American Girl Unit Studies Overview

It’s BACK TO HOME-SCHOOL TIME!

If your plans include the American Girl History Units this year, this post is just for YOU!

A friend recently asked me if I could give her an outline of what each of the American Girl Unit Studies cover.  As I went through and put it all together, I thought it might be helpful to some of you as well!

I have completed the FREE Unit Studies for:
+American Girl Kaya (Native America-1764)
+American Girl Felicity (Colonial America-1774)
+American Girl Josefina (America’s Southwest Frontier- 1824)
+American Girl Kirsten (Pioneer America- 1854)
+American Girl Addy (Civil War America- 1864)
+American Girl Samantha (Turn of the Century- 1904)
+American Girl Kit  (The Great Depression- 1934)
+American Girl Molly  (World War 2- 1944)  <– NEW!!

First, what you will find in all of these unit studies-

+Language Arts
(Vocabulary Lists, Copy Work, Creative Writing, Reading Comprehension, Book Lists, Grammar Ideas)

+Bible
(A unique Family Bible Study for each week that ties into the theme of the Unit Study)

+Science
(Science lessons related to the study)

+Geography  
(Geography lessons related to the study- state studies, mapping skills, etc…)

+History
(This of course is the spine, so LOTS of history!  Daily Life, People, Places, and Events!)

+Art  
(Each unit study features an artist from that period, with the exception of the Kaya Unit)

+Coloring Pages/Printables  
(Printable coloring pages to use for your timeline, history notebook, or just for fun!)

+Hands-On Projects  
(Recipes, crafts, STEM ideas, simulations, etc…)

**If you aren’t sure about Unit Studies, or you’re still trying to figure out what kind of curriculum is BEST for YOUR family, start with this post—> The Curriculum Question

Below is an OVERVIEW of  what you will find, by subject, in each of the Unit Studies-

+American Girl Kaya (Native America-1764) Unit Study

Welcome to the Nez Perce Tribe, 1764!  Meet Kaya, her family, and her tribe, the Nez Perce.  Walk through the forests and streams, and gallop across the fields on a beautiful Appaloosa.  Learn all about Native American families, their homes, the foods they enjoyed, their work, and their beautiful art through the eyes of a girl just about your age!  Go back in time and sit by a fire as you hear explorers Lewis and Clark tell of their adventures and amazing discoveries along the way!

*Bible:
Week 1-  Creation Story
Week 2-  Life & Death
Week 3-  What’s In a Name

*Science:
Week 1-  Animals of the Nez Perce  (Horses & Coyotes)
Week 2-  Animals of the Nez Perce  (Buffalo & Salmon)
Week 3-  Seasons

*History:
Week 1-  The Nez Perce
Week 2-  Daily Life in the Tribe
Week 3-  Native American People & Places

*Geography:
Week 1-  The Pacific Northwest
Week 2-  Tribes & Travels
Week 3-  Cartography/Lewis & Clark

*Art:   Albert Bierstadt

*Resources For Native America Kaya Unit Study-
*FREE Native America Unit Study-  AG Kaya
+Kaya Printable Power Pack  (Free!)
+Native America (Kaya) Unit Study- PDF Version
+Native America (Kaya) Printable HISTORY Cards and Bingo Game
+Native America Books and Resources List
+Kaya Native America Pinterest Board

–>You may also supplement this unit study for your older students by using some or all of the suggestions in the Free Early American History Curriculum and the Early American History Book List

+American Girl Felicity (Colonial America-1774) Unit Study 

This is an exciting, hands-on study of the birth of our country.  We will be discovering what life was like during this time through the eyes of Felicity Merriman, an adventurous, outdoor loving young girl growing up in bustling colonial Williamsburg. We will read her stories, learn about her family, explore life in a colony divided by friends both Loyalists and Patriots, practice having high tea and ballroom dancing, and lots more!

*Bible:
Week 1-  What Is Freedom?
Week 2-  What Is Slavery?
Week 3-  I Am Free!

*Science:
Week 1-  Medicine In Colonial Times
Week 2-  Science With Colonial Foods
Week 3-  Spies & Secret Codes

*History:
Week 1-  The American Colonies
Week 2-  A Day in the Life of a Colonist
Week 3-  The American Revolution

*Geography:
Week 1-  The 13 Colonies
Week 2-  Politics & Flags
Week 3-  Revolutionary War Battles

*Art:  John Singleton Copley

*Resources For Colonial America Felicity Unit Study-
+FREE Colonial America Unit Study – AG Felicity
+Felicity Printable Power Pack
+Colonial America  (Felicity) Unit Study-  PDF Version
+A Colonial America Christmas-  Hands-On History  (Free)
+A Colonial America Christmas-  Printable Power Pack
+Colonial America Books and Resources List
+Felicity- Colonial America Pinterest Board
+Colonial America (Felicity) Christmas Pinterest Board

–>You may also supplement this unit study for your older students by using some or all of the suggestions in the  Free Early American History Curriculum  and the Early American History Book List

+American Girl Josefina (America’s Southwest Frontier- 1824) Unit Study

Discover the wild and colorful Southwestern American Frontier of 1824!  Celebrate life on Josefina’s rancho. Hear the mariachis, dance with friends, and taste the cinnamon sweetness of freshly baked biscochos!  Plot your path, and follow the wagon trains on the Santa Fe Trail.  Watch for outlaws!

*Bible:
Week 1-  Worship- Remembering God
Week 2-  Worship- Celebrating God
Week 3-  Worship- God and The Beauty of the Earth

*Science:
Week 1-  Wild Weather!
Week 2-  Natural Beauty
Week 3-  Flowers of the Southwest

*History:
Week 1-  America’s Southwestern Frontier
Week 2-  A Day on the Frontier
Week 3-  Life on the Trail

*Geography:
Week 1-  New Mexico
Week 2-  The People & National Parks of New Mexico
Week 3-  Exploring the Trails

*Art:  Georgia O’Keeffe

*Resources For America’s Southwestern Frontier- American Girl Josefina Unit Study-
*FREE Southwest Frontier America Unit Study – AG Josefina
+Josefina Printable Power Pack
+Southwest Frontier  (Josefina) Unit Study-  PDF Version
+America’s Southwest Frontier (Josefina) Books & Resources List
+Christmas Southwestern Frontier- Hands-On History  (Free)
+Josefina’s Southwestern Frontier Christmas POWER Pack
+Josefina’s Southwestern Frontier Christmas PDF Version
+Josefina- Frontier America Pinterest Board
+Southwestern Frontier (Josefina) Christmas Pinterest Board

–>You may also supplement this unit study for your older students by using some or all of the suggestions in the  Free Early American History Curriculum  and the Early American History Book List

+American Girl Kirsten (Pioneer America- 1854) Unit Study

This is an exciting, hands-on study of our country’s Westward Expansion.We will be discovering what pioneer  life was like through the eyes of Kirsten Larson, a kind and brave young girl who has just arrived in New York, from her home far away in Sweden.We will read about her adventures traveling west to Minnesota, explore the life of the other pioneers she meets along the trail, enjoy some Swedish treats that Kirsten’s mama cooked for her, and lots more!

*Bible:
Week 1-Perseverance:  Helen Keller & Anne Sullivan
Week 2-  Generosity:  Johnny Appleseed
Week 3-  Obedience:  Sojourner Truth

*Science:
Week 1-  Using a Compass/Orienteering
Week 2-  Simple Machines & Inventions
Week 3-  Great Inventors of the 1800’s

*History:
Week 1-  Journey to America
Week 2-  Daily Life on the Prairie
Week 3-  Pioneers’ Friends & Foes

*Geography:
Week 1-  Sweden
Week 2-  Across America: The Prairie
Week 3-  Minnesota

*Art:  Carl Larsson

*Resources for Pioneer America (American Girl Kirsten) Unit Study-
+FREE Pioneer America Unit Study – AG Kirsten
+Kirsten Printable Power Pack
+Pioneer America (Kirsten) Unit Study- PDF Version
+America’s Pioneers  (Kirsten) Books & Resources List
+FREE* Kirsten’s Swedish Pioneer Christmas Unit
+A Pioneer Christmas-  PDF Version
+A Pioneer Christmas Printable POWER Pack
+Kirsten-  Pioneer America Pinterest Board
+Pioneer America (Kirsten) Christmas Pinterest Board
+Kirsten-  Pioneer America Pinterest Board

–>You may also supplement this unit study for your older students by using some or all of the suggestions in the  Free Early American History Curriculum  and the Early American History Book List

+American Girl Addy (Civil War America- 1864) Unit Study

What was life like during this period of history?  We’ll dig deep and see it happening through the eyes of Addy Walker, a courageous young girl who escapes life as a slave in North Carolina, and then must learn how to live as a free girl in her new home in Philadelphia.  We will read her stories.  Real life tales of battles and spies!  Heartbreak for certain, but also amazing true stories of perseverance and immense bravery.  We will find out how Addy and others made their way in the dark on the underground railroad ,and the friends they made along the way.  And we will explore Addy’s new life in a free state where she finally gets to go to school! There are tons of ideas each week to learn even more!  Crack the Morse Code mystery, make your own secret direction quilt,  write your own freedom song, make Addy’s favorite meal, or learn to sew a rag doll !

*Bible:
Week 1-  Faith, Through Belief  (Noah)
Week 2-  Faith, Through Perseverance  (Joseph)
Week 3-  Faith, Through Love   (Jesus)

*Science:
Week 1-  Amazing Inventions/Samuel Morse
Week 2-  Constellations
Week 3-  Civil War Medicine

*History:
Week 1-  Life in the South
Week 2-  North to Freedom
Week 3-  America’s “Civil” War

*Geography:
Week 1-  Africa
Week 2-  North Carolina
Week 3-  Pennsylvania

*Art:   Winslow Homer

*Resources for the Civil War (American Girl Addy) Unit Study-
+FREE Civil War America Unit Study – AG Addy
+Addy Printable Power Pack
+Civil War (Addy) Unit Study-  PDF Version
+Civil War Unit Book and Resources List
+Addy- Civil War America Pinterest Board
+Civil War (Addy) Christmas Pinterest Board

–>You may also supplement this unit study for your older students by using some or all of the suggestions in the  Free Early American History Curriculum  and the Early American History Book List

+American Girl Samantha (Turn of the Century- 1904) Unit Study

In this Unit, we will learn what daily life was like at the Turn of the Century-
Imagine…  learning the etiquette of high tea, ballroom dancing, or strolling through Central Park…or working grueling hours in a shirtwaist factory and living in a tenement.  We will delve into the Industrial Revolution and we will walk down the avenues of the World’s Fair  re-discovering the amazing inventions that were changing the world!  We will imagine life through the eyes of children seeing the shores of America for the very first time, and settling in a new country.  We will get to know the President, known for his connection to the “teddy bear”- can you guess who it is?  And we will also get to know some of his friends who called our attention to America’s great natural beauty.
What an EXCITING time to have lived !   What an exciting time to re-live !

*Bible:
Week 1-  The Golden Rule
Week 2-  The Good Samaritan
Week 3-  The Parable of the Talents

*Science:
Week 1-  Electricity
Week 2-  Fitness
Week 3-  Ornithology

*History:
Week 1-  Turn of a Century
Week 2-  A Day in the Life
Week 3-  Presidents, Philanthropy, and the People

*Geography:
Week 1-  Washington D.C.   (The White House)
Week 2-  Arizona  (The Grand Canyon)
Week 3-  California  (The Redwood Forests)

*Art:  Joseph Stella  AND/OR  Albert Bierstadt

*Resources for The Turn of the Century (AG Samantha) Unit Study-
+FREE 1900 Turn of the Century America Unit Study – AG Samantha
+Samantha Printable Power Pack
+Turn of the Century (Samantha) Unit Study-  PDF Version
+Turn of the Century Books and Resources List
+Samantha-  Turn of the Century Pinterest Board
+Turn of the Century (Samantha) Christmas Pinterest Board

–>You may also supplement this unit study for your older students by using some or all of the suggestions in the  Free Early American History Curriculum  and the Early American History Book List

+American Girl Kit (The Great Depression- 1934) Unit Study

America’s Great Depression and the hazy, dry days of the Dust Bowl !
In this unit, you will hear the stories of hardship and hope through the eyes of American Girl Kit Kittredge…
We will learn what daily life was like during the days of the Great Depression.  We’ll discover what the shocking “crash” on Wall Street was all about and how American life changed overnight… we’ll travel across the country by rail with families looking for work, and imagine ourselves facing the “black blizzards” in the dry and dusty midwest.  Woven throughout the difficult days however, we’ll hear the amazing stories of many courageous people who have seen their circumstances as a challenge to change the world for better!

*Bible:
Week 1-  Carrying One Another’s Burdens
Week 2-  Serving One Another
Week 3-  Encouraging One Another

*Science:
Week 1-  Ecosystems and Biomes
Week 2-  Garden Science/Creative Gardening
Week 3-  Aviation/Amelia Earhart

*History:
Week 1-  The 1930’s- Kit’s World
Week 2-  Daily Life
Week 3-  The Great Hope

*Geography:
Week 1-  Ohio
Week 2-  Oklahoma
Week 3-  New York (Eleanor’s Park)

*Art:  Dorothea Lange

*Resources for The Great Depression (American Girl Kit) Unit Study-
+FREE The Great Depression Unit Study-  AG Kit
+The Great Depression (Kit) Unit Study-  PDF Version
+The Great Depression (Kit) Printable Printable Power Pack
+Great Depression Books and Resources List
+Kit- The Great Depression Pinterest Board

–>You may also supplement this unit study for your older students by using some or all of the suggestions in the  Free Early American History Curriculum  and the Early American History Book List

+American Girl Molly   (World War 2- 1944) Unit Study

World War 2 ?!   
Molly couldn’t believe her ears!   This couldn’t be happening!
In this Unit, we will learn what life was like in America during the days of the second World War.
Molly of course knew all about the war being fought a world away in places like Europe and Africa, but one cold morning in December, the war that had been so far away had come to American soil.  In one moment everything changed.
Where was Pearl Harbor?  Why did the Japanese bomb it?  Would America’s enemies come again and attack another city?  Fathers and brothers shipped out to fight.  Mothers and sisters went to work in the factories.  Everyone wanted to help with the war efforts.  But what could Molly and her friends do?

Welcome to Molly’s World 1944!

*Bible:
Week 1-   Good & Evil
Week 2-  A Problem & A Plan
Week 3-  Good Overcomes Evil

*Science:
Week 1-  Sound & Radio
Week 2-  Spies:  Cryptology & Gadgets
Week 3-  Albert Einstein & Physics

*History:
Week 1-  The 1940’s- Molly’s World
Week 2-  Molly’s Day
Week 3-  A World War

*Geography:
Week 1-  Hawaii
Week 2-  Germany
Week 3-  Japan

*Art:  Norman Rockwell

*Resources for World War 2 (American Girl Molly) Unit Study-
+FREE World War 2 Unit Study-  AG Molly
+World War 2 (Molly) Unit Study-  PDF Version
+Molly Printable Power Pack
+WW2 File Folder Game
+World War 2 Unit Study Printables BUNDLE!
+World War 2 Books and Resources List
+Molly- World War 2 Pinterest Board

–>You may also supplement this unit study for your older students by using some or all of the suggestions in the  Free Early American History Curriculum  and the Early American History Book List

Homeschooling during the Christmas holidays can be THE BEST!!!
Don’t believe me?
Does the thought of this make your stomach hurt and stress you out?
Be sure to read my post about HOW To Homeschool Through the Holidays,  give it a try, and I think that this may be your FAVORITE part of homeschooling ALL YEAR!!

You will find the following for all of the American Girl History Unit Studies except Kaya:

+Christmas Reading & Listening
+Homemade Christmas Decorations
+Holiday Gift Making
+Christmas Recipes
+Family Christmas Entertaining Ideas

Think a Colonial Williamsburg Christmas, a Southwestern Christmas, a Pioneer Christmas, Christmas in the South, and a Victorian Turn of the Century Christmas!   Make the HOLIDAY the LESSON!

And of course, last but not least, here are all of the American Girl Resources in ONE place!
Hope that this has helped some of you with your planning.  These Units make a great spine to build on, if your family is really interested you could EASILY add to these lessons and spend more time on the details each week!  If you haven’t already checked out the book lists, there are so many wonderful books, activity guides, movie suggestions, etc… for stretching the learning out as long as the interest remains!
Wishing you the BEST year living, loving, and learning TOGETHER!!

*FREE Native America Unit Study-  AG Kaya
+Kaya Printable Power Pack  (Free!)
+Native America (Kaya) Unit Study- PDF Version
+Native America (Kaya) Printable HISTORY Cards and Bingo Game
+Kaya Native America Pinterest Board

*FREE Colonial America Unit Study – AG Felicity
+Colonial America Printable Power Pack
+Colonial America  (Felicity) Unit Study-  PDF Version
+‘A Colonial Christmas- Hands-On History’
+Colonial Christmas Printable POWER Pack
+Colonial Christmas Printable PDF Version
+Felicity- Colonial America Pinterest Board
+Colonial America (Felicity) Christmas Pinterest Board

*FREE Southwest Frontier America Unit Study – AG Josefina
+Josefina Printable Power Pack
+Southwest Frontier  (Josefina) Unit Study-  PDF Version
+Josefina- Frontier America Pinterest Board
+Southwestern Frontier (Josefina) Christmas Pinterest Board

*FREE Pioneer America Unit Study – AG Kirsten
+Kirsten Printable Power Pack
+Pioneer America (Kirsten) Unit Study- PDF Version
+Kirsten-  Pioneer America Pinterest Board
+Pioneer America (Kirsten) Christmas Pinterest Board

*FREE Civil War America Unit Study – AG Addy
+Addy Printable Power Pack
+Civil War (Addy) Unit Study-  PDF Version
+Addy- Civil War America Pinterest Board
+Civil War (Addy) Christmas Pinterest Board

*FREE 1900 Turn of the Century America Unit Study – AG Samantha
+Samantha Printable Power Pack   (My FAVORITE yet!!!)
+Turn of the Century (Samantha) Unit Study-  PDF Version
+Samantha-  Turn of the Century Pinterest Board
+Turn of the Century (Samantha) Christmas Pinterest Board

*FREE The Great Depression Unit Study-  AG Kit
+The Great Depression (Kit) Unit Study-  PDF Version
+Kit Printable Power Pack

*FREE World War 2 Unit Study-  AG Molly
+World War 2 (Molly) Unit Study-  PDF Version
+Molly Printable Power Pack
+World War 2 Printable Game
+World War 2 Molly Unit Study-  BUNDLE    (***NEW!***)

–> Check out all the American Girl Printables in the Book Store!
 

Check out the Printable Power Packs and the live PDF Versions of the American Girl History Units all in a neat BUNDLE!  And nicely DISCOUNTED of course!
–>???What’s The Difference Between The PDF Version and The Printable POWER Pack???
Click the link above for a full video explanation!

*NOTE! The bundles do NOT include the new Kit and Molly Units!
–> WW2 MOLLY BUNDLE