This unit flew by and we learned so much! I was surprised how much the history of education in the United States really resonated with me. We learned more about the horrors of war and its impacts on every person.
Topics
- Education in Early America: A Foundation on Christ
- Noah Webster
- William McGuffey
- Henry Ford
- World War I: The Causes
- World War I: Effects of the War / Why the United States Joined the War
- World War I: Life in the Trenches / Weapons & Technology
- World War I: Life in the U.S.
- World War I: Stories of True Heroism
- The Roaring 20’s
- The Great Depression
- The Dust Bowl
Supplies
This unit is very low on supplies. Really, you could totally get by with nothing additional.
- Dominoes {optional}
- Shovel
- Items to make a periscope {optional}: large cereal box, glue stick or white glue, ruler, scissors, 2 small mirrors (2″ x 2″), paint or markers
Student Explorers
Jacob used the student explorers for Grades 1-3.
He added one history hero: Noah Webster. Honestly, other than knowing the Webster Dictionary I knew nothing about this man. He was truly an inspiring man.
There were two maps in this unit, including: military alliances in Europe before WWI and military alliances in Europe during WWI
Jacob also continued his timeline pages. This unit he added:
- World War I Begins
- The United States Enters World War I
- World War I Ends
And last up was a coloring page highlighting the 1920s.
Read Alouds
This unit we read The Story of Edith Cavell by Iris Vinton. We loved this book. I am embarrassed to say that I did not even recognize her name before we read this book. It follows the true story of Edith Cavell as she grew up in England and then went on to be a nurse. She was instrumental in saving dozens of soldiers during World War I and was executed for her work. Although her story ended in tragedy, it did much to encourage the allies in continuing the war effort. She has become a “history hero” for me and Jacob. Jacob told me when we were done reading that this was his favorite book we have ever read in history. I felt like this story would be wonderful for all ages. I would recommend it to everyone.
Our Favorite Activities
This unit really didn’t include a lot of activities. There were a lot of review lessons and then just information. For some reason though, looking back on it, I never really missed it too much. Maybe it was because it was our last unit of the year, but Jacob and I both seemed okay with it.
I don’t think this activity had as great of an impact on Jacob as it did on me (he is only seven!) but during our lesson on Noah Webster we were directed to look up several words and how they were defined in his 1828 Websters Dictionary compared to the definitions found on dictionary.com today.
This blew my mind. I think my jaw just dropped and I am completely committed to purchasing an 1828 Webster’s Dictionary for our home. Look up “education” and compare – it was very interesting to me.
The BIGGEST activity in this unit is the one that we skipped – making a periscope. I really wanted to but completely forgot to get the supplies ahead of time and Jacob and I both wanted to continue forward so we missed this one. Next time we do this unit though – IT IS HAPPENING!
During our study of the “Roaring 20s”, Jacob did complete a fun handout. It spotlighted the changes that were made during this time. And Jacob had a lot of fun with it. It was a nice way to get information in a more hands on way.
Final Thoughts
This unit was wonderful. As I said in the beginning, I was surprised how much our study of the history of education really impacted me. And studying World War I and the Great Depression was sobering. My great-grandfather served in World War I and I am inspired by their resiliency and dedication to something bigger than themselves. It is something we have talked a lot about lately in our home. And we hope that we can show that same resiliency and faith in the times that we are called to walk through.
