Courses
Excavating English: Part 1
age 13-16 (gr.8-10)
Course Description:
Join in an exploration of how the English language came to be through documentaries, novels, and Ellen McHenry’s Excavating English. We will be doing a blend of activities: discussing documentaries, novels, and Excavating English; playing games; building a digital timeline; and diving more deeply into various aspects of the material including a week of Reader’s Theatre!
Note that this class is the prerequisite for Part 2 in Semester 2.
Schedule and Cost:
NOTE: This class is the prerequisite for Part 2. Part 2 will follow in Semester 2.
Day: Monday
Time: 2:30pm-3:30pm ET
Semester 1 Dates: September 13, 2021 – January 24, 2022 (16 weeks – No classes: Oct 11, Nov 22, Dec 27 and Jan 3)
For Tuition Fees, Code of Conduct, and all the details, see THE FINE PRINT.
Required Homework:
Complete a chapter of Excavating English for every second class (2 per month). Chapter 1 must be completed before the first class.
Watch one episode of each of The Story of English and The Adventure of English per MONTH.
Read the MONTHLY assigned novel.
Course Materials:
TEXTBOOK:
Excavating English by Ellen McHenry
https://ellenjmchenry.com/product/excavating-english-digital-download/
NOVELS:
Frindle by Andrew Clements
Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw
Warrior Scarlet by Rosemary Sutcliff
Any Silk Road travelogue of your choice – if you are having difficulty finding something suitable: Adventures on the Ancient Silk Road by Priscilla Galloway and Dawn Hunter
PRINTOUTS:
Occasional printouts emailed throughout the semester
DOCUMENTARIES:
All the documentaries are available for free on YouTube in Canada. It is possible that in other viewing jurisdictions they may need to be sought in other places such as Amazon Prime, or watched via a VPN:
The Story of English: 1986 BBC: 1. An English Speaking World 2. The Mother Tongue 3. A Muse of Fire 4. The Guid Scots Tongue
The Adventure of English: ITV Melvyn Bragg 2003: 1. Birth of a Language. 2. English Goes Underground. 3. The Battle for the Language of the Bible. 4. This Earth, This Realm, This England.
Ellen McHenry’s Excavating English playlist as well as other short videos as mentioned in the text.
Glance Ahead to Semester 2 January-June 2022:
Excavating English: Part 2
NOTE: Part 1 is the prerequisite for this Part 2 course.
Join us for Part 2 as we continue our exploration of how the English language came to be through documentaries, novels, and Ellen McHenry’s Excavating English. We will be doing a blend of activities: discussing documentaries, novels, and Excavating English; playing games; building a digital timeline; and diving more deeply into various aspects of the material including creating a survey to see how English varies across either your geographical area or amongst your friends and family. Note that Part 1 is the prerequisite for this Part 2 course.
TEXTBOOK:
Excavating English by Ellen McHenry
https://ellenjmchenry.com/product/excavating-english-digital-download/
NOVELS:
A Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli
A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver by e.l. konigsburg
The Hawk that Dare not Hunt by Day by Scott O’Dell
Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
A Long Pitch Home by Natalie Dias Lorenzi
PRINTOUTS:
Occasional printouts emailed throughout the semester
DOCUMENTARIES:
All the documentaries are available for free on YouTube in Canada. It is possible that in other viewing jurisdictions they may need to be sought in other places such as Amazon Prime, or watched via a VPN:
The Story of English: 1986 BBC: 5. Black on White, 6. Pioneer O Pioneer, 7. Muvver Tongue, 8. The Loaded Weapon and 9. Next Year’s Words.
The Adventure of English: ITV Melvyn Bragg 2003: 5. English in America. 6. Speaking Proper. 7. The Language of Empire. 8. Many Tongues Called English, One World Language.
Ellen McHenry’s Excavating English playlist as well as other short videos as mentioned in the text.