This has to be my favorite unit study that I have ever written and taught! I think it’s because it is full of so many memories that I made with my children. As I have been going through this study and putting it into a format that could be downloaded, I just had to stop and giggle because we had so many amazing experiences.
This comprehensive unit study about the life of Benjamin Franklin is a total of 11 lessons which include:
- 11 Reading Assignments
- 10 Vocabulary Assignments
- 12 Hands-On Activities
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin was a fascinating man and the more I studied him in preparation for the study the more intrigued I became. I love to teach my children about where we are going so when they get there they will absorb so much more. We were headed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for our vacation that year.
I wanted a figure who was very involved in the early part of American History and Mr. Franklin definitely fit the requirements. He demonstrated so many characteristics, here’s just a few:
- Curious
- Persistent
- Helpful
- Firm
Curious
Ben was curious about everything from the ocean tides to the electricity in lightning. He was always asking questions and then testing his theories to see if he was correct and what other things he could learn from his experiments. We all know the story about the kite in the lightning storm. Ben was curious and he was going to find the answers to his questions no matter what it took.
Persistent
Persistence is a character trait that I admire so much in Ben Franklin. He never gave up! He knew what he wanted and then made a plan to go after it. The governor of Pennsylvania noticed the quality of Ben’s writing when he read a letter Ben had written to his brother-in-law. He approached Ben and told him he wanted him to become the official printer of the state of Pennsylvania. He encouraged Ben to find some investors to fund this endeavor.
Since Ben was only a teenager at the time the only person he could ask was his father. His father was not convinced and sent Ben on his way with no money. The governor decided to go ahead send Ben to England with letters of credit signed by him so Ben could buy the necessary equipment to start his business.
Ben did not read the letters before he left because the governor put them into safekeeping with the captain of the ship. As the ship drew near to England, Ben requested the letters in order to prepare for his journey but there were none! He had been conned by the governor and now he was stranded in England.
Do you think these circumstances stopped him? Well, yes, they did for a short period of time. Ben was stunned with what happened and it took him a couple of years in England working for other printers to get him back on his feet, However, the story doesn’t end there. He eventually heads back to the colonies and becomes their official printer years later.
He never gave up! That was one of the traits I wanted my children to see and learn from the life of Benjamin Franklin. I want them to pursue their own dreams and when it gets hard (because it will) they need to be persistent.
Helpful
Ben firmly believed that we should make things easier for other people and his life demonstrated that. He loved to read but books were only available to a select few so he established a public library. Those who bought a subscription could take a book home to read but anyone could come into the library at any time and look.
He wanted people to feel safe in the city and so he helped form both a police force and the fire department. He also wanted to help heat up people’s homes more efficiently and so he invented the Franklin Stove.
He was always looking for ways to use his talents to make life easier for someone else. I want my children to use their talents to help someone else. I don’t ever want them to lose sight of that.
Firm
Ben was firm in what he believed and often wrote his thoughts down which I think helped solidify those beliefs. He was not a man who could be bought and he made that known to the people of Philadephia.
As he got older, he became more respected and was elected to public office. Ben was the owner of the Pennsylvania Gazette and so other powerful people thought they could “buy” his support.
Ben grew tired of this so he invited them to his house for dinner. He was his usual jovial self during the occasion. However, when it came time to serve the meal, bowls of hot porridge sat on the fancy china plates. His guests were shocked because they were expecting a fancy dinner not a cheap meal. Ben began to eat and so did his guests. At the end of the meal, he explained that he was content to eat porridge every single day and so his influence would not be bought with money.
Everyone got his point and began to leave him alone. Money and power are very enticing to us all. I want my children to never lose sight of what is right because they are being influenced by those things.
Check out our story here:
Benjamin Franklin Unit Study
In this study, there eleven lessons that include a reading assignment, XX hands-on activities, XX writing prompts, and XX vocabulary activities.
Reading Assignment
Each lesson begins with a short reading assignment telling the story of Benjamin Franklin. It will prepare the student for the activities they will be participating in.
A couple of books, I would recommend the child reads as a supplement to this study are Who Was Ben Franklin by Dennis Brindell Fradin and Benjamin Franklin: Live Wire by Geoff and Janet Benge. Both of these books are excellent resources to immerse the child in the world of Ben Franklin and awaken their curiosity to learn more.
Hands-on Activities
I love taking the topic and creating hands-on activities that demonstrate the concept of what we are learning. This study is brimming with some amazing activities like creating a business plan and executing it. The students compare the cost of eating meat versus eliminating it from your diet. I created a game where they can experience first hand what the cost of living means as they try to build a “house” in different parts of the nation.
An optional hands-on activity that I used during this study is the Snap Circuits Classic SC-300 Electronics Exploration Kit and Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100 Electronics Exploration Kit. We started off with the 100 projects and then we purchased the one that has 300 projects because I was certain that it was going to be a hit, especially with Andy who was seven years old. I was not disappointed and to this day he talks about possibly becoming an electrical engineer someday.
Writing Prompts
I think it is very beneficial for the child to write about what they are learning. Much like Ben Franklin, I feel like it solidifies their thoughts as they organize it on paper. Several of the lessons include writing prompts that encourage them to explore what they are learning and how they can apply it to their own life today. In some of these prompts, I focus on character traits. For example, we talk about the porridge story from above but focus on how Ben was influential. During the writing prompt, I encourage them to explore their own lives to see how influential they are and what kind of influence are they demonstrating. We need to strive to be a good influence on others.
Vocabulary Activities
I have to give you a little back story on how I started adding activities to the vocabulary portion of our studies. One of our kiddos was struggling with comprehension. His level of reading was years ahead of his age but he didn’t understand what he was reading. I felt like he was having a hard time understanding that words meant something specific so I decided to highlight a word and have them act it out.
Not only was it a big hit with the kiddos, but it awakened his brain and after about six months of consistently teaching in this fashion, his reading comprehension skyrocketed. I was so excited as I watched him learn to love reading and being able to understand it.
The first vocabulary activity in this study is where it all began. I still remember that day as he was running around the yard with a balloon tethered to his arm. He was having fun and learning all at the same time.
Multi-Level Teaching Resource
This resource is designed to teach a variety of ages. They can be taught at the same time if you need to! Nikki was four years old and Georgie Lou was two years old at the time I taught this and I had her participate as much as she could. She enjoyed being a part of the reading assignments and doing hands-on and vocabulary activities.
At the time our oldest was in the eighth grade and I was amazed at how much he gleaned from the life of Benjamin Franklin. One of my goals was to get him to start thinking of his future and this study accomplished that.
Supply List
I always keep my supply lists as simple as possible since I don’t care to buy a lot of weird things. However, sometimes a unique item is needed to make the experience special for the child. Some of the items I needed to purchase for this study are as follows:
Benjamin Franklin Unit Study is Available, Download Now!
Thank you for reading! I hope this study will help you make amazing memories with your children that last a lifetime! Memories… Isn’t that what homeschooling is all about?
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