Start by selecting a theme or topic. It could be a historical period, a scientific concept, a literary genre, or anyone of your child's current fixations, err interests. (Hello, parents of neurodiverse kids!) Define clear learning goals for the unit. What do you want your learners to know, do, or understand by the end of the study?
Last month, we came upon the trailer for the movie 'A Million Miles Away' based on the life of Mexican astronaut Jose Hernandez. My kids immediately express their desire to watch it, so it was only natural to include this film in our Hispanic/Latine Heritage Month studies, so I began to plan a unit study around it. The goal was to focus on Latinx representation in STEM.
Once the theme and goal are set, the next step is to source your materials. Collect books, videos, website links, and other educational resources related to your chosen topic. We use YouTube a lot and get most of our books from the library. If you choose to go this route, I recommend putting books on hold in advance to ensure they will be available at your library.
Decide how long you'll spend on the topic and outline a schedule. We spent a week and a half on our Latinx in STEM mini unit, but sometimes my kids wish to linger on certain subjects and the units may last several weeks.
Now comes the fun part. Develop a variety of activities, including reading assignments, experiments, hands-on projects, and field trips that align with your learning goals. For our Latinx in STEM unit we read a book, watched a movie, did a biography research project, and visited Johnson Space Center.
I suggest having a culminating activity or project with your unit. This time, we opted for launching a rocket model. Other times we've done things like presentations, reports, or performances to allow the kids to showcase what they've learned.
It's also a good idea to review what you've covered. We like to have discussions so I can hear what everyone has learned and we can reflect on what worked (or not) together. Show how the topic relates to real life and events. This helps learners connect to what they're studying.
Don't forget to snap lots of pics along the way too. We like to print photos of our homeschool days using our Canon Ivy and use them to make an entry in our homeschool notebooks at the end of the each unit.
Lastly, document the journey for future reference. I can't tell you how many times someone asked for book titles or resources and if I didn't write it down, I would forget. You can use my free unit planner to keep records of the resources used and activities completed. I hope this provides you with a clear roadmap and the confidence to create your own unit studies without fear.