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unit studies
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I have a question. I have been reading some of Raymond and Dorothy Moore’s books. I was wondering if you consider some of the Charlotte Mason studies as unit studies. An example is the fact that we are studying Greek history for a year; so, is it just a long unit study? Just thinking about this. I would like some opinions. Also, if you don’t view it as a unit study, what are the advantages of Charlotte’s way over unit studies?
Great question. The traditional unit study tries to incorporate all of the school subjects into the same topic. So if you were studying Greek history, it would include science, math, spelling words, poetry, etc. all tied into something about Ancient Greece. Sometimes the activities can become a bit far-fetched to try to make them somehow tie in to the topic.
In the CM way, some subjects can naturally fit together, like history and literature or history and geography; but they don’t have to. In fact, Charlotte preferred that we allow children to make most mental connections themselves, rather than trying to give them something with all of the dots already connected. Making those mental ah-ha moments on their own is more meaningful and sticks with them longer.
I’d love to hear others’ thoughts on this concept.
I think unit studies could be great for some. However, I find that they do not *tend* to work in our home for a couple of reasons. One is because it takes a lot out of me as the person who has to organize it. 😐 But more importantly, I have found that it sets up a conflict when a need or interest becomes known in our home that has nothing to do with the ‘unit’ we’re on. I’ve often used the example of when the unit is on diligence, for instance, and the child slings mashed potatoes at his sister, obviously showing a need for a time of teaching manners. Or the unit is on flight and a turtle shows up at the door. It just lacks the flexibility and spontaneity we need in our own home. Having said that, I am not the most organized person and so someone else may know much more.
Blessings,
Cindy
As CM says, children will form their own connections and that’s when the magic of learning is really exciting. To lay it all out for them in unit studies seems to take the thrill out of it, imo.
But if a topic delights your kids, there is no reason not to delve into it and let them immerse themselves in it. That’s fun and exciting, but that’s not a unit study. A unit study, as I see it, means the teacher/parent bundles the entire curriculum around a single topic.
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