1.) Check what you already have.
2.) Choose a spine. An in depth resource book that goes over the basics you want to cover.
3.) Look for supplemental books, videos, activities.
4.) Make a timeline of what you want to do when. It doesn't have to be planned down to the exact date and page numbers, but something general like "Read _____ books during _____ week."
Unit studies can be short or long. They can be as short as one or two days and as long as three months or even a year.
As you plan your unit study:
1.) Start by asking the child what questions they want answers to within the topic at hand. Write them down and when you find the answers during your study, record them in a notebook.
2.) Decide how much time you want to dedicate to the unit study and choose resources accordingly. It can be easy to go overboard. Remember you can always come back to the topic in the future and add on to what has already been learned.3.) Make a list of library books for your unit study topic.
4.) Make a list of videos with links.
5.) Make a list of books.
6.) Make a list of projects and supplies.
7.) Make a shopping list of resources you'll need to purchase before starting.
Ways to show your work in a unit study:
1.) Photo's and scan's of art and projects.
2.) Keep a journal of questions asked and answers found.
3.) Make a relevant map or graph.
4.) Do some creative writing. A poem, a story, to do with the topic.
5.) Create a blog portfolio and blog about the topic (include photo's, website links, book and video links, original writing, etc.)
6.) Go on a field trip and scrapbook it.
7.) Interview an expert in the field of chosen topic.
8.) Clip news reports in a scrapbook.
9.) Make a skit and record it.
10.) Create a diorama.
Ideas for unit studies:
1.) All About Me
2.) My Community
3.) Weather
4.) Seasons - Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer.
5.) Christmas Around the World
6.) A composer
7.) An artist
8.) Historical Heroes
9.) Dance
10.) Character Development
11.) Kids in the Kitchen - learning to cook, menu planning, grocery shopping, etc
12.) Specific Animals
13.) Deserts
14.) Oceans
15.) Freshwater Biomes
16.) Rainforest
17.) Temperate Forest
18.) Arctic / Tundra
19.) Botany
20.) Food Chains
21.) The Human Body / Anatomy
22.) Insects
23.) Mammals
24.) Microorganisms
25.) Technological Advances Over Time
26.) Ancient Civilizations
27.) Middle Ages
28.) Native Americans
29.) Prehistory
30.) Church History
31.) World Religions
32.) Nutrition
33.) Physical Fitness
34.) Sports
35.) Health & Safety
36.) Disaster Preparedness
37.) Study Geography and Culture of specific countries
38.) "Little House on the Prairie"
39.) U.S. Presidents
40.) Canadian Prime Ministers
41.) Government & Elections
42.) Economics
43.) Finances for Kids
44.) Personal Development (basically Character Development, but for teens)
45.) College & Careers
46.) Volcanoes
47.) Caves
48.) Birds & Eggs
49.) Castles
50.) Endangered Species
51.) Fairy Tales
52.) Families
53.) Farms
54.) Feelings
55.) Fire Safety
56.) Gardening
57.) Names of God
58.) Homes: around the world, long ago and today.
59.) Animal Homes
60.) Inventors
61.) The Mail / Post Office
62.) The Orchestra
63.) Olympics
64.) Photography
65.) Introduction to Art History
66.) Poetry
67.) Transportation
68.) World Poverty
69.) Anne of Green Gables
70.) Archaeology
71.) Aviation
72.) Black History Month
73.) Aesop's Fables
74.) Electricity
75.) The Five Senses
76.) History of the Monarchy
77.) Forces and Motion
78.) George Washington Carver
79.) Leonardo Da Vinci
80.) Galileo
81.) Marie Curie
82.) Pasteur
83.) Terry Fox
84.) The Holocaust
85.) Folk Tales from Around the World
86.) Life Cycles
87.) Light and Optics
88.) Mapping
89.) Properties of Matter
90.) The Periodic Table
91.) The Pilgrims
92.) Simple Machines
93.) The Stock Market
94.) The Tabernacle
95.) Vertebrates
96.) Water
97.) The Wetlands
98.) Famous Wars
99.) The Solar System
100.) Stars, Constellations.
101.) Literature Units based on a specific story book or novel.
