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Amanda Bennett’s Unit Studies

Publisher: AA Bennett Books, Inc. Author: Amanda Bennett Review last updated: November 2009

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There are three main categories for Amanda Bennett's resources: Unit Studies, Heroes of History, and Bible Studies. In this review, I focus primarily on the Unit Studies.

Titles available:Auto Racing, Baseball, Christmas, Easter, Flight, Horses, Gardens, Lighthouses, Oceans, Patriotic Holidays, Pioneers, Sailing Ships, Scrapbooking, Space, Thanksgiving, and American Government, plus A Unit Study Journal and Unit Studies 101.

Amanda Bennett's Unit Studies are innovative, inexpensive, topical unit studies available either on interactive CD-ROMs or as direct downloads of PDF files from the website. CD-ROMs are in PDF format and will run on Windows or Mac computers. Amanda Bennett began writing unit study guides many years ago and has transitioned from printed books to CD-ROM format so that she can incorporate weblinks and keep the information continually updated. In addition, parents can easily print out whatever pages they need from a guide or have students easily do online research. While some publishers have made the transition from print to CD-ROM format with little change in the product, Bennett's unit studies really take advantage of the computer connection, making the studies much better on CDs than they were in print.

Studies are written for grades K-12, though all guides do not cover all levels. These are not comprehensive unit studies covering all your subject areas (other than math and reading) but guides that present lesson plans to thoroughly develop each topic. Most guides feature daily lesson plans for both lower and upper levels. Each guide shares the same organizational structure which includes lists of recommended resources for both reference and reading; spelling/vocabulary lists and a few assignments for each day (for each of the two levels when appropriate)—many with weblinks for reading and research. The studies rely more on books, internet, reading, research, and writing than on crafts and activities that are common to most unit studies. Still, some of the guides have project suggestions, and some of the internet links are to websites with project ideas, coloring pages, and other activities.

Guides seem to range from about 80 to well over 100 pages. In addition to the Guide, each CD-ROM has extra features. For example, the Trains CD-ROM has a file with 32 notebooking pages (with train illustrations on most), a 13-page timeline "book," and the full text of two novels, The Railway Children and Tom Swift and His Electric Locomotive. Each guide should take four weeks to complete.

Many but not all of these guides have Christian content (e.g., the Oceans study includes "History of the oceans in the Bible," and Christmas and Thanksgiving are thoroughly Christian).

While some guides might be used for a wide span of grade levels, you need to exercise discretion as to how much to expect from children; a first grader would not complete all the same activities as a fourth grader.

Extensive book lists indicate which ones might be appropriate for various grade levels. But there are far more books listed than you could possibly use, so you will certainly be able to locate a number of choices that should work for you. Most of these books are available through libraries and/or through home school distributors.

Parents new to unit studies might want to invest in Unit Studies 101. This is for those who want to learn how more of the "why" and "how" of unit study. It explains everything you need to know to create your own unit studies. It also includes reproducible forms plus "starters" for ten unit study topics. Weblinks on the CD-ROM shortcut the research for actually getting started with unit studies.

Parents will probably also want to invest in the Unit Study Journal another CD-ROM of reproducible forms to be used along with any of the volumes in the series. These forms are essentially organizing and recording tools for parents to use for planning a study, recording details about resources to use, making schedules and assignments, planning field trips, and making reading lists. A few completed samples are included on the disc.

Prices for these unit studies are incredibly low given the amount of detail and structure provided. Check the website for even better package deals. Also check the website for sample pages from some of the studies.

Amanda Bennett's unit studies are a great way to experiment with unit study with minimal investment. They provide enough structure for the inexperienced parent so they are not overwhelming.

Amanda's Heroes of History products are collections of historical stories about heroes or heroines. These might serve as adjuncts to a unit study. Titles in that series are American History Stories, American Hero Stories, Heroes of Invention, Heroes of Chivalry, and Missionary Heroes.

Bible studies include Athletes of the Bible and First Steps in Faith. Athletes of the Bible is a briefer study for grades 4 through 8. First Steps in Faith, written for preK through second grade, tops out at 203 pages with 92 lessons. It might take a few years to complete.

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