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Amanda Bennett's Unit Studies |
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Science: Making It Fun!
Copyright 2004 Amanda Bennett -- All Rights Reserved
This is the edited text of an online conference that
Amanda presented on the Christian Interactive Network's Christian
Homeschool Forum on Monday, July 11, 1994.
Amanda Bennett: As you probably know by now, my name is Amanda
Bennett. I am an engineer by degree and a homeschooling mom of three in
virtual reality! Our three kids range from 20 months to 12 years
old, and are indeed a blessing!
I would like to address the
importance of science to your children's education, and it is one of my
favorite topics! There is no better way to turn on a child's curiosity and
imagination than with science, yet there is no greater fear among most
homeschooling parents than the mention of SCIENCE! I speak of science as a
whole, not age specific! Many folks seem to be timid around science, and
this is a "generic" conference! Science is so important in
giving them a well-rounded education. God has made such a beautiful world
here for us and the study of science allows us a close up look at the
wonder of it and of His greatness! We need to take advantage of these
opportunities, along with their natural curiosity, to develop a generation
of well-educated Christians that are thinkers, innovators and inventors.
I would like to share a quote
with you that has inspired us to find the best ways possible to share this
knowledge with our own children. A great scientist, Charles Kettering of
the Salk Institute once said: "A study made a number of years ago
said the more education a man has, the less likely he is to be an
inventor. Now the reason for that is quite simple. From the time the boy
or girl starts in school, he or she is tested three or four times a year
and, of course, it is a very disastrous thing if he fails. An inventor
fails all the time and it is a triumph if he succeeds ONCE! Consequently,
if education is an inhibition to invention, it is due entirely to the form
by which we rate things and not because of any educational
difference."
Wow! This one quote said
volumes to us -- it made us even more certain that we had to find a
hands-on approach to learning science, along with other areas of
education. After trying standard textbook / workbook fare with the
children, we decided that, even though they could memorize the material
and make excellent grades on the tests, they did not RETAIN most of the
material for more than a few weeks!
Well, that was my wake-up
call! How could we be any better than the school system if the end product
was still lacking in retaining and understanding the basics? I studied and
researched volumes to find the many ways of learning and teaching. After
all of this, I was lucky enough to stumble across Valerie Bendt's book How
to Create Your Own Unit Studies.
A unit (or thematic) study is
defined as a study of one particular topic or theme, integrating many of
the various areas of education into the study. For example, when we worked
on the unit study Oceans, we studied the history of the ocean, the
geography of the oceans and the world, the history of ocean exploration,
the chemistry of ocean water, along with the occupants of the ocean (plant
& animal). We read classics having to do with the ocean, like Swiss
Family Robinson, Kidnapped and Moby Dick, studying them for the writing
style, literary content, etc. It was a TERRIFIC unit!
In using a unit
study approach, kids learn all about one topic at one time, instead of
spreading it out over several years of education. Unlike standard textbook
curriculum, where they learn (for example) about the continents in second
grade, the ocean explorers in third grade, ocean mammals in fourth grade,
etc., unit studies gave them a complete picture, one that has a long shelf
life!
This process of learning about areas of interest
as completely as possible more closely resembles the way that we learn, as
adults! We don't learn things piece-meal very well. It is so difficult to
put all the pieces together over the years when there is no general
"frame" on which to hang all of the random information.
So, now -- how can we use
science to cover so many areas, and have fun doing it? Well, consider
using a unit study approach this summer on a topic that is of great
interest to your children. For example, if your children are interested in
stars and constellations, go to the library and look up the information
available in both the adult sections and juvenile sections of the library.
From these, develop an outline to follow for the unit study. Include the
history of the topic, people that made great contributions or discoveries,
and some of the interesting people that you discover in your research.
Don't forget to find out what videos and other materials are available to
support your study.
After you have an
outline and a list of resources, slowly begin your study by reading a
classic or captivating novel aloud that will peak their curiosity. By
using unit studies, you can capture their natural interests to open up the
path to deeper learning and understanding -- better retention! My own
children have learned and RETAINED so much more with these units on topics
that they are so very interested in! No matter what your curriculum
choice, try to pump up your science studies with everyday applications,
too! Why do we change the oil in the car? Why do we have to change the
sparkplug? How does detergent work? And on and on! They go to bed asking ?
and get up in the morning asking more questions.
Whichever teaching methods
you choose, please try to include as much practical and applied learning
as possible. It is these moments of sudden understanding that will stay
with them and provide the structure for future curiosity and learning!
Now, are there any questions?
Question: How much foundational knowledge must a parent have to
teach this way?
Amanda Bennett: Well, this is a good question. I have found that
many parents are worried about their own basic knowledge when trying to
move beyond standard textbook curriculum. I learned a new word that is
great in describing the use of unit studies in homeschooling --
autodidactic! Self-taught! So many parents that use unit studies tell me
that they have learned so much using this method! I can say for myself, I
have learned so much more about these topics than I EVER learned after 5
years of college! The joke that I use to explain just how important it is
to have science training to teach science: Lots of people tell me that
they can't teach science because they had a bad teacher, labs, etc. I look
at them and grin, saying that where I grew up, many times we did not have
a science teacher for a year or two, so guess who got the honor of being
the science teacher? THE FOOTBALL COACH! And look, I didn't
turn out too bad, did I?! There is so much information on science
available today in so many different forms -- books, online resources,
software, etc., that a parent should not be intimidated by a new topic --
just dive in and learn with them!
Question: Is it important to follow a scope and sequence when
teaching science?
Amanda Bennett: If you look closely at the many scope and
sequence listings for various curriculum publishers, you will quickly
realize that no two are alike. Everyone has a differing view of when
various parts of science should be taught. I am of the opinion that we
should cover the basic areas during our years of homeschooling, saving the
more difficult concepts until the kids are old enough to understand them
(like physics!)
Question: Given the requirement for standard testing by school
systems, how does your approach fit with the need to meet certain subject
knowledge requirements?
Amanda Bennett: The standardized testing requirements vary from
state to state. After looking at the various tests and forms, I discovered
that they were truly trying to identify the child's reading abilities,
reading comprehension, math skills, and some other basic skills. They do
not usually test for specific knowledge within the areas like science or
history, at least in the elementary years. It is more important to teach
these skills as we work our way through the schooling process, giving
lessons in science and history as we go along.
Unit studies provides this
opportunity, along with a great way to motivate them and keep them wanting
more! Does this answer your question?
Question: Are you talking about this teaching method in place of
the curriculum or in addition to it?
Amanda Bennett: I use this teaching method for the areas of
science, history, geography, art, literature, etc. I have separate
programs for grammar and math, following a more "standardized"
curriculum.
Of course, my family has
learned many of the basic principles of science and physics since we had
Jacob, who is now 21 months old. For example, we have learned all about
forces and levers by observing Jacob and the hall gate! We now know just
how long Jake has to push on the gate in the midst of a temper tantrum
before the screws strip out of the wall!
What kinds of science
curriculum are you all using now and how satisfied are you with it?
Question: Amanda, can you recommend some good resources for
teaching science? Besides your books, which are great!
Amanda Bennett: Good question! Some of my
favorites include:
The Way Things Work,
by David Macaulay, Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia, the Usborne
books, The Thomas Edison Book of Easy and Incredible Experiments,
Men of Science, Men of God, Developing Critical Thinking
Skills through Science, Everyday Things and How They Work,
by Steve Parker, Building Thinking Skills, by Critical Thinking
Press, Experimenting with Inventions, by Robert Gardner, and so
many more! Kingfisher is coming out with some great science guides now,
and I do like the Eyewitness series for kids grades 5 and up!
Comments: While you rest your fingers I'd just like to add that the
Unit Study approach is an ideal approach to teaching multi-grade levels as
you can "kill 7 birds with one stone" so to speak. I think it is
the only way with my family. A person can only spread themselves so thin.
Teaching Grammar & Math on the side is not so bad with many children
when all the other subjects are learned together.
Amanda Bennett: Great words! Can anyone offer their science
curriculum choice and their opinion -- just type in a ? if you want to
volunteer!
Comment: Amanda, many of these are available at Sam's for a great
price! The Kingfisher for example is only $20
Comment: We use BJU...we have never been disappointed with their
textbooks...my teens love them.
Amanda Bennett: Great! Each one of us has to find what works for
our kids, and I am glad that you and your teens are happy with BJU! They
do have a good science series.
Comment: Barnes and Noble in Chicago gives us a 20% discount for
being homeschool teachers.
Comment: For the past two years, we've used Abeka, and although the
books are beautiful and really quite nice, I am finding that they are
quite technical. Quite advanced for a 4th grader! I couldn't even remember
some of the terms they used. A lot to expect for that age. And they cover
a lot in a year. I would like something a little less mind boggling.!! :-)
Amanda Bennett: Like BJU, ABeka does have a fine science series. I
grew up at Pensacola Christian, where this curriculum was developed, and
my own kids used it in private school before we decided to homeschool.
However, I ran into some of the problems that you have mentioned and
decided to do my research, and the rest is history! It is a lot to expect
for the ages, when it may not be presented in a logical sequence. It is
one thing to give the information to meet a scope and sequence
requirement, while another if the child has no place to hang the memorized
terms -- no long-term knowledge base!
Comment: I have found that Blood and Guts : A Working guide to
your Insides by Linda Allison is a great reference for unit studies
on the systems of the body (which are my favorite unit studies!) There are
a lot of practical and fun experiments in this book .
Amanda Bennett: I have that book, too! Isn't it interesting! As
with other studies, I have learned so much more about our bodies from this
book and others than I ever learned in high school science! Does anyone
else have ?? or comments?
Comment: Good Science book: It Couldn't Just Happen, Faith
Building Evidences For Young People By Lawrence Richards. Christian
Light also has good Science. Lots of hands on stuff. Farming is great
"hands on" science also, especially biology <G>.
Comment: I use BJU science texts in the older grades just as a
"tool" then I have something to guide me if I need it, but I can
also do unit studies! We have NEVER gone straight through a science book!
But some of them are good for "references" and ideas!
Question: Is there a good multi-grade level math program that would
help me with my family?
Amanda Bennett: Wow, there are so many good programs out there!
Question: Something similar to Understanding Writing for Language
Arts?
Amanda Bennett: Like Minquon math, Developmental math, and others.
What are you using now?
Question: All levels in one "master book"?
Amanda Bennett: The most important thing to remember is that math
should be taught systematically -- it wouldn't be advisable, in my honest
opinion, to try to teach all with the same program. The concepts have to
be taught in order, like building blocks, to develop a strong math skill
sequence. Some kids need manipulatives, while others need drill and lots
of written opportunities. Thanks everyone for your patience and interest!
Copyright 2004 by Amanda Bennett
PLEASE NOTE:
This article is copyrighted, and may NOT be used or
copied without written permission of
Amanda
Bennett. It is NOT in the public domain, and is protected by copyright laws.
Thanks for your cooperation & understanding!