The following is excerpted from Getting the Most Out of Above & Beyond Five in a Row from Above & Beyond Five in a Row: The First Adventure. © 2001 by Becky Jane Lambert, all rights reserved.

Welcome to Above & Beyond Five in A Row, The First Adventure. You're about to begin a wonderful experience in education built around the concept that the single most important lesson any of us can learn is to "love learning." We strongly believe that if we successfully learn this lesson, all the rest will follow. In this volume, you will be exploring Hitty: Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field - a fascinating story that crosses centuries and continents.

Your study can be completed as a 6-8 week stand-alone unit study (when supplemented with math, spelling and grammar), or savored slowly over several months as a delightful learning supplement to other curricula. Unlike other Five in a Row units, Above & Beyond Five in A Row doesn't require continuous teacher involvement. It is more of a self-guided unit which a student, age 12+ can complete with minimal teacher involvement. Like all Five in a Row products, it's great to work on it together as a teacher-student team, but not necessary. Having a teacher available for consultation, discussion and review is enough.

Like all unit studies, some weeks will have a heavier emphasis on science while others may have greater emphasis on the fine arts, or perhaps history. What you study each week is a function of what chapter you happen to be studying. Overall, you will receive a balanced education in five principal areas: History and Geography, Language Arts, Science, the Fine Arts and Human Relationships. There are several areas you will need to supplement including math and the narrow language arts specialties of grammar, spelling and penmanship. These subjects do not lend themselves to a unit study approach and you'll want to be sure to include them each week.

With this type of curriculum, it is not possible to simply read one chapter every day and do the associated lesson activities. Some chapters are brief and you may very well finish the chapter and all related activities in two or three days. Other chapters however, may be either lengthy, or filled with an unusually rich field of learning possibilities. These chapters may take several weeks to explore thoroughly.

Part of the joy of unit study is students being allowed to follow their interests. You may find some lesson activities such as a personal journal or a leaf collection, for instance, continue for weeks as your pursue your studies - or perhaps even months after your study is complete. Other activities may take only 30 minutes to complete. Remember that our goal is to fall in love with learning, to discover the joy of reading, to learn how to find answers and use research tools, to learn to think critically and to assimilate knowledge in a way that is both relevant and memorable. This study was designed to facilitate those objectives every day.

Remember - there's no prize for finishing first. Enjoy the learning journey. What you get out of any unit study is a direct reflection of what you put into it. You can use these lessons as a complete resource, checking them off your list as you complete them. Or - you can use them simply as a "beginning point" from which to go on a wonderful learning journey. Move through subjects that are already familiar and then slow down to savor and enjoy topics of particular interest. Our goal is to be learning every day, actively engaged in the process of expanding our knowledge, improving our character and developing our gifts. The lessons in this volume are a wonderful gateway to help you achieve all three of these goals.

Invest yourself in the process of learning. Spend time working on your Research Paper, mastering the steps to this important process. Pick a topic that genuinely interests you and your task will be far easier. Spend time developing a meaningful Service Project and work heartily serving others in a way that will be a blessing to both you, and them. Some of these projects may far outlive your unit study, becoming a part of your lifestyle for years to come. Most of all enjoy the privilege of learning. Make the most of this opportunity and you will be well rewarded in many ways. Invest yourself in the process of learning. Spend time working on your Research Paper, mastering the steps to this important process. Pick a topic that genuinely interests you and your task will be far easier. Spend time developing a meaningful Service Project and work heartily serving others in a way that will be a blessing to both you, and them. Some of these projects may far outlive your unit study, becoming a part of your lifestyle for years to come. Most of all enjoy the privilege of learning. Make the most of this opportunity and you will be well rewarded in many ways.