UNIT STUDIES are an excellent way to implement curriculum
connections. Typically one theme or topic is selected and
researched in depth for a period of time. While most unit
studies are planned for 5-6 weeks of study, a mini-unit can
last only 1-2 weeks. A book series unit study such as the
Further Up and Further In, based on the
Chronicles of
Narnia series may last 28 weeks or the
Prairie Primer,
based on the Little House on the Prairie series may
last 40 weeks.
The key to a unit study is to integrate several school
subjects into a connected whole, pulling in related topics.
It is a very family-friendly way of educating children of
multiple grade/age levels. Montessori educators do not
typically use the term but they are using the "unit study"
concept beginning with the Great Lessons. As the children
get older they are encouraged to do more independent
research, i.e. unit studies.
One year, as our catalyst, we used Jeff Cavin's
The
Great Adventure: A Journey Through the Bible timeline with chronological reading of the
Old Testament. The unit study developed as we read... we
studied crafts of the Bible, music of the Hebrews, the
languages of Greek and Hebrew, astronomy, Ancient Egypt and
Greece, the History of Math and Language, Greek literature,
and even did a study on war elephants. As we had questions
about what we read, we researched the related topics. It's a
wonderful way to learn.
Catholic Unit Study Starters
The Catholic Church contains a wealth of Truth and
wisdom. Unfortunately, there are not many resources
available for Catholic Unit Studies. What I will be offering
through Catholic Unit Study Starters is a variety of
Catholic topic studies and resource suggestions for
research. Our first unit study starter will be Heritage
and Heraldry: A Genealogy of the Catholic Church in America.
With this approach, American History and Geography will be
studied in light of the timeline development of the Catholic
archdioceses in the United States.
