World War I in the classroom, through the archives, and on stage

Students in the 10th Grade European history course recently wrapped up their study of World War I. The unit highlighted best practices in education including differentiated instruction and project based learning. Historical context for the unit was covered through classroom instruction and discussion, the analysis of primary sources, and readings in the text. However, students […]

Reunion

“OK, we need some dogs–specifically, ‘a wolfish troop of watchdogs.’” “Me! Me! I’ll be a dog!” “Me, too!” “OK, but the text is clear that you’ll have to fawn on Telemakhos when he arrives at the hut.” “What’s ‘fawn’?” That fawning might be a deal-breaker on my assigning roles for our acting out a scene […]

Decisive Moments…

As the U.S. Supreme Court convenes this week to hear oral arguments on a number of important issues, the History Department launched a new elective course titled “Decisive Moments in United States History.” The course is modeled after the popular Science and Society course offered in the Winter Trimester. It is being team taught by […]

Senior Moment

Fortuitous intersection: I discovered through my English IV Honors students that those of them in AP Psychology were studying Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory just as freshmen in English read the middle chapters of Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. (In these pages, the young girl must find her way back to emotional and psychological wholeness after a brutal sexual assault.)

Simulation of the U.K. Parliament

Last night (Thursday, 14 December), the AP Comparative Government class participated in a simulation of a House of Commons debate in the fabulously refurbished Study Hall. The atmosphere was formal and even a bit unruly as the debate heated up; much like the actual House of Commons. Students researched their assigned party positions on four […]

Overhauling the Ninth-grade History Curriculum

Dr. Delvecchio and I just finished day #2 with our new freshmen historians.  We’re also on day #2 of a bit of an experiment this year.  Instead of following the well-worn path of the traditional European history survey, we’re revamping the curriculum by creating thematic units that invite students to connect a “moment” in European […]