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Farms Unit Study

Aug 6, 2023 | Red

The Farms Unit Study from Five Senses Literature Lessons is an engaging unit study for children who enjoy picture books and are ready for some adult-directed learning with lots of hands-on fun. Every lesson has a book list, memory verse, and hands-on activities that will help your child gain life skills while having fun learning about animals and farms.

This is a short unit study designed to take about a month with children ages 3 to 6 years old.

Click here to learn about our color-coded Level System.

Because these lessons are designed by an occupational therapist, they also include a range of physical activities to develop your child’s fine and gross motor skills. At Five Senses Literature Lessons, we are committed to educating the whole child and engaging the body along with engaging the mind.

This is a full-color, downloadable PDF document with links to videos and external resources, book and supply lists and corresponding activities for a full month of learning.”

Wonderful World

Aug 6, 2023 | Orange

The Wonderful World curriculum is designed to be what children need to do to learn – play! This year long program gives you the tools to create a magical, playful year of learning for your child. Each lesson gives you a list of picture books around a theme of the week, read as many as your child wants. Each lesson also has a nursery rhyme or song to sing, to work on vocabulary skills and play with language. Then, there are some ways to play with the ideas of week. These activities include games, imagination, problem solving and learning about the world around us!

The weekly themes include seasons, animals, trains, cars, countries of the world, and outer space. Wonderful World has activities and books that cover a wide range of things kids find interesting and want to learn about! This method means that school can be easy and fun, for all of you! Designed to be a perfect year of kindergarten, the activities also work for a range of ages, so siblings can all play and learn together. And because it is developmentally appropriate, you and your child won’t be frustrated by activities that are too hard to do for a child this age.

Click here to learn about our color-coded Level System.

All Five Senses Literature Lessons programs are all written by a homeschooling mom who is also an occupational therapist. She saw that there was a need for a secular, developmentally appropriate option for parents who want kindergarten to be easy and fun. She also wrote it to work for older students who have learning challenges and need something different to develop their language, fine motor skills, thinking and reasoning skills. Lessons are engaging for the whole child and include working on developing fine motor skills before you start writing.

Other programs throw kids this age into reading and writing too fast, before they are ready, This leads to frustration, and some kids think they hate learning. Instead, this program will give you the tools to build motor skills and coordination that will prepare your child for reading and writing later. They will work on telling stories and drawing pictures, things that should come before they write their great novel. Don’t worry, there is plenty of time for that later. And with a playful year of fun, they will build the imagination needed to create novels!

This is a full-color, downloadable PDF document with links to videos and external resources, book and supply lists, worksheets, and corresponding activities for a full school year’s worth of learning.”

Foundations & Fundamentals

Aug 6, 2023 | Orange

Foundations & Fundamentals is a complete, secular curriculum designed to teach children their first lessons in handwriting, phonics, and math. It also reviews shapes and colors to round out the fundamentals children need to develop. On top of that, the program has lessons in social skills, science topics, and lots of recipes for cooking together with your child. This program is designed to teach your child in a holistic manner and integrates lessons to work together to help your child make deeper connections and create lifelong learning.

Each lesson is designed by an occupational therapist to engage your child’s mind and body in the learning process so that they retain more. You will read some great children’s books, do engaging activities and be able to complete the alphabet in just 16 lessons, unlike the typical 26 in many other programs. You will move through the letters more quickly, by grouping them in a unique way developed just for Five Senses Literature Lessons. This method is designed to help children learn the letters in a logical order based on shape and sound, to make learning both handwriting and phonics easier for your child.

To get the full benefit of this program, you will need to purchase both the Teacher’s Guide and the appropriate Student Workbook. There are three versions of the Student Workbook:

Tangerine for right-handed learners,
Apricot for left-handed learners, and
Pumpkin which offers higher contrast and larger formatting for children with vision or fine motor impairments.

Each Student Workbook is a complete companion to the Teacher’s Guide and offers the full set of handwriting worksheets, phonics pages, math and activity worksheets.

Click here to learn more about our level system which uses colors instead of ages or grades and how to find the right level for your child.

This is a full-color, downloadable PDF document with links to videos and external resources, book and supply lists, and corresponding activities.

Foundations & Fundamentals Student Workbook

Aug 6, 2023 | Orange

The Foundations & Fundamentals program requires both the Teacher’s Guide and a Student Workbook. There are three different Student Workbooks to choose from, based on your child’s needs. All three options include the letter pieces templates, handwriting pages, phonics book pages, number pages, shape templates, recipe cards, and graphs or other worksheets for the different activities in each lesson.

To help you decide which Student Workbook is best for your child, see the examples below.

American History – Indigenous People of North America and Hawai‘i

Aug 6, 2023 | Yellow

Are you wishing for a secular US History program that covers Native Americans and Indigenous People? We’ve got you covered! This program was written to cover what other history programs don’t, in a kid friendly way. Your child will hear stories of people across North America, from Mexico to Canada and hop over and learn about how Hawai’i became a state before ending with lessons on modern day Native American life. The time line of this program stretches from pre-colonization to today, because Native America history didn’t end the day Europeans arrived.

Lessons include activities to do for language arts, copy work, math, life skills and even social skills. This program is designed to teach your child as a whole person, and to work in educational activities in a variety of ways to be the most engaging, well rounded lessons possible. Written by an occupational therapist, lessons include notes on how to adapt the program to work for children with learning challenges, dyslexia, dysgraphia, ASD, ADHD, and more. Not only can this program work for your child, but it is made to be easy to adapt for them!

Your purchase includes a full-color, downloadable PDF document which includes book and supply lists, worksheets, and corresponding activities for a full semester of learning. You’ll also get access to our Online Resources with links to videos and external resources.

American History – Colonization and the Creation of a Country

Aug 6, 2023 | Yellow

American History – Colonization and the Creation of a Country is a well-rounded, secular, history based complete curriculum designed for children ages 6-10 years old. Together you and your child will learn about the European colonization of North America, the establishment of the 13 colonies, the Revolutionary War, and the writing of the Constitution. All with great hands-on go-along activities, engaging picture books, and thoughtful discussion topics that go beyond the story. Every lesson starts with a wonderful picture book and includes a wide range of go-along activities built on the topics in the book.

You’ll learn about Prairie Dogs with Lewis and Clark, make George Washington’s breakfast of Hoecakes and tea, read poetry by the first African-American woman poet to be published in North America, explore the science of ocean currents, and even learn a little French. You’ll watch videos, play games, and create art to bring alive lessons in a way children enjoy. The lessons include activities to learn language arts, math, and life skills, along with our history and geography. Each lesson includes a copy work passage relevant to the lesson topic. This program is designed to teach your child as a whole person and to include educational activities in a variety of ways to be the most engaging, well-rounded lessons possible.

The program includes:

The teacher’s guide with over 100 pages of instruction and lesson plans.
The Student Workbook with over 75 pages of maps, copy work pages, and activities.
A United States Wall map you can print and assemble.
Online resources including additional maps and timeline graphics.
A complete playlist of videos and website resources.
The full book list with links to purchase the books from Amazon, Thriftbooks, and local book stores.
Supply list and recommendations.

This program is made up of three downloadable PDF documents.

Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad

Feb 5, 2025 | Yellow

In honor of Black History Month 2025, teach your child about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. This free lesson plan is in the style of our Yellow level history programs, and is completely new, not included in the programs we currently offer. This short unit study is a great way to introduce your elementary-aged child to a true American Hero, Harriet Tubman. We are offering this unit study for free as part of our celebration of African American History Month.

Spend some time this month learning about Harriet Tubman, her work with the Underground Railroad, as a spy for the Union Army during the Civil War, and her lasting impact on generations of Americans. Discover the hidden messages in Spiritual songs used along the Underground Railroad and how Harriet was a legend in her own time. With lessons in literature, art, history, and science, this short, well-rounded unit study is a great jumping-off point for learning.

Elizabeth Caddy Stanton and Women’s Voting Rights

Mar 14, 2025 | Yellow

This Women’s History Month, and we are giving away a lesson about women getting the right to vote. This is the month where we honor women who made history. Most of them had to work against the ideas of what made a “good woman” in their time. We honor the trailblazers, the educators, and the women who did not take no for an answer.

This lesson centers around the book Elizabeth Started All the Trouble by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Matt Faulkner. This is a beautiful picture book that includes a huge piece of history. Women did not get the right to vote quickly or easily in the United States, and this book does a nice job sharing with kids the long journey and all the hard work it took. This lesson plan is in the style of our Yellow level history programs, and is completely new, not included in the programs we currently offer.

This free unit study includes not only teaching notes on the book, but ideas for taking your child’s learning further. Geography, math, language arts, and copy work are all included in this lesson and turn it into a full blown unit study. Take some time to learn about this important part of American history, today!

As always, our lesson plans are appropriate for a range of ages, and learning styles. This program is designed to be used with students ages 5-10, with or without learning disabilities and neurodiversity. I honestly love this book, as it goes far beyond the story of just Elizabeth Caddy Stanton and includes many of the women and events that led to women getting the right to vote. If you want to do this lesson with older students, your local library can help you find more books to add to your child’s reading assignments.

Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave Unit Study

Feb 4, 2026 | Yellow

It is Black History Month and we are giving away a lesson about David Blake, also known as Dave the Potter. Dave was enslaved in the 1800s and became a skilled craftsman and artisan creating large, beautiful pottery. His pottery is notable both because of the size and craftsmanship but also because he wrote small poems on the pots. His story is important both because Dave was special, but also because his story was not unique. He was enslaved from birth, he was separated from family and sold several times, and he was treated horrendously by his enslavers.

Through the lens of Dave’s life, we can get learn so many things. This unit study covers topics on poetry, history, art, and geography. It is a jumping off point for big discussions and wonderful hands-on projects.

This unit is designed to be used with your elementary aged student.

Grab your free copy here!

Children of the Longhouse Unit Study

Aug 6, 2023 | Green

Children of the Longhouse by Joseph Bruchac is an engaging chapter book about a boy and girl growing up in the Iroquois Bear Clan before the European colonization of New York. The coming-of-age story is an excellent foundation for lessons about the history, culture, and family life of the Iroquois people in the 1500s. It also provides a platform for lessons in literature, engineering, social justice, and health, creating a full unit study experience.

These Green Units are not your typical literature-based unit studies. Five Senses Literature Lessons units are designed to teach topics far beyond just language arts, covering science, history, life skills, and art. Each book is carefully chosen for its value as part of a history program, telling the story of an individual or group of historically significant people. Because topics of health and science are a part of real life, the literature creates openings for lessons that tie directly back to the story. And because it is how children learn best, each unit is full of hands-on go-along activities and videos that bring the story to life.

This is a full-color, downloadable PDF document with links to videos and external resources, book and supply lists, worksheets, and corresponding activities for each chapter of the book. In addition, you will receive links to our YouTube playlist, full of videos to bring your lessons alive, and our Resources page, which makes shopping for your supplies even easier.

Green Units are ideal for children ages 8 – 12 who can listen appropriately to or read chapter books. Children studying at the Green Level should be capable of engaging appropriately in discussions about abstract ideas and complete tasks requiring some planning. Click here to learn more about the Color Coded Level System. Five Senses Literature Lessons is dedicated to meeting children’s educational needs in a developmentally appropriate way. Therefore children may be ready for this unit study at different ages.

King Arthur and the Middle Ages Unit Study

Aug 6, 2023 | Green

The Green Level Unit on King Arthur and the Middle Ages is designed to teach your child not only this classic legend but also historical information about England in the Middle Ages. Learn about knights, castles, and kings in an interactive way that also leads you to explore topics in science, language, math, and more. Designed to cover all subject areas, without letting your student know how much they are learning, this unit is not only educational but fun and engaging!

As a special added bonus, this program comes with a shorter unit study on the book Castles by David Macaulay. This beautiful book will help your child explore the building of a castle and what made castles unique and important to the Middle Ages.

They Called Us Enemy Unit Study

May 14, 2025 | Blue

George Takei is an American citizen of Japanese heritage. When he was just a small boy, his entire family was forced into concentration camps, along with many other Americans of Japanese decent. They lost their homes and their jobs. The American government decided they were all a threat to America after the attack on Pearl Harbor that pulled us into World War II.

George Takei worte They Called Us Enemy, and other books, detailing his experience living in those camps and what his parents went through. He tells this often overlooked piece of American history with heart and a unique perspective. I believe Mr. Takei’s story should become an essential part of every American student’s education. We must know our history to prevent such things from happening ever again.

As always, this unit study is going to use the book as a jumping off point to teach your child a wide range of topics. It includes map work and geography, history, science, art, life skills and more. There are multiple ideas for recipes to try, as students this age really should be exploring learning to cook. There are arts and crafts to explore, too. Mr. Takei’s mother worked hard to make each place they lived as cosy as possible, so we will explore things she did. There are instructions, videos links, writing assignments, and even a suggestion for getting involved in your community in this free unit study. Finally, the unit does include a list of books to take your learning further.

This unit is written directly to the student, with a couple of pages at the beginning for you, the teacher, to give you more insight into the reasoning behind the lessons. I hope this creates a good opportunity to let your student take the lead in pacing their own work. Everyone asks how long to expect a unit like this to take. For my test run with my daughter, we spent about two weeks on this unit study. This included reading the book and doing a couple of activities each day. Your mileage may vary.

I hope you will go grab a copy, and tell your friends to grab one too. Why am I just giving this one away? Because this lesson just felt too important not to. Hopefully, we will expand to offer more programs in what we will be calling Blue,Indigo and Purple levels for older students.

David Drake: Enslaved Potter and Poet Unit Study

Feb 4, 2026 | Violet

This unit study is uses the book Etched in Clay: The Life of Dave, Enslaved Potter and Poet by Andrea Cheng as the foundation of the unit study. The book is a collection of poems presenting different points of view on Blake’s life and gives us some great jumping off points into a whole range of subjects. Topics covered in this unit study include history, art, pottery making, geography, poetry, and science. It touches on big topics and offers opportunities for hands-on crafts.

This unit is designed to be used mostly independently by your high-school aged student. The lessons are written directly to the student with instructions to discuss topics with you as their teacher, or to think critically about prompted ideas and questions. We absolutely encourage you to engage with this unit study along side your student. But we know that high schoolers like a degree of independence. So the lessons are designed to suit the best of both worlds, your student initiates the discussion based on their reading or prompting, and you can engage with them from there.

Grab your free copy here!