PhotoGal Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 In my quest to "do it all" (I know! I shouldn't be trying to do it all...), I have been thinking about combining subjects more than we have been. Ds specifically asked that reading not be connected to writing/grammar because it ruins the experience of reading a book for him. So, I've been thinking of what other things can be combined. It would be great if we could find a coach/class taught in a second language (for example, a teacher who spoke Chinese while teaching art - that would be awesome)! I can think of lots of ways to combine music with almost anything. What combinations have worked well for you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrishMum Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 History, geography, and sometimes art get combined here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 History and literature. History and science, possibly. History and geography, easily. If you do Bible/religion, that can combine with history and geography easily. Writing combined with history or science, or even music/art -- writing about what they've read for history/writing reports on historic figures, writing about lab results in science (or videos or field trips), writing about their reactions to art or music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecclecticmum Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 If you are wanting to "combine" subjects, perhaps looking at stuff like Visual Mannas "Art through .... (Science, Math, etc)" VM is on currclick and they also have their own website. I also printed out math worksheets, and interspersed them ever few pages with Logic, Anti-Coloring & Hands-On Math book pages (chopped up the books). So now all of those "bits" are evenly mixed with the math. It gives a break from that math, and gets the "little bits" done that tend to be overlooked. I'm just plopping 1-2 weeks worth in a smaller binder, and tell A. to complete it in order. We're using KONOS, which I love. Konos combines pretty much everything except formal LA & Math (it does have applied/real-life math, and LA projects). I have stuff like Abekas Art Porjects, Artpacs, Online "Supplements" (like More Starfall, Click N Kids, Dreambox), and DVD stuff (TV Teacher, Art for Eldest etc). I use these as boredom busters (when one of the kids is annoying me whilst I am trying to do something) and also as independant stuff that seems fun, but is ticking off various boxes, that they can do when I need to concentrate more on one child (like doings C's Speech Therapy). Literature books I read at bedtime, or I use individual students literature as a chance for one-on-one time with that child (which I try to do everyday). Also no matter what program each child is using, I use the gift of having multiple children to review each of their skills, so one child can help me out by teaching or explaining to another child, which counts as review, and also allows me to see that they understood the concept properly. I very much prefer activities/lessons that tick as many boxes as possible, these boxes may not all be academic, but may also relate to character and such. I've been known (when a child is stuck on a subject) to keep bringing up say a math concept or problem in all the different subjects, just applying the concept to whatever we are doing in that area. Anything that would "normally" happen no matter what during the week, I try to incorporate it into educational learning. So if htey are going to watch a video anyway, they may as well watch MSB for the topic we'll be studying next week, if they are going to want books at bedtime, then I may as well read the lit I need to get done then (this also allows them to sleep on it, and re-visit the topic the next day), if they want to go to the pet store, I use that time to either pick up supplies I need (like shells) or manoeuvre a unit around so that after or before their trip, they do the amphibian unit I have. When I have 3 littlies, its important to combine content wherever possible, especially since each child is so very different. HTHxxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinivanMom Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 We combine literature, history, and science. The children work independently for reading, grammar, writing, and art. For French the children study and do written work independently, but we also do oral activities in French together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 You asked how so I have detailed exactly how I did a unity study. The first part of this post is the general idea of how subjects and can be integrated, and then the second part is the step by step process of how exactly I found the assignments included in our Ancient China unit study using SOTW as our spine. We just finished the Ancients with my 7 year old this year, although we started The Ancients half way through 1st grade. Generally History, Writing, Handwriting,Literature, Science, Art, Economics and Geography are combined with SOTW as our spine. When we're done with a unit we put it all into a lapbook. I group the readings by region whenever possible-particularly during the Ancients. Math, Reading, Grammar and sometimes Handwriting and Writing are separate. 1. History- Read aloud and discuss a SOTW chapter or a relevant chapter in a library book related to the chapters we've been reading in SOTW. 2. Writing/Handwriting- The child narrates it back about a paragraph or two and I write down what she said. She then copies it in her best handwriting. 3. Literature- I read aloud 2-3 short picture books (about 5-10 min. each depending on the the book) or a chapter book (about 30 min.) that is literature or folklore from or related to the culture we're studying in SOTW. 4. Science-We do a study related to the time place we're studying: silk worms for Ancient China, volcanoes for Ancient Rome (Vesuvius) etc. or we read a biography of a great scientists from the time and place we're studying: Archimedes for Ancient Greece, Galileo for for the Renaissance, etc. We also do occasional labs that reinforce important ideas discovered or proven during the time and place. 5. Art- This can be crafts related to what we're studying or it can be studying the fine Art of the time and place. With Ancient China we did tangram art, with Rome we did a tile mosaic project, Ancient Greece included painting a fresco (we grouped Crete with Greece) and that sort of thing. 6. Economics-lots of history involves trade so we include that when possible. Trade routes get included in the geography and we've made trade games and art projects based on the items traded among the people groups we study. Sometimes a chart of things like trade cycles, making something valued at the time and place we're studying (dying purple fabric) or watching someone today make a valued item from the time and place we're studying works. We watched a you tube video of a modern day person glass blowing when we were studying the Ancient Phoenicians. 7. Geography - We always include mapwork with History. Between Mapping the World with Art (make your own map watching video instruction) and Blackline maps of World History by Terry Johnson (now sold as Map Trek) with basic maps of almost everything you read about in SOTW (there's a master page with features labeled and a student page with nothing labeled so the child has to do all the labeling by copying the master page) we copy the basic maps at the beginning of the unit study and add to them as we read about places and features not included on the basic map. Specifically Here's how I planned the unit study on Ancient China (I'm developing a workshop on it.) Spine: Historical Narrative Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer: Ch. 10: The Far East: Ancient China Lei Zu and the Silkworm 66 The Pictograms of Ancient China 70 Farming in Ancient China 73 Ch. 32: China: Writing and the Qin Calligraphy in China 239 Warring States 243 The First Emperor & The Great Wall 244 The First Emperor’s Grave 248 Ch. 33: Confucius China’s Wise Teacher 251 Geography Blackline Maps of World History by Johnson: China’s Shang Kingdom 1750BC-500BC pg. 27 Qin Empire of China 500BC-200BC pg. 45 Historical Data The Usborne Book of World History: First Civilization in China pg. 62 Great Civilization in the East pg. 74-75 Writing and Inventions pg. 76-77 Living Books from the Library These were found by using the local library’s online catalog's search engine. I typed in “Ancient China,†“China,†“Dragons,†“Kites,†“Silkworms,†“Silk,†â€Tangrams,†“Great Wall of China,†“Chinese Zodiac,†and “Ancient Chinese Inventions.†More books than the ones listed here showed up. These are most of the books I actually checked out and used. Easy Section (E) E + Author’s last or only name (Usually only the first part of it.) These are picture/story books in the children’s section of the library. They’re usually meant to be read aloud to preschool-early or possibly mid elementary aged children in some cases. They typically take about 5-10 minutes to read aloud. Others are longer at about 20 min. maximum in rare cases. E BOUCHARD Dragon New Year by David Bouchard E CASANOVA The Hunter: A Chinese Folktale retold by Mary Cassanova E CHIN China’s Bravest Girl: The Legend of Hua Mu Lan by Charlie Chin E COMPESTINE Crouching Tiger by Ying Chang Compestine E COMPESTINE The Story of Kites by Ying Chang Compestine E CZERNECKI The Cricket’s Cage: A Chinese Folktale retold by Stefan Czernecki E DEMI The Greatest Treasure by Demi E DEMI Kites: Wishes that Fly Up to the Sky by Demi (Directions for making a simple kite in the back.) E DEMI Liang and the Magic Paintbrush by Demi E DEMI The Magic Boat by Demi E DEMI The Stonecutter by Demi E GREENE The Phoenix Fairy by Greene E HONG The Empress and the Silkworm by Lily Toy Hong E LIN Fortune Cookie Fortunes by Grace Lin E LOBEL Ming Lo Moves the Mountain by Arnold Lobel E NIEMAN The Pet Dragon: A Story about Adventure, Friendship, and Chinese Characters by Christoph Nieman (Copy many of the Chinese characters neatly onto a page either in pen or with a paintbrush and ink to be included in a lapbook.) E NOYES Red Butterfly: How a Princess Smuggled the Secret of Silk Out of China by Deborah Noyes E TOMPERT Grandfather Tang’s Story: A Tale told with Tangrams by Ann Tompert (Directions for making tangram art in the back.) E TOMPERT The Jade Horse, The Cricket, and the Peach Stone by Ann Tompert E YOUNG Lon Po Po: A Red Riding Hood Story from China by Ed Young (Caldecott Medal Winner) Children’s Non-fiction section These are fact books written at an elementary aged level. This section is usually separated from the Junior non-fiction section and the adult non-fiction section. Look for the C next to the number. C+ Dewey Decimal Number+ Author’s last name (usually the first part of it) + Year of publication C 595.78 SCHAFFER 1995 Silkworms: Lifecycles Series by Donna Schaffer Junior Fiction Section (JF) These books are for mid or late elementary to about Jr. High aged children. They can be read aloud by an adult or they can be read by the child depending on your child’s needs. They are organized by author’s last name. None were used in this unit study. Junior Section (J) In larger libraries junior non-fiction and adult non-fiction are in separate areas. In smaller libraries junior non-fiction and adult non-fiction are mixed in together. Look for the J before the number. The adult non-fiction books have no J. They only have the number. The Dewey decimal system organizes these books. Take a look at your copy of the Dewey Decimal system chart and notice how these books related to Ancient China are placed. Dewey Decimal Number + Author’s last name (usually the first part of it) + year of publication J 398.20951 FANG 1995 The Chi-Lin Purse: A Collection of Ancient Chinese Stories retold by Linda Fang J 398.2454 ZHANG 2000 A Time of Dragons by Song Nan Zhang and Hao Yu Zhang (Copy the dragon song on the last page for a poetry/handwriting assignment.) J 394.26 FIESTA 1999 Fiesta! (A Series ) China: A Portrait of the Country Through It’s Festivals and Traditions No author is listed because this series was written by various people. (Directions for making a dragon head is on pg. 11-12 and a felt fish on pg. 21 along with other project ideas.) J 509.51 WILLIAMS 1996 Made in China: Ideas and Inventions from Ancient China by Suzanne Williams J 931 OCONNOR The Emperor’s Silent Army: Terracotta Warriors of Ancient China by Jane O’Connor J 931.04 FISHER The Great Wall of China by Leonard Everett Fisher Young Adult Section (YA) Teenagers are the target audience for these books. More mature themes are covered in some of these books, so different parents will have different convictions about the content in these books. Books are organized by author’s last name. Online Resources Google the same keywords as used in the online library catalogue “Ancient China,†“China,†“Dragons,†“Kites,†“Silkworms,†“Silk,†“Tangrams’†“Great Wall of China,†“Chinese Zodiac,†and “Ancient Chinese Inventions.†After reading the Fiesta! Book from the library, I also googled “Dragon Boat Festival†and “Qu Yuan†because he’s the poet honored in the Dragon Boat Festival. Coloring Pages- Google using the words “free downloadable†then a keyword. Be prepared to print out images on a smaller scale if you’re including them in a lapbook. Live Silkworms (Plan A) Mine arrived alive but died 2 days later. http://www.silkwormshop.com/index.html Silkworm Life Cycle (Plan B) http://www.enchanted.../silkworm.shtml Silkworm Poem http://wildrosereade...riatons-on.html Dragon Boat Festival http://www.familyhol...-coloring-pages Chinese Zodiac Symbols http://www.hellokids...-zodiac-rooster Ancient Chinese Inventions http://www.handipoin...nese-inventions Selected Passages of Poetry by Qu Yuan http://www.shigeku.c...nshi/quyuan.htm The actual selections I had my child copy as a handwriting and poetry assignment were: “Qu Yuan 340-278 BC Long did I sigh and wipe away my tears, To see my people bowed with grief’s and fears… …I marvel at the folly of the king, So heedless of the people’s suffering…†Hands on Activities Dragon Head Directions are in Fiesta! China pg. 12-13. Take a picture and print it out if you want it in a lapbook. Felt Fish Directions are in Fiesta! China pg. 21 Tangram Art Directions are in Grandfather Tang’s Story by Tompert on the last page. I cut out the tangram shapes in black cardstock, my child arranged them following the pictures in the book, and I glued them onto Japanese (Shhh! Don’t tell anyone!) origami papers with Asian patterns. You can simplify by using black tangram blocks (if you have them) on a brightly colored paper, taking a digital photo, and printing them out so they can be labeled in a lapbook. Kite Directions are in Kites: Magic Wishes that Fly Up to the Sky by Demi on the last 3 pages. Potato Prints Cut a raw potato in half and draw or scratch out a Chinese character on the white flat part. Scoop away the white flat part of the potato that isn’t part of the character about 1/4-1/2 in deep. Dip in paint or ink and print multiple times on paper-rice paper if you’ve got it. Chinese Watercolor Landscape Directions are in The Usborne Book of World History pg. 76. Paint a Chinese landscape on made or purchased rice paper if you can make it or get it. Glue it to cardstock as a cover for narrations. Coloring Pages See the online resources section of this document. Make mini book of Chinese inventions. Make Chinese Zodiac. Night Sky On black paper glue stars and a moon to make a cover for a narration about the lunar calendar or Chinese Zodiac. Confucian Chart Make a chart of relationships according to Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer Ch 35: China’s Wise Teacher pg. 251-253. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama25angels Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 You asked how so I have detailed exactly how I did a unity study. The first part of this post is the general idea of how subjects and can be integrated, and then the second part is the step by step process of how exactly I found the assignments included in our Ancient China unit study using SOTW as our spine. We just finished the Ancients with my 7 year old this year, although we started The Ancients half way through 1st grade. Generally History, Writing, Handwriting,Literature, Science, Art, Economics and Geography are combined with SOTW as our spine. When we're done with a unit we put it all into a lapbook. I group the readings by region whenever possible-particularly during the Ancients. Math, Reading, Grammar and sometimes Handwriting and Writing are separate. 1. History- Read aloud and discuss a SOTW chapter or a relevant chapter in a library book related to the chapters we've been reading in SOTW. 2. Writing/Handwriting- The child narrates it back about a paragraph or two and I write down what she said. She then copies it in her best handwriting. 3. Literature- I read aloud 2-3 short picture books (about 5-10 min. each depending on the the book) or a chapter book (about 30 min.) that is literature or folklore from or related to the culture we're studying in SOTW. 4. Science-We do a study related to the time place we're studying: silk worms for Ancient China, volcanoes for Ancient Rome (Vesuvius) etc. or we read a biography of a great scientists from the time and place we're studying: Archimedes for Ancient Greece, Galileo for for the Renaissance, etc. We also do occasional abs that reinforce important ideas discovered or proven during the time and place. 5. Art- This can be crafts related to what we're studying or it can be studying the fine Art of the time and place. With Ancient China we did tangram art, with Rome we did a tile mosaic project, Ancient Greece included painting a fresco (we grouped Crete with Greece) and that sort of thing. 6. Economics-lots of history involves trade so we include that when possible. Trade routes get included in the geography and we've made trade games and art projects based on the items traded among the people groups we study. Sometimes a chart of things like trade cycles, making something valued at the time and place we're studying (dying purple fabric) or watching someone today make a valued item from the time and place we're studying works. We watched a you tube video of a modern day person glass blowing when we were studying the Ancient Phoenicians. 7. Geography - We always include mapwork with History. Between Mapping the World with Art (make your own map watching video instruction) and Blackline maps of World History by Terry Johnson (now sold as Map Trek) with basic maps of almost everything you read about in SOTW (there's a master page with features labeled and a student page with nothing labeled so the child has to do all the labeling by copying the master page) we copy the basic maps at the beginning of the unit study and add to them as we read about places and features not included on the basic map. Specifically Here's how I planned the unit study on Ancient China (I'm developing a workshop on it.) Spine: Historical Narrative Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer: Ch. 10: The Far East: Ancient China Lei Zu and the Silkworm 66 The Pictograms of Ancient China 70 Farming in Ancient China 73 Ch. 32: China: Writing and the Qin Calligraphy in China 239 Warring States 243 The First Emperor & The Great Wall 244 The First Emperor’s Grave 248 Ch. 33: Confucius China’s Wise Teacher 251 Geography Blackline Maps of World History by Johnson: China’s Shang Kingdom 1750BC-500BC pg. 27 Qin Empire of China 500BC-200BC pg. 45 Historical Data The Usborne Book of World History: First Civilization in China pg. 62 Great Civilization in the East pg. 74-75 Writing and Inventions pg. 76-77 Living Books from the Library These were found by using the local library’s online catalog's search engine. I typed in “Ancient China,†“China,†“Dragons,†“Kites,†“Silkworms,†“Silk,†â€Tangrams,†“Great Wall of China,†“Chinese Zodiac,†and “Ancient Chinese Inventions.†More books than the ones listed here showed up. These are most of the books I actually checked out and used. Easy Section (E) E + Author’s last or only name (Usually only the first part of it.) These are picture/story books in the children’s section of the library. They’re usually meant to be read aloud to preschool-early or possibly mid elementary aged children in some cases. They typically take about 5-10 minutes to read aloud. Others are longer at about 20 min. maximum in rare cases. E BOUCHARD Dragon New Year by David Bouchard E CASANOVA The Hunter: A Chinese Folktale retold by Mary Cassanova E CHIN China’s Bravest Girl: The Legend of Hua Mu Lan by Charlie Chin E COMPESTINE Crouching Tiger by Ying Chang Compestine E COMPESTINE The Story of Kites by Ying Chang Compestine E CZERNECKI The Cricket’s Cage: A Chinese Folktale retold by Stefan Czernecki E DEMI The Greatest Treasure by Demi E DEMI Kites: Wishes that Fly Up to the Sky by Demi (Directions for making a simple kite in the back.) E DEMI Liang and the Magic Paintbrush by Demi E DEMI The Magic Boat by Demi E DEMI The Stonecutter by Demi E GREENE The Phoenix Fairy by Greene E HONG The Empress and the Silkworm by Lily Toy Hong E LIN Fortune Cookie Fortunes by Grace Lin E LOBEL Ming Lo Moves the Mountain by Arnold Lobel E NIEMAN The Pet Dragon: A Story about Adventure, Friendship, and Chinese Characters by Christoph Nieman (Copy many of the Chinese characters neatly onto a page either in pen or with a paintbrush and ink to be included in a lapbook.) E NOYES Red Butterfly: How a Princess Smuggled the Secret of Silk Out of China by Deborah Noyes E TOMPERT Grandfather Tang’s Story: A Tale told with Tangrams by Ann Tompert (Directions for making tangram art in the back.) E TOMPERT The Jade Horse, The Cricket, and the Peach Stone by Ann Tompert E YOUNG Lon Po Po: A Red Riding Hood Story from China by Ed Young (Caldecott Medal Winner) Children’s Non-fiction section These are fact books written at an elementary aged level. This section is usually separated from the Junior non-fiction section and the adult non-fiction section. Look for the C next to the number. C+ Dewey Decimal Number+ Author’s last name (usually the first part of it) + Year of publication C 595.78 SCHAFFER 1995 Silkworms: Lifecycles Series by Donna Schaffer Junior Fiction Section (JF) These books are for mid or late elementary to about Jr. High aged children. They can be read aloud by an adult or they can be read by the child depending on your child’s needs. They are organized by author’s last name. None were used in this unit study. Junior Section (J) In larger libraries junior non-fiction and adult non-fiction are in separate areas. In smaller libraries junior non-fiction and adult non-fiction are mixed in together. Look for the J before the number. The adult non-fiction books have no J. They only have the number. The Dewey decimal system organizes these books. Take a look at your copy of the Dewey Decimal system chart and notice how these books related to Ancient China are placed. Dewey Decimal Number + Author’s last name (usually the first part of it) + year of publication J 398.20951 FANG 1995 The Chi-Lin Purse: A Collection of Ancient Chinese Stories retold by Linda Fang J 398.2454 ZHANG 2000 A Time of Dragons by Song Nan Zhang and Hao Yu Zhang (Copy the dragon song on the last page for a poetry/handwriting assignment.) J 394.26 FIESTA 1999 Fiesta! (A Series ) China: A Portrait of the Country Through It’s Festivals and Traditions No author is listed because this series was written by various people. (Directions for making a dragon head is on pg. 12-12 and a felt fish on pg. 21 along with other project ideas.) J 509.51 WILLIAMS 1996 Made in China: Ideas and Inventions from Ancient China by Suzanne Williams J 931 OCONNOR The Emperor’s Silent Army: Terracotta Warriors of Ancient China by Jane O’Connor J 931.04 FISHER The Great Wall of China by Leonard Everett Fisher Young Adult Section (YA) Teenagers are the target audience for these books. More mature themes are covered in some of these books, so different parents will have different convictions about the content in these books. Books are organized by author’s last name. Online Resources Google the same keywords as used in the online library catalogue “Ancient China,†“China,†“Dragons,†“Kites,†“Silkworms,†“Silk,†“Tangrams’†“Great Wall of China,†“Chinese Zodiac,†and “Ancient Chinese Inventions.†After reading the Fiesta! Book from the library, I also googled “Dragon Boat Festival†and “Qu Yuan†because he’s the poet honored in the Dragon Boat Festival. Coloring Pages- Google using the words “free downloadable†then a keyword. Be prepared to print out images on a smaller scale if you’re including them in a lapbook. Live Silkworms (Plan A) Mine arrived alive but died 2 days later. http://www.silkwormshop.com/index.html Silkworm Life Cycle (Plan B) http://www.enchanted.../silkworm.shtml Silkworm Poem http://wildrosereade...riatons-on.html Dragon Boat Festival http://www.familyhol...-coloring-pages Chinese Zodiac Symbols http://www.hellokids...-zodiac-rooster Ancient Chinese Inventions http://www.handipoin...nese-inventions Selected Passages of Poetry by Qu Yuan http://www.shigeku.c...nshi/quyuan.htm The actual selections I had my child copy as a handwriting and poetry assignment were: “Qu Yuan 340-278 BC Long did I sigh and wipe away my tears, To see my people bowed with grief’s and fears… …I marvel at the folly of the king, So heedless of the people’s suffering…†Hands on Activities Dragon Head Directions are in Fiesta! China pg. 12-13. Take a picture and print it out so if you want it in a lapbook. Felt Fish Directions are in Fiesta! China pg. 21 Tangram Art Directions are in Grandfather Tang’s Story by Tompert on the last page. I cut out the tangram shapes in black cardstock, my child arranged them following the pictures in the book, and I glued them onto Japanese (Shhh! Don’t tell anyone!) origami papers with Asian patterns. You can simplify by using black tangram blocks (if you have them) on a brightly colored paper, taking a digital photo, and printing them out so they can be labeled in a lapbook. Kite Directions are in Kites: Magic Wishes that Fly Up to the Sky by Demi on the last 3 pages. Potato Prints Cut a raw potato in half and draw or scratch out a Chinese character on the white flat part. Scoop away the white flat part of the potato that isn’t part of the character about 1/4-1/2 in deep. Dip in paint or ink and print multiple times on paper-rice paper if you’ve got it. Chinese Watercolor Landscape Directions are in The Usborne Book of World History pg. 76. Paint a Chinese landscape on made or purchased rice paper if you can make it or get it. Glue it to cardstock as a cover for narrations. Coloring Pages See the online resources section of this document. Make mini book of Chinese inventions. Make Chinese Zodiac. Night Sky On black paper glue stars and a moon to make a cover for a narration about the lunar calendar or Chinese Zodiac. Confucian Chart Make a chart of relationships according to Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer Ch 35: China’s Wise Teacher pg. 251-253. Wow!!! That was just awesome!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoGal Posted June 9, 2013 Author Share Posted June 9, 2013 Thank you so much for the wonderful ideas! Homeschool Mom in AZ, you make me wish we hadn't just finished ancients. I would have just copied your plan. :) Some lucky folks will find this thread and have so many great ideas. I can see how I can translate it to other topics as well. Thank you so much! I especially love your art ideas. I don't know why I didn't think of getting silk worms during our study of ancient China. Looking back, we did do some combining with read alouds, art and projects. We can definitely do more of this. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Looking back, we did do some combining with read alouds, art and projects. We can definitely do more of this. :) I suspect there are lots of people who integrate subjects more than they realize. Most any narration is combining writing and possibly handwriting with whatever subject the content of the read aloud falls under (Science, History, Literature, etc.) Most crafts related to any other area of study would be subject integration too. Usually it just takes pointing out the integration they're already doing and they start getting all kinds of ideas about combing subjects more. Sometimes people need to be assured that the narration writing assignment based on the history reading instead of the one in the Language Arts curriculum on a separate topic is just as valid an option as doing the history reading assignment and the writing assignment from the Language Arts curriculum. Sometimes they think they have to do the narration writing assignment based on the history reading and the one in the Language Arts curriculum. Then they get burned out and frustrated. You can do either one and if you really want to you can do both, but both aren't necessary. Not that narrations are the only form of writing a child needs to learn. There are plenty of other kinds of writing they eventually need to get to, but you can mix and match as you see your child's abilities increase and spend more time on things you think they specifically need to improve on by connecting them to some other part of your child's studies for reinforcement and mastery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Ancient Middle East Unit Study Note that there are few read alouds listed her related to Mesopotamia. During the read loud times every day I was usually reading My Bible Story by Dena Korfker. Note that I had my daughter do a narration of almost every chapter of SOTW. I wrote down what she said, then she copied what I wrote as a handwriting assignment. All were saved for the lapbook. We didn't do the Abraham chapters from SOTW because we were reading a more detailed version from My Bible Story book. MTWWA- Video #1 Mesopotamia or BMWH- First Cities and Early Civilizations 4,000BCE pg.14 Make a map of Mesopotamia. Watch the Meopotamia chapter of Mapping the World with Art on DVD and copy it onto watercolor paper (One step at a time. Take breaks as needed and get back to it if that works better than doing one long session.) Paint it with watercolor paint and when dry, label with a sharpie marker. Add any cities or features not included on the DVD as you read about them in your studies. Put in some sort of file folder or container for your lapbook. SOTW- The First Nomads Become Farmers pg. 9-13 UBWH- The First Settlers pg. 4-5 KHE- First Farmers pg. 8 Draw and paint domesticated animals. (You could simply print some out if your child doesn't enjoy drawing or tracing or if you'd rather put your time and energy elsewhere.) Using a simple drawing book (like the I Can Draw Series) either draw or trace on watercolor paper various domesticated animals to go into 2 categories: animals people breed to eat and animals that people use to help them work. To trace onto regular paper (as opposed to thin tracing paper) put a flashlight into a coffee mug and turn it on facing up. Then get a large clear plastic container without a lid. Put it upside down over the coffee mug and flashlight. The bottom of it should be the flat surface you use like a table. Put the image to be traced on it with the light directly underneath. Put a regular piece of paper (we used watercolor paper) on top of the image to be traced. It should be very easy to trace the image because the light is shining right under it. Copy work reads, "Some domesticated animals are raised by people for food." The animals she traced and painted are: chicken, duck, pig, sheep, horse, rabbit, cow, goat on one page for the lapbook. Copy Work reads, "Some domesticated animals are raised and trained by people to help with work." The animals she traced and painted are: horse, camel, goat, dog, cow on another page for the lapbook. UBWH- Jericho pg. 6 UBWH- Catyl Huyuk pg. 7 BMHW- The Sumerians of Mesopotamia 5,000BCE-2,000BCE UBWH- First Great Civilization pg. 8-9 Make small simple clay pots and decorate them. Talk about the importance of food storage as it relates to building civilization. Take photos and print them out for your lapbook. Keep the pots handy for the trade game. Make art with dried staple foods that the ancients stored in clay pots. Beans, corn, rice, lentils, etc. Get a piece of cardstock and cover with a fairly thick layer of Elmer's type glue. Use a sponge brush for spreading. Place the staple foods in a design on the glued cardstock. Pour a very thick coating of Elmer's glue over them and let them dry for 1-3 days. The glue dries clear. Put in the file or container for your lapbook. Play the Trade Game. You need: something to be your river-we used a long scarf. Something to be your boat(s)-we used small tupperware lids. Something to be your domesticated animals-we used two dozen small plastic horses. Something to store your crops-we used the small clay pots. Something to be your mountains-we used large building blocks. Something to be your metals-we used a couple of handfuls or change. Something to be your ports (for the different villages and towns along the river.) We used flat plastic counters but you could use different pieces of paper, washcloths, potholders, etc. Something to be your crops-we used the leftover staple foods from the art project. Decide where upstream is and put your mountains/blocks at that end of the river along with your coins and a town/village. Along the river set a town that specializes in animals and another that specializes in crops and pots. Now have your boats start at each port with a little of what they specialize in. Sail up and down the river trading what you have for what you need until each port has some of everything available in all the towns/villages along the river. Take photos and print them for your lapbook. SOTW- Hieroglyphs and Cuneiform pg. 21-24 (Only read the cuneiform parts save the hieroglyphs for Egypt unit study.) UBWH- Invention of Writing pg. 10-11 Read aloud the Gilgamesh Trilogy by Ludmilla Zeman Make a signature seal out of clay. Roll out a cylindrical shape and carve designs into it backwards. Make sure it's hallowed out enough on the inside to run a cord through it for a necklace. (A skewer worked well for us.) Let it dry and roll it into wet clay. Talk about royal and common signature seals and how they were used in trade and food storage. Take photos and print them for your lapbook or since they were often worn around the neck, use them as a decorative element on a ribbon that holds the lapbook closed. SOTW-Sargon and the Akkadians pg. 32-34 If I had had more time I would've also looked up on the internet for a very simple, inexpensive basket weaving project for Sargon, since the story tells of him floating down the river in a basket. When I was a kid we did one at Sunday School when we read about Moses. Take photos and print them out for your lapbook. KHE- Sumer and Akkad pg. 9 UBWH- Daily Life pg. 12-13 SOTW- Hammurabi’s Code pg. 46-50 UBWH- Rise of Babylon pg. 30-31 KHE- Babylon (Hammurabi) pg. 21 SOTW- Shamshi-Adad pg. 51-53 UBWH- Graves at Anatolia pg. 32 SOTW- Ashurbanipal’s Attack pg. 115-118 UBWH- Kings and their Palaces pg. 54-55 KHE- The Assyrians pg. 22-23 SOTW- Library at Nineveh pg. 118-121 UBWH- The Assyrian Army pg. 56-57 SOTW- Nebuchadnezzar’s Madness pg. 122-123 UBWH- City of Babylon pg. 58-59 KHE- Babylon Revived pg. 36-37 SOTW- Hanging Gardens of Babylon pg. 124-127 Coloring page of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon from the internet or build the Hanging Gardens of Babylon out of various sizes of shirt boxes stacked on top of each other (largest on the bottom, smallest on the top) and secured with lots of Elmer's type glue or a glue gun and then attach to a cake board (available at Walmart or at party or craft stores.) Paint it all a sand color. Buy a very cheap fake plant that can be cut up into pieces and stuck into the holes all over the hanging gardens structure. Paint pathways and flowers and the Euphrates running on the cake board. Take photos and print them for your lapbook. Assemble your lapbook with everything you’ve saved-narrations, photos, assignments, projects. SOTW=Story of the World 1 by Susan Wise Bauer UBWH= Usborne Book of World History KHE=Kingfisher History Encyclopedia MTWWA= Mapping the World with Art DVD (not to be confused with Mapping the World by Heart which is a different program.) BMWH= Blackline Maps of World History Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Ancient Egypt Unit Study Child did a narration of each chapter of Story of the World that went into the lapbook. We continued to read from My Bible Story Book by Dena Korfker during read aloud time so there are few other read aloud books mentioned. Searching your library’s catalog for key words like “Ancient Egypt,†“Pharaoh’†and the like will bring up lots of read aloud options. Color Egyptian coloring pages-one for each narration and book report. We used a series that was very stylized but there are plenty to choose from online to suit your personal tastes. Mapping the World with Art: Egypt (Add cities as they are mentioned throughout this study) Kingfisher Encyclopedia: Ancient Egypt pgs. 10-11 Making Mummies by Malam: Select relevant pages Mummify the Chicken (take photos of each step throughout the process for the lapbook.) http://kbagdanov.wor...-chicken-mummy/ Make tissue paper sarcophagus out of plastic bags stuffed together and squeezed until they are a slightly large shape of the chicken mummy. Dip lots of layers of tissue paper strips into a bowl full of equal parts school glue and water. Wrap the top and sides and let dry. Turn over. Wrap the bottom and let dry. Use a sharp knife to cut what will be the lid of the sarcophagus away from the bottom of the sarcophagus. Pull out the plastic bags and put your mummified chicken and its amulets in. Take photos of each step for the lapbook. Make bead amulets for the chicken mummy. Usborne Book of World History: 1st settlers on the Nile pg. 14-15 The Farmer’s Year pg. 16-17 Paint with watercolors the map of Egypt (Point out the role of water in cultivated land and desert.) Story of the World: The 2 Kingdoms Become 1 pg. 14-17 Usborne Book of World History: Sport and Leisure 22-23 Jim Weiss CD: Egyptian Treasures Story of the World: Gods of Ancient Egypt pgs. 18-20 Story of the World: Pyramids and Sphinx pg. 28-31 Story of the World: Hieroglyphs pgs. 21-21-24 Use Fun With Heiroglyphs rubber stamp kit by Catherine Roehrig on a couple of pages for the lapbook. Egypt Invades Nubia pgs. 88-89 Hyksos invade Egypt pgs. 90-92 Usborne Book of World History: The New Kingdom pg. 33 Story of the World: The General and the Woman Pharaoh pgs. 93-96 Usborne Book of World History: Temples pg. 39 Houses and Furniture pg. 36-37 Read Temple Cat by Clement-Child narrated a book report, I wrote down what she said and she copied it in her best handwriting. Story of the World: Amenhotep and Tut pgs. 97-102 Assemble the lapbook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0mmaBuck Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 History and reading/literature: Assign reading/lit of time period History and art: Artist studies from the time period, trying to replicate art of a time period History and music: Artist studies, listen to music of the period while doing history History and science: following WTM cycles of Ancients with biology/botony, etc History and geography: Use ancient and current world maps do discuss History and writing: Dictations, research on subject/person of interest and write paper History and typing: Type final drafts of papers Science and reading: Assign corresponding reading Science and art: Have kids sketch what we study Science and writing: Research and write essays based on science topics of interest Science and typing: Type final drafts of papers Art/music and reading: Artist studies with independent reading re: biographies or styles/periods Art/reading/writing: Draw scenes from books as part of a book report Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 This one has no projects. Just reading, writing and coloring. Some unit studies are bigger and more involved so I try to do some that are more low key in between the big ones. Ancient India SOTW-The River Road 59-61 SOTW-Mystery of Mohenjo-Daro 62-65 CP-Indian elephant BMWH- Ancient India 2500BC-1500 BC pg. 19 label: Mohenjo-Daro, Harappa, Indus River, Ganges River, Himalayas, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean RA- The Elephant’s Friend by Williams RA-Life in the Ancient Indus River Valley by Richardson 4-13 CP-tiger and camel RA-Little Babaji by Bannerman UBWH-Cities of Ancient India 28-29 NAR-Houses and sewers in Harappa SOTW-Life on the Ganges River 222-225 NAR- The Ancient Indians CP-Indian woman in sari RA-Life in the Ancient Indus River Valley by Richardson 14 NAR-Two Big Cities RA-Tales from Ancient India by Gavin: How the World Began, The River Ganga came to Earth CP-Lotus Flower NAR-The Aryans RA-Tales of Ancient India by Gavin: Shiva the Blue Throated, Manu and the Flood CP- cobra SOTW- The Castes of Ancient India 226-227 NAR- Castes of India RA- Tales of Ancient India by Gavin: Ganesh, Krishna CP- peacock SOTW- Siddhartha 228-232 RA-Buddha by Demi NAR- Siddhartha SOTW- The Empire United 233-234 NAR-Asoka Unties India SOTW- The Jakata Tales 235-238 RA-Buddha Stories by Demi BMWH- Mauryan Empire 300 BC pg. 43 CP- Indian palace Assemble all narrations and coloring pages into the lapbook. KEY SOTW=Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer UBWH=Usborne Book of World History BMWH=Blackline Maps of World History by Johnson CP=coloring page NAR= narration RA=read aloud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Ancient Greece Begin Greek Word Roots from the Rummy Roots packages. Learn 10-15 per week. UBWH -Life in Crete SOTW -Life in Early Crete Bull Jumpers & Sailors Mysterious End of the Minoans Make a fresco Reenact The Minotaur UBWH- Canaanites in the Desert Nomads in the desert The Phoenicians SOTW- Phoenician Traders Founding of Carthage Use paper strips to demonstrate the story of Dido Dye purple fabric and embroider with sewing machine embroidery settings Watch modern glass blowing video of Andy Cohn SOTW- The Mycenaeans The Greek Dark Ages Barbarians Become Greeks Greek Alphabet Simon & Schuster’s Greek Gods and Heroes Make and paint a map of Greece SOTW- Stories of Homer First Olympic Games Make winner’s crown UBWH- Olympics Watch video of parade of nations Make gold, silver, bronze medals Watch Whitney Houston sing National Anthem Make trireme ship Odysseus by McCaughrean Make Athena’s owl (clay) UBWH- Life in Athens Trace Parthenon SOTW- Greece’s War with Persia Peloponnesian War Make Trojan horse and soldiers SOTW- Greeks Fight Each Other Venn diagram of Athens and Sparta SOTW-Philip and His Son Alexander’s Invasions Death of Alexander Make map of Alexander’s Conquests Ancient Greek Art by Hodge The Librarian Who Measured Earth by Lasky Make a Greek amphora art Assemble lapbook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Ancient Rome Unit Study Begin Latin Roots and Review Greek Roots SOTW: Romulus and Remus 198 (NAR) MRAAT: Romulus and Remus 6 SOTW: The Power of Rome 202 (NAR) UBWH: The Rise of Rome 86 MRAAT: 7 Hills of Rome 4 BMWH: The Republic of Rome 47 SOTW: The Roman Gods 205 (PRO) Color images of each Roman god(dess) Roman Myths by McCaughrean (3 per day) SOTW: The Roman Builders 208 (NAR) City: Roman City Planning by MacCaulay UBWH: Life in the Roman Empire 89 Read the library book about volcanoes (PRO) Make Roman Mosaic tile of Mt. Vesuvius and photo (PRO) Built Pompeii then destroy it with volcano experiment: photo each step MRAAT: Roman Roads 8 SOTW: The Roman Gladiators 210 (NAR) SOTW: Gladiator School 213 (NAR) (PRO) print out and color images of a gladiator & coliseum Ancient Rome: Monuments Past and Present by R.A. Staccioli look up Coliseum, Circus Maximus, forum square, The Palatine, Temple of Saturn, and Pantheon The Roman Army by Dyan Blacklock SOTW: The Punic Wars 217 (NAR) BMWH: Punic Wars 48 Hannibal’s Route (PRO) Color images of Hannibal’s War Elephants MRAAT: The Roman Army 7 (PRO) print out and color images of Roman Army, navy, catapult & chariot SOTW: Caesar is kidnapped 254 (NAR) SOTW: The Consuls of Rome 257 (NAR) SOTW: Caesar and the Senate 260 (NAR) MRAAT: Julius Caesar 18 SOTW: Caesar Fights the Celts 263 (NAR) UBWH: Romans and Barbarians 90 Why Are You Calling Me a Barbarian? By Petren & Putini SOTW: Caesar Crosses the Rubicon 265 (NAR) MRAAT: Crossing the Rubicon 20 SOTW: Caesar and Cleopatra 268 (NAR) Cleopatra by Diane Stanley SOTW: The Death of Caesar 271 (NAR) SOTW: Augustus Caesar 274 (NAR) (PRO) color images of Roman man & woman BMWH: Palestine during the Time of Christ 51 SOTW: The Birth of Jesus 278 Let There Be Light by Jane Ray (Christmas Story chapter) SOTW: Jesus Crucified and Resurrected 281 SOTW: Destruction of the Temple 285 (NAR) SOTW: Nero, the Evil Emperor 288 (NAR) SOTW: Christians in the Catacombs 291 (NAR) SOTW: The Emperor is a Christian! 293 (NAR) BMWH: Roman Empire at its Largest 57 SOTW: The British Rebellion 297 (NAR) SOTW: Rome Divided in Two 299 (NAR) SOTW: Attila the Hun 302 (NAR) BMWH: Barbarians Invade Roman Empire 55 SOTW: Stilicho, Roman & Barbarian 304 (NAR) SOTW: The Coming of the Visigoths 307 (NAR) SOTW: The Last Roman Emperor 310 (NAR) SOTW: The Gifts of Rome 312 (PRO) Make calendar with images of each Roman god for each month (PRO) Image of each planet in solar system and image of each Roman god it’s named after Assemble lapbook. KEY SOTW=Story of the World: Ancients by Susan Wise Bauer BMWH=Blackline Maps of World History by Terry Johnson MRAAT=Modern Rhymes about Ancient Times by Susan Altman & Susan Lechner (memorized) UBWH=Usborne Book of World History (NAR)=Narration (PRO)=Project Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama25angels Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Homeschool Mom in AZ--Thank you! Those units are AWESOME!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 At the end of the Ancient Studies as a review we read aloud pg. 3-179 from A Child's History of the World by Hillyer which covers Ancient History chronologically . We had her lapbooks out and as we read about a topic we'd covered, she found it in the relevant lapbook and we discussed it briefly. l add each of the above lists to a page in the relevant lapbooks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 We do writing ala WTM, so writing is combined quite often w/history, though mine do R&S english, so they do those composition exercises too. Art is easily combined w/history and science here. I plan on using the Arty Facts Science and Art books next year for art projects 1 week on a topic that we are studying in science. Then the next week we will do an art lesson instead tied to history using the Usborne Intro to Art book which is chronological. I usually just read from it, then they have time to do free art or work on any projects we have ongoing. Then every week we will memorize a painting using Memoria Press' new art cards. We do lit. and history together for my logic stager using CHOLL's reading lists and lit suggestions from SOTW for both my grammar and logic stager. Dictation is easily combined w/lit, science, history, spelling, or Bible. I just read a sentence from one of our current books. And for my child that struggles more with spelling, I instead make up a sentence using her spelling words. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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