Tricia Hodges, Author at UnitStudy

Our children need to understand the power they hold as citizens in the US government. This study encourages our children speaking up!

“Speak up!” Didn’t you hear that often enough in your formative years from adults trying to encourage you to say what is on your mind and let others be aware of your ideas? I know firsthand that as a parent, it is one of the things that we encourage in our own children. As American citizens, we also need to speak up as a integral part of the US Government system and raise our opinions clearly through elections as well as other outlets. As these children of ours grow up and become adults in our communities, they need to be aware and informed of the election process, the workings of American government, and the power of the people.

US Government Elections Study

When studying elections, your family can learn so much, including:
· the history of elections
· the basic structure of representative government
· the voting and election process
· participating in a campaign
· the basics of statistics and how they are used in campaigns and elections
· facts about presidents, their families, and their opponents

The Power Of Speaking Up: Civics In Action

As this generation matures, they need to be fully aware of their own capabilities and responsibilities within the framework of our American government. This unit study can open the doors to further learning and understanding in these areas, while getting the whole family involved in elections and politics. As parents, we need to be aware of issues that affect us in our efforts. Students need to understand that they, too, will need to stay involved in the process to protect and maintain these constitutional freedoms.

Learning About US Elections and Governance

Make learning about this great country a wonderful and interesting adventure. Instead of learning about elections and government from a dried up textbook, enjoy the process using real books. Discover exciting elections and unpredictable outcomes, and read biographies of various presidents and their own family lives.

Elections Unit Study Adventure offers all of this and more. Starting with the younger students, you can delve into some fun history about the Constitution and learn more about presidents such as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. The older students can study the Constitution and its origins, and from this get a better understanding of the basic structure of our government. They can go into greater detail in their study of the election process and past and present candidates. Pursue this study on a regular basis throughout your child’s education, covering different sections each time while providing a solid knowledge base in history and government, and strengthening their understanding of their rights and responsibilities.

Learn the story of American Government with a homeschool unit study for K-12! The early history of American freedom, the Constitution, voting and more!

American Government Unit Studies

Election Study Activities

Here are a few activities to consider when studying Elections:

1. As you delve into the history of elections, have the students select one of the actual elections and candidates that they are interested in studying in-depth. Using the library, your home book collection, the Internet, and other resources, help them investigate the event and the people. On the Internet, you can even find each inaugural address!

2. Issues—what issues are important to your family in the upcoming elections? Have your students determine the issues that are important to them, and explain why they are important. Consider having them interview family members about the issues that they are most concerned with during the upcoming elections. The students can summarize their findings in a written report, possibly in a family newsletter format.

3. During election years, there are usually public sessions, debates, and “meet the candidate” get-togethers. Find out when these are scheduled and try to take your students along to watch the political process at the grassroots level.

More American Government Resources

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Explore Unit Studies!

Use this study to inform and empower the next generation! Enjoy the adventure as well as the election!

Blessings,

Amanda B.

A Look Inside Our Unit Studies

I found out about Amanda Bennett’s Download N Go® studies last spring from a fellow homeschool mom. I promptly found the USAB website and Facebook page and started to do a little research. I realized that they were going to be a perfect match for my teaching style and my wiggly four-year-old. I decided to purchase the Sunny Seashells unit since we were going to the beach that summer.

If you're looking to bring more excitement, flexibility, and depth into your homeschool, exploring creative ways to use unit studies in your homeschool is a great place to start.

The unit is set up to be a five-day learning adventure. We took a lot longer than five days because my daughter was at the low end of the suggested age range for these. I wanted her to enjoy it and not feel like it was information overload. There are book suggestions for each day and video links built in. I ordered about a dozen books from the library, and we set the laptop on the table each time. Each day also has family fun suggestions and craft ideas included. There is a “shell of the day,” and my daughter liked some more than others. Each day also has a featured country of the day, and my daughter would find them on the world map and color them in. My friend from church brought a shoe box full of shells for us to use, and then when she found out how much my daughter loved them, she gave her the box full. My daughter was totally shocked, exclaiming, “MOM! Did you know that she gave me the whole box? Can you believe that?”

When we finished Sunny Seashells, my daughter said, “Mom, you are really fun to do this with. It’s like a party with you!” And at least ten times that day I heard, “I am so excited for our vacation. I want to find some shells!”

Homeschooling With Unit Studies Year Round

This sparked a love of unit studies in my daughter, and we moved on to Rocking Robots, Autumn Treasures, Goofy Geckos, and Valentine’s Day. We have been doing these for eight months now, and my now-five-year-old is totally involved with picking out which unit we will do next. She also gets excited to head to the library to get the next round of books for our study.

Autumn Treasures study uses fun videos, activities, learning explorations to help your child learn about geography, earth science, and so much more.

Something really cool has happened with every unit we have done. During Autumn Treasures we learned about monarch butterflies, and when leaving church that Sunday, the monarchs were on all the bushes in front of our car! I had our camera in there, and my husband was able to capture some amazing photos. I thought it was God’s gift to us to actually see them on their migration.

My daughter wanted to do the Goofy Gecko unit because she got a green anole for her fifth birthday. We love to watch him and knew that he was known as the American chameleon because he can change colors. During our gecko study we found out through one of the books that our anole is actually the smallest iguana in the world. My daughter loves to tell people that now. Our zoo has an amazing reptile exhibit, so we took a field trip there and my daughter was saying, “Hey, that guy was in our unit study,” or “There’s a giant day gecko.”

I think these units are really fantastic. I learned a lot or perhaps learned again things from when I was little. I love that it’s broken down day by day and you can do as little or as much as you want based on the age of your child. The videos and other links being built into the PDF are a huge convenience. We have also tried to do some kind of cooking project that ties into each unit, and my daughter really enjoys that part. I also think that these are not just for homeschoolers—a lot of families could use them to supplement an interest that their child has to gain more information in a fun way.

Louanne Mason

Fort Worth, Texas

Author: Tricia Hodges

The Power Of The People: US Government Homeschool Study