If you have visited more than once you might have read that I have found a new love for unit studies. The kids and I have a wonderful time reading and completing the projects related to said study. This time we were lucky to review the Laura Ingalls Wilder book and the accompanying Unit Study Curriculum Guide from YWAM Publishing.
The Goods
We received the book Laura Ingalls Wilder by Janet and Geoff Benge from the YWAM Publishing company. This book is in their Heroes of History collection. It is a wonderful paperback book with a glossy cover depicting the Old West on the front cover. The book is a great peek into the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder and all of the amazing adventures that she and her family endured. If you have read any other books about the growing up years of Laura, then this book will open your eyes much more. Her life was a hard one, never seeming to settle into one place for long. It is an enjoyable book filled with information that the kids and I had never read before.
The Unit Study that we received is quite extensive! There are numerous ways to use the unit study. The study is broken down into chapters or areas of learning. Each one can be used or pick and choose what works best for you and your children. Here is an overview of each area of learning:
- The Introduction: a brief discussion on how to use this unit study.
- Key Quotes: these quotes are perfect for copyworb and/or memorization
- Display Corner: an area providing hands on items from this time period.
- Chapter Questions: this is designed to enhance the comprehension of the story as well as learning new vocabulary words.
- Student Explorations: a variety of activities for individual student preferences.
- Essay Questions
- Creative Writing
- Hands-on Projects
- Audio/Visual Projects
- Arts and Crafts
- Community Links: field trips ideas and resource ideas
- Social Studies: a variety of activities for individual student preferences.
- Places
- Journeys
- Terms/Vocabulary
- Geographical Characteristics
- Timeline
- Conceptual Questions
- Related Themes to Explore: different areas of study that coincide with this study.
- Science
- Literature
- Folk Culture
- Geography
- History
- Culminating Event: a wrap up of what was learned.
- Clothing used
- Music played/listened to
- Food made/eaten
- Oral presentation of learned information
- Displays of items learned about
The rest of the Study Guide is comprised of Appendices A, B, & C.
- Appendix A: Books and Resources
- Appendix B: Answers to Chapter Questions
- Appendix C: Social Study Reproducibles
With so many options to choose from, this is a unit study that could be used for an incredibly long time. It covers so many areas of study and pairs so nicely with the book.
Included in the curriculum guide that we received there was additional information. There was Detailed Instructions for using the guide in a homeschool setting, a classroom settings, and for group use. There was a biographical sketch, author interviews, reader reviews, and more. This Unit Study is incredibly thorough.
How This Worked for Us
Since we have only been using this curriculum for a short time, we have only really scratched the surface. We have been reading the book and we have been going over the questions and answers. We have touched on the instances from this current book that we remember from reading other stories relating to Laura Ingalls Wilder. If we do nothing else, the book itself is a wonderful read aloud.
The Key Quotes have been a great way to practice handwriting skills. I enjoy the quotes that are offered in the guide. I have had Ana using the quotes as copywork in both script and cursive.
We are looking forward to doing some of the arts and crafts as well as digging deeper into the social studies aspect of the curriculum.
As a family (the oldest son included) we are fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder (and her daughter). We love all things to do with the time she lived in and the stories she chose to share about her life. This book and study until guide are a fun and exciting addition to our school. Since we enjoy her life so, this hardly feels like school work for me of the kids. A gigantic weight off of my shoulders for sure!
I look forward to checking out the other books in this series.
Visit my fellow Review Crew members to see what they reviewed and what they thought:
Social Corner
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I hope you enjoyed this latest review and visit again soon to see what else we have on the homeschooling docket.
In His Grace.
Callie
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