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Published : September 10, 2010 |
Author : Jeanie1
Category : I. Education and Homeschooling | Total Views
: 328 | Rating :  
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 Jeanie1
Sandra Nardoni is a home educating adoptive mother of three. Sandra mentors adoptive homeschoolers who are struggling to teach children with attachment issues and severe behaviors. You can visit her site at www.adoptioncounts.com/blog
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Unit studies are one of the most interesting and effective ways to teach children who learn best by doing or who are reluctant to learn because of disabilities or attachment problems. It is also one of the most effective and time conscious ways to teach several children of varying ages in a home school. I'm going to give some very simple steps to use if you are trying to plan a unit study for the first time.
1. Choose a topic that interests not only your children, but you as well.
If you aren't interested in a topic, it is hard to teach about it. This doesn't mean we should never teach about things we aren't interested in, it just means when you are getting started, your best bet for success is to start with something you like. Pick a topic your kids like too, keeping in mind they may complain about anything you do the first time because it's new. New experiences make traumatized kids nervous so don't take it personally. Delve in with a cheerful spirit and invite your children to join you. Eventually you will find your children jumping in with enthusiasm.
2. Go to the library and pick out picture books, easy readers, and chapter books on the topic.
The goal here is to get a bunch of information--not to read every book. You will use only parts of some books and you will devour cover to cover other books you find. Picture books are especially helpful when introducing a unit--don't think they are too youthful for your older kids. Many times picture books do a wonderful job of condensing a topic into its main parts and are easy for adults to scan in order to get a feel for a topic. Also, adopted children often have a history of neglect--they have never been read to from children's story books. Because of this, you may find your older kids are excited to be read to from books that are several years below their chronological age.
3. Pick 3-5 crafts or hands-on experiments to use with your study.
Google is a fabulous way to find fun experiments and crafts but often, you can find related craft books when you check out your resources from the library. Ask your librarian for help-- librarians are some of the most useful people on the earth! Remember to keep it simple the first time by only choosing a few things to focus on and keeping your unit short--maybe two weeks. Prepare your students for your crafts by first making the craft yourself so they can visualize what you are wanting them to do.
4. Find passages from the Bible or your library books that can be turned into copywork or dictation.
Copy work and dictation are easy ways to consistently get your kids writing without stressing them out too much. For younger kids, write out 2 sentences relating to your unit per day for them to copy. For older students, you can use copywork as a way to reinforce cursive and you can use dictation to help improve listening skills. The best thing about this is you don't need to buy anything accept lined paper! If you have a child who struggles with writing, try using laminated paper and a wet erase marker instead--or a dry erase board.
5. If you have a child who is writing fairly well, choose a passage from one of your books to have him re-write as his writing assignment for the week.
I have found that older children don't like to write because they don't know WHAT to write. The great heros of American history learned the art of writing not by coming up with original pieces, but by re-writing literature they admired. Both Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin note this method of learning to write. If you are just getting started, you could use this method for months before moving any deeper. As soon as a child is comfortable writing you can start using this method. I would say as young as 7 if a child does not suffer from learning issues.
The technique for doing this is simple. First, choose a passage that is at or below your child's reading level. Have your child write down 3-4 keywords for each sentence in a paragraph. When they re-write the paragraph, they may use those words but must use them in a different order or from a different perspective than they were originally used. They are trying to convey the same main ideas without using the same phrases.
Using these basic techniques will give you all the fodder you need to get started with unit studies. Many people think they are not capable of planning unit studies because of all the many choices you have when you delve into a topic. Keeping it simple at first will ensure a positive experience with your unit study and as you find more confidence you can research other ways to enhance your topics. As usual, be sure to have fun with your kids as you learn together--if they aren't having fun, switch gears and find something they enjoy. Too often we have a "take your medicine" attitude about education, but children are natural learners and often it isn't the material--it's the method--that causes them to dislike a topic. Unit studies should give you plenty of options for fun so be sure to capitalize on that and make it fun!
If you would like a free audio course on homeschooling adopted kids you can visit my website, homeschool behavior problems.
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