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My Unit Studies {Free Printables & Hands-on Ideas}

Plains Indians Free Writing Prompts For Elementary, Middle and High School Homeschooled Kids

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I have some Plains Indians free writing prompts for multiple ages. Too, look at my page Free Native Americans The Plains Indians Unit Study & Lapbook.

Also, look at my pages Homeschool Middle School, How to Homeschool High School and How To Homeschool Elementary Students Like A Pro.for more fun tips.

Plains Indians Free Writing Prompts For Elementary, Middle and High School Homeschooled Kids

You know my passion for unit studies and some things like writing, I just taught on the spot and took topics from books or things we were learning about. Isn’t that the best way to teach writing anyway? 

Then, writing has a meaningful purpose to either a budding writer or an advanced writer.

So I have started working my way through creating writing prompts and topics for you on each of my unit studies here on my site.

You can look over and grab the first set of ideas for my Ancient Civilization unit study here on 20 Ideas For Bringing Writing Alive Through Unit Studies.

Also, I divided them out by grade level, not that I so believe in grade level, but because I know that like my kids, your kids too are at different levels for their writing ability.

Plains Indians free writing prompts for elementary, middle school and high school homeschooled kids @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Plains Indians Free Writing Prompts

This will give you choices for a range of difficulties. Too, I have topics that are both factual and creative depending on what skills you are looking to strengthen in your child’s writing.

MIDDLE TO HIGH SCHOOL PLAINS INDIAN WRITING TOPICS

(Remember, for some of these topics, you will need to look at my Plains Indians Unit Study and Lapbook Page.)

■When Ten Bears he said he was born on the prairie, do you think he was talking only about his birth?

■How would you feel if you were forbidden to speak in your native language?

■If you were a pioneer traveling West, what Native American tribe would you want to encounter and why?

■Use pictographs and write (draw) a Native American tale.

■Choose one of the tribes from the Plains and write about their life, the food they ate and why buffalo were so important to them. Look here at ledger drawings to understand how they felt about their life on The Plains.

■What are the elements of a myth? Read a myth that the Plain Indians believed in and write about why they believed in it.

■Sign language was invented out of necessity. Was sign language for the Plains Indians for the deaf? Write (and illustrate) about some of the sign language the Indians used.

■Indians used many different kind of wild plants for food. Acorns (shelled and ground into meal) and Sotol and Lechuguilla are plants of the agave family. The bulbs of these plants were cooked and eaten. Write about some of the food that the Plains Indians ate and how they made it. (Include a recipe too.)

■What are two ways that the flat area of the plains affected the Native Americans?

■What are 4 major contributions by the Plains Indians?

■(On my Plains Indian page). After reading the short story about the captivity of Lorinda Bewly with the Whitman group traveling to Oregon, write a brief essay about the meeting of two different cultures? Or were they that different after all? What do you think and why?

■What are two major differences between the Plains Indians and other Native Americans of that time?

Free Writing Prompts

■How are Plains Indians making contributions today?

■What was the view of woman during the times of the Plains Indians and compare that to how people feel today?

■Describe the social structure of the Plains Indians.

■In your opinion, did the early American settlers try to help or hinder the progress of Native Americans?

■Describe the art, beading and leather working of the Plains Indians.

■Do you think the Indians should have been paid for their land? Why or why not?

ELEMENTARY WRITING PROMPTS ABOUT THE PLAINS INDIANS

■Why was a dog and horse important to the Plains Indians?

■What did the Plains Indians live in? Describe how they decorated their tipis and draw your own design.

■What was winter like on the Plains compared to other Native Americans living at that time?

■What is pemmican and why was it important to the Plains Indians?

■Explain the many uses of the buffalo.

■Do you think the Plains Indians had pets? If so, what kind? How would you take care of a pet when living on the wide open plains?

■What do you think life would have been like in a tipi?

■Describe the life of a hunter and why hunting was important to the Plains Indians

■Why was corn important to the Plains Indians? Look here at my Fall Unit Study page to read about corn.

■Do you think the kids of the Plains Indians did school? How did they learn?

Hope you enjoyed these brainstorming ideas as well as some of the topics we wrote about. I have more free writing prompts coming on my other unit studies soon.

You may also love these other resources:

Hugs and love ya,

Daily Math Activity with the Free Math Quest Calendar

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Learning math can get a bad wrap. But doing a math activity daily has benefits when getting your child to love math. Also, look at my page How To Homeschool Elementary Students Like A Pro.

Incorporating daily math activities can build confidence and lay the foundation for essential life skills. Besides, short, daily activities help reinforce what kids are learning.

Even just 10–15 minutes a day can make a huge difference over time.

Daily Math Activity with the Free Math Quest Calendar

Daily exposure helps kids see mistakes as part of the learning process, not something to fear.

Besides, math teaches more than just numbers. It builds critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Activities can help kids learn to analyze, predict, and strategize.

Too, look at some of these math living books.

MATH BOOKS FOR KIDS

Reading books about math help to teach concepts that are not easy to understand.

8+ Living Math Books About Counting, Addition and Subtraction

A living book or story brings math to life. Books like these have a way of explaining math concepts in a story form so young children understand them. Add one or two to your library.

Also, look at these other fun math activities

MATH ACTIVITIES

Daily Math Activity with the Free Math Quest Calendar

Finally, download this free math activity calendar.

HOW TO GET THE FREE DAILY MATH QUEST CALENDAR

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Free 4 Weeks Claude Monet Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas

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I have a free 4 weeks Claude Monet unit study and the best hands-on ideas. Also, look at my page Free Art Units for more fun art ideas and Best Homeschool Unit Studies for more unit studies.

This Monet unit study is ideal for the whole family.

It can be modified to make it easy for the youngest learner or create more of a challenge for middle and high school.

Free 4 Weeks Claude Monet Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas

Claude Monet’s painting style was Impressionism.

It is a style made up of small, visible brushstrokes that offer a minimal impression of form, and unblended color.

There is an emphasis on the accurate depiction of natural light.

Two other major artists known for this style were Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Edgar Degas.

We are going to put our focus on Monet for this study, his style, life, and works.

BOOKS FOR KIDS ABOUT CLAUDE MONET

Digging a bit into his history and inspiration for his beautiful paintings.

First, look at these books to add to your study.

5 Books About Claude Monet For Kids Who Love To Read And Be Read To

Add one or two of these fun books about the famous artist Claude Monet.

Next, look at this first week.

INTRODUCTION TO CLAUDE MONET WEEK 1

Monet’s Life and Background

  • Monet was born in 1840 in France, and while he traveled, he spent most of his entire life in France.
  • He was the leader of the impressionist movement, a critic once called his work “Impressionism” due to its lack of realism with an emphasis on light and form instead and the movement was born.
  • Monet began losing his sight to cataracts in 1912 and was declared legally blind in 1922 but continued painting right up until his death in 1926.
  • He destroyed over 500 of his paintings due to a combination of being displeased with his work, seeking perfection in it, and because of the effects of his deteriorating vision

Impressionism Movement:

Impressionism is a style of painting that started in France in the late 1800s. Instead of painting things exactly as they looked, artists wanted to capture a feeling or moment.

Some characteristics of impressionism are:

  • Impressionists liked to show light changes and how it interacted with objects, focusing on the effects of light and shadow rather than precise details.
  • They used a wide range of colors, often applying them in short, quick brushstrokes to give their paintings vibrancy and a feeling of movement.
  • Instead of mixing colors on a palette, they often applied different colors side-by-side on a brush and then on the canvas, allowing the viewer’s eye to mix them.
  • Impressionists often depicted ordinary scenes of everyday life, such as landscapes, cityscapes, portraits, and scenes of leisure.
  • Many Impressionist artists preferred painting outdoors (en plein air) to study light and color in real-time.

Activities

  • Read Monet’s biography, Who Was Claude Monet is great for middle elementary through early middle while Monet Paints a Day is a sweet picture book for younger children.
  • Discuss the characteristics of Impressionism above.
  • View a gallery of Monet’s works to examine his subjects, series, and techniques.
  • Play an Art Game to look at different artists and painting methods, comparing and contrasting is a great way to look at art.

MONET’S TECHNIQUES WEEK 2

Light and Color in Monet’s Paintings:

  • Monet considered light to be the true subject of his paintings. He aimed to show the changing qualities of light throughout the day and across different seasons. This meant focusing on the play of light and shadow, reflections, and even atmospheric effects.
  • He used color to represent the way light interacts with objects and the environment. He did not aim for realistic color representation, but instead used color to convey the sensation of light.

Brushstrokes and Texture

  • Monet employed visible, broken brushstrokes rather than smooth, blended ones. This technique allowed him to capture the fleeting effects of light and movement.
  • His brushstrokes were often short, quick dabs or strokes of color, applied rapidly to the canvas. This method created a sense of immediacy and spontaneity.
  • The direction of the brushstrokes often followed the form of the objects he painted, adding to the sense of movement and life within the scene.
  • He applied pure colors directly to the canvas, side by side, rather than mixing them on the palette. This allowed the viewer’s eye to blend the colors, creating a vibrant and luminous effect.
  • Monet frequently used impasto, applying paint thickly to the canvas. This created a textured surface that added depth and physicality to his paintings.
  • The varied texture of his brushstrokes contributed to the overall texture of the painting, enhancing the sense of light and atmosphere.
  • The textured surface of his paintings added a sense of tactility, inviting the viewer to engage with the artwork on a physical level.

Activities

Experiment with different light sources (e.g., flashlight, lamp, natural light) on the same object.

Practice short, visible brushstrokes. Try different thicknesses of paint, shorter and slightly longer strokes, and combine colors on the canvas by picking up two different colors on each side of the brush rather than mixing on the palette.

Free 4 Weeks Claude Monet Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas

Recreate a small portion of a Monet painting or try to recreate the entire scene, below I have a basic tutorial for capturing the style of Monet’s impressionist painting of Poppies.

MONET’S SERIES PAINTINGS WEEK 3

Series Paintings:

Monet often painted series of the same subject at different times of day to capture the changing light conditions.

Examples include his series of Rouen Cathedral, Haystacks, and Water Lilies. These series highlight his focus on light and color variation.

Activities

Create a series of sketches of the same object at different times, this can be right in your own backyard or at a local park. You just want to notice the changes in light and the textures.

Compare different paintings from the same series to see the changes in light and texture.

Grab this Claude Monet Facts For Kids And Free Water Lily Masterpiece for the littles.

Thumb through a book like Monet: The Essential Paintings to see a variety of his works, this makes a beautiful coffee table book for those who like to strew.

Discuss the effect of light and time on the subject.

MONET’S GARDEN AT GIVERNY WEEK 4

Monet was strongly inspired by nature and often turned to his garden at his home in Giverny for a subject. For instance, “The Artist’s Garden at Giverny” and the iconic “Water Lilies” series were both painted from scenes at his home.

His home was originally called “House of the Cider-Press” and is now known as “Maison et jardins de Claude Monet”.

Water Lilies Pond

In the “Water Lilies” series, Monet used a vibrant color palette with techniques like wet-on-wet painting and impasto to capture the beauty of light and reflections on the water’s surface. His color palette consisted of blues, greens, reds, pinks, and yellows.

This is one of his most well-known series, and in fact, he painted them 250 times, near the end of his life it was his only subject.

Activities.

Paint or draw a water lily, Claude Monet Art for Kids – Impressionist-Inspired Process Art is a great technique that can be done by kids of all ages.

Explore photos and videos of Giverny, this site has a lovely tour of the gardens as well.

Learn about the types of flowers in Monet’s garden.

Of course, the famous water lilies but some of the other common flowers grown there were roses, clematis, poppies, nasturtiums, German Bearded Iris, tulips, forget-me-nots, pansies, wisteria vines, and azalea bushes.

MORE ART ACTIVITIES ABOUT CLAUDE MONET’S TECHNIQUES

PAINT MONET’S POPPY FIELD

You will need:

  • Small canvas
  • pencil
  • Easel
  • Acrylic paints
  • Painters tape
  • Gold paint
  • Paintbrushes
  • Paint palette
Free 4 Weeks Claude Monet Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas

First, use painters tape to cover the outer edge of the canvas, we are going to use this area later to make our painting look framed.

Free 4 Weeks Claude Monet Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas

Lightly sketch the line between the sky/treeline and the lower portion of the painting.

You can also make light sketches for the trees if you like and general shapes for the figures, although you will be covering them with paint.

Free 4 Weeks Claude Monet Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas

Add all the colors you will need to a palette including white and black to lighten or darken your painting.

Free 4 Weeks Claude Monet Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas

Start by filling in the ground using two colors at a time on the brush, remember impressionist painters liked to mix their colors right onto the canvas rather than a palette.

Free 4 Weeks Claude Monet Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas

For the grass we alternated 2 shades of green and a green and yellow with quick short strokes until it was filed in.

Free 4 Weeks Claude Monet Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas

Now move to the sky, either leaving plenty of white canvas showing for clouds or laying white over the blue once dry.

Free 4 Weeks Claude Monet Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas

Allow your first layers of paint to dry and then begin layering on details like the trees along the skyline, the poppies…

And if you wish, the people and the house in the trees as well.

Free 4 Weeks Claude Monet Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas

Remember this is an impressionist painting, it doesn’t need to be exact, you just want to give the overall “impression” of the scene.

You can leave the house and people if you prefer, this is your painting!

Free 4 Weeks Claude Monet Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas

Finally, once the painting is dry, peel off the taped edges and add a layer of gold paint with a decorative edge all the way around.

Don’t forget the sides of the canvas to create a frame for your masterpiece.

4 Weeks Free Homeschool Frog Unit Study & Best Hands-On Ideas

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I have a free 4 weeks homeschool frog unit study for multiple ages. Also, look at my page Toads – Amphibians for a free Loads of Toads and Frogs lapbook and unit study and Best Homeschool Unit Studies for more unit studies.

Frogs are amphibians, which means they can live both in water and on land.

Besides loving to be in ponds, they have sticky tongues and have the ability to hop high.

4 Weeks Free Homeschool Frog Unit Study & Best Hands-On Ideas

They make for a fascinating hands-on unit study for multiple ages especially if you do this in the spring.

In spring, your kids can find an abundance of frogspawn in ditches the edges of a pond and very slow moving streams.

The change of a tadpole and how they transform and grow into a frog is incredible to watch for all but especially kids.

BOOKS ABOUT FROGS FOR KIDS

First, add some of these books to your reading list.

11 Frog & Toad Unit Study Resources

Add a book or two or some fun hands-on resources to your unit study.

Then look at some of these post ideas and activities.

First, look at history and geography ideas.

HISTORY & GEOGRAPHY FROG UNIT STUDY IDEAS WEEK 1

Start with the Frog and Prince story from Brothers Grimm. It is a Germany fairy tale.

Next, in Ancient Egypt frogs were a symbol of life. For example, during the rainy season the Nile River would be full of frogs. So they were viewed as growth and life.

And in Ancient China, frogs were also symbols of good fortune and were believed to be protectors of the land.

Look at more ideas.

NATURE & SCIENCE FROG UNIT STUDY IDEAS WEEK 2

Additionally, look at the nature and science themed frog ideas.

MATH & LANGUAGE ARTS FROG UNIT STUDY IDEAS WEEK 3

ARTS & CRAFTS FROG UNIT STUDY IDEAS WEEK 4

4 Weeks Free Homeschool Frog Unit Study & Best Hands-On Ideas

MORE BEST HOMESCHOOL UNIT STUDIES

10 Interesting Facts About Mesopotamia And Unit Study Outline

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I have 10 interesting facts about Mesopotamia and a fun unit study outline if you want to dive deeper into learning about them. Also, look at my page Ancient Mesopotamia Fun Facts For Kids Who Love History for more hands-on history ideas.

And look at my page Ancient Civilizations for more ideas. Studying about Ancient Mesopotamia doesn’t have to be hard.

True, we call it the cradle of civilization. Why? They created writing, formed governments and built huge cities.

10 Interesting Facts About Mesopotamia And Unit Study Outline

And I’m sharing more than just 10 interesting facts about Mesopotamia.

For example, studying about some of the fascinating cities like Ur, Babylon and Sumer and how they lived should be presented in hands-on lessons.

Besides, try cuneiform writing while you learn that it was one of the earliest forms of writing.

Using a wedge-shaped tool that was pressed into clay they recorded important dates.

And the story The Epic of Gilgamesh is a legend still told today and his quest to find the secret to immortality.

BOOKS ABOUT ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA FOR KIDS

First, look at these books about Ancient Mesopotamia.

7 Books to Read About Ancient Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia is a region situated within the Tigris–Euphrates River system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia occupies modern Iraq.  In the broader sense, the historical region included present-day Iraq and parts of present-day Iran, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey.

Next, look at some hands-on activities to go with the facts learned about Mesopotamia.

ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA ACTIVITIES

10 Interesting Facts About Mesopotamia And Unit Study Outline

Also, look at these interesting facts about Mesopotamia.

10 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT MESOPOTAMIA

  1. Mesopotamians were excellent farmers, growing barley, wheat, and dates.
  2. The wheel was first used in Mesopotamia for making pottery.
  3. Ziggurats were huge pyramid-like structures built as temples to the gods.
  4. One of the earliest sets of written laws, called the Code of Hammurabi, came from Mesopotamia.
  5. Mesopotamia means “the land between two rivers.” It was located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
  6. Instead of one big kingdom, Mesopotamia had many small city-states.
  7. The Hanging Gardens is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
  8. Mesopotamians created a number system based on the number 60.
  9. Some more cool inventions by the Mesopotamians were the plow and sailboat.
  10. Rivers were important. For example, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers provided water for farming and helped with travel and trade.

Finally, look at this Mesopotamia Unit Study Outline.

ABOUT THE ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA UNIT STUDY OUTLINE

My Mesopotamia Unit Study Outline is a handy tool to help you teach or for child led learning.

There are many advantages to a unit study outline instead of a fully fleshed out study.

For example, look at these ways an outline guides your study.

  • Outlines give you a clear structure.
  • They help break down big tasks into manageable steps.
  • Extensive lessons plans can make some kids lose focus.
  • And outline keeps the main topics to be learned on topic.
  • In addition, you can go down rabbit trails IF you want to. However, for some kids it can be overwhelming. You have the option to go deep or stay on topic with an outline.
  • Looking at the outline at a glance is a super roadmap. Again, you can go straight to your destination or facts or stay longer on an objective.
  • By listing an objective it guides you as the teacher to add your own slant.

For example, look at the topics covered in this outline.

  1. Introduction
  2. Geography and Environment
  3. Ancient Mesopotamian Civilizations
  4. Agriculture and Irrigation
  5. Writing and Communication
  6. Religion and Beliefs
  7. Science and Technology
  8. Trade and Commerce
  9. Arts and Crafts
  10. Exploration and Legacy
  11. Culminating Activity

HOW TO USE THE OUTLINE

Each topic has two or three topics or objectives for the subject. You decide which ones to use.

And if you stay on 1 topic per week and cover all 9 topics it would equal a 9 week unit study.

Additionally, only use the objectives on the topic your child is interested in and move on to other unit studies. This would make a shorter unit study.

For example, cover the introduction and perhaps the Persian culture for younger children.

Then save the other topics for when your children are older.

You will like this unit study outline if:

  • you want the freedom to flesh out topics and not be tied to day to day lesson plans
  • you prefer to flesh out day to day lesson plans or do not prefer them at all and
  • you want a guide for topics to study so you have a sweeping overview of the unit.

You will not like this unit study outline if:

  • you want to day to day lesson plans guiding each day and worksheets and
  • you don’t want to teach all your kids together.

HOW TO GET THE MESOPOTAMIA UNIT STUDY OUTLINE

You can download the printable Mesopotamia Unit Study Outline now!

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10 Interesting Facts About Mesopotamia And Unit Study Outline

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