Unit Study Tools or Daily Lesson Plans?

Written byDana Wilson Curriculum, Literature-based Learning
Black homeschool mom deciding between Unit Program Tools and Daily Lesson Plans

Which is best for your family – our Unit Study Tools or Daily Lesson Plans? Here’s what you need to know.

The most common curriculum question I get is this: 

“I don’t know whether to get the Unit Study Tools or the Daily Lesson Plans. How do I know which one would be best for me to use? How are they different?

The best way to compare our Unit Study Tools and our Daily Lesson Plans is to:

  • Read the similarities between the Unit Study Tools and Daily Lesson Plans
  • Learn about the differences between the two
  • Download the samples and compare them side-by-side

(Keep reading for links to take you to samples of our Unit Study Tools components and our Daily Lesson Plans. Then you can download the age levels for your children and compare each program side-by-side.

Editor’s Note: There are affiliate links in many of our posts to books/homeschooling tools that we love. If you buy something using one of our links, we might make a small commission. There’s no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting us in this way!

Similarities between Unit Study Tools and Daily Lesson Plans

I’ll start with the similarities:

  • Both are literature-based curriculum. In other words, rather than textbooks, you’ll use excellent non-fiction and fiction books with both. You can get books at your public library, from used bookstores, from (aff. link) Amazon.com, or from the bookseller of your choice. 
  • Like all of our curriculum, including our high school courses, they are both written from a biblical Christian worldview.
  • Our Unit Study Tools and Daily Lesson Plans cover history, science (K-8th), language, and fine arts.
  • They are both Charlotte Mason-inspired.
Part of the Westward Expansion Unit from the Intermediate Unit Program Tools
Part of the Intermediate Unit Study Tools’ Westward Expansion Unit (3rd-5th grades)

What is the critical difference between our Daily Lesson Plans and Unit Study Tools?

You.  

The most important difference between these two programs is you.

If you are new to homeschooling, you might not know this yet. But you (will) have a teaching style you’re most comfortable with. And it often changes as you discover more about homeschooling, teaching, your kids, and yourself.

So, start where you are right now.

We’ve found over the years that most homeschooling moms (or dads) fall into one of two camps. They either want unstructured curriculum they can tweak as much as they want. Or, they prefer structured curriculum that lays everything out for them — telling them exactly what to do and say.

Please read over the two descriptions under the graphic below, and see which one sounds most like you.

Want to learn more about how to homeschool using excellent children’s literature? Click the graphic above to get your free ebook!

You’d prefer our Unit Study Tools if…

You’re most comfortable with and prefer to have less structure in your curriculum. Why? Because you like to create your own structure. If this is you, you’ll choose our Unit Study Tools all day long.

See if you can relate to the bullet points below.

  • You’re going to make any curricula you use your own. But you’d love to have a framework to build it on. So, you’d prefer studying history from Creation to Modern times with curated book lists. Also, with specific assignment ideas, and a Teacher’s Overview of each time period. This fits you best because it gives you a structure to follow, instead of creating your curricula from scratch.
  • You want to be free to take your time and go down rabbit trails, instead of following someone else’s schedule.
  • You appreciate the included Teacher’s Manual to teach you how to teach history, science, and other subjects. Also, you’ll learn how to choose copywork, spelling, and vocab words from history and science books.
  • You’d find it useful to have tips and lists of what to teach at different age levels (especially the grammar!), but you’d be strangled by a curriculum that tells you exactly what to do and say.
  • You also love that all of your children can study the same history period at the same time. Finally!

Related Post:  What comes with Daily Lesson Plans?

Learn more about our Unit Study Tools & see samples.

Read more about our Unit Study Tools here. (Note that each program offers more as you go up in levels.)

To see and download sample units, click on the link(s) below for your kids’ grade levels:

Homeschool mom deciding between Daily Lesson Plans and Unit Program Tools.

You’d prefer our Daily Lesson Plans if…

Alternatively, some homeschool moms find the Unit Study Tools to be too unstructured. These homeschool moms are more comfortable having a more structured, open-and-go, done-for-you curriculum. If that’s you, you will love our Daily Lesson Plans. (Read to see if this sounds more like you.)

  • You want to stop worrying about make sure you are covering “enough” and “the right things” each year.
  • Having daily plans with reading assignments, narration prompts and discussion questions helps you relax knowing exactly what to do.
  • You love having copywork, memory work, spelling and vocab words, grammar and punctuation lessons, poetry, science experiments, and general projects already designed for you. 
  • And you can relax having the week planned for you (including the projects, along with a weekly list of any supplies you need).
  • Knowing that you have what you need in one curriculum book thrills you. Instead of buying and shlepping around separate books for history, reading, geography, science, grammar, punctuation, composition, spelling, vocabulary, poetry, and fine arts.  

Learn more about our Daily Lesson Plans & see samples.

Read more about our Daily Lesson Plans here.

See sample weeks of our Daily Lesson Plans by clicking your child(ren)’s grade level(s) below.

Related Post:  a Closer look at the Daily Lesson Plan Layout

So which one sounds right for you? — Unit Study Tools or Daily Lesson Plans?

More questions? Contact us anytime using the contact form found in the menu bar at the top of the page.

If you’d like to learn more about literature-based home education, click on the graphic below!

Want to learn more about how to homeschool using excellent children’s literature? Click the graphic above to get your free ebook.

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