We at Urban Homeschoolers are very excited to be offering a special 16-week multi-age elementary learning block taught by Julie Leary on Tuesdays from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. This unique homeschool block is held outdoors at the Studio City Unitarian Universalist Church playground located at 12355 Moorpark Street, Studio City. You can visit www.uustudiocity.org to see more about the location. This charming tree-shaded location has been home to many homeschool events over the last ten years. They are a tried and true, open-minded, and caring community and familiar with our homeschooling philosophies.

Miss Julie’s 3-hour elementary block will be a combination of cross curricular discussion, project, and art.  

Block 1 – Artists and Their Impact 9:00-9:50 followed by a 10-minute break 

These in-depth artist studies will include artist biographies, their work, their culture and surrounding environment, pertinent vocabulary, how their work helped shape the world around them as well as served as an expression of any environmental or political events of the time. Each artist unit is built as a 4–5-week study. 

Weeks 1 – 5: Tarsila do Amaral and Brazilian Modernism 

          During this block students will learn about the geography, culture, landscape, and legends of Brazil. 

  • We will follow Tarsila from childhood through her artist studies abroad. 
  • Students will discuss the abstract and cubist art movements, and how they influenced her to become the mother of Brazilian Modernism. 
  • Students will create original artworks inspired by the works we will be discussing. 

Week 6 – 10: Mary Blair and the Magic of Color 

Students will discover who is responsible for the Disney illustrations we have come to know and love. 

  • We will learn about Mary’s history, inspirations, and style. 
  • Students will discuss modernist art movements such as fauvism, impressionism, mid-century modernism, and pop art. 
  • We will experience how her travels influenced both her person and her work.  
  • Students will use the art elements of color and shape to create their own magical worlds.

Weeks 11 – 16: Marc Chagall’s Fantastical Dreamscapes 

We will discuss the elements and principles of art found in Chagall’s dreamscapes. 

  • Students will learn about his childhood growing up in Russia and how his love of folk tales, the politics of the era, and his Jewish beliefs played a huge role in his work. 
  • We will tie in the many art styles that can be found in his art and finally create original dreamscapes of their own. 

 

Block 2 – US History: The American Revolution and Westward Expansion  

10:00 – 10:50 followed by a 10-minute snack break

All topics will include story and discussion, geography, student question and opinion time, a journal entry of a “day in the life of a child”, and an art project. 

Topics will cover the American Revolution, Loyalists and Patriots, Crossing the Cumberland Gap, Native Americans, Lewis and Clark, Wagon trains, etc. 

Block 3 – Project Based Literature 11:00 – 11:50 followed by 10 minutes of play time before pick up at 12:00. 

Each novel will be a read aloud by me to focus on students’ listening and comprehension skills. Each week will include vocabulary, character analysis, story elements, extended learning of specific story notations and an art or project tie in. 

  • Novel 1- Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor 
  • Novel 2 (depending on pacing) – Number the Stars by Lois Lowry