethinking your course.

To illustrate this better and help you understand how a unit study is built layer upon layer, I am using the American Civil War as an example of a topic.

1.Read aloud a living book like The Last Safe House: A Story of the Underground Railroad

Yep, that’s it.

Reading aloud a living book is a fun and easy way to kick off a unit study and it feeds your child about the unit study topic you will be considering.

Don’t make this process harder than it has to be. Jump out there and simply enjoy the process of reading aloud.

2. Read aloud The Last Safe House: A Story of the Underground Railroad then do oral narration.

If you want to engage your kids a little bit more, try one technique that can be used in homeschool unit studies, which is oral narration.

Ask your child questions like: What was the underground railroad? What would life be like on a cotton plantation? What were slave catchers? Why is slavery such a sensitive issue today?

It is a great tool to substitute for test taking. Check out my article, Narration – Telling Back or Testing.

3. Read aloud a living book, do some oral narration, then add in ONE easy hands-on activity.

This step is where a lot of homeschoolers may cave, like me. I was the last person to view myself as a hands-on teacher and delayed trying a unit study.

Oh not that I didn’t like it, I just didn’t like the mess it created.

Understanding now that a mess is such a small price to pay for a giant leap of learning, I no longer feel that way.

However, I have also learned that learning doesn’t always have to be messy.

Even a simple puzzle can be a fun and interactive way to bring learning alive.

Check out my article, Easy Hands-0n Homeschool Ideas When You’re Not the Bomb Mom, if you want to be a hands-off mom.

For this time period, a recipe or craft works great. We made some easy hard tack.

4. Read a living book, do narration, do a hands-on activity AND add in some writing.

Reading is always my number one activity to include if I don’t have time to include another detail. Writing is my second activity closely behind reading. Also, up until this step, activities can be done in a day. With this Step 4, this normally blends into a second day.

After a child has been engaged through a living book and done a fun hands-on project first, they are primed for some writing.

Though our method of doing unit studies always include lapbooks, writing can be anything from a creative story to a history report on one of the slaves, about slavery, heroes of anti-slavery, about the lifestyle during that time, about art during that period and even about plant and animal life of the time.

You can even use notebooking pages. We did a Civil War lapbook.

5. Read a living book, do narration, do a hands-on activity, add in writing AND add in some geography.

Not that we don’t love geography first, but if I am limited on time, I always make sure I do skill subjects first instead of content subjects.

Check out the tips in my article, Skill versus Content Subjects: What’s the Difference.

Because the book is about a Canadian family, this a perfect time to contrast and compare Canada with the United States in your atlas.

The American Civil War is a great unit study to illustrate not just state lines, but to expand on the economy of each area.

How to Do A Unit Study In Record Time

Also, you could use a push pin to locate battles of the Civil War and don’t forget to talk about the famous submarines of the American Civil War like Raising the Hunley: The Remarkable History and Recovery of the Lost Confederate Submarine (American Civil War).

Geography is so much more than maps.

6. Read a living book, do narration, do a hands-on activity, add in writing, add in geography AND add in some history.

It doesn’t really matter which content subject like history, geography, art or science that you do first.

I follow my sons’ lead on what interests them at the time. Not all unit studies have history as a subject. If it doesn’t fit, then don’t force a fit.

However, because our topic is the American Civil War, history is a huge part of this unit study.

Not only talk about the causes and effects of the American Civil war, but read primary documents like letters will make history come alive for that time period.

Read about famous people of the war like Clara Barton, read about the music of the time period and read about strategic battles in war.

7. Read a living book, do narration, do a hands-on activity, add in writing, add in geography, add in some history AND add in some science.

Again, it doesn’t matter the order of the content subjects, if all of them, that you decide to do with your unit study. It’s justt that with each step your unit study becomes meatier.

Studying the science of the American Civil War is a great subject. Have you seen the surgeons tools used back then?

Also, read A Civil War Surgeon’s Diary Transcribed.

Then you can add in some ideas for learning about the constellations and how the stars were used to guide the slaves North.

8. Read a living book, do narration, do a hands-on activity, add in writing, add in geography, add in some history, add in science and ATTEND a field trip.

If there is anything that cements learning, it is being able to visualize what you are learning.

Short Cuts for Unit Studies

It is not necessary to attend a field trip with every unit study, but then again, it is a fun and memorable way to remember what you are learning about.

When studying the American Civil War, we were able to attend a memorable history reenactment.

9. Read a living book, do narration, do a hands-on activity, add in writing, add in geography, add in some history, add in science, attend a field trip and MEASURE YOUR PROGRESS.

Unit studies may get a bad rap because it is not as easy to tell what a child has learned or gauge progress. However, tests are no great measure either.

Look at some creative way at my article, Gauging Homeschool Progress – Masters of their Material for ways to test your child’s knowledge in this unit study.

I hope you enjoyed this quick glimpse of the basics steps to starting a homeschool unit study.

There are more hands-on activities involved in each step, but they are not necessary to do at first until you get a bit more comfortable trying one or two.

What do you think? Tempted to try a unit study topic or two?

Hugs and love ya,

Tina Signature 2015c

Also, check out my 10 Days of Diving Into Unit Studies

5 Advantages to Creating Your Own Homeschool Unit Study

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

5 Advantages to Creating Your Own Homeschool Unit Study @Tina's Dynamic Homeschool PlusBeing hooked on well-laid out lesson plans, I never thought I would be a homeschool unit study convert.

Planning seemed like a lot of time, which you know we all have very little of. And of course the other biggie you hear about in unit studies is the fear of missing something when teaching them.

Put to sleep the great missing something myth because no matter how long we teach, there is always something we will miss. Check out Am I Doing Enough When Homeschooling and Gauging Homeschool Progress – Masters of their Material to grab some tips.

Today, I want to share 5 advantages to creating your own homeschool unit study.

(1) Focus On Your Children’s Needs and Goals

Designing a unit study for the exact needs of your child is a huge advantage that stacks heavy against other homeschool approaches.

One of the supposedly negatives about the time that it takes to design a unit study can be a strength when it is suited to fit your children’s needs.

Check Out Books That Make Planning Unit Studies Eazy Peazy

(2) No Missing Books, Curriculum or Outdated Resources

The world of education can be a fast moving wheel and even the most well-staffed company can be hard pressed to keep their curriculum up to date with current resources.

Choosing current homeschool resources, library books and hands-on activities you find ensures that your unit study will run smoothly because all of your products are current.

(3) Lower Grade Unit Studies Are a Jumping Off Point for Higher Grade Planning

When I look back over my unit studies from the lower grades, I know I planned them with my children in mind.

When it comes to homeschooling middle and high school grades, previously taught unit studies become an unexpected advantage because they serve as a foundation or introduction to high grade unit studies.

When a child makes a connection to previously learned material it is meaningful.

Unlike subject areas where you are not sure what a child learned, your own well-laid out and planned unit studies are unique to your children. The bottom line is that you know what you taught them and can expand on those subjects in the upper grades.

(4) Learning Together as a Family is Easiest When Using Unit Studies

Like a lot of new homeschoolers, I started off with separate subjects for each of my kids. Insanity sets in and we learn that by having less curriculum, we can not only teach different ages together, but we cover content whether it’s science or history in more depth.

Teaching children together but on different levels not only fosters family togetherness, but forges a close bond between siblings.

(5) Challenges Learners Along With Encouraging Independent Learning

It is no secret in the homeschool world that we not only homeschool our special needs children who have unique abilities, but we have many advanced and gifted learners too.  Even special needs children can be advanced in some areas.

Because of uneven development in children, unit studies can challenge a learner at his level.

Project based learning is encouraged by unit studies because each child can delve into what interest him about the topic you have chosen to cover with your children.

Though you may be on one unit study topic, each child has the flexibility to learn as much or as little as he wants to.

Research skills are developed when using unit studies instead of following a spoon fed mentality.

Unit studies are hard work but the pay off through the years makes designing unit studies worthwhile to pursue.

There is no need to guess how to start one.  Do you want to create one now?

Look at my series of 10 Days of Diving Into Unit Studies By Creating One Together.

Began small by creating a simple unit study and it will grow into a comprehensive course of study.

Do you design your unit studies or use laid out unit studies?

Hugs and you know I love ya,

 

 Check Out Books That Make Planning Unit Studies Eazy Peazy

 

3 Wrong Ways to Begin a Homeschool Unit Study

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

It is easy to get caught up in the hype of designing your own homeschool unit study before you have had a chance to explore potential mistakes that can be made when doing one.

Look at these 3 wrong ways to begin a homeschool unit study.

In creating a unit study, I had to decide which topics and subjects my children needed to cover.

Skinny It Up

My very first mistake was thinking I had to cover all the subjects in a balanced way. I did not.

Learning is about exploring subjects that your children are interested in or that you want them exposed to.

My beginning system wasn’t fancy, but it worked.

I simply took time to sketch out what subjects I needed to cover for that unit study.

3 Wrong Ways to Begin a Homeschool Unit Study @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus
Too, in my example above, I made the material have personal application to our family.

Meaningful Learning

That is the second common mistake to jumping into a unit study, which is not making the material personal to your family.

If you decide to use a prepared unit study, tweak it to fit your family’s needs.

Though children are interested in happenings on the other side of the world, learning comes alive when it is full of personal meaning.

For example, the first time I did the American Civil War, we lived in Texas and my boys needed more of an emphasis on learning about our home state.

I made the unit study to fit our needs because we took a trail off of the unit study to learn about Texas.

Curriculum Paradise or Pain?

Trying to cover two curriculum equally is the third mistake.

Why do we try to do that? It won’t work.

Well it might but then it might lead to homeschool burnout if you become too unbalanced.

There is nothing wrong with having more than one curriculum but the difference is that one curriculum is your main spine or focus.

The other curriculum simply supports or enhances your primary spine.

I have found that comprehensive unit studies are unlike short term enrichment projects.

In other words commit to a unit study all the way.

This means I don’t stress out my kids by going over other lessons in whatever laid our curriculum we are using at the time.

I simply move forward without feeling like we are behind.

Don’t stress you or your children either one by doing unit studies on top of what you are already using.

If you see something that is important to you to cover in your laid out curriculum, then fold that information into your upcoming unit study.

Grammar and spelling can always be applied to writing, atlases always fit geography and science and history can be hands-on activities.

Covering too many subjects, not making learning come alive by making it apply to your children and trying to do two curriculum simultaneously are sure ways to kill a unit study before you get started.

How about you? Have you made any of these mistakes?

Hugs and love ya,
2015 Tina Signature co

Check out my 1o Days of Diving Into Unit Studies by Creating a Unit Study Together

Diving into Homeschool Unit Studies : The Dos and Don’ts

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

When I think about sharing what swirls around in my head and what I am so passionate about, I get plain giddy.

Diving into Homeschool Unit Studies The Dos and Don'ts @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

I want to share a few pointers from my sweat and tears to help you put together a unit study.

Diving into Homeschool Unit Studies:  the dos and don’ts list type of approach keeps things simple for me to remember.  I hope a short list like this will keep things simple for planning a homeschool unit study.

do and do not listv2

Do not think you have to incorporate every single subject into the topic.

It makes me exhausted thinking about it.

With the abundance of curriculum available, use what you have in your home already to cover subjects that don’t fit naturally.

Eliminating Meaningless Subjects in Homeschool Unit Studies

Covering topics that your family finds more captivating keeps the unit study meaningful.

Focus on what captivates you.  Find your family’s groove and move on.

That simple tidbit keeps the stress level down and energy level up for learning.

Do not have an unrealistic view of the in-depth planning that may need to be done on the front side.

I know it doesn’t sound very flattering but I have to be realistic. Who is afraid of hard work anyway?

After all, we are homeschooling our kids, which a lot of people find over the top hard.

On the other hand, along with hard work comes a very REWARDING payoff.

My sons remember the material we cover from unit studies more than any other approach I have used.

For a lot of families, including us, unit studies have meant a level of mastery on the initial study.

Do not be setback, if at first, your children do not respond to this new way of learning.

The unit study approach has such wide spread freedom that not everybody feels so comfortable with it.

An older child may want a check off list for the day.  Make them one or better yet have them journal what they learned in their student planner.  I do not make my boys do this every day now.

You may want a check off list. You know how I feel about my 7 Step Homeschool Planner. I use it. At first, we all did journaling so I could gauge progress. I needed to see what we have done.

do and do not list 1

Do understand the basic definition of a unit study THEN redefine it to meet your needs.

One very simple definition of a unit study is to use any curriculum available {free or otherwise} to teach your children about a topic.

I can go one step further for you and define curriculum.

Curriculum includes books, workbooks, DVDS, CDS, a set of subjects, life’s experiences AND parental influences, social situations, hands-on experiments, games, lessons learned from everyday contact or modeled by peers, family or other adults.

Some homeschoolers use only real books and others will incorporate text books.
I blogged in a previous post what my definition is of a unit study.  “I define a unit study as a study on any subject that delights us.”

True, while I lean more toward living books, I never close my mind toward a wonderful text book. Look at my post From Textbook to Homeschool Unit Study Starter to use what you have to start a unit study. No need to spend a ton of money.

Do recognize which subjects are easier to cover in a unit study and which ones are not.

Too, this depends on the topic. I have listed them here generally. Just remember this is subjective because some units can be very language arts or math oriented.

Subjects easier to cover: history, science, art, Bible, memorization, geography, art, vocabulary, literature, composition, character building, music, and physical education.

Subjects not as easy to incorporate are: math, grammar, spelling, and phonics. {books can be readers but learning how to read with direct phonics instruction is important}

I don’t force a fit if it doesn’t come naturally.

Do keep in mind introductions and first impressions are everything.The same is true with a unit study.

Though many unit study ideas say to have an ending event to culminate the unit study, I find it equally important to open with something that grabs your kids’ attention and whets their appetite.

With the FBI unit study, we watched a documentary on the FBI {pop some popcorn, oh yeah baby}.

On the Amazon rain forest we also watched a documentary about the rain forest.

On War Between the ‘Tates, we had my sweet sis come over who did American Civil War reenactments.

She helped us to step back in time. My sons remember those events.

Whet their appetite for learning and they won't easily forget

It could be something as simple as reading a book, solving a mystery, playing a game or visiting a museum to set the mood.

Lastly, I put to picture, what I feel, is the process to a unit study. Unfolding of a Unit Study I Sip - The Steps @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

The I SIP process stands for immersion, separation, investigation and personalization of the material.
I will be posting more about each of these steps in upcoming posts, but I wanted you to see how to funnel down the information to your family.

Understanding the process is key to developing a unit study that is memorable.

Don’t rush the unit study because you may miss out on how learning comes alive and actually takes place.

I am inspired by this quote today as we take responsibility in educating the next generation outside of the box when diving into homeschool unit studies.

“Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others cry over small hurts, but not you.

Let others leave their future in someone else’s hands, but not you.”

-Jim Rohn-

Are you following the unit study approach?

Hugs and love ya,

Tina 2015 Signature

Also check out my 10 Days of Diving into Unit Studies by Creating One Together

 

20 Ideas for Bringing Writing Alive through Unit Studies About Ancient Civilizations

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have 20 ideas for bringing writing alive through unit studies.

Whether we are teaching handwriting readiness to our younger kids or how to form a coherent paragraph with our middle school or high school kids, writing is an essential skill to communicating.

Try explaining the value of this vital skill to a reluctant writer.

20 Ideas for Bringing Writing Alive through Unit Studies About Ancient Civilizations

Normally the conversation just ends in moans and groans.

Unit studies have been a way to curb the fear of the writing process and blank paper syndrome in our house.

Today, in sharing 20 ideas for bringing writing alive through unit studies, I want to share ideas for writing assignments.

They not only make writing a joy but create value in the eyes of your budding writer.

As teachers sometimes we are all too eager to get our kids to meet our expectations of the mechanics of writing instead of instilling a passion for writing in the beginning.

The trigger for getting a writer to mind the details or mechanics of his writing is to get him to write something that is relevant to the subject he is learning.

But also to give him freedom to write about what stirs his soul.

Whining or Winning Your Way Through Writing

Writing is a subject where unit study topics are powerful motivators,

Too, the unit study approach has an enormous edge over other homeschool learning approaches.

If you have included your children in the process of selecting a unit study, you already have a topic they eagerly want to know about.

Unlike boring workbooks or programs that focus first on the mechanics of writing and the subject or topic of writing is incidental, it is opposite with a unit study.

Choosing a topic for writing already has a palatable start.

Your child had a choice when planning your unit study theme. 

Your child’s freedom to choose a unit study topic gives you the necessary starting point.

Too, you take a potentially stressful subject to teach and turn it into something they look forward to.

Instead of grouping writing ideas by grade level, from kindergarten to high school, I will leave that up to you. 

You know whether your young writer is doing more advanced work or if you need to have your highschooler focus on the basics of writing.

Too, from the list below, I want to encourage you to continue to give handwriting priority in your day instead of feeling defeated.

BRINGING WRITING ALIVE THROUGH UNIT STUDIES

Look at this list of ideas as I use my unit study theme, Ancient Civilizations, as an example to plan related handwriting or composition topic.

Ancient Civilizations.

  • Describe silkworms; explain the silk making process;
  • explain the process of becoming a Samurai warrior;
  • how would you compare the lives of Egyptian Pharaohs and Queens to the common people;
  • list 3 facts that you learned from the life of Jonah;
  • research about the animals of Africa and label the parts of an animal;
  • write a quality paragraph about the art of mummy making;
  • describe Hannibal’s trek across the Alps with elephants so that your reader can experience it and picture it;
  • color an animal by number to strengthen fine motor skills or color an animal by letter recognition;
  • write an essay about the Punic Wars so that each part of the essay is clearly distinguishable, which are an opening paragraph, three detailed body paragraphs and a closing paragraph;
  • observe nature and write about the flora of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon;
  • show the relationship between Shang script or Chinese writing to cuneiform and hieroglyphics;
  • do Ancient Greece copywork; use reliable and quality resources to research about Egyptian Gods; use time order to explain the days of creation;
  • outline how to build the pyramids of Egypt;
  • describe pieces of art from Ancient Civilizations;
  • have a younger child edit a paragraph written by an older sibling;
  • choose scriptures to narrow down a topic about the pagan practices of Ancient Civilizations;
  • creative writing by using If I lived back in the times of mummies . . . or If I traveled back to the ancient land of Greece … or What I would wear to be part of the high fashion society of Greece . . . or What my weapon would be if I were training to be a Roman Legionary Soldier and copy one sentence or quote like “All Roads Lead to Rome”.

From a Word Rookie to Word Wizard

Don’t be afraid to put aside composition assignments that are meaningless in favor of choosing a topic with a meaningful message to your child.

Also, setting aside laid out curriculum and grabbing helpful reference books will allow you to create writing assignments for your family.

One resource I have used over the years and still use is Great Source Write Source. 

Matter of fact I like all their books.  It has been easy to assign written work we choose following the composition types in these books.

Also, for a teacher reference, I really like The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation: An Easy-to-Use Guide with Clear Rules, Real-World Examples, and Reproducible Quizzes and refer to this probably more often than some other references.

Another one that is timeless and has stood teaching all three of my sons with the fads of books coming in and out is If You’re Trying to Teach Kids How to Write . . . You’ve Gotta Have This Book.

Writing topics are sparked from themes that make sense to your child.

Why? Because they are based on what topic you are learning about.

Smothering the Embers of Beginning Creativity

When emphasis is put first on the engaging process of the topic then a tool like grammar can be applied afterwards. 

Kids can feel crippled when they have to think about the mechanics of writing when thoughts should be flowing.

Working on the mechanics of grammar like the who and which clauses.

Too, study nonessential and essential clauses.

Focus on narrowing down topics, planning paragraphs and editing can be done after the child has composed what he finds entertaining.

Don’t stifle the love for writing by focusing first on the rules. 

Keep the teacher mom reined in for this subject.

Rules of grammar are important and you want them to be important to your children.

The necessity of the rules can be seen when applied to something personal, which is their writing. 

Rules for the sake of rules without validity never made sense to anybody.

Does this list spark some creative ideas for writing on your present unit study? Do you want me to create lists like this for each unit study on my blog?

20 Ideas for Bringing Writing Alive through Unit Studies

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