KEY OF LIBERTY
As practice scholars begin their journey into the Revolutionary Era we take a look at what our lives would be like without freedom. With The Red Scarf Girl giving us a view of Communist China, we begin the discussion of why freedom is important and what we each must do in order to preserve it. We proceed by delving into the lives of some of the founders like John Adams and George Washington.
To improve our ability to understand the language freedom we study original documents together like The Mayflower Compact, The American Crisis #1, and The Declaration of Independence. As we learn about the price the founding generation had to pay for freedom, students are asked to write about deep questions like, “Why is a moral people required for good government?” and “When is it right to defend your liberty with guns?”
Throughout the semester students are given opportunities to study events from this time period and present to the class what they have learned. Students are also given a variety of projects to work on outside of class like memorizing The Declaration of Independence, watching movies about the Revolutionary Era and completing the requirements for the United States Heritage Award.
Each student will earn a large key that represents the key to Independence Hall and earns ribbons to tie to it for each assignment they complete. With their understanding of the heroism and crises that brought about American Independence students are prepared to tackle The Constitution and even deeper questions about freedom in Key of Liberty, semester two.
Vision: I see the connection between education and greatness.
Mission: I have a personal call to greatness. I can take a stand for freedom.
Abilities: Self-governance, sovereignty, study hours, concentration span, duty to country
Skills: I am finding voice through: writing, speaking, oral persuasion, analytical thinking, memorization
Taught by: Alesha & Anna Higgins, KeeNan & Amber Engstrom
Time: 10:00 a.m. - noon