For incomparable explorations into the imagination and literature, look at what Eastminster offers in our Great Books program.
In grades 1 through 6, Ms. Liz Grady, our specialist, opens up the world of wonder through Junior Great Books. Walking into the Great Books room, students are transported into imagination, where dragons fly and Yoda ponders. Lions, flamingoes, and wonderful bears…. The room itself explodes with creativity.
Students marvel in a class that is ungraded and allows all of their senses to explore a story. What is underlying the experience, however, is carefully orchestrated teaching that introduces excellent ways to explore any reading. Shared Inquiry, a hallmark of the Great Books program, guides students to answer questions with freedom of mind grounded in well-supported interpretation.
In grades 7 and 8, students continue to work with Great Books appropriate for their level. More complex, challenging academic questions provide fodder for discussion that students enjoy.
In the Upper School, students use Great Books as part of their English curriculum . Thematic volumes such as Identity and Self-Respect include long excerpts from writers James Baldwin, Alice Munro, Virginia Woolf, among others. The Great Conversations series provides college level reading in philosophy and other topics.
Eastminster students of all ages benefit from our incorporation of Great Books into their lives.