Posted by Cindy on July 12, 2010
I love planning and preparing for a new year! And that’s one of the things I’ve been doing on our lazy (yeah, right!) days of summer break. After much consideration, here’s the plan – but it comes with pinkies crossed.
Mahayla – 8th Grade
We’re jumping to Algebra 1 a little early. I have Algebra 1/2 we can fall back on if this gets too tough.
Logic is a very important subject to me! We’ll get an introduction to formal logic along with continuing logic puzzlers this year.
Our history program below will cover plenty of research & factual types of writing – this will fill in the creative writing gap.
I know the language arts section looks pretty slim. We’re taking a break from grammar this year, while our history program will include tons of reading, writing and drama.
Other:
Caleb – 5th Grade
Saxon – not much more to say!
Both of these are logic puzzlers – and fun!
This is a new-to-me curriculum this year and I’m in love!
I’m beginning with All About Spelling to reinforce some basic phonics rules, then we’ll jump into Spelling Workout.
Caleb worked through much of this last year. We have about 1/3 of the book to go, then we’ll just use Spelling Workout as handwriting practice.
Other:
- High-interest, often history-related books for reading
- Living math lessons
- NimbleFingers.com for typing
Together
This is an amazing curriculum!!! It will cover Bible, history, language arts, science, art, music, drama, and so much more! I *think* most of our art and music studies this year will come only from this study. (Gasp!) If I feel like we aren’t diving into art and music enough, I’ll supplement.
Another gasp! I’m using a full-blown traditional textbook for science this year! What?? Let’s just say I’m giving this type of learning a shot this year. If it works, awesome – I won’t have to keep planning my own lessons! If it doesn’t work, no biggie – we’ll keep on keepin’ on the way we always have. Caleb will be following along with us on many of these lessons, but I have separate reading and activity plans (following the same subject) on the days when this is information overload.
Well, of course! A nature study author can’t leave out nature study!
I’m trying a new, informal approach to foreign language this year. We’re using this program for 5-10 minutes a couple times a week as a fun game/flashcard drill time.
Other:
- Occasional Bible & devotional studies to accompany our Old Testament history program
- Games – board, card & online – for many subjects
Eli – Early PK
We’re going to have a fun time learning the alphabet this year with one letter per week as a theme. I have each letter planned with fun crafts, activities, experiments and such that will make Eli beg for “school”.
It’s a do-it-yourself curriculum with hodgepodge ideas from every corner of the internet and my brain, so I can’t give you a specific link. You can check out my preschool links, though, to find many of the sites I visited when planning. A few of the major items I’ll be pulling from include:
I’ll post a tentative weekly schedule before long.
Posted by Cindy on December 28, 2009
It’s been well over a year since I posted anything about the nitty-gritty planning of my unit studies. I’ve had several email questions lately wondering how I plan, so I thought it might be time for a new post on the subject.
The emails I’ve received have all been similar in the basic four questions I tend to be asked.
- How do you choose what you study each year?
- How do you plan your units?
- Is there any sort of curriculum you follow?
- How do you not overload?
I’ll take a few minutes to try to answer these questions in a way that makes sense. (Planning is a very personal thing, so I have a hard time articulating how I plan sometimes.)
How do you choose what to study each year?
Our unit studies typically revolve around history and science. Although I consider myself a Charlotte Mason style homeschooler, I follow the Classical model of a four-year cycle in the areas of history and science. Basically, that means every four years we will be covering similar topics with the depth of understanding and expectations growing each time around. Here’s the plan I’ve followed from the beginning:
- Year 1 – Ancient History / Biology
- Year 2 – Medieval History / Earth & Space Sciences
- Year 3 – Early American History / Chemistry
- Year 4 – Modern American History / Physics
Of course, I don’t limit myself to only doing these units or studies each year. I do make sure each of these are covered in their appropriate year, though. I also include nature study (biology) each and every year.
I used to follow The Well-Trained Mind’s
plan of history three days a week and science two. For me, this seemed to drag each study out way too long. I opted to create my own units to cover the history and science concepts in blocks of time and I haven’t turned back. (With the exception of chemistry last year. We did chemistry a couple times a week while history units were done in chunks of time.)
My children and I really like delving into a particular history or science subject. We’re able to check out all sorts of library books, books on tape and videos that go with the theme. We’re able to include whatever math, language arts or other subjects that might fit with the unit. We don’t have to stop learning about something just because we’ve already done history three times in the week. And, we’re able to end the unit and move onto something else when we’ve soaked in all we can handle.
How do you plan your units?
I always start by gathering information and supplies. For instance, if I’m going to do a unit on Slavery in America, I’ll start by going through all my files, curriculum guides and bookshelves to see what I already have by way of ideas and resources. Oh, and I’ll also check my computer files for e-books and other resources I’ve stashed away.
I think I need to stop here and remind you that I keep fairly organized files, shelves and computer files, so the initial gathering of materials doesn’t take long at all. All my resource books for history are placed in chronological order on a bookshelf. I also keep file folders on various topics. As I come across a great idea that I don’t want to forget, I copy it or tear it out from a magazine and file it in the appropriate folder. You can get a glimpse of my file cabinet here. I also keep history related literature together on a bookshelf so they are easy to find as well. And, I suppose you might like to know that I have a folder on my computer for each academic area, so I can stash e-books in an organized way.
If I don’t have many resources on my shelves already, I’ll go to the internet next and type in searches for free units based on the topic I’m planning. This will usually lead me to more information than I care to have, so I limit internet searching as much as possible. From my resources, I start a list of important topics I feel need to be covered. I simply jot them down in a notebook. As I make topic notes, I’ll also jot down great activity ideas or literature suggestions I run across from the resources.
All of this eventually fleshes out into a full unit! I NEVER get to all the activities that are jotted down in the initial planning. As the unit progresses, I pick and choose what will work best based on how my children are responding to the study.
I might note here that during the planning stage, I almost always pick out one or two pieces of living literature for my children to read during the unit. Plus one or two that I will read aloud and/or we’ll listen to on tape/CD. All of our units rely heavily on living literature!
Either as I’m planning the unit or as we come to the end of it, I’ll be thinking about final projects. You can read more about our projects here.
(I know this seems confusing. I’m trying to write it clearly, but it would be so much easier for me to have you over for some tea and cookies and just show you this process. It really isn’t as hard as it looks!)
Is there any sort of curriculum you follow?
When we’re talking about unit studies, the answer is yes and no. If I come across a really great curriculum guide or library book with most of my topics covered, I’ll often make that my “spine”. In other words, I will use that book for the majority of our studies, but I never hesitate to add or take away from that book. An example of this would be using a prepared lapbook unit. That lapbook unit will provide much of the material for our unit. If I come across a hands-on idea that seems like it will help the children understand something better than the particular lapbook activity, I’ll ditch the lapbook activity and do the hands-on idea instead.
I have used in the past, and probably will use in the future, some really good curriculum for my unit studies. I just rarely use them “as is”. In other words, I use them in ways that meet our family’s needs rather than how I’m “supposed” to. Some examples of great unit study type curriculum would be Story of the World, Mystery of History, prepared lapbooks from any company, Apologia Elementary Science, Considering God’s Creation, Diana Waring elementary materials, and Beautiful Feet units. I’ve never used any of these “as is”, but they have each been great “spines” at one time or another.
How do you not overload?
Well, this question could actually have two meanings: How do I not overload myself as I go about planning and preparing units? AND How do I make sure not to overload my children with the unit?
1. How do I not overload myself as I go about planning and preparing units? I’ve been doing this a long time. In the beginning, I did overload myself. I spent WAY too much time planning, preparing, scouring the internet, searching the library, etc. Overplanning will burn you out on preparing your own units faster than anything else!
My best tips are:
- Don’t plan too many units per year. (I only plan approximately six per year.)
- Use a good spine like a prepared hands-on curriculum and tweak it to fit your needs.
- Don’t try to pull in too many resources for ideas.
- Try to get as much planning done as possible during school breaks. (I get the basic planning done for all units over summer break.)
- Don’t try to teach everything about a subject and don’t try to do every wonderful activity you come across.
- Keep units shorter, rather than dragging them out too long.
2. How do I make sure not to overload my children with a unit? Oh, I have! And, believe me, I knew it! When you’ve planned too much or the unit has gone far too long, your children will not hesitate to let you know they’re tired of the subject. 
I’ve tried to keep my units shorter and save project time for the rabbit trails that interest my children most. This way they get the basics, while delving deeper into parts of the unit that are most meaningful to them. We all win that way!
Please feel free to ask questions! I’m sure I haven’t covered everything.
Update: You can find answers to several questions from this post by visiting Unit Study Questions Answered.
Posted by Cindy on August 6, 2009
I’ve told you before we do our studies all over the place. How’s the pop-up camper for a school room? This is where the kids decided to do some of their school work on our first day back this Monday. Looks pretty comfy, huh?
Posted by Cindy on July 27, 2009
After a nice LONG summer break, we’re starting back for the 2009-10 school year next week! I can’t believe I’ll be teaching 7th and 4th grades this year – and we can’t forget the 2 1/2 year old who will continue to wreak havoc daily!
Here’s the basic daily plan – which hasn’t changed much from last year:
- Dressed/Bedroom Chores
- Breakfast/Bible
- Daily Chores
- Math
- Language Arts
- Unit Study
- Free Time for outdoors/handicrafts/hobbies
- Reading Break
Curriculum plans are (as always) subject to change, but here’s the projected list. Remember, I never teach from all these materials everyday, or even every week for that matter. These are just resources that we’ll use at some point or another.
7th Grade
Math/Logic
Language Arts
4th Grade
Math/Logic
Language Arts
Bible/Devotions
- Bible Topics – Daniel, Jonah, Ruth, Romans, Psalms, Proverbs
- Possible Bible/Character/Devotion Missionary Studies include:
How to Study Your Bible for Kids
Journeys of Faithfulness: Stories for the Heart for Faithful Girls
The Squire and the Scroll
with Life Lessons from the Squire and the Scroll
Princess & the Kiss: A Story of God’s Gift of Purity
with Life Lessons from the Princess and the Kiss
Beautiful Girlhood
Bible Games Packet that reinforces books of the Bible, divisions of the Bible, Bible research skills and more. I bought this at a Bible outlet store that was going out of business a few years ago. The game boards and pieces are all just paper tear-outs. Since I’ve already prepared all the games, I can’t find the title of the product anywhere. It was originally published by Standard Publishing, but I’ve had no luck finding it on their site either. It’s a wonderful resource! If I find out the title and it’s still available anywhere, I’ll be sure to post it.
Bruchko
George Muller: The Guardian of Bristol’s Orphans
Bartholomew’s Passage: A Family Story for Advent
Hero Tales, vol. 1: A Family Treasury of True Stories from the Lives of Christian Heroes
Unit Studies
This is the fourth year in our four-year history/science cycle. We will be working on modern history and physics. I’ll post plans as each unit comes along. For now, here are the tentative unit lists.
History/Geography
- US Geography
- Statue of Liberty and Other National Monuments
- US Government
- US Presidents
- Inventors
- 1900-2010 History – This will be our biggest unit!
- World Geography
Science
- Energy – Heat & Electricity
- Light, Color & Sound
- Magnets
- Simple Machines and Work
Nature Study
We’ll use various ideas from the NaturExplorer units once (or more) a week. I’ll be posting many of those ideas here and at Shining Dawn Books.
Artist and Composer Study
August – Cezanne, Chopin
September – Rousseau, Vivaldi
October – Rodin, Gershwin
November – Gauguin, Ellington
January – Toulouse-Lautrec, Schubert
February – Seurat, Berloiz
March – Russell, Schumann
April – Matisee, Brahms
May – Kandinsky, Stravinsky
I’ll be sure to post lots about our daily lessons and happenings through the school year! Have a super 2009-10!
(You can find our current studies along with the resources I’m using in the sidebars.)
Posted by Cindy on August 22, 2008
One week down, 35 to go!
On the first day (as has been her custom since she was a Kindergartener) Mahayla dressed up.
Caleb chose the opposite attire for his first day back.
And Eli….Well, I think this sums up what we can expect from him this year.
