by Melanie Skelton
Unit Studies are a fun way to present various educational topics to your children. You can focus on anything from chocolate to Robin Hood. Each subject from spelling to math to history can be included in a Unit Study. But how do you organize Unit Studies to feel like you are covering all the bases? One way to be sure you are helping your children get a well rounded education is to plan your Unit Studies based on a four-year rotation.
Most four-year rotation plans are based on the chronological study of history, adding science, literature, art and math into the rotation. For instance, if you were studying Ancient History following Becca Evenson’s Four-year Rotation, you would choose botany, human anatomy and zoology as your science. For math your studies might include Roman numerals, Arabic numbers and using an abacus. Ancient architecture and clay sculpture would be your focus for Art and you would read about the Trojan Horse, Greek Mythology and more. If you wanted to use Unit Studies to study these things you might break them down based on what you know you are studying in your rotation. For instance, one of your units might be about plants. This unit could be planned for the spring and follow units on the Ancient Romans, Mummies, Aesop and more.
To plan this study of plants you would consider the following.
Vocabulary or spelling words that are related to plants. Such words as root, petal, stamen, photosynthesis and chlorophyll may fit your child’s list depending on their level.
For the actual science part of your study you may draw and label the parts of the plant or the plant cell. Growing your own flowers or vegetables and caring for them is the other obvious thing to do with this Unit Study. Perhaps you would read about Johnny Appleseed or enjoy “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
History might include learning about Carl Linnaeus who established the initial taxonomy system of classifying plants and animals. You might also learn about Jan Ingenhousz who showed the importance of light in the process of photosynthesis.
Taking regular measurements that show the growth of your plants and then learning to chart that information will be a great math exercise.
For geography you might study a map of the United States and learn which plants grow well in which states. Another fun activity would be to learn about the production of tulips in a little country called the Netherlands.
Modern events fit well into this study. Discuss the current events concerning the production of grains. Learn about ethanol, how it is produced and the controversy of the use of this crop. Learn about the worldwide shortage of grains and how droughts and floods are affecting this shortage.
These are a few ideas. Customizing this topic to the levels and interests of your family might lead you in interesting directions. You might study specific foods like cocoa beans, where and how they grow and the process they go through to get to us. Pulling pollination into your plan may lead you to study the reason why corn must be planted in rows to be effective in pollinating. You may learn about chemicals pesticides, how they work, including the benefits and the concerns. Studying pictures of the fields of grain in Kansas will bring new understanding to the words “amber waves of grain” in our national anthem. In other words, the possibilities are endless. You have the freedom to explore many facets with your children. You will know you have a basic plan and will cover all the bases while you enjoy discovering the mysteries of your current topic.
Unit Studies are a fun way to present various educational topics to your children. You can focus on anything from chocolate to Robin Hood. Each subject from spelling to math to history can be included in a Unit Study. But how do you organize Unit Studies to feel like you are covering all the bases? One way to be sure you are helping your children get a well rounded education is to plan your Unit Studies based on a four-year rotation.
Most four-year rotation plans are based on the chronological study of history, adding science, literature, art and math into the rotation. For instance, if you were studying Ancient History following Becca Evenson’s Four-year Rotation, you would choose botany, human anatomy and zoology as your science. For math your studies might include Roman numerals, Arabic numbers and using an abacus. Ancient architecture and clay sculpture would be your focus for Art and you would read about the Trojan Horse, Greek Mythology and more. If you wanted to use Unit Studies to study these things you might break them down based on what you know you are studying in your rotation. For instance, one of your units might be about plants. This unit could be planned for the spring and follow units on the Ancient Romans, Mummies, Aesop and more.
To plan this study of plants you would consider the following.
Vocabulary or spelling words that are related to plants. Such words as root, petal, stamen, photosynthesis and chlorophyll may fit your child’s list depending on their level.
For the actual science part of your study you may draw and label the parts of the plant or the plant cell. Growing your own flowers or vegetables and caring for them is the other obvious thing to do with this Unit Study. Perhaps you would read about Johnny Appleseed or enjoy “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
History might include learning about Carl Linnaeus who established the initial taxonomy system of classifying plants and animals. You might also learn about Jan Ingenhousz who showed the importance of light in the process of photosynthesis.
Taking regular measurements that show the growth of your plants and then learning to chart that information will be a great math exercise.
For geography you might study a map of the United States and learn which plants grow well in which states. Another fun activity would be to learn about the production of tulips in a little country called the Netherlands.
Modern events fit well into this study. Discuss the current events concerning the production of grains. Learn about ethanol, how it is produced and the controversy of the use of this crop. Learn about the worldwide shortage of grains and how droughts and floods are affecting this shortage.
These are a few ideas. Customizing this topic to the levels and interests of your family might lead you in interesting directions. You might study specific foods like cocoa beans, where and how they grow and the process they go through to get to us. Pulling pollination into your plan may lead you to study the reason why corn must be planted in rows to be effective in pollinating. You may learn about chemicals pesticides, how they work, including the benefits and the concerns. Studying pictures of the fields of grain in Kansas will bring new understanding to the words “amber waves of grain” in our national anthem. In other words, the possibilities are endless. You have the freedom to explore many facets with your children. You will know you have a basic plan and will cover all the bases while you enjoy discovering the mysteries of your current topic.
Melanie Skelton has educated her six children at home for eight years. She is the co-founder of Utah Families Teaching at Home and assists in teaching workshops to empower and help home educators. She is the web designer for the website, found at http: http://www.utahfamilies.net/ and is in the process of co-authoring a book about home education. This book will help home educators better understand learning styles, personality styles and levels of learning. It will teach the reader how to apply this information to their home school and plan out a curriculum that will meet the needs of their children.
