Is this a Full Unit or Mini Unit? My Side of the Mountain is a Mini Unit. Our Mini Units are often shorter in length or in output and while they do have crossover into multiple subjects, they are more focused and intentional on the topic of the unit. They also tend to be more hands-on with less written output. In contrast, Full Units are 20 lessons long and designed to take 4-6 weeks to complete. The Student Notebooks from Early Reader and up have 5 pages per day and are designed to cover all your subjects other than math. Some families alternate Full Units with Mini Units while others do them alongside one another.
What is this unit about? My Side of the Mountain is a novel study where we will join Sam as he explores the wild, makes some unexpected friends, and learns how to survive. Each day, you will read the assigned chapter(s) and enjoy a group discussion about what you learned. Over in your student books, you will fill out a chapter summary guide that reviews things such as the title of the chapter, your rating, characters, plot, focusing on the parts of a story. You will also learn about some important literary devices used throughout the book, such as personification, similes, onomatopoeia, and more! Your second page is a word study on one particular word from the chapter. You will be learning the definition and then relating it back to what you read in the story or your own life. If you are already familiar with the word you are given, choose another one from the chapter and look it up instead. In your final week, you will choose a unit project to reflect on the book, such as making a movie preview, designing your own cover, or writing an alternate ending.
As you read each chapter and complete each lesson, may you be drawn together by the love of reading. May you enjoy rich family time with deep discussions as you explore the wild unknown of the Catskill Mountains and the story of a boy who would prove to himself as well as the world that he could make it in the wild.
Try a free lesson on us below—it's the best possible way to see how this works and place your kids in the right levels.
What should I buy? You will need to purchase a physical workbook for each child as well as a Teacher's Guide for yourself. The Teacher's Guides contain all the actual teaching, they are not just for answers, so they are critical to your lessons. Printed books are printed on 32lb. paper and are shipped to you coil bound.
This mini unit is a novel study! This means it does have a required book: My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George.
What's Included? You can purchase a leveled bundle with one student notebook of your choice and the Teacher's Guide, or the full family bundle that includes all levels with the Teacher's Guide. If you have more than one child you are buying for, it is more economical to get the full bundle to re-use in the future with your kids at older levels. All digital bundles come as an instant download in PDF format for you to print at home.
How long is it designed to last? This unit is designed to last 4-6 weeks depending on how many lessons you do per day. You're in control! Set a schedule that works best for your family and your pace will dictate how quickly you complete any given unit.
Check out the Resources! Most of our units have a free resource page on our free app. These have video links for each lesson, a way to track what you have done, as well as suggested reading lists, PDF downloads, and more! Click on the button a little further down to see what we have for this unit.
