Homeschool Zoo Annex

Christmas Unit Study revisited

A few years ago I wrote a short Christmas Unit Study. So, I thought now might be a good time to bring this back up as one of my favorites.

I no longer homeschool because all my children are grown and leading their own adult lives. However, I am still keenly interested in homeschooling and hope to keep others interested in it as well. It seems to me that now is a very good time to re-present this free unit study to you, my readers. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did when the children were still young.

Labels: Free stuff, Unit Studies

posted by Ann crum @ 8:46 PM 0 comments

Daylight savings time

Most of the country just passed the day when we switch from Daylight Savings Time to Standard Time. It's quite an adjustment, at least for me, to have it be dark by 6 PM now. And, it will only get dark earlier as we go along for a few weeks.

Have you ever wondered about Daylight Savings Time? How it came to be in use? When and who started it, and why? Teacher Planet offers lots of great resource information for learning all about Daylight Savings Time. As a teacher, you can compile your own complete unit study using these resources for your classroom or, if you homeschool, your child or children.

These resources encompass all grades and include the history of DST, the history of time as used by man, and includes games, puzzles, and printables you can use as you build your study based on this theme.

Labels: Free stuff, Unit Studies

posted by Ann crum @ 7:23 PM 0 comments

Tomato hornworm lesson

Even though it's late in the summer...fall, actually...it doesn't hurt to begin a study of the tomato hornworm or tobacco hornworm. They may still be found in your garden.

This is a pest that can do a lot of damage to tomato crops and should be dealt with. However, they are also just about the easiest caterpillar to use for close up study of their life cycle.

You can find a lot of information online at places that help you identify, with pictures, the tobacco or tomato hornworm. It's a good idea to look for other resources as well to complete the study, of course, but with so much information out there, you shouldn't have any problems designing a science unit study around this interesting, though crop-damaging, creature.

Things to search for:

• Reproduction
• Diet
• Life stages
• Season
• Identification

One of my first encounters with the moth that develops from the caterpillar was at night, in my garden. What looked like a hummingbird was flitting from flower to flower among the pepper plants. He/she was hovering and even flying backwards. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought it was a fairy. Perhaps, that's where the notion of fairies came from!

You may be fortunate enough to still be able to capture a hornworm and feed it, and watch it develop through its stages into the large moth it becomes.

Labels: Science, Unit Studies

posted by Ann crum @ 7:45 PM 0 comments

Climate change

One thing that's at the front of the news lately is climate change. Some have blamed this summer's excessive heat and drought conditions on what used to be called global warming. The thing is, global warming does just the opposite. It melts the polar ice caps, cools the oceans, and sets in motion storms and cold weather in locations where it had previously been temperate.

Still, it's a lot to think about when the weather patterns seem to be going haywire. You can download and print a free 2-week unit for grades 6 to 8 that teaches Climate Change. This covers not only the weather aspect, but also the social and economic aspects of this planet-threatening issue.

This same website also offers other units free to download.

Labels: Science, Unit Studies

posted by Ann crum @ 11:32 PM 0 comments

Thanksgiving lessons

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I thought now might be a good time to incorporate some Thanksgiving lessons and activities into your curriculum for social studies This site also gives you unit studies.

Most of the lessons and activities are geared toward younger learners so this could be a way of introducing history to them in a very fun way. There are teacher helps plus coloring and activity pages enough to delight any child. After all, shouldn't learning be delightful?

Labels: Free stuff, Lesson plans, Unit Studies

posted by Ann crum @ 8:52 PM 0 comments

Skeleton unit study

Our body framework is the skeleton. It protects our internal organs, gives us shape and the ability to move, and supports our entire body. It needs special nourishment and exercise to keep it healthy and functioning properly. The Skeleton Unit Study will help your child learn so much about the skeleton.

It includes online lesson ideas, crafts, activities, games, and suggested reading resources. You can build a really nice skeleton unit study around these resources.

Labels: Unit Studies

posted by Ann crum @ 10:12 PM 0 comments

Babysitting unit study

For the young teen, making a little spending money can be important. But, the choices may be limited. Many teens venture into babysitting for some money before they are old enough to get a regular job anywhere else.

However, not just anyone is cut out for this. It takes a very special, patient teen to be able to take care of younger children. That's where this Babysitting Unit Study can really be helpful.

This is a true unit study and not just a bunch of worksheets. This tells you resources from the library and the web that can be used to complete the study. It also gives you a comprehensive list of activities you can develop plus a few books to read that are fiction and non-fiction.

Labels: Unit Studies

posted by Ann crum @ 11:41 PM 0 comments

Winter weather preparedness

I really do hope you are all set with your family to withstand some severe winter storms. The news is full of this last storm which swept across middle America. Power outages, travel worries, flight cancellations, and stranded motorists fill the news media now.

It would be wiser, I think, to stay home and stay warm. However, if you haven't already, you really might want to look into winter preparedness. You will find an excellent list of what a family needs to survive in the worst conditions, which may include power outages.

This list includes words and definitions which could fit nicely into a winter unit study on preparedness. There are also lists of supplies and ways to survive before and during a heavy winter storm.

Labels: Unit Studies

posted by Ann crum @ 10:12 AM 0 comments

Halloween Unit Study

I realize it's late for this, but you may want to save this and use it next year. For right now, you can look over this unit study while you're storing your halloween costumes until next year.

Halloween Unit Study

Objective: To assess the true history of Halloween and learn the Christian view of it. This report will be completed in lieu of whatever language arts, history and math you are currently working on. Web Resources:

__http://www.apbonline.com/newscenter/breakingnews/1999/10/29/halloween1029_01.html

__http://www.michaelh.com/thoughts/messages/halloween.shtml

__http://www.apbonline.com/newscenter/internetcrime/1999/10/29/halloweensex1029_01.html

__http://www.tantramar.com/trib/1998/10/28/front_page.html

__http://www.heavenlywebs.net/Holidays/halloween/halloweenfct.htm

__http://archive.abcnews.go.com/sections/business/halloween/

__http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m3196/n3_v96/20540760/p1/article.jhtml

Day 1: Using the encyclopedia, the internet, or the Compton's, locate articles about Halloween and read them.

· What is the origin of Halloween?

· Who first celebrated it?

· What does it honor?

· How is it celebrated today?

Day 2: Using a Bible, the dictionary, and a concordance, look up the following words and write their definitions. You may also use God's Word for Windows and Bible Database. (Bible Database is a downloadable program.)

· witch

· ghost

· familiar spirit

· witchcraft

· idolatry

· vain traditions

· Baal

· sheol

· demon

· superstition

· curse

· magic

· possession

Day 3: Do a search on the internet to find the Christian view of Halloween

· Is it appropriate for Christians to celebrate Halloween?

· What are we honoring when we celebrate it?

· Who are we honoring when we celebrate it?

· Does Halloween have any place in a Christian's life? Why?

Day 4: Write a report about Halloween and the Christian. Include your sources of information in a bibliography. Report must be complete and inclusive. Include the following:

· Find out statistics about the incidents of injuries related to Halloween over the last few years.

· Make a bar graph to depict those incidents.

· Find out statistics about candy sales during the weeks preceding Halloween. How do those sales compare with the rest of the year?

· Make a line graph to illustrate those statistics.

· What do the common symbols of Halloween represent?

· Where does the phrase "trick or treat" come from?

· Where and did the custom of wearing masks and costumes originate?

· What is the purpose of masks and costumes?

· What does the Bible have to say about witches, demons, or psychics (familiar spirits)?

· What is the Christian worldview of this celebration?

· What are your conclusions?

Report will be due the day before Halloween. Use note taking, outlining, research, rough draft, and proper completed report format including cover page.

Use the Word Processor or Word on the computer for your final draft.

You will be graded on accuracy, spelling, grammar, sentence structure, proper format, graphing skills, depth of the report, use of resources, and proper bibliography.

© 2001 Ann Crum

Labels: Unit Studies

posted by Ann crum @ 12:45 PM 0 comments

Photography Unit Study

Photography Unit

Objectives: To learn how to take a variety of digital photographs; using photography as an art form; creating animated gifs from digital photos; using photographs to document events; the history of photography; mechanics of conventional photography.

Weeks 1 and 2: Using the encyclopedia and other resources, study the history of cameras and photography. Find when photography was invented, the tools used, who invented it, what it was used for.

Web resources:

· http://www.rleggat.com/photohistory/

· http://www.rleggat.com/photohistory/history/daguerr.htm

· http://www.rleggat.com/photohistory/history/bayard.htm

· http://www.spress.de/foto/history/

· http://www.rleggat.com/photohistory/history/stereosc.htm

· http://www.midleykent.fsnet.co.uk/

1. Make a timeline showing the beginnings of photography, advances, and people involved.

2. Write a one page biography of an early inventor involved in photography.

Weeks 3 and 4: Using the encyclopedia and other resources, including the web, study the mechanics of photography. Learn the papers, chemicals, lenses, camera types.

1. Using instructions supplied in your packet, make a pinhole camera and produce 3 pictures using a pinhole camera.

2. Study the handouts in the packet. Be prepared to tell in writing what the various F-stops represent.

Web resources:

· http://www.fotoinfo.com/

· http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~tkemp/

Weeks 5 and 6: Learn tips about what makes a photograph good or bad. Learn how to arrange subjects, lighting, proper equipment, digital photography.

Web resources:

· http://home.netcom.com/~nikonman/phototips1.html

· http://www.fotoinfo.com/

· http://www.channel1.com/workingphotos/wp.html

· http://www.internetbrothers.com/phototips.htm

· http://members.home.net/jonespm/PJDigPhot.htm

Weeks 7 and 8: Picture taking project - using a digital camera, take enough pictures of one object to create an animated gif.

· Locate a plant or group of trees that will be changing over time. Even a seedling will work.

· Find a spot for your camera that you can return to at each visit

· Making sure your camera rests in the same location each time, take one photo of the object at different times. If observing a flower, take your pictures at 30 minute intervals throughout the day. If observing the trees changing colors, take your pictures at the same time each day for at least two weeks.

· When all the needed pictures are taken, load them into the computer. Find them in the files and save them to a separate file to acquire them from.

Open the gif animator program of your computer and load the pictures in to create an animation which will display the changes in a time lapsed style.

Weeks 9 and 10: Portrait project - using a digital camera take portraits of a family member.

· Use different lighting, backgrounds, and settings on the camera.

· Load these into the computer and move them into a new file.

· Using the photo programs in your computer, adjust or enhance one portrait. Each time you make enhancements, save it under a new file name.

Weeks 11 and 12: Interview a photographer.

· Find out where he/she learned photography.

· How have they used their skill?

· Do they have any tips for better photos?

· Do they use photography as an art form?

· Can they make a living using their photography?

Labels: Unit Studies

posted by Ann crum @ 12:12 PM 0 comments

Christmas Unit Study

CHRISTMAS UNIT STUDY

This was originally written to be a four day unit study, so it may be intense but it can be done. However, you may wish to incorporate this into your curriculum in a different way. The vocabulary will be comprised solely of words related to the subject, so you won't find anything like phentermine or other modern or chemical terms.

OBJECTIVE: From Genesis on, the birth of the Messiah was prophesied. The goal of this unit is to discover those prophecies and to learn about the fulfillment of them - the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, what we as Christians believe, and what we should share with others about it. This unit will not include math or science. Those subjects will need to be supplemented.

WEB RESOURCES:

__http://members.tripod.com/~lemmondrops/advent.html#TEXT

__http://www.execpc.com/~tmuth/st_john/xmas/advent.htm

__http://www.christiantech.com/ (Noah Webster 1828 online searchable

dictionary)

OTHER RESOURCES:

You may use your dictionary, encyclopedia, computer encyclopedia, Bible,

concordance, the web, or any other resources available to you.

VOCABULARY: Write the definitions for the following words.

__Prophecy

__Immanuel

__Census

__Messiah

__Christ

__Bethlehem

__Carol

__Advent

DAY 1:

1. What is an Advent wreath? Look this up on the internet or in an encyclopedia to learn its history and purpose. Find out if there are any traditional activities during Advent.

2. Make an Advent wreath, using natural materials you find in your yard. In place of real candles, use paper tubes, construction paper, and other craft items to make “candles”. Each week have a devotional and use the wreath you have made as the centerpiece.

DAY 2:

1. Using a Concordance or computer Bible software, look up verses which tell of a prophesied Messiah. Key words: a child, a son, virgin, son of God, redeemer, Bethlehem. You might think of others as well.

2. Re-write the verses in your own words, making sure to tell the address of the verses.

3. Using a printable map, locate and color the area around Bethlehem and Nazareth. Follow the trail of Joseph and Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem, then on to Egypt. Then, retrace their journey from Egypt back to their home, as told in the Bible. (Matthew and Luke) Use a different color for each activity and note them in the map’s legend.

4. Determine how many miles each trip was, and how many miles total they had to travel.

5. How far might they have traveled in one day? How long could each trip have taken?

DAY 3: Answer the following questions. You may use your Bible, the internet, the encyclopedia, or any other resources necessary to learn the answers. Write in complete sentences, making note of proper spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

1. Why was there a need for a Messiah?

2. What sort of Savior did the Jews expect?

3. We know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Where did the Pharisees think He came from?

4. Who was the Roman ruler when Jesus was born?

5. What government even preceded the birth of Jesus?

6. What did Herod have done after he learned of the birth?

7. Find the Old Testament verse that is referred to in the passage about this deed.

8. How is it that Jesus, born of a woman, could have pure blood with no sinful nature? (See Luke’s gospel.)

DAY 4:

1. Read the account of Jesus’ birth in Matthew 2. According to what you have read, try to determine how old Jesus might have been when the wise men visited Him. Citing verses, give reasons why you have come to this conclusion.

2. While the secular world sees Santa Claus in Christmas, what one thing that affects our daily lives is impacted by the birth of Christ?

© 2001 Ann Crum

While I have copyrighted this material, please feel free to print it out for your own use. Please, do not pass this around on the internet as your own work. Thank you, and Merry Christmas!

Labels: Unit Studies

posted by Ann crum @ 11:03 PM 0 comments

Mummify a chicken

Want your kids to have some gross fun studying history? How about studying Egyptian Mummification! With this lesson plan, your 5th to 8th graders will mummify a Chicken Pharaoh. This is actually a cross-curricular study covering math, science, social studies, and language arts, so it covers a lot of territory.

It comes with printable handouts to give to your students and a complete outline of how to implement the unit in the classroom, with individual instructions for each subject area.

It also gives you a list of materials needed to accomplish the mummification of King Chicken and guidelines to see if the bird loses weight during the process or if he should have been on Lipofuze during his feeding program.

Web resources also accompany this unit, giving your children all kinds of opportunities for research and discussion.

Come on! You know it will be fun!!

Labels: Unit Studies

posted by Ann crum @ 9:52 PM 2 comments

Bird watching

While this may not be the best time of the year to begin, Bird Watching Lessons can still be planned and some activities carried out through the winter and into the spring. This site linked will give you lots of wonderful ideas and resources for building a cross-curricular unit study with the central theme of bird watching. This is a unit that could stay with your child for years to come, creating in him a love of bird watching and conservation.

A few weeks ago, I took a vacation in a mountainous area of our state. While there, a park interpreter took us on a bird watching outing and supplied us not only with information, but with small bushnell binoculars. She taught us how to focus the binoculars, which was something certainly new for me. She then led us on a trek to identify bird calls and birds we saw as we went along.

The one thing that impressed me the most was something she said: Bird watching isn't so much about the birds, but about the people you are with and the memories you create for yourself on each outing.

Wise woman, indeed.

Labels: Science, Unit Studies

posted by Ann crum @ 10:44 PM 0 comments

Unit study resource - physical education

Even though cold weather is upon us, the need for good resources for physical fitness has not ended for the school year. Upon looking, I found that the Physical Education resources page of Teacher Vision gives an ample list of cross-curricular resources. I imagine it would be hard to even use all of them, there are so many!

These resources would be wonderful compiled into a unit study that covers not only the health aspect, but also History, Science, Social Studies, Math, and Language Arts. The child who is very active in sports of any kind would be highly engaged by a unit of this kind.

It even includes resources about the Olympic Games, hgh releaser issues, famous athletes who inspire others, and lesson plans, quizzes, and printables.

What more can you ask of a unit study resource site?

Labels: Health, Unit Studies

posted by Ann crum @ 12:14 PM 0 comments

Free money skills courses

I wanted to share another money skills course with you. It's the free AFSA Money Skill course. You do have to register and login, but it's a free course for educators and students that covers so many areas of money skills that I believe it can be used as the full curriculum course for economics, income, assets, and other areas of finances your child will deal with when he grows up.

Getting these skills fully trained now will help your child later to make good decisions about money. It is a cross-curriculum as well for social studies and math.Using this course will help your child understand what goes into such things as Outer Banks foreclosures, investments, risks, and personal money management. It includes interactive modules and quizzes, keeps a record of grades and scores, retaking modules where the child has not done so well, and a pre-test to learn what level your child is already.

Labels: Finances, Free stuff, Unit Studies

posted by Ann crum @ 4:04 PM 0 comments

Advantage of unit studies

Who knows what your young child may grow up to be? I bet you don't even know, although you may think you have a good idea. Will your child be interested in airport jobs? Maybe she will want to be an animal doctor or a language or sign interpreter.

Well, since you don't really know yet, this is the time to be introducing them to a variety of career choices by offering subjects in those areas. Your child's interest may be piqued along one path or another, and she will begin to dig more deeply into those courses of study.

Keeping it all well-balanced is important, of course, so you don't want to leave out the basic studies. But using unit studies might fulfill both purposes.

For instance, you might want to incorporate lessons about the airport with subjects such as language arts, math, and even science or history. When it's all rolled together under one topic - Airports - you child might be more engaged in the study and stand more chance of success in accomplishing the unit study tasks.

Labels: Unit Studies

posted by Ann crum @ 2:35 PM 0 comments

Fashion and history

A fun unit study to include in your history course might be fashion. As time progresses, fashion trends change and reflect the mood of the day. Including fashions in your curriculum, along with the economy of the day, events, and politics, could lead you on a very memorable unit study.

You could begin building the study by using Fashion Era as a springboard site. There, you can follow all the rabbit trails of fashion and history such as the use of corsets, hemline lengths, hats and hairstyles (both men and women), shoes, makeup or lack of it, sports attire, business attire, and so much more.

Every era has had fashions that meet the needs of the people who lived during that time. Why not pursue this as an integrated part of a summer history course?

Labels: History, Unit Studies

posted by Ann crum @ 11:11 AM 0 comments

Summer unit studies

As you know by now, I am an advocate of summer homeschooling. Instead of letting your child's mind stagnate through the summer, why not introduce new units that are engaging and appealing for children who homeschool through the summer?

Research is especially easy in the summer, whether you're researching the side effects of adipo-x or you're researching for a unit study, since you can visit the library in much nicer weather, attend book sales, and, of course, head to the world wide web for articles of interest that focus on whatever unit you are studying at the time.

A good place to start units is free homeschool unit studies by Cindy Downes. She gives you clear instructions for how to implement the units plus lots of great sites where you can find tools and information. In fact, this could prove to be your most useful tool for summer unit studies.

Labels: Unit Studies

posted by Ann crum @ 8:01 PM 0 comments

Unit studies by Homeschool Zoo

I think that in the past, I have written units for my kids with topics ranging from "living or non-living" to holidays. I've written about everything but the kitchen sinks. So much of that was lost when my old computer crashed, though, so I don't have them anymore.

I do, however, have a few that I uploaded to my website years ago, and they are still in place there. If you're interested in a few unit studies, you can go to Homeschool Zoo and look in the lower left-hand menu.

They are free for you to print off and use as you see fit. Edit them to accommodate your own family and children. Share them with others, if you wish.

Labels: Unit Studies

posted by Ann crum @ 10:35 PM 0 comments

School Express

If you're looking for another great place where you can find over 15,000 free worksheets, units, learning activities, and other educational freebies, then School Express is definitely the place to go.

I used this site way back in the early days of our homeschool experience, when it was a much smaller site and had fewer offerings. It was still mighty useful for us, though, and it's great to see how much it has grown. Check it out for your own homeschool!

Labels: Free stuff, Unit Studies, Worksheets

posted by Ann crum @ 10:00 PM 0 comments