Learning Launcher Curriculum from Champion Press is actually a CD-ROM textbook of thematic units complete with lessons, worksheets, book lists, and Internet sites for further study. Each CD contains over 160 pages with 100 lessons for grades K-12. The unit studies are printed in a PDF format with over 30 clickable links available in both Macintosh and Windows.

Learning Launcher Unit Study topics are American History, Geography and Society, Language Arts and Literature, Our Physical World, Ancient and World History, Our Living World, Biographies, and The Arts and Art History. I reviewed the Arts and Art History Learning Launcher. Lessons on this CD included The Italian Renaissance, The Elizabethan Renaissance, The Impressionists, Architecture and Frank Lloyd Wright, Dance and Creative Movement, Classical Music Composers, Learn About Classical Music, Musical Instruments, Theatre Arts at Home, and the Biography of John Audubon. Valentine's Day and Mother's Day Activities are also included.

General and specific information on your selected topic is provided first followed by a range of lessons or activities. Each activity grade range and subject area (i.e. music, history, math, and so on) is highlighted for reference and record keeping. Book suggestions, Internet sites, and worksheets follow this. Because the topics on this CD were a wide overview of the arts, I found it to be a good starting point of study.

This system gives you the foundationsof your topic with the tools you need to complete more if you so desire. With the book references and links provided, you could easily build on your unit study bringing it to a higher level, depending on the amount of information you wish to provide for your student and his or her grade level. Lesson plans or suggestions provide a simple format for those who do not wish to plan their own unit studies. The worksheets allow a record of study for instructors who need to put together a portfolio of the student's work. If you like unit studies, but do not want to write your own, or are using a textbook and want to build on the material, I would recommend the Learning Launcher CD-ROMs. They can provide you with a strong overview of your subject while giving you fresh ideas and links to future learning.