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About the units

I created these secular country & science units to help children learn about cultures around the world, and to connect that knowledge to their own lives. The goal is not to do a quick tourist visit through each country, but to understand we are all connected and alike in some ways, while celebrating our differences. Science is integrated to create a more holistic unit, along with art, social studies, English language arts, and geography.

I hope you find them useful if you are homeschooling, or as an after-school supplement for your curious kids.

The core values for the curriculum are:
  • Learning from diverse voices
  • A love of books
  • A love of nature
  • Nurturing a love of learning

Each unit contains:
  • 1 week of planned content, assuming about 1 hour each day.
  • Teacher's Guide.
  • Student Guide: Atlas pages to capture your student's work. 

The atlas pages your student creates can be stapled together to create a book for that unit. These pages are also designed to be placed together with atlas pages from other units, so that your learner can create an atlas of all the countries they have "visited" through Open Books Learning.

Each unit study requires a few books. These can hopefully be found at a local library. You can purchase them through the included QR codes, or find them as read-alouds on YouTube (as allowed by publishers). So many beautiful and informative books are available today; I centered the learning around these resources.

I also provide MANY hand-picked optional books related to each unit. These can be replacements for the required books, options for older / younger learners, or just more great books to enjoy. I spent HUNDREDS of hours reviewing books for great content, taking great care to include authors from each of the countries I cover. I believe it is important to enjoy a diversity of voices. 

Each unit also integrates kid-friendly YouTube videos, such as National Geographic or the BBC. (If you want a completely non-digital experience, you could replace these with one of the optional book choices.)

The teacher's guide includes a weekly planner, which orders the content for your learner. I include ideas for discussion prompts, tips for learning, descriptions of activities, and few facts. Because you are the best guide for your learner, I do not prescribe a very specific way to present the information. I understand that conversations and interests will be different for each child; it is important that those are followed, rather than what I think is most important!

The age range for the units is 6 - 8 years old. 

Have fun!

About me

Hello! I have 3 young kids, a very old dog, and a young at heart husband. I homeschooled my oldest child largely with materials I created. I've adjusted them for a wider age range, spent hundreds of hours researching more great resources, made the pages look nicer, and posted them here for others to use. I really hope you enjoy them!

I have a PhD in Education from Stanford University. I've worked as a researcher at large companies for over 10 years, leading successful teams and creating products millions of people use. I took a break from that role to focus on my passion for books and learning with my kids. I try to involve fun, and learning, in just about everything I do.

I love hearing from you. What are you looking for? How do you like teaching your learners? How can I help? :)

info@openbookslearning.com

- Sarah Walter

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Frequently asked questions

What is required?

Each unit "requires" about 2 books. If these are unavailable, you can select replacements from the optional books listed for each unit. For ALL of the country & science units, the DK Countries book or an atlas website is used as well (links are provided).

Each unit also uses kid-friendly YouTube videos, such as NatGeo Kids and BBC.

How do I use the unit?

This unit was designed for an adult to be engaged with the student as a learning partner. The idea is that you will be with your learner, reading books, watching educational videos, and discussing topics together. 

If you are interested in a more stand-alone unit for ages 6-8, let me know!

Tell me more about the teacher's guide.

The teacher's guide is your map of the 5 days of content. Of course you can move things around as needed to fit your needs. I encourage you to print out the planner page, and the daily pages. An area for notes is provided on each daily page. At the end of each daily lesson description, there is a summary of the pages your learner will be using for that day - in the student guide / atlas. 

Tell me more about the student guide / atlas.

The student guide / atlas is meant to be printed out. Your learner will write and draw on these pages each day. It includes country facts to fill out, written responses to readings, and other activities.

Depending on your learner's ability, you might transcribe their verbal responses, or the learner might write some or all of the responses on these pages. 

The last few pages include many photos and graphics related to the unit. Your learner can cut these out and glue them into their atlas pages. 

At the end of the week, your learner will have created an "atlas" of learning for the unit. It can be bound for later viewing, by itself or together with other country unit studies from Open Books Learning. 

How is religion viewed in these units?

The units are secular.

Who helped you create these units?

Thanks for asking! My mother taught grade school for decades and provided amazing feedback. My son has been my learning partner aka guinea pig for much of this work. The Marin County Free Library system has an AMAZING collection of books, enabling me to read literally hundreds of children's books for these units over 3 years. My husband and 3 boys have been an incredible support and inspiration. <3

I've got more questions!

Great! Email me at info@openbookslearning.com