This is our catalog of courses. We will occasionally adjust the course listing to reflect the addition of new courses and the retirement of others.
Sign up for this Black Ships Before Troy to learn history in an engaging, enjoyable format. You will learn about Ancient Greece through the protagonist of our story and share that knowledge with a fun project of your choice.
Total classes: 6
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 5th to 9th grade
Suggested credit: 1/2 semester Literature or History (Precede with The Golden Goblet for one full semester)
Special notes: This course only takes 22 students. We recommend registering early. This is one of four courses in the Living History Through Literature Series (Ancient Era). Students can sign up for just one, all four, or anywhere in between. Two 6-week courses are offered in the fall and two are offered in the spring. They are offered consecutively.
Description
Living History Through Literature is a project-based course series. These courses will weave the study of literature into a meaningful and engaging encounter with a specific era of history. In this course, we read a narrative version of the epic poem, The Iliad. This is a middle school-friendly, excellent adaptation of Homer.
Students will study the historical context of the novel and participate in engaging literature discussions. In this project-based course, students will engage in short quizzes and in projects of their choice. Project options will include fiction writing, preparing period-specific food and/or costumes, creating classic art remakes, recreating scenes from the novel (Legos, clay, K’nex, digital drawing, hand-drawing, etc.), building a timeline, mapping, and more.
Outline
Class 1: Overview of Historical Context and Novel Introduction
Class 2: Literature Discussion; Project Introduction
Class 3: Literature Discussion; Cultural Overview
Class 4: Literature Discussion; Fiction Writing Tips
Class 5: Literature Discussion; Final Project Instructions
Class 6 Literature Analysis and Historical Connections; Student Project Showcase
Materials and Homework
Course Materials: Black Ships Before Troy by Rosemary Sutcliffe, ISBN-10# 0553494821 or ISBN-13# 978-0553494822. Your student will need Word 2007 or later version or the ability to convert a document to a Word-compatible document (this can be done free online – let us know if you need assistance).
Homework: Weekly quizzes and reading assignments. Each week, students will work on one project-based assignment that will culminate in a final novel project submission. Homework (including novel reading) will take 1.5-3 hours per week. Parents are encouraged to support younger students by reading texts aloud and helping with project planning and execution.
Important Dates
Class Dates: Mondays, October 30 to December 11, 2023 (No class Nov. 20)
Starting Time: 9:00 am Eastern (8:00 am Central; 7:00 Mountain; 6:00 Pacific)
Duration per class: 45 minutes
Registration link
