How to Create a Homeschool Unit Study

Study units allow a child to view life as a whole picture instead of memorizing names or dates. They can also provide you with a curriculum that varies, and utilize all parts of education from research, investigation, deductive reasoning to proper grammar and sentence structure, art, history, even math computations and physical education. This collage of information increases attention span and retention. The best advantage of unit studies is that it sparks the greatest fire of learning--motivation. Read on to learn how to create a homeschool unit study.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Choose the subject matter. Look at your children's interests. Write a list of favorite subjects and jot down any notes that come to mind about these subjects. Invite your child to participate in the planning stage. Many times, they will give you all the information you need to make a choice.
2. Choose the references. Organizing a unit from scratch can sound intimidating, but keeping it simple can make it fun and educational for both of you! Make up a list of goals and resources, rent books from the library or use Internet resources. Another advantage of this system is that you can spend as much or as little money as you wish, which works well for homeschool families who are working on a one-income budget. There are a great many low cost or free resources. If you aren't sure what subjects to choose, you can check the Standards Of Learning, which can be obtained from your local school district. If you're still at a loss, don't worry, there are many unit studies available at bookstores and online that have a complete unit, packaged and ready for you to start!
3. Make a timeline. Although unit learning is a bit free-form, you must keep your objectives in mind. A good length for a study unit is two to three weeks. Anything longer than three weeks is too much material--you should stop and narrow your focus. If you're interested in a large subject, break it into several smaller units. This takes planning time at the beginning, but it will be well worth it when you see your child discussing the effects of D-Day with their grandparents!
4. Organize your unit. You can plan your unit as structured or unstructured as you wish. Because you can plan it toward your child's learning level, you can teach a unit to multiple ages at the same time. Make sure to mark or highlight what you consider the most important points to learn. Have your children brainstorm with you and plan activities to enhance your study, such as museums, national parks, nature trails, local fine art centers, plays and musicals.