Education Styles: Unit Studies
"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts"
Aristotle
In the homeschooling community Unit Studies as an educational style has a few different names: Thematic Learning and/or Delight-Directed Study. Unit Studies can be done as a solo educational method, or most often, mixed in with other styles to bring variety and depth to one's education. The basic definition of unit studies is to integrate the different subject areas across one topic/theme, rather than isolating each subject. Alternatively, one could focus on one subject area alone for a period of time and move to a new subject area, rinse and repeat.
Unit studies are great for families of multiple ages as differentiating among ages/grades is minimal. There is definitely planning and preparation involved to implement Unit studies successfully. Parents/Educators will need to gather materials, resources, and plan ahead. Topics are usually highly motivating for students and the topic comes alive reducing the need to reteach or review. The idea of Unit Studies can be overwhelming, but there are SO MANY options (free and paid) that has all the resources included, lesson plans, and step-by-step guidance. One of the downfalls is there can be gaps in knowledge due to the inch-wide mile-deep approach.
Books
Everything You Need To Know About Homeschool Unit Studies by: J. Steward
Podcasts
Homeschool with Moxie Podcast | 174: How You Can Use Unit Studies to Simplify Your Homeschool.
The Homeschool Sisters Podcast | Episode 124: Lazy Unit Studies and Older Kids
The Coop Homeschool Podcast | Episode 29: Unit Studies
Articles/Websites
Ourjourneywestward.com- a great example of how to plan your own unit studies.
Pinterest Search- probably the top place to find inspo for a unit study.