Unit studies are fantastic methods of instruction. The premise of a unit study is to incorporate one theme or idea throughout all instruction for a certain period of time. Unit studies are popular in families with multiple children as they allow the parent to teach to the entire brood of children at once while still providing individual instruction as needed.

The first step in creating a unit study is determining the length of time the study is to go on. Studies can last anywhere from a few days to several months, perhaps even an entire school year. When possible allow some flexibility in the schedule, this will allow you to continue a particularly fascinating unit and cut short one that isn’t as appreciated.

The next step in creating a unit study is to pick a topic. Begin by asking your children what they would like to learn about and go from there. Hold a vote if one topic can’t be decided upon, or perhaps focus your unit study on the democratic process! You can be as broad or specific in your topic as you wish, depending on the amount of time you wish to spend on the study. For short studies you may wish to narrow the topic down to something specific, for example, instead of studying explorers you may wish to only study Lewis & Clark.

Assigning subjects is a very important part of the unit study creation! Reading and art seem to lend themselves well to unit studies, but how will you incorporate math, spelling, language arts and history? A lot of parents decide to outsource math, to continue with a curriculum outside of the unit study. Spelling activities can be derived from the reading assignments. Language arts can be outsourced or you can provide copywork and narration from the unit study. Researching the history of the topic can be an assignment.

Decide upon one major project that will be the focus of the unit study. A study on a world culture can end in a festival complete with food and costumes. A study on cooking methods can end in a picnic. A study on oceans can end in a field trip to the ocean or an aquarium, you get the idea.

You have your topic, you have your assignments…now what? You need to find resources! You can purchase complete unit studies inexpensively, but expect to lose the customization, which is one of the major perks of the unit study style. When creating your own unit study look to the internet first and the library second. Expect to spend a lot of time, perhaps an entire week or more, locating resources, borrowing books (allow more time if you are borrowing from the library), purchasing supplies for your project, etc.

Once you have begun your unit study you will have to keep records somehow. Some parents continue record keeping in their usual manner. Journaling is an easy way to keep records when you use unit studies. Some parents create a checklist of things to be accomplished and write the date next to each item as it is completed. Some parents prefer to keep unique records for each unit study. You can find planner templates on the internet that may help in your record keeping.

If you have children of different ages and abilities you will want to tailor your unit study to accommodate all of your students. You can have an older child read book selections aloud to younger children. Younger children can participate in most aspects of unit studies with just a little more help from a sibling or parent. There is no need to “dumb down” the resources for smaller children as children are capable of understanding concepts much higher than their reading level. Simply help your younger children along as needed.

Unit studies are economical, entertaining, time-smart and fun!

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