Humanities class
Eric teaches a Humanities class that blends studies in social studies (history, geography, civics & culture) and language arts (writing, grammar, vocabulary, and reading). The general focus of the course is on the origins of civilization and the movement from individual to community. Students study prehistory and ancient civilizations through fiction and non-fiction readings about people from many cultural backgrounds. In-context instruction in grammar, writing, reading and critical thinking skills complement our thematic studies.
Cake Excavation
As a part of of our exploration of archaeology and history as topics of study, students excavate a three-layer cake that represent three strata, and time periods, of earth's history. As students unearth artifacts and fossils in the cake, they practice making the detailed observations and inferences required of an archaeologist and write a creative story that describes a single piece of land over time.
Job Advertisement
Students write and construct a job advertisement for a position as an archaeologist.
A Cave Painter's Compendium
Students construct A Cave Painter's Compendium literature project in tandem with our reading of Boy of the Painted Cave and our study of the Stone Age. As students read, they write detailed, sequential steps for the various processes of cave art described in the novel and compile these complex processes into a cookbook for parietal art.
A Goldsmith's Guide
Students construct A Goldsmith's Guide literature project in tandem with our reading of The Golden Goblet and our study of Ancient Egypt. As students read, they write detailed, sequential steps for the various processes of goldsmithing described in the novel and compile these complex processes into a cookbook for the art of goldwork.
A Potter's Vase
Students construct a literature project in tandem with our reading of A Single Shard and our study of Ancient China. As students read, they write detailed, sequential steps for the various processes of pottery described in the novel and compile these complex processes onto shards of a prunus vase.
Scribe School: Mesopotamia
Students try their hand as a Mesopotamian scribe by creating a clay tablet, etching a cuneiform message, and then deciphering the codes written by classmates.
Scribe School: Egypt
Students try their hand as a Egyptian scribe by creating a sheet of papyrus, writing a hieroglyph message, and deciphering the codes written by classmates.
Poetry
As part of our exploration of the Stone Age, we read the poem The Cave Boy by Laura Richards. By studying her poem, students learn structural elements of poetry, including stanzas, repetition, meter, and rhyme. Then, boys learn how to rhyme effectively by first brainstorming and then writing their own poem modeled after The Cave Boy.