Unit Study: Rainforest

We officially finished our unit study on the subject of the rain forest last week.  We learned about several different animals that live in the rain forest, which allowed us to talk about vocabulary words such as mammals, nocturnal, reptiles and other variations in the animal kingdom.  We also listened to some of the sounds of the rainforest, and the children drew pictures of the animals that might make the sounds we heard.  We also studied the aquatic life in the Amazon River, and had the opportunity to visit the Newport Aquarium to see some of these creatures first hand.  It was a fantastic learning experience.

As we closed out this unit study, we had an open discussion about the way humans impact the environment.  This conversation allowed M8 and M6 the opportunity to discover on their own how our hometown is different from the rainforest in terms of nature, wildlife, and humans.  They previously watched two documentaries on the rainforest, which gave them a pretty good picture of what life there is like.  When they compared life there to our life in Kentucky, they noticed that we have less, trees, less animals, more people, more trash, more cars, and more buildings.  From there, we discussed how Lexington, KY is different from Manchester, KY (where their grandparents live), and found many of the same differences.  It was a very interesting conversation, and one that helped them to make a connection between a subject we are studying in school and our own day-to-day life.

Also during our last week, we discussed where on earth rainforests are found, and how their weather is different from our weather in Kentucky.  This led us into our final unit study of our school year, which is centered around Spring/Gardening.  

Dealing with Plagiarism

***Update***  M8 wrote a new story, with which we were both very pleased. She did wonder how she would know if someone else had written a story just like hers that she hadn't heard yet. :)

We had our first bout with plagiarism yesterday.  I assigned M8 to make up a story about the jungle, the unit study we will begin next week, to post on her blog.  She loves to write and usually whips out a creative story in just a few minutes. 45 minutes later she brings the laptop to me with lines and lines of a creative, yet funny, story.  While I read it aloud (per M6's request), he informed me that they had actually heard that story on a video earlier in the week.  M8 insisted that it wasn't the same, that she had changed some things. And the lesson-learning began.

How to handle plagiarism?  Plagiarism in its simplest form is stealing.  Taking the words or ideas of another person and pretending that they are yours.  The ten commandments and the laws of this country forbid stealing.  Although M8 had no idea that (1) she had stolen anything, or (2) that there was a big fancy word for pretending that she came up with a story that someone else had created, she learned that she is still responsible to uphold these laws.

Needless to say, after a moment of fear and a few tears, a great lesson was learned.  Today we will attempt the creative writing exercise again, and hope for much better results.

Space Unit: Sun, Planets, Moons, and Stars

We are now doing a unit about space in our homeschool.  We began this unit by learning about the sun, we will learn about each planets and their moons, and end by learning some of the constellations.  M6 chose this unit during the summer, when I asked each of them to choose one thing they would like to learn about this school year.

While studying this unit, we will learn when each subject was created by God in the seven days of creation, several facts about each of them, and will take a trip to the planetarium in Richmond, KY for a first-hand view of our solar system. We are also making a lapbook to go along with this unit, and have already made a petal book with facts about the sun.

M8 and M6 love making lapbooks, and because it is their own work, can remember the things we've learned much easier than if I were to just quiz them about the unit.  In addition to the space unit, M8 is learning compound verbs, several tenses of verbs, as well as helping verbs.  She is also learning to carry and borrow three-digit numbers, and her 1s and 0s multiplication facts. M6 is now reading (!) and is enjoying this new-found independence.  He is also learning to count by fives and tens, count money, and to tell time.

Unit Study: I and Indiana

M6's 'Explode the Code' books are still working our wonderfully.  He is learning the last of the alphabet, which are the vowels, only has three more vowels to go!  He has begun reading, spelling, and sounding out words.  His spelling tests will change next week from writing down the letters I name, to actual words that he has learned to spell.  What an accomplishment!  This week he is learning the letter 'I'.

So, while M8 is off on a trip to the beach with her grandparents, M6 and I are doing a 'mini-unit' on the state of Indiana.  Because I have relatives in Indianapolis, we are traveling there for a few days.  M6 will learn many facts about the state, and we will visit several places that he learns about.  I've made him a notebook which includes printables of the state flower, tree, flag, and bird, as well as facts that we will discuss throughout our stay.  We plan to visit the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as well as the Eagle Creek Park and the Earth Discover Center which is found there.

As Maya's trip was a spontaneous one, our trip is as well.  I'm hopeful that we will find more things to do once we get there and talk with our relatives.  M6 is taking along his math workbook and his Explode the Code book, so he will be one full week ahead of M8.  Wonder how long it will take her to catch up?  :)

Have a great week!

Reading, Writing, and Field Trips

We've entered the month of October and have officially begun the Book It! program.  M8 will be reading chapter books and writing about one of the them per month.  She has 'starters' to choose from for each book, and her writings will be posted on her blog.  I will read specific books to M6, and he will draw pictures about them, create a model, or tell me the answers to questions I have prepared for each book.

We have also changed the way M8 practices her spelling words.  Instead of just writing each word several times, she uses them in sentences or stories at least two days per week.  This takes the place of her 'grammar' on those days.

M6 has begun reading and writing words! I had no idea how long it would take to reach this goal, but am shocked that it happened in our eighth week of school!  His determination to be able to read like M8 has been the deciding factor in hitting this milestone.

We took a field trip last week to the Creation Museum, which was a huge success for all the children.  As we have been talking in depth about God's creation in our study of Autumn, this was a great trip for them to visually learn about what we've discussed.  M6 particularly enjoyed the planetarium, the dinosaurs, and the film about dragons.  M8 was fascinated by the depiction of Noah and the ark.  We are now looking forward to our first co-op meeting this week, and getting to know the families involved a little better.  What a busy life the homeschool family leads!

Unit Studies (General)

A Unit Study is an approach to learning in which the bulk of the school day revolves around studying one particular subject, and usually lasts between four and eight weeks.  This subject can be anything from the solar system to the human body, the rain forest to the desert, or an event that is happening right now.  This approach gives the teacher the option to study in-depth where there is a lot of interest, or just hit the high points when it is something that doesn't keep the children's interest or is very difficult to understand. As we are entering our second unit study, I have found several pros and cons for this approach.

 PROS:

• Concepts are better understood by children when the information is repeated, or revisited, then built upon on a daily basis
• Information is better understood and retained when it is discussed across the curriculum (Bible, math, history, science, etc.)
• Finding books about a particular subject encourages children to think creatively (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, etc.)
• The children know what to expect next, and look forward to what else they can learn about a subject
• The teacher has the freedom to see what events are taking place in the world or what her students are interested in, and teach the things that they are interested in learning, while still reaching pre-set goals for the school year
• The teacher can extend a study or follow a unforeseen path when there is a need or desire from the student
• Varying ages can learn together, though the expectations are not the same

CONS:

• There is a lot of homework to prepare to teach a unit study, organization is key
• It is still necessary to use textbooks in some subjects (spelling, grammar, etc.
• Information must be found in many different places (internet, textbooks, library, etc.
• It is difficult to plan in advance the many activities that a unit may require, so many options should be prepared

I have downloaded four of Amanda Bennett's unit studies, and have really enjoyed them. My children love making lap books, and they will have them to look back on in the future to refresh their memories of the things they learned. It also gives them a sense of accomplishment when they see their very own book! I've also gotten a lot of information ideas from KONOS, which is very detailed and filled with activities from across the curriculum.

So far, my children have enjoyed this approach and have really enjoyed learning so much about each subject. We've studied the five senses, and have begun studying the four seasons. Fall is upon us, and I have found that there is a vast amount of information to discover right under our noses! Although I planned this unit to take six weeks total, it appears that it will take eight. As long as there is interest and the desire to learn more, I am going to fill their minds with whatever we can find.

Unit Studies: The Four Seasons and The Five Senses

We are finishing up our unit about our five senses, and have begun our unit of the four seasons.  Our last sense to study was hearing, and we listened to Vivaldi's 'The Four Seasons' as well as took a nature walk to record what things we heard, and collected leaves along the way to make a bar graph at home. This was a great way to bring the two units together. It has been a great transition week, and the kids are still excited about learning.

To add to the excitement, we have planned our first "real" field trip to a nearby apple orchard/pumpkin patch at the end of this week.  We will collect more leaves (along with other homeschooling Moms, including Andrea over at ClippingMakesCents), pick out our pumpkins, go on a hay ride, and drink apple cider.  This will be a great introduction to fall, and we will begin studying it in detail on Monday of next week.

We have continued our study of explorers, and have learned about Lewis and Clark, Davy Crocket, and Daniel Boone.  I hope to continue this study, as well as hear more of the tall tales that go along with some of these men.  M5 has especially loved this side study in explorers, and M7 has really gotten into the tall tales.

A device that we have used quite a lot thus far is called a Playaway.  To describe it simply, it is a book on a mp3 player.  The mp3 player is about the size of a credit card, comes permanently attached to a lanyard that the child wears around his neck, and uses one AA battery.  All you have to provide are your own ear buds.  You can check these out from your local library.  There are many choices available in both children and adult sections.  The children version will either be several picture books on the player, or one chapter book on the player.  I try to find the books included on each mp3 player so that they can read along.

As we say goodbye to summer and hello to fall, I have begun looking for activities to enroll the children in to have an outlet for their energy.  I pray for the Lord's guidance as we search for what is best for each of them.

First Weeks of School

We are now entering our third week of school.  To answer your question of whether our first year is off to a good start, I would give a resounding, "Yes!"  It wasn't easy learning to teach to our two children on two different levels (with a toddler in the background, I might add), but the Lord has given me direction and I am able to teach them at the same time without losing my focus.  With thanks to one of my sisters in Christ, I have found this verse to meditate upon for our school year: Eph 4:29 "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." May the Lord bridle my tongue and use me to build up my children, as well as train them in the way they should go.

Our first unit of our year is the "Attentive" unit from the KONOS book.  (You can read more about it and the other books for our curriculum here.) We are studying our five senses, as well the expedition of Lewis and Clark.  It will be a seven-week unit in which we will spend one week on each sense individually, as well as an overall look at the five senses in general for one week at the beginning, and one week at the end of the unit.  We have just finished week two, studying the eye and sight in-depth.  The kids are really loving this unit, and I'm glad the Lord gave me this path to take.  (If you would like to have more details about this unit-study, feel free to check out my 7-year old's blog here. She "tries" to update daily.)  We have found some great exercises and videos online, and are looking forward to learning about our sense of taste this week.

When we begin our study of the ear and hearing, we plan to visit one of the free performances at the Singletary Center, which will have a full calendar once the college students are back full-time.  We're also hoping to visit the Hummel Planetarium in Richmond, KY for one of our weeks, but I'm going to have to make sure we don't have any belief conflicts before I plan that trip any further.  From there, I don't know where this unit will take us, but I'm very encouraged by the excitement I see in my children, as well as their desire to learn more.

Do you have any suggestions for our upcoming weeks?  I'd love to hear from you, so please leave a comment below!