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.
Total classes: 12
Introduction: Welcome to the Grade School Unit Study Program for 3rd through 6th grade students designed to simplify and streamline your home education experience. Through an integrated literature-based curriculum, your family receives clear assignment schedules and checklists each week, as well as automated quizzes for students, and a once-a-week touch-base LIVE class where student discussion, games, and learning take place. In addition, students engage in writing assignments and hands-on projects, including one weekly assignment submission to receive instructor feedback.
Subjects Included in the Unit Study:
Based on a 4-day work week…
* History: 30-45 minutes per day
* Literature: 45-60 minutes per day
* Greek & Latin Roots: 10 minutes per day
* Poetry Memorization: 10 minutes per day
* Creative Writing: 60-90 minutes per week
* Science: 60-90 minutes per week
* Saint Study: 30 minutes per week
* Solo Reading (time varies per family choice; suggested 30-60 minutes per day)
* Project Work (time varies per family choice; suggested 60-90 minutes per week)
Your Program Description
The Four-Year Sequence
The entire program spans a four-year sequence based on the four volumes of TAN Books’ History series, The Story of Civilization, by Philip Campbell. The following years of study can be taken independently or in any order.
The Ancient World (Volume 1, Year One)
The Medieval World (Volume 2, Year Two)
The Making of the Modern World (Volume 3, Year Three)
The History of the United States (Volume 4, Year Four)
In the 2023-2024 school year, you can choose a live course which studies The Ancient World OR The Making of the Modern World for the Grade School Unit Study Program. This course description is for The Ancient World
Coordination with the Middle and High School Programs
Coordinate Learning, Simplify Teaching
Your older students can also get LIVE, interactive courses here at Homeschool Connections — courses that cover the same historical era as this program, so your elementary through high school students can study the same four-year historical sequence concurrently, making your homeschooling easier.
Your Learning and Course Formats
The year-long unit study is taught in two parts: Part One in the Fall Semester (12 weeks), Part Two in the Spring Semester (12 weeks). Sign your children up for both 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 work together on interactive lessons (guided 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/).
How it Works
The Grade School Unit Study Program incorporates History, Science, Language Arts, Art, and Religion — to learn all subjects together in a unit that coordinates and dovetails into one harmonized year of learning.
Materials
Core Texts
The same texts are used for both Part One and Part Two of the series. If you took Part One and purchased these texts, there is nothing to purchase for Part Two.
New or used copies of the texts will work for use in this course. See BookFinder.com for the best prices.
Your Book List
Purchase or borrow the following books for the school year (if you haven’t already):
- The Story of Civilization (TSoC), Volume 1: The Ancient World by Phillip Campbell, (ISBN-10: 1505105668; ISBN-13: 978-1505105667) (All Year). Note: Supplementary TSoC Student and Teacher texts and Audio/Video products are optional. Depending upon your budget, you can add supplementary texts as tools for further engagement.
- Archimedes and the Door of Science, by Jeanne Bendick. (ISBN-10: 9781883937126; ISBN-13: 978-1883937126) (Fall)
- D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths, by Ingri and Edgar d’Aulaire (ISBN-10: 9780440406945; ISBN-13: 978-0440406945 (All Year)
- Around the Year Once Upon a Time Saints, by Ethel Pochocki (ISBN-10: 1932350268; ISBN-13: 978-1932350265) (All Year)
- Detectives in Togas, by Henry Winterfeld, (ISBN-10: 0152162801; ISBN-13: 978-0152162801) (Fall)
- Mystery of the Roman Ransom by Henry Winterfeld (ISBN-10: 0152162682 ISBN-13: 978-0152162689) (Winter Break)
- St. Paul the Apostle, by Mary Fabyan Windeatt (ISBN: 9780895554260) ($8-16) (Spring)
- Galen and the Gateway to Medicine, by Jeanne Bendick (ISBN: 9781883937751; ISBN-10: 1883937752) (Spring)
● ·English from the Roots Up, Vol 1. by Joegil K. Lundquist (ISBN: 0-9643210-3-3). Any new or used volume works. Many families only buy the premade flashcards rather than the book and flashcards, and this serves to be enough to study and take course quizzes. Choose the resource that works best for your family. (All Year)
Activities
Daily Activities
Families are provided with weekly checklists of assignments and a suggested daily schedule. Each week’s work culminates with a LIVE, twenty-five-minute online class meeting for students and parent(s) together with the instructor on Mondays.
Class Meetings
During each weekly class meeting, students discuss the past week’s readings, play games to reinforce content, and go deeper on relevant topics. After each live class, students have an opportunity to share project work and poetry recitation on camera.
Frequently Asked Questions
What role does the parent play?
In this unit study program, the parent’s role is to…
- Schedule and implement the course material into your daily school and home life.
- Schedule and engage in read-aloud time.
- Grade some of the materials and work (approximately 30-60 minutes per week, depending on family choice of enrichment activities).
- Attend or listen in on one live class session with your student(s) each week.
What’s included in the course?
Enrolled families will receive…
- A weekly checklist of activities and assignments.
- A suggested daily schedule for the four-day school week.
- Weekly auto-graded quizzes for most subjects (which are available to all children in the family), and instructor grading/feedback of one assignment per week.
- A LIVE class meeting each week with the instructor to discuss material studied, go deeper on relevant topics, play games, and a time for students to share their work and/or recitations on camera (off-recording). Parents are expected to attend or listen in.
Which assignments are graded by the teacher?
Enrolled students will have one assignment per week that is submitted for a grade. The assignment type alternates between project work (various subjects) and written assignments. Subject matter quizzes are auto-graded.
Questions?
We’re happy to help!
Simply email [email protected], or call Toll Free, 1-888-372-4757, and we’ll get right back to you with answers!
We look forward to seeing you in class!
Schedule
Class Dates: January 22 to April 29, 2024 (No class Feb. 19, March 25, or April 1)
Your Class Times and Schedule (choose one)
All LIVE, interactive classes meet on Mondays. Parents choose from one of the two LIVE time segments offered for the Grade School Ancient History Unit Study:
10:00 AM Eastern (9:00 Central; 8:00 Mountain; 7:00 Pacific): This segment is taught by Jackie de Laveaga and graded by Amanda Gette
OR
Noon Eastern (11:00 Central; 10:00 Mountain; 9:00 Pacific): This segment is taught by Amanda Gette
Multiple students per family: Siblings can watch the sessions (over the shoulder) and complete the automated quizzes FREE. However, only enrolled students may submit and receive teacher grading on weekly assignments and log in to the live sessions to participate on camera and in the chat box. To receive teacher grading for additional students, enroll each additional student independently.
LIVE Class Duration: 25 minutes, followed by 15 minutes of student sharing on camera (off recording)
Registration link
