We completed our first block of the year! Overall, I think it went pretty well. Parks, fourth grade, worked through NC history. Sawyer, sixth grade, worked through geology. Sims, eighth grade, worked through study skills. The blocks blended well together and got everyone involved.
Grade 4-Local History
This year is my third time teaching local history. Thus, Parks has been exposed to a good bit of it already. When Sawyer worked through NC history, I found an amazing book called, “North Carolina Parade.” The book contains stories that the children can relate to and enjoy. Together we read and summarized stories on the NC Native Americans, NC wildlife, why NC is called the Hornet’s Nest, Mount Mitchell, tobacco crops in NC and Daniel Boone.
Grade 6- Geology
Geology finally came together this year! (Thank you Taproot Teacher Training!) I used NC as our container for geology since we were already discussing NC history with Parks. We started with the basic definition of geology and then worked through the geology specific to NC. During our hikes, we were able to discuss the different type of rocks that we saw and how the weather changed and will continue to change the geology of the area. Having the Appalachian Mountains in our state made the block even more interesting. We learned about why Mount Mitchell is so tall and why we have a Piedmont and a Coastal Plain as part of our state.
Grade-8
Sims’ workload has increased a good bit this year, and he is taking two high school level classes. I decided to start his year off with a study skills block to help him figure out -on his own- how he learns the best. I used the Victus Study Skills program and a lot of personal experience! He discovered that he is a visual and kinesthetic learner. He is using his new note taking and test taking skills in his classes. He also learned about how to manage his time-of course, all of these things are a work in progress. Sims was also an amazing resource for the other two blocks since he has already done them.
Simple Days Make for an Exciting Adventure 
Cool!
Why does NC (and SC) have a Piedmont and coastal plain? Does it have to do with the ocean levels throughout the different time eras? My daughter just learned about the Piedmont and coastal plain, simply had to label them, and I remember driving from the coastal plain in Sumter, SC to the Piedmont region in Columbia, SC (VERY cool transition scenery)—but I haven’t made time to specifically read on what created that.
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Funny you should ask. I JUST learned this as I taught it! The Appalachian Mountains are some of the oldest in the world. They used to be as tall as Mount Everest, and the ocean came up to their base. However after years and years of erosion, the sediment washed down the mountains forming the piedmont and the coastal plain. Pretty neat.
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Thanks! Sediment! I really enjoy geography and geology. I’m very weak in them, but I really like them. Homeschooling is giving me a second chance to learn them a little and I’m having fun having my kids learn it!
Can you imagine how that must have looked! The mountains right at the ocean there!
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I was thinking the same thing!
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I just love learning new things and having aha moments while homeschooling! Beautiful paintings. And that North Carolina Parade book looks like a real gem. Glad your combo of blocks went so well, Sharon! There’s that irony of feeling the freedom to create fewer constraints on ourselves (do less in a way?) and thereby going deeper and doing more learning. Thanks for sharing!
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Yes! I am trying to find themes within the blocks so that all of the kids can be engaged in each other’s lessons. The NC geology block and NC parade are amazing books with a wealth of information. I love finding good books. I found another good one for the block that my oldest is doing now!
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Sharon, I really love this post and all the visuals you share here. That book does look like a gem – and I love the way you combined the local geography with the geology. Perfect!
And the idea of a study skills block is so wise – I plan to check out your resource:)
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The combining themes is really working out.
The resource worked out ok-not as well as I had planned. However taking the first month to learn some study skills will hopefully be worthwhile throughout the year!
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