mommyof3blessings Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 My ds will be in 7th next year and I am considering doing a unit studies approach so he can dig in and learn the topics in depth. I am looking at Beyond FIAR. Any opinions on doing unit studies in middle school, and specifically, Beyond FIAR? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bocky Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 I am thinking of combining my then 6th and 8th graders in unit studies next year, so I will be following this topic. Hopefully someone has used Beyond FIAR. One resource I am considering is Intellego Unit Studies http://www.intellegounitstudies.com/. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free Indeed Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 We used Beyond FIAR as well as FIAR. We love our years spent with FIAR. Some would say it's not rigorous enough, but while it may not teach your child everything they need to know it teaches how to learn, and I accredit the years we spent with FIAR with my children's love of books. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 I haven't used Beyond FIAR so forgive me if I'm off, but the books are all things we read in earlier elementary school. It's not that it doesn't seem rigorous enough, but I thought it was targeted more for 2nd/3rd/4th grade. I haven't seen an overall resource for unit studies that I love. I'm not big on Intelligo, though I know many people really like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyof3blessings Posted April 13, 2015 Author Share Posted April 13, 2015 The website says the appropriate age is 8-12 for Beyond FIAR. But I was concerned that it wouldn't be rigorous enough for 7th grade and was hoping someone had used it and found it to be good for that level. Free Indeed, thru what grade did you use it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 Maybe. Like I said, I haven't used it. Just looking at things like The Boxcar Children, which is a book typically read by 2nd and 3rd graders, or that biography of Helen Keller, which is only marginally above a Who Was book seems like it wouldn't make for a rich enough year of studies for 7th graders. I mean, a lot of 7th graders are ready to be reading Shakespeare and Austen. Or, at least, upper middle grades novels that are full of big questions like Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry or Tuck Everlasting or Number the Stars. Things like Homer Price and The Saturdays are great books with rich language, but they're not really deep books with big questions. They're things my pretty average academically kids enjoyed listening to in 2nd grade. Again, I don't know what FIAR does with them... maybe they turn them into amazing explorations for older kids, even middle schoolers. It just seems like an odd starting point to me, being familiar with most of those books. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bocky Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 Beyond FIAR's selections do seem light for my dds. Another unit study option I am exploring is Wayfarers: http://barefootmeandering.com/site/wayfarers/. My3blessings, what is it you like about Beyond FIAR? Is it the biographies? Is it really digging into a few good books? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyof3blessings Posted April 14, 2015 Author Share Posted April 14, 2015 I am really just in the information gathering stage. I am also looking at Konos and Trail Guide for Learning. I will definitely be checking out the others listed here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Um_2_4 Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 I had Beyond FIAR. It was ok for when I combined my then 6 1/2 and 9 yo, but unless the 7th grader was behind in some areas, I think it would be too simple. I would look at Intelligo or check out some available on currclick. I found units for my dd on lots of topics. Sorry I sold my copy, so I can't answer specifics. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free Indeed Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 We used these for ages 10 and under. My understanding is that the reading level of the books were kept low on purpose- other higher level reading books were read, but not the base of the study. They are not the most rigorous approach by any means, but that is not the authors intent. They are more concerned with interest being sparked, a love of learning igniting. You can always go as deep as you want and go on bunny trails when you find things that spark your students interest. It is meant to be a literature gateway to many topics. If I were using them above the age of ten I would add in chronological history, and make sure to have the student reading some classic- good books, maybe a apologia jr science. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 We are kinda sort of doing a Beyond FIAR unit right now with my 9 and 8 yo's. It is perfect for this age...I can't imagine a 7th grader being very engaged in the boxcar children book we are reading. I think with anything it is what you make of it. Could you make it "enough"? Maybe but I would think it would be a lot of work. It seems perfect for elementary though even for older elementary it takes work to make unit studies go "deep enough" for what I want...the books IMHO are not the caliber I would want for my 7th grader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 OP, when we do a unit study approach, I tend to just gather our own materials. I feel like that's the best thing about unit studies - you're not doing a drive by on a topic so you can go into a little more depth and you have time to check out a huge pile of books and try lots of different assignments or art projects or what have you. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susie in MS Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 My dd and I useBYFIAR and reallt enjoy it. One thing that I truly appreciate about it is th way the lesons are designed you can make it work for a variety of ages. I do agree that the main bok are on the young side. However, resources choosen by you are what makes the program work for the older crowd...just like KONOS. I would like to also like to mention that the literature links (one per unit) include books likk Shakespeare and Alice in Wonderland. If one chooses to include themaa younger stdent coul read the abridged versios while th oler student the real deal. Sorry for the mess. I am on my Kindle. If your child isn't ofended by the simplicty of the main books BY could work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeschoolingHearts&Minds Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 I used half of Beyond vol. 1 with my 3rd and 5th graders this year with the K-er as a tag-along. They actually enjoyed the Boxcar Children unit. The various topics we discussed and go-alongs I got from the library were engaging. We did a lot of hands-on stuff, which they liked. We also added in additional literature (and they were both in a book club that I ran with our local homeschool group, so we read that literature as well). They got sick of the Thomas Edison unit and it was a struggle to finish it. Looking ahead to the other two books in the volume, they decided they did not want to continue it. They could not stomach the "thee"s in the Betsy Ross one, especially as it didn't fit the otherwise modern language used. I have mixed feelings about ByFIAR---but I'm feeling a bit sour on literature-based unit studies in general these days. The connections being made are...forced. And I find that my kids tend to make connections on their own. They don't need to study food preservation, for instance, just because it came up in a short chapter book we read. They naturally ask where something is or look on the map to find it (we love maps). ByFIAR took a lot of planning on my part. We are having more success reading meatier books together and talking about them. It takes less time and less planning, which leaves more free time for everyone to pursue personal interests. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 My ds will be in 7th next year and I am considering doing a unit studies approach so he can dig in and learn the topics in depth. I am looking at Beyond FIAR. Any opinions on doing unit studies in middle school, and specifically, Beyond FIAR? I had this book - Everything You Need to Know About Homeschool Unit Studies: The Anyone Can How-to Guide by Jennifer Steward. It's a fabulous book about doing/designing your own unit studies. I did a couple simple unit studies with my then 7yo dd ( dolphins, birds). It was fun. :) I always wanted to do something with my older kids but by then I was in survival mode. Here's a review by Cathy Duffy We did FIAR with my oldest kids - seeing your post has brought back some sweet memories. Sorry, I've never looked at Beyond FIAR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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