Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Activity, Change, Progress

unit studies

Top 5 Homeschool Approaches New Homeschoolers Need to Know

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

After deschooling, a new homeschooler’s first step is to get a basic grasp of the top 5 homeschool approaches.

Having a basic grasp of the top 5 approaches new homeschoolers can conquer overwhelm and tame the curriculum beast.

First, understand these two basic clarifications to dispel misunderstandings about our lifestyle.

  • Deschooling is a process, not a homeschool approach. It’s the process ALL new homeschoolers or homeschoolers should do initially or from time to time if they struggle. See my link below.
  • Unschooling IS a homeschool approach. While we’re ALL homeschooling were NOT all unschooling. Big difference.

A colossal mistake is to focus first on curriculum instead of a homeschool approach. Too, taking time to read this article all the way through will put you ahead miles.

What is a Homeschool Approach

Top 5 Approaches New Homeschoolers Need to Know

Also, before jumping into homeschool approaches, you need to understand the curative power of how to tap into your teaching style and your child’s learning style. They may not be the same and from the start you may unintentionally cause problems.

Simply put, a homeschool approach or homeschool style is an educational philosophy which is implemented or followed through by using curriculum as a tool.

Besides, there are no right or wrong, better or worse, or smarter or dumber approaches. I’ve seen success stories and failures with each approach.

An approach is a method, goals, and values that are important to you. Part of deciding a homeschool approach is to determine what are your families priorities. That is why there is no right or wrong, just what is best for your family. An approach is how you will implement what you want your children to learn.

Secret Revealed: Homeschool Approaches Essentials

For example, on a history topic, a Charlotte Mason homeschooler will look for a living book on the topic while a Classical homeschooler may look for a book from the great minds of the past.

That is just one simple example.

Whether you intentionally or unintentionally chose it, EVERYONE has a homeschool approach when they begin.

It’s better to pick it for your family’s needs. So, don’t jump in and choose curriculum that is fitted for a homeschool approach that is opposite of your child’s learning style.

There are a few things for you to know so that you make an informed choice.

Next, look at my video on YouTube How To Easily Choose and Distinguish between Homeschool Educational Approaches.

Additionally, understanding these 6 fundamental points will help you to increase the odds of success. Below are the first three points.

  1. Did you know that just about ALL curriculum falls into one or more of the homeschool approaches? By narrowing down to an approach that fits your family’s values and your children’s needs you have tamed the curriculum hunt. Reduce overwhelm by choosing the method FIRST.
  2. It’s NOT necessary to know EVERY approach just like it’s not necessary to understand EVERY ingredient in a homemade dish. The most used ingredients are key to understanding the big picture. Homeschool styles or approaches are similar. You don’t need to know EVERY single one, but only the most popular one. Some styles are not as popular. Not that they are unimportant, but the top 5 homeschool approaches are what a majority of homeschoolers use. As you’re more experienced, you can delve into the others.
  3. There is NO need to choose only one. If you see that one or two follow your goals, then pick and choose the teaching points and combine them. It’s called eclectic. Eclectic is not really an approach, but a type of homeschooler.

And then look at the next three points.

Best Homeschooling Approaches

  1. With that being said, DO choose one that fits MOSTLY with your goals because it cuts down on frustration. By having one that is your dominant one, you can find curriculum that fits it first and then delve into curriculum that fits other approaches that comes in second. It REALLY reduces teaching fatigue to have one major approach that you can rely on.
  2. You can change on a dime if one is not working. There is no harm done. Maybe you’ve not accomplished what you’ve set out to do because you chose a homeschool approach that doesn’t really embrace how your child learns. He probably has still retained some of the information. Just switch approaches, chalk it up to being inexperienced, and move on.
  3. One more HUGE point to remember and that is NOT every homeschool approach has a plethora of planned out curriculum to choose from. There are more choices now than used to be, but remember you’re following an APPROACH and using curriculum as tools. Bottom line: An exceptional teacher will be able to use what she has to tweak to fit her students. Yes, it may take a bit more work, but it can be done. Be sure to see my post at the bottom where I used a textbook to do our unit study.

Moreover, here are some of the most popular homeschool styles and I’ve listed a few curriculum suggestions as examples of each.

5 Homeschool Approaches

Traditional Textbook Homeschool Approach

Characteristics

  • textboook driven
  • worksheets
  • test driven
  • follows a sequential scope and sequence
  • record keeping/grading services
  • often been called “conveyor-belt” education

Textbooks and workbooks are used. This is what a lot of us used in public school and the approach most of us are familiar with. And this is the way most new homeschoolers start out. Ask yourself why you would want to repeat the same approach that is not working in public school.

Many online public school at home providers have popped up in the last 10 years. Even online schools which may not necessarily use printed material may still under this approach because it’s based on textbooks.

A graded textbook guides teaching, and subjects are covered in increments over the course of a school year.  Textbooks may be supplemented with worktexts or books.

A few curriculum providers (both secular and Christian)

  • Abeka
  • Acellus
  • Bob Jones
  • Calvert

Unit Study Homeschool Approach

Characteristics

  • where all subjects are covered by being focused on one topic
  • child-led or parent directed
  • emphasis is on mastery-based learning instead of ages
  • natural real-life approach to learning
  • students can see the whole picture
  • creating self-learning

Unit Studies take a specific theme or topic and delves into it deeply over a period of time. The emphasis is on integrating language arts, social studies, science, history, fine arts, and math together while focused on one unit of study or theme.

The unit study philosophy emphasizes that all knowledge is connected and remembered longer when taught in an integrated fashion.

A few curriculum providers

Charlotte Mason Homeschool Approach

Characteristics

  • oral narration
  • written narration
  • copywork
  • nature study
  • journaling
  • use of living books
  • form habits

Homeschool Approaches

Charlotte Mason was a turn of the century British educator whose approach was to teach children skills such as reading, writing, and math, and then expose them to the best sources of knowledge for all other subjects.

This means taking nature walks, visiting museums to view art up close, or reading what she called “living books.”  Textbooks are viewed as dry and dull and to be avoided in favor of richer sources of knowledge.

A few curriculum providers

Classical Homeschool Approach

Characteristics

  • intensive language arts focused
  • emphasis on Latin, Greek and Hebrew
  • progression through learning based on child’s development
  • reading great books as a way to connect to great minds

In Ancient Greece, emphasis was place on learning the tools of learning. 

These tools could then be applied to the study of any subject. 

This classical” approach would have students study grammar, the dialectic or logic phase, and finally rhetoric. These tools were known as the “trivium.”

Following the study of these subjects were arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music – called the “quadrivium.” The approach is to teach learning in “stages” according to the child’s development.

The book by Dorothy Sayers’ The Lost Tools of Learning is a reference  for this approach; Susan Wise Bauer’s The Well Trained Mind was the first book of its kind to lay out curriculum suggestions for this approach.

A few curriculum providers

  • Institute for Excellence in Writing
  • Veritas Press
  • Memoria Press

Unschooling Homeschool Approach

Characteristics

  • learning is directed almost entirely by the child which is where unschoolers differ from other homeschoolers
  • instead of teaching being at the center, the child is at the center of learning
  • children should not be forced to learn something against their will
  • more access to the real-world
  • creating self-learners
  • to provide an environment with rich resources

Homeschool Styles Are Homeschool Approaches

John Holt was a twentieth-century American educator who believed that children’s natural curiosity and desire to learn were destroyed by traditional schooling. 

He is generally associated with the unschooling approach, which focuses on nonstructural learning that allows children to pursue their own interests and believes that children should be included in a meaning full way in the life of adults.

The approach has the child at the center of learning and subjects revolve around his interests.

The child is exposed to a rich environment of resources, including an adult who models a lifestyle of curiosity and learning.  Formal academics are pursued when the need arises or when the child indicates willingness.

A few curriculum providers

  • Because learning is child-led, homeschoolers will have many resources in their homes from living books to games. Also, every day learning experiences are used to teach every day. Many curriculum resources are unschooling friendly.

Look at some of these posts The Big List of Unit Study Hands-on (and Hands-off) Curriculum and Big Ol’ List of All-In-One Homeschool Curriculum (a.k.a Boxed) which will help you with curriculum.

I hope these tips give you a starting point.

Top 5 Approaches New Homeschoolers Need to Know

You’ll want to read these other tips.

Hugs and love ya,

After deschooling, a new homeschooler’s first step is to get a basic grasp of homeschool approaches. Having a basic grasp of the top 5 approaches new homeschoolers can conquer overwhelm and tame the curriculum beast. CLICK HERE to read this SUPER helpful list!
After deschooling, a new homeschooler’s first step is to get a basic grasp of homeschool approaches. Having a basic grasp of the top 5 approaches new homeschoolers can conquer overwhelm and tame the curriculum beast. CLICK HERE to read this SUPER helpful list!

The BEST Viking Unit Study for Homeschooled Kids

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

An ancient Viking unit study makes for a fascinating study for kids of all ages. Also, look at my page more Vikings Lapbook Unit Study and Hands-on Activities and my page Best Homeschool Unit Studies.

The fierce Norseman or Vikings came from what we now know as Scandinavia or Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Vikings prospered in Scandinavia from about 800 AD to 1066 AD.

The BEST Viking Unit Study for Homeschooled Kids

From their homes in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, the Norsemen (Northmen) explored much of the northern hemisphere between Europe and North America.

A Germanic people, the Vikings had a great love of adventure.

First, look at some of these living books about the Vikings.

12 Viking Resources & Books for Multiple Ages

Grab some of these books and resources for multiple ages about Vikings.

Ancient Vikings Unit Study

Vikings became infamous for sacking villages and towns, destroying churches, and easily defeating smaller armies in their search for new avenues of trade and the spoils of war.

Fearless warriors and superb shipbuilders, Vikings left their mark on Europe, Asia, Iceland, Greenland, and North America before they were absorbed into European Civilization.

Viking lands

Ancient Vikings Unit Study

Viking civilization began in the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, but in the nearly 300 years of their power they traveled to and traded with many distant lands.

They also created settlements in England, Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, and other countries.

Ancient Vikings Unit Study

Viking Expansion Watch a short video about Viking exploration.
Viking Settlements Learn which countries the Vikings settled in outside of Scandinavia.
Life in Viking Settlements Learn what life was like in a Viking settlement.
Viking Houses See the types of houses Vikings lived in.

Viking Society

Society consisted of jarls (nobles), karls (middle class freemen), and thralls (slaves).

Ancient Vikings Unit Study

Viking social classes Learn how the classes worked together and how a Viking could up and down in social status.
Viking social classes in Iceland Learn how society differed abroad from Scandinavia.
Gender and age in Viking society Learn the roles of men, women, and children in Viking villages

The BEST Viking Unit Study for Homeschooled Kids. Your kids will love this. Check it out @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Viking warriors Learn what it took to be a warrior, what a beserker was, and the role women played in war

Futhark Learn about the runic alphabet of the Vikings

Viking Mythology

Vikings believed in a pantheon of Gods led by Odin. The pantheon included Thor and Loki of Avengers fame.

Norse mythology Read an overview of Norse mythology along with a brief history of Vikings.
Norse mythology dictionary Learn about Norse mythology with an A to Z listing.
The Nine Worlds A more in-depth look at the worlds of Norse mythology.

Viking Ships

Ancient Vikings Unit Study Ancient Vikings Unit Study
Viking ships were the fastest and sturdiest of the era. The Norse skill in shipbuilding helped enable the exploration and settlement of other lands

Types of Viking ships:

  • Faering
  • Knarr
  • Longship
  • Karve

Viking ships Learn the different types of Viking ships and how they were used.
Vikings at sea Learn more about sailing and ships in the Viking Age.
Navigating the open seas Learn how the Vikings knew where they were going and how to get home.

Viking Vocabulary

Althing Yearly meeting of all Viking tribes to discuss laws and solve disputes
Beserker Warrior who wore a bearskin cloak or shirt and worked himself into a frenzy before battle
Brooch A decorative piece of metal used to hold a Viking’s cloak closed. The more ornate the brooch, the richer and more important the Viking.
Burial Ship Used for the wealthiest Vikings, these ships were filled with the belongings of the deceased and set ablaze or buried under mounds of earth or in underground chambers
Fjord A long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs found along the shores of some Scandinavian countries
Flax Cloth made from the stalks of the flax flower


Futhark The runic alphabet of the Vikings
Jarl A Viking Noble
Karl A middle class, free Viking
Keel The lengthwise timber structure along the base of a ship that supports the framework of the vessel and sometimes extends downward to increase stability
Loom A machine that weaves yarn or thread into cloth
Lyre A string instrument resembling a small, u-shaped harp
Norseman Northman
Pantheon A religion that believes in a group of gods/more than one god
Prow The portion of the front of the ship that is above water
Runes Letters of an ancient Germanic alphabet
Stern The rearmost part of a ship or boat
Strake A continuous line of planking from the stem to the stern of the ship
Thing Local assemblies where all freemen could file complaints and voice opinions
Thrall A Viking slave

Famous Vikings

Erik the Red Viking explorer who discovered Greenland
Leif the Lucky Son of Erik the Red
Harald Bluetooth Viking king of Denmark (also namesake of Bluetooth technology)
Olaf Tryggvason Viking king of Norway
Sweyn Forkbeard Declared King of all England in 1013
Gunnar Hamundarson Icelandic chieftain

Also, we love the hands-on ideas for studying history over at Home School in the Woods.

They cover Vikings in their middle ages lapbook.

 

The BEST Viking Unit Study for Homeschooled Kids

The BEST Viking Unit Study for Homeschooled Kids. Your kids will love this mini unit study about Ancient Vikings. They are truly fierce people of the sea. Click here to grab this AWESOME Vikings Unit Study @ Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus

How to Create a Homeschool Unit Study – Step 2: Separation

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

If you’re wanting to homeschool out of the box, but are unnerved about the planning part of unit studies, you’ll want to start first with understanding the learning process.

How to create a homeschool unit study is done easily when you follow my mnemonic I-SIP.How to Create a Homeschool Unit Study - Step 2: SeparationI-SIP is something I created after I looked back and understood the 4 steps I followed regardless of whether unit studies are lengthy or quick.

The I-SIP steps are immersion, separation, individualization and personalization.

Homeschool Unit Studies: Moving From Immersion to Separation

In my first post on how a unit study unfolds, I shared points to identify the first step which is immersion. It is the one that can be most tempting to quit unit studies because you get totally immersed in an overwhelming amount of information.

Today, I’ll be sharing Step 2 which is separation and giving you tips on how to separate all the information or resources you’ve amassed. A lot of any good thing still needs to be spaced out and manageable in the best way to teach your kids.

At this point because you didn’t really limit subtopics, but explored them along with your kids, you now have an idea of the ideas or subtopics that interests your kids and which ones do not.

The length of time to stay in the  immersion or Step 1 varies for us with each unit study. When I first started doing unit studies, we would stay days or weeks on this step.

Looking back, I almost quit unit studies because I went overboard with the amount of information I tried to cram in.

So after doing unit studies for quite a few years, my most basic tip is that Step 1 shouldn’t last as long you may think. Whetting the appetite of your children is the goal and that can be anywhere from a few hours to a few days.

Delving into subtopics deeper is Step 3 – Investigation. Slicing and dicing material is what you’re doing in Step 2 – Separation.

5 Ways to Tame the Unit Study Information Beast

Also, this separation step is the first step which makes a unit study unique to your family.

Look at these 5 ways to tame the unit study information beast.

1)  Select subtopics that interests your kids and limit the subtopics.

This is an obvious because you want your kids engaged. Allowing them to pick some of the subtopics piques their interest and your kids understand that this is their education.

By allowing them to choose the subtopics or themes to your unit study you already have kids that are engaged.

Also, it’s at this step that you narrow the teaching points so that your kids learn instead of trying to cram in too much information.

Look at my FBI sample below where I limited the subtopics to about 8.

2) Select subtopics that you need to introduce to your kids or that meet your scope and sequence goals.

Here at this point is the hidden benefit of unit studies. Folded in with subtopics that pique your child’s interests are topics or teaching points you need or want to teach your kids.

For example, when we did our FBI Unit Study, I chose a subtopic Why Formed because I knew we needed to cover Russian history and world history.

My kids chose topics like espionage and radio wave learning and I added in some hands-on ideas like finger prints and invisible ink for a fun unit study.

The point is that covering world history was so much more engaging when we studied it in light of  my sons’ desire to learn about the FBI.

3) Plan for subtopics that build character or have lasting value for your family.

Also, every family is different, but at this point I also look for ways to make teaching points for character or for real-life learning.

Some unit studies like novels or literature may be easier to adapt to teach a moral or about the effects of making good or bad choices. Other topics like science unit studies may not be as natural to find a character point to teach.

4) Start planning for hands-on ideas or projects that fit your subtopics or themes.

From the subtopics that are coming to the surface that interest your family, you can start brainstorming easy projects or hands-on ideas to cement teaching points of each subtopic.

For example, in planning our Meso-America unit study we were going to learn about rubber. My youngest son was interested in games using the rubber made ball.

Some subtopics like nature may seem an easier fit for hands-on activities while a literature unit study may not be so apparent.

Just remember that you can add hands-on activities in as you move along in your unit study.

5) Include subtopics or ideas for both younger and older children.

What I really love about unit studies is that you can cover topics or ideas for your younger and older kids. Be sure to grab a mix of them. You can see how I do that below.

Including your kids in helping to plan is part of unit studies, but this step is one that is mostly for you.

Look at my planning page from my Ultimate Unit Study Planner.

Sample of how to plan FBI Homeschool Unit StudyMy unit study theme is in the center of my brain storming ideas.

Then look how I numbered the subtopics that emerged around that main theme.

Some subtopics like espionage my boys chose, but look how I folded in number 2 which is a U.S. Government study. This was a high school level unit study and we needed to focus on a deeper study of the U.S. Government.

The green line connecting the study of the U.S. Government to the 3 Branches of the U.S. Government shows how I broke down that topic for my younger son.

In addition, look at number 7 where I added in study themes for my older boys which are communism and understanding Russia.

Here are the subtopics that have emerged after I started planning the FBI unit study and after my sons had a day or two to see what piqued their interests.

  • J.Edgar Hoover
  • U.S. Government
  • Effects of World War I and World War II
  • Other Important People During the Forming of the FBI
  • World of 1908
  • Science behind Labs
  • Why Formed?
  • Espionage

As you can see, it ended up being a balance unit study plan.

I had history, geography, and science as subjects that could easily be covered in a natural way without a forced fit.

Planning is that easy. Now, it’s time to move on to the next step which is personalization.

Does this mnemonic help you to remember how to start off planning a unit study?How to Create a Homeschool Unit Study Step 2: Immersion. If you're wanting to homeschool out of the box, but are unnerved about the planning part of unit studies, you'll want to start first with understanding the learning process. Look at tips on how to separate the overwhelming amount of information.Here are other tips, you’ll love.

Hugs and love you,

 

19 Delight Directed Interest-Led Homeschool Blogs To Follow

| 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

While pregnant with my first child, Mr. Senior 2013, I was inspired by an article that encouraged homeschoolers to avoid a bookish routine in favor of real-life learning. However, out of fear, public popularity, and because I thought delight directed interest-led homeschooling meant wild abandon of any worthwhile learning, I followed with strict allegiance a bookish routine.

Then, as my sons grew and our lack of real-life learning lagged, I made a scary leap to interest-led learning.

It was scary because I was comfortable in my Nazi teacher approach.

19 Delight Directed Interest-Led Homeschool Blogs To Follow. Interest-led learning is the fuel the sparks lifelong learning. Getting started can be intimidating.Understanding delight directed is imperative. Click here to follow these 19 delight directed interest-led homeschool blogs!

I never felt like a nature loving or craft loving mother which was my impression of interest-led homeschooling. Lame, I know.As my love for teaching grew and realizing that my sons were in an apprenticeship for life, my day to day teaching lacked real-life application.

Soon after, I switched to a unit study approach which is based on mastery of interest-led topics.

Interest-led learning is the fuel that sparks lifelong learning.

Let me back up first and try to capture a simple meaning of interest-led and delight directed learning.

Interest-led and delight directed for our family means using a child’s natural love of learning to pursue subjects that spark his love of learning. Not the other way around. Academic subjects are centered around a child’s passion and then they take on life.

Although public school touts mastery, the truth of it is just the opposite.

A child never explores any passion in depth but is expected to be a jack of all trades or skills. He ends up master of none.

My switch to an interest-led unit study approach reminds me of the quote from Greg Harris which is indelibly imprinted in my memory.

A delight directed study is like a wonderful fire in the mind of a student. It starts small, but as it grows, it begins to consume vast amounts of information until it bursts into a roaring blaze of insight, understanding and creativity. It takes on a life of its own.

It doesn’t mean that there is no discipline or schedule which I thrive in, but it means guidance by the parent. It’s not indulgent, but reactive.

After I switched to interest-led homeschooling using lapbooks as our projects, it has been one choice I’ve never regretted for a moment.

I do regret lingering around the bookish approach for the first 5 years of my journey. Hopefully, you won’t make my same mistake.

To help you make the leap to interest-led and delight directed homeschooling, I’ve rounded up 19 blogs that I follow and you should too which emphasize this approach.

I’ll let each one introduce herself and tell you a bit about her blog.

Delight Directed Homeschooling

►I’m Rachel, and I blog at You’ve Got This Math.

I believe that math should be fun and hands -on. You’ve Got This Math focuses on ways to build number and fraction sense with free printables.

►I’m Susan Evans, and I blog at Susan Evans I love unit studies, themed cakes and parties, skits, re-enactments, and anything hands-on!

►I celebrate the homeschool lifestyle and frequently talk about learning through travel and adventures at This Crazy Homeschool Life.

►Hello! Hola! 你好！My name is Eva. My blog, Eva Varga focus centers around middle school science, specifically hands-on activities, service learning experiences, and project based learning – Minecraft and philatelic exhibits.

Additionally, we strive to expand our understanding of the world through our own cultural heritage and the exploration of diverse cultures (language studies and global travel).

►Hey hey! My name is Amy & I blog at Rock Your Homeschool.

My unique slant is to use Dr. Seuss to teach a love of reading. Also, I use Life of Fred for math learning fun. My five boys & I use brain breaks to keep our homeschool moving.

►Hi! My name is Joan and I write at Unschool Rules.

My unique slant it that we have used movies, video games and life learning as the basis for our entire high-school curriculum for my now 17-year-old daughter, and have a college-accepted transcript to show for it!

►Hey, hey! I’m Tiffany and I blog at Homeschool Hideout.

We are lazy homeschoolers so we like to binge-watch educational shows on Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu. We can cover everything from science and history to problem solving, without ever leaving the couch!

►Hi! My name is Colleen. I write all about raising kids to be lifelong learners through interest-led, hands-on homeschooling and parenting with a heavy focus on science, the needs of gifted and twice-exceptional kiddos, and cultivating creativity in all kids.

You’ll find monthly themed book and game lists, Minecraft challenge calendars, and loads of hands-on experiments on Raising Lifelong Learners and conversations with parents on our podcast — launching January 15th.

►Hello! My name is Jenny and I blog at Faith and Good Works. Our homeschool uses free internet resources for unit studies.

►Hi, I’m Ginny, and I offer authentic, hands-on writing experiences to help parents create a culture of writers (and thinkers) at home.
I blog at Not So Formulaic.

►Hello, my name is Sheila, publisher of Brain Power Boys. 

My unique slant is that our site has a lot of hands-on learning projects geared specifically toward boys. We focus on things they like, such as LEGO, Minecraft, Star Wars and topics which include pirates, robots, dinosaurs, knights and more to help them learn reading, science, history, math and other subjects a fun and natural way.

►I’m Ashley, and I love creating thematic unit studies.

We use a variety of resources from fun hands-on activities and great literature to movies and media. My goal is to inspire a love of learning and enrich our studies in every subject from math and science to history and grammar! Please join me in The Homeschool Resource Room! 

►Hi, I’m Erin and I blog over at The Usual Mayhem.

We focus on learning using nature on our cornerstone but occasionally head off into rabbit trails for months at a time (like my son’s year long obsession with King Arthur).

You can find all sort of nature themed posts and other fun on my blog.

►Hi, I’m Sara and I blog at Embracing Destiny. We focus on delight directed, literature-rich (living books) studies in our homeschool.

I’ve created some free Interest Inventory printables to encourage others to follow their child’s interests to foster a lifelong love of learning. We enjoy hands-on creative projects like lapbooking, notebooking, and unit studies. You can find my Ultimate Guide to Delight Directed Homeschooling cornerstone post here.

How to Make Your Homeschool Specialized

►Hi I’m Tricia Hodges at Chalk Pastel. We are a multi-generational homeschooling family.

My mother, Nana, my children and I are passionate about helping all ages lose insecurities and realize that yes, indeed, you ARE an artist. We JUST use chalk pastels and paper. No long, intimidating art supply list. Build confidence, choose favorite subjects and have FUN. We show you how with video art lessons, Facebook Live lessons and so much more to choose from. It’s not just one more thing to do, it’s a great way to make what you are already doing MORE fun while growing a LOVE of art! Art really does complement and help all other subjects.

►This is Ticia here, and over at Adventures in Mommydom I have three unique learners that keep me on my toes.

To stay ahead we cook our way around the world (with mixed results), read book and see how horribly the movie messed up the book, and use LEGOs to recreate history lessons (as well as a few other things). It’s learning adventures at the speed of fun.

►Hi, I’m Cindy West from Our Journey Westward. Teaching creatively is a top priority to meet the needs of my unique children and that’s exactly what I write about on the blog.

Active children excel through nature-based science activities . Reluctant writers blossom with picture book lessons. Struggling learners and those with attention issues make giant leaps through brain training games. And those are just a few examples of the creative learning ideas you’ll find at Our Journey Westward!

►Hi! My name is Pat Fenner and I blog at Breakthrough Homeschooling where I encourage and equip homeschooling parents of teens to homeschool through high school.

I believe in using life-learning and interest-led studies as a basis for a high school curriculum, and am convinced that college isn’t the only path to a successful future!

Then of course, I would love for you to follow my blog! Click below!

Take your homeschool from mediocre to true mastery by following an interest-led approach.

19 Delight Directed Interest-Led Homeschool Blogs To Follow. Interest-led learning is the fuel the sparks lifelong learning. Getting started can be intimidating.Understanding delight directed is imperative. Click here to follow these 19 delight directed interest-led homeschool blogs!

You’ll never teach your child everything he needs to know before he graduates, but you’ll teach him how to find out anything he wants to.

I know you’ll love these other super helpful tips!

Hugs and love ya,

What You Must Know to Teach High School Unit Studies

| 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Until my sons reached high school, I didn’t know if my unit study approach would meld with tracking credits and courses. Check out my how to homeschool high school page for awesome tips.

Also, there didn’t really seem an abundance of prepared high school unit studies.

Between determining if unit studies were a good fit for high school and understanding record keeping, it was a lot to wrap my mind around.

Until my sons reached high school, I didn't know if my unit study approach would meld with tracking credits and courses. Also, there didn't really seem an abundance of prepared high school unit studies. Click here to read these 3 must know tips!

Sorting out myths from truth, I hope these 3 tips will help you to easily homeschool high school with unit studies. Or at least give you a beginning place.

3 Tips for Teaching High School Unit Studies

ONE/ Understand first that high school is just a continuation of the lowers grades – really!

Yes, it’s true that you’ll need to track credits and courses, but before stressing out about them, plan high school subjects like you’ve done in the lower grades.

That’s right. Begin with what you know.

In my article How to Choose the BEST Homeschool Lesson Planning Pages for THIS Year, I not only give you tips on how to do that, but each lesson plan form lists subjects by general categories; math, language arts, science, history and electives are the framework of well-rounded out high school courses.

It’s not hard to plan when you understand that you’re covering the same basic subjects albeit in more depth analyzing views instead of just a question answer format like your child did in younger grades.

TWO/ Look for resources which teach 2:1 or two-fer resources.

A two-fer resource is another secret tip to homeschooling teens.

Using a resource which teaches two subjects is vital when your child enters high school.

You don’t want your time wasted and neither do teens.

More important though is the reason that unit studies rocked in the younger grades is the same reason which holds true for high school.

Learning makes more sense when subjects are tied together instead of studied as separate subjects. Additionally, unit studies have always been a research-based approach.

This is a skill which is needed on into adulthood.

Living Books for Unit Studies

Resist giving up your unit study approach because it may require a bit more time to put together.

Sure, it’s easy to assign a text book and move on, but you and I know that high school is just hard sometimes. It’s a challenge to plan but still doable.

Begin again with something you know. Look at these things you may already know how and are doing with your kids in the younger grades.

  • Reading history living books and having your child choose writing topics based on history.
  • Reading science living books and choosing writing topics based on science.
  • Reading math living books and having your child choose writing topics based on math.

Now that you understand that high school courses fall into general categories and understand to look for two-fer resources, here are some examples of how to put it together.

We love the book Undaunted Courage.

Just a side note here.

When I look at a book which can serve as a springboard for high school unit studies, I note 3 things:

  • that it’s a living book,
  • that it’s high school level so that I can legally note on my high school transcript that it’s a high school level resource,
  • and I mull over how hard it will be to add external resources to enrich the study.

Not only is your teen covering part of his credit toward history when reading Undaunted Courage , but he is covering credits for literature too. Writing is part of a literature credit.

So your teen is covering 2–3 subjects at once depending on what credits you’ve lined out for the year.

Because covering literature in high school means more than just reading, you’ll want to have a variety of resources for analyzing literature and for guiding your teen how to write well.

A literature-based unit study which has a history setting has been the easiest to start off with at the high school level.

For example, I find it a challenge to round out a history book with literature analysis than a great book suited for literature analysis.

How to Put Together High School Unit Studies

It’s been easier to add history and science of a time period to a great read.

One super helpful resource we only discovered this year and that is the Thrift Study Editions by Dover. 

Not only are the books for high school level, but each one comes with a study guide in the back. 

For example, while reading A Tale of Two Cities, we studied about the culture of France and England and learned about the issues of the French Revolution.

With a resource like that, doing unit studies are a cinch at the high school level. This brings me to the third point you want to know.

THREE/ Fill your teacher nook with specialized how-two books for you and your teen.

Tackling how to teach a subject with out a curriculum can be daunting, but you can go from research to reward if you choose specialized teaching books.

Here are a few of my favorite resources. You don’t need all of them, but I’ve used them at one time or another to round out our unit studies.

Literature Unit Studies

  • The Design-A-Study series are timeless. This series of books about science, history, and composition gives an overview of what to cover in each grade.  Instead of giving you subjects, it’s helpful because it gives you the big picture of what your child needs to know from K-12. A resource like this is especially helpful if you want to cover a skill or topic that your highschooler may have struggled with in the earlier grades.
  • Warriner’s English Complete Course. This set of books have been around for years and helps to hone writing. Christine Miller of Classical Christian said, “This excellent reference can be used throughout all three years of the dialectic to teach writing. It thoroughly covers grammar in detail, which provides a nice review for those children that need it, or for those children that missed some grammar instruction in the grammar stage. It also covers writing in detail, with a complete section on writing mechanics, usage, writing correct and clear sentences, paragraphs, and papers, the research paper, using references, and even public speaking.” Read the rest of her review here. Before we started using Rod and Staff high school levels, we used Warriner’s. Rod and Staff’s Communicating Effectively I liked one year because I felt like it was more streamlined. It helps to.understand that I used Rod and Staff in the younger grades and their grammar is very rigorous and by 8th grade formal grammar is completed. When you click the link above you can see the sample of their English and what is covered in the high school years.
  • Home Learning Year by Year: How to Design a Homeschool Curriculum from Preschool Through High School. Don’t get overwhelmed by this book. There is no need to have to read all of it. Focus only on the grade level for this year. Having a handy reference like this will guide you to subjects for each grade.

In an upcoming post, I’ll show you how I plan credits now that you can see how easy it is to satisfy two to three subjects using carefully selected resources.

What You Must Know to Teach High School Unit Studies. Click here to grab the tips!

Also, check out Diving into Homeschool Unit Studies: The Dos and Don’ts and 10 Days of Diving Into Unit Studies by Creating a Unit Study Together and Homeschool High School–How to Log Hours for High School.

Hugs and love ya,