This is our catalog of courses. We will occasionally adjust the course listing to reflect the addition of new courses and the retirement of others.
Integrate several subjects with this project-based unit study to bring the joy of learning right to your living room. If you like being involved in your child’s learning, with hands-on activities, read-alouds, literature, and memorable projects learned together, this is the course for you!
Special notes: Due to the popularity of this course, it is offered twice (on the same day). Choose the time that works best for you and your homeschool.
This is Part Two of a 2-part course. Students are welcome to join us midyear if there are open seats. See https://homeschoolconnections.com/grade-school/ for more details and FAQ’s about our grade school unit studies.
Multiple Students Per Family: Siblings can watch the sessions and complete the automated quizzes FREE. However, only enrolled students may submit and receive teacher grading on select assignments. To receive teacher grading for additional students, enroll each additional student independently.
Total Classes: 12
List of Subjects Scheduled for the Four School Days (Per Week):
* History (45-60 minutes per week)
* Literature (45-60 minutes per week)
* Greek & Latin Roots (10-15 minutes per day)
* Poetry Memorization (10-15 minutes per day)
* Creative Writing (60-90 minutes per week)
* Science (60-90 minutes per week)
*Saint Studies (15 minutes per week)
* Project Work (time varies per family choice; suggested 60-90 minutes per week)
Description
This is a multi-subject unit study designed to promote a joy for learning as a family. There is an engaging LIVE class weekly. A weekly checklist of activities and assignments and a timeline template is provided as well as a suggested daily schedule for the four-day school week. The units follow a four-year history sequence using Phillip Campbell’s Story of Civilization series. You can join us anywhere in the sequence (the courses do not have to be taken in order).
Outline
Your Year-Long, Three-Part Program
The yearlong program is taught in three parts: Part One in the Fall Semester (13 weeks); Part Two in the Spring Semester (13 weeks); and a short Part Three in May, 2021 (4 weeks). Sign your children up for all three parts, to create a complete year of learning.
The “Flipped Classroom”
The Grade School Unit Study Program uses a “flipped classroom” approach in a four-day-week course of study: families watch teacher-created videos and work together on interactive lessons (guided materials and instruction). In addition to home learning, the once-a-week LIVE online class “becomes the place to work through problems, advance concepts, and engage in collaborative learning” (The Flipped Classroom, https://www.educationnext.org/the-flipped-classroom/).
Daily Activities
Families are provided with daily lessons, checklists, videos, and other resources and learning materials. Each week starts with a LIVE, twenty-five-minute online class meeting for parents and students together with the instructor.
Class Meetings
During each weekly class meeting, students discuss the past week’s readings, play games to reinforce the week’s learning, and have the opportunity to share project work and poetry recitation on camera.
Materials and Homework
Course Materials: The same texts are used for both parts of the series. See BookFinder.com for the best prices. Purchase or borrow the following books for the school year (required):
The Story of Civilization (TSoC), Volume 2: The Medieval World, by Phillip Campbell (ISBN-10: 1505105749; ISBN-13: 978-1505105742) (All Year) Note: Supplementary TSoC Student and Teacher texts and Audio/Video products are optional. We recommend adding supplementary texts (as well as audio and video materials) as tools for further engagement.
The Story Book of Science, by Jean Henri Fabre (ISBN-10: 1599150255; ISBN-13: 978-1599150253) (All Year)
Insect Adventures, by Jean Henri Fabre (ISBN-10: 1500196452; ISBN-13: 978-1500196455) (All Year) Note: For an advanced reader in the family, consider adding Fabre’s Book of Insects to the family reading (optional and will not be on the schedule).
Once Upon a Time Saints, by Ethel Pochocki (ISBN-10: 1883937159; ISBN-13: 978-1883937) (All Year)
More Once Upon a Time Saints, by Ethel Pochocki (ISBN-10: 1883937345; ISBN-13: 978-1883937348) (All Year)
English from the Roots Up, Volume 2, by Joegil Lundquist (ASIN: B00E322V94). Any new or used volume works. Families will also buy or make the study flashcards for this book. (All Year)
Saint Benedict, by Mary Fabyan Windeatt (ISBN-10: 0895554275; ISBN-13: 978-0895554277) (Fall only)
If All the Swords in England: A Story of Thomas Becket, by Barbara Willard (ISBN-10: 1883937493; ISBN-13: 978-1883937492) (Spring only)
Son of Charlemagne, by Barbara Willard (ISBN: 9781883937300; ISBN-10:1883937302 (Fall only)
Francis and Clare, Saints of Assisi, by Helen Walker Homan (ISBN-10: 0898705177
ISBN-13: 978-0898705171) (Spring only)
Saint Thomas Aquinas: The Story of “The Dumb Ox,” by Mary Fabyan Windeatt (ISBN: 9780895554208) (Spring only) ($5-$9). (This is an optional read during the final weeks of coursework, which students finish independently.)
Pictorial Encyclopedias
Families will use pictorial encyclopedias throughout the year that include plants, animals, and insects. Because students will be pulling out key facts from the encyclopedias for their work, and they will need ample facts from which to choose, please avoid using primary-level books and choose books at a reading level above the 6th grade. We recommend the following three books as low cost, high-interest options:
Reader’s Digest North American Wildlife (ISBN-13: 978-0895771025; ISBN-10: 9780895771025) (All Year)
Animals: A Visual Encyclopedia (ISBN-10: 0756691702; ISBN-13: 978-0756691707) Any used volume will work. (All Year)
Smithsonian Handbooks: Insects (ISBN-10: 0789493926; ISBN-13: 978-0789493927) Any used volume will work. (All Year)
Homework: Each week, students take auto-graded quizzes on the readings to check for understanding. These quizzes are set up for unlimited use, and multiple students from one family can take the quizzes (multiple times, if needed). Students also may submit one assignment each week for teacher feedback. Some assignments will be graded by the parent. The assignment type varies between project work, writing assignments, and art.
Important Dates
Class Dates: Tuesdays, January 14 to April 8 (No class March 4th)
Start Times:
10:00 AM Eastern (9:00 Central; 8:00 Mountain; 7:00 Pacific)
OR
2:30 PM Eastern (1:30 Central; 12:30 Mountain; 11:30 Pacific)
Duration Per LIVE Class: 25 minutes, followed by 15 minutes of optional student sharing on camera (off recording)
FAQs
What role does the parent play?
In this unit study program, the parent’s role is to:
1. Schedule and implement the course material for your student into the daily school life in the home.
2. Schedule and engage in read–aloud time.
3. Grade some of the materials and work (approximately 30–60 minutes per week, depending on family choice of enrichment activities).
4. Attend one live class session with your student(s) each week.
What’s included in the course?
Enrolled families will receive…
1. A weekly checklist of activities and assignments and a timeline template
2. A suggested daily schedule for the four–day school week
3. Short instructional videos to enrich the study of history, science, creative
writing, art, and literature
4. A list of optional supplementary books for solo reading for multiple grade levels
5. The weekly submission and grading of 1–2 assignments
6. A LIVE class meeting each week with the instructor to discuss material studied and to offer students an opportunity to share work or recitations on camera (off–recording)
What assignments are graded by the teacher?
Enrolled students will have one to two assignments per week that are submitted for a grade. The assignment type alternates between project work (various subjects), auto–graded quizzes, and Language Arts assignments
