Unit Overview

Welcome to the Unit Overview

Branches is an 8 unit program. Each unit is 4-weeks long, broken into four subtopics. These topics allow for a deeper dive into each unit. Branches employs a unique design of foundational knowledge, interconnected subject areas, and hands-on, discovery-based learning. The units in Branches were specifically chosen for their rich vocabulary, ability to translate across domains, and depth of topic.

Below is a brief description of each unit to help you get to know them as you determine if Branches is the right fit for your family. There is no predetermined sequence for these units. Choose the order that works best for your family, time of year, and season of learning.

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Animal Adaptations

Subtopics: Understanding Adaptations, Physical Adaptations, Behavioral Adaptations, Adaptations by Habitat.

This magnificent unit introduces children to the wide variety of adaptations across the animal kingdom. It focuses on understanding the differences between behavioral and physical adaptations, as well as the impact of habitat on adaptations. The unit also explores classifications, comparative thinking, scientific inquiry, and life sciences.

Classic Tales

Subtopics: Fairy Tales, Fables, Legends, Myths.

This enchanting unit broadens children’s exposure to literature through fairy tales, fables, legends, and myths – but it goes far beyond being just a language arts unit with an exploration into each tales unique characteristics.

As children learn about literary devices and techniques, like onomatopoeia, they also develop math and engineering skills while engaging in scientific thinking.

Dinosaurs

Subtopics: Exploring Dinosaurs, Carnivores, Herbivores, Fossils.

This thrilling unit takes your family to the Mesozoic Era where you will encounter theropods, sauropods, and ornithischians galore!

The extinct will come back to life through an in-depth look at the world of dinosaurs as well as root words, prefixes, Earth’s history, cause-effect reasoning, and research skills, all through hands-on learning and engaging discussions.

Geography

Subtopics: Maps & Directions, Dividing the Earth, the Continents

This engaging unit invites children to broaden their understanding of Earth and the world around them. Through two distinct sections of learning, you’ll explore maps, coordinates, hemispheres, poles, and cardinal directions; then take a journey across Earth’s seven vibrant and unique continents.

The unit also explores scale measurements, Earth sciences, superlatives, adjectives, and proper nouns.

Landforms

Subtopics: Exploring Landforms, Elevated Landforms, Pits & Passes, Land Meets Sea

This investigative unit explores Earth science processes and the “why” behind our planet’s diverse natural terrain. Landform creation, the immense variety of landforms that exist (from rift valleys to archipelagos), and the differences between quick and slow changes to Earth are all explored in hands-on, engaging activities.

Additionally, this unit delves into compound words, adverbs, and cause and effect, while encouraging engineering and problem solving.

Solar System

Subtopics: The Planets, Sun & Moon, Stars & Constellations, Space Rocks

This awe-inspiring unit takes your family on a journey through an abstract concept, but packed full of hands-on learning and multimedia materials to create a conceptual understanding of basic astronomy.

Children will also explore scale models, ordinal numbers, rhyming poetry, and adjectives. An important feature of this unit is the emphasis on note-taking skills – and growing this skill no matter the age or writing level.

States of Matter

Subtopics: Exploring Matter, Solids, Liquids, Gases

While this exploration-based unit looks explicitly “science-y” from the outside, scientific knowledge is just the tip of the iceberg in this cross-curricula study. Learn about molecules and the principal states of matter as you explore cinquain poetry, adjectives, and watercolor art. There’s also an emphasis on vocabulary in this unit, leaning into texture words and adjectives to describe matter.

Filled with easy-to-set-up experiments and meaningful demonstrations, the States of Matter unit brings a complex topic to life.

Weather

Subtopics: Exploring Weather, Weather Instruments, Clouds, the Water Cycle

This is not a “What’s the weather like today?” weather unit. This knowledge-heavy deep dive begins by introducing the six elements of weather, then moves into studying and creating various weather tools used by meteorologists, exploring cloud formations, and understanding the water cycle.

This unit is rich with experiments and hands-on exploration of a complex topic. Children will also learn about limericks, root words, similes, and cause and effect.