Golden Hawks of Genghis Khan & Guide to Raptors

The term raptor is derived from the Latin word rapio, meaning to seize or take by force  Birds of prey, also known as raptors, primarily hunt and feed on vertebrates that are large relative to the hunter.  They have keen eyesight for detecting food at a distance or during flight, strong feet equipped with talons for grasping or killing prey, and powerful, curved beaks.  In our story, Jalair is focused on finding the fabled golden hawks...

Raptors are known to have excellent vision, which they use for hunting.  There are several types of raptors, including:

• Eagles - Large birds with long, broad wings and massive feet. They build very large stick nests.
• Hawks - Medium-sized birds of prey that hunt by sudden dashes from a concealed perch. They usually have long tails for tight steering.
• Harriers - Large, slender hawk-like birds with long tails and long thin legs. Most use a combination of keen eyesight and hearing to hunt small vertebrates.
• Owls - They come in many sizes, and typically hunt at night. They fly almost silently due to their special feather structure that reduces turbulence. They have particularly acute hearing and nocturnal eyesight.
• Vultures - Carrion-eating raptors.  Members of both groups have heads either partly or fully devoid of feathers.
• Falcons - Medium-size birds with long pointed wings. Many are particularly swift flyers.

Typically, raptors hunt small mammals, but it has rarely happened that a small human child has been viewed as prey.  Stories from Brazil, New Zealand, and Africa speak about children mauled by large raptors, though it is unclear whether they intended to attack a human or thought that the child was a large animal.  It is also possible that these tales were like those of the Chupacabra, and told with the intention of getting children to behave...

Our spine read for this unit is:

• The Golden Hawks of Genghis Khan   
• Young Jalair yearns to recover the Golden Hawks that were stolen from his father. His grandfather has different plans for his future, and hawks are not a part of it. When Jalair escapes to the land of the Mongols in search of his father’s hawks, he has no idea how much he will learn from the adventures that await him.

Get the ENTIRE UNIT in Beautiful Book Studies!

Each unit addresses a new topic, including science, history, and geography.  Each unit has introductory text, which will give the student basic background information about the topic at hand.

• You will also find a short list of reading books, including a featured novel that the unit builds upon.
• There are vocabulary words, places, and people to identify.
• Reading comprehension, critical thinking questions, and writing assignments are included.
• We add fun with hands-on activities and extra videos to watch that will bring the topic to life.

Table of Contents

• The King’s Fifth
• Red Falcons of Tremoine
• Golden Hawks of Genghis Khan
• Red Hugh of Ireland
• Calico Captive
• The Story of Eli Whitney
• Island of the Blue Dolphins
• The Lost Kingdom
• The Secret Garden
• Heidi
• Girl of the Limberlost
• The Winged Watchman
• When the Dikes Broke
• Using the Good & the Beautiful in High School

Product Sample:  Red Hugh of Ireland & the English Civil Wars 

The books selected for these unit studies can be found in the upper grades areas of The Good and the Beautiful Book List.  However, Homeschool On the Range and Sparks Academy are not employed by or affiliated with, nor do they receive any compensation from, The Good and the Beautiful.  It has simply been their curriculum of choice for many years.  These unit studies are not endorsed by The Good and the Beautiful or Jenny Phillips.