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If you see a unit study subject you like, click on the subject and it will take you to the first day of that unit study.

At the bottom of each unit study day you will find a link to the next day in the unit study.

December 15, 2009

MINI UNIT STUDY: Martin Luther King, Jr.

I've been doing some prep work ahead of time so I don't find myself procrastinating like I did last year with the homeschooling stuff, and then not being ready when the time came.

January 18 is Martin Luther King, Jr Day. My plan is to have a unit study the week before MLKJr Day, ending ON MLKJr Day. The week before will be a unit study not necessarily specifically about MLKJr, but about the issues MLKJr fought against or an introduction to other civil rights issues in history. I need some input on how the unit study sounds. Right now it's pretty basic, nothing extra. Once I get the basics figured out I'll be adding more activities.

Because of how I have our weeks set up, it will basically be a three day study. (The unit study itself doesn't include the Bible and Math studies we'll be doing)

DAY ONE:
  • What is prejudice/discrimination?
    • Give some examples of reasons people discriminate. (Meaning ethnic background, gender, sexual orientation, etc)
  • What was women's suffrage? (This is just to introduce them to another historical civil rights issue)
  • Read [I haven't picked out a book on women's suffrage yet].
  • What does the Bible say about discrimination?
  • Do a short skit depicting a woman being denied the ability to vote. Describe how that made you feel. (I know I have boys, which might not make it hit home completely, but they are very good at imagining what it would be like to be someone else, so I think it will work)
DAY TWO:
  • What is "segregation"?
    • Give some examples of segregation.
  • What is the Golden Rule?
    • Who does it apply to?
    • Should we treat someone differently just because they are different than we are?
  • Read "Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott" by Teresa Celsi
  • Do a short skit depicting Rosa Parks bus incident.
    • Describe how it made you feel. (I am contemplating purchasing some dark brown body paint to use on the child who will be acting as Rosa Parks, just so they can really look different for the purposes of the skit)
DAY THREE (Martin Luther King, Jr DAY):
  • Read [I haven't chosen a book about MLKJr to read yet].
  • Do MLKJr puzzle activity on page 14. (I have a MLKJr thematic unit study book. It's not quite what I had expected, so I'm modifying the unit study, but using some of the resources in the book)
    • Discuss the DC March of August '63.
    • Take turns reading the "I Have a Dream" speech
    • Do the "Peaceful Protest" activity on page 16.
  • Do "I Have a Dream" activity on page 12. (This activity involves the children drawing a dream they have inside a dream cloud)
  • Discuss importance of standing up for what you believe in, even in adversity.
  • HOME ECONOMICS: Make ["Soul Food" recipe I haven't yet chosen]. (I may decide to do a full meal of "soul food"...the only potential problem I'm seeing is that most of the dishes include pork or certain types of seafood we don't eat. I'll have to figure out how to modify it)
  • POSSIBLE EXTRA CREDIT: Little known fact, our personal family history includes slaves and inter-ethnic marriage. My Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandfather's first wife died. When the slaves were freed, my GGGGGrandfather had a slave he was quite fond of, so he married her. It has not yet been determined if OUR family lineage comes through that union or the union with his first wife, but when looking at some members of the family (one of my brothers included), there are some very distinct African features. For an extra credit project, we may attempt to look more deeply into our family lineage.

*If you are interested, I'll be updating this entry to include bits and pieces that haven't been decided on yet. Such the specific books or the menu for the soul food meal.

September 01, 2009

CREATION: Week 5 (Day 5), Birds, Fish, and Sea Animals

BIBLE
Memory Verse: Genesis 1:20-23 (be able to recite Memory Verse from memory by Friday)
Find and Write at least 2 additional Scripture including the words:
  • bird/birds
  • blessed
  • sea animal/sea animals

SPELLING/VOCABULARY
Use a Dictionary to define the above words.
Use a Thesaurus to find at least 2 synonyms for each of the above words.


HANDWRITING
  • Micheal: Continue to practice cursive letters. Complete just the letter portion of the worksheet, then use the blank paper to continue practicing the letters.
  • Christopher: Practice writing cursive words. Complete just the word portion of the worksheets, then use the blank paper to continue practicing the words.

MATHEMATICS
CIMT Maths


GRAMMAR
Scott Foresman


SCIENCE
This week's Science is divided into 3 parts: Birds, Fish, and Sea Creatures.

BIRDS
Books
  • Guide to Birds of the Rogue Valley, by Barbara W. Massey
  • Draw 50 Birds, by Lee J. James
  • 120 Questions and Answers About Birds, by Madeline Angell
  • About Birds, by Cathryn Sill
  • Birds, by Gillian Doherty
Media
Experiments
FISH
Books
  • Fish Anatomy, Physiology, and Nutrition, by John B. Gratzek
  • The Fish Hatchery Next Door, An Educator's Guide, by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Media
Experiments
  • None

SEA ANIMALS
Books
  • Creeps From the Deep, by L.R. Taylor
  • Draw 50 Sharks, by Lee J. Ames
  • Sea Creatures, by Sue Malyan
Media
  • Deep Sea Dive (National Geographic)
  • Deep Blue (BBC)
  • Bill Nye, The Science Guy: Marine Mammals (free online viewing)
  • The Blue Planet: Seasonal Seas/Coral Seas (BBC)
  • The Blue Planet: Ocean World/Frozen Seas (BBC)
  • The Blue Planet: Open Oceans/The Deep (BBC)
  • The Blue Planet: Tidal Seas/Coasts (BBC)
  • Dolphins (IMAX)
  • The Living Sea (IMAX)
  • Coral Reef Adventure (IMAX)
Experiments
  • None