Crow Hook

 Developed as a homeschool co-op class, Crow Hook is my history through literature curriculum for middle to high school students. I love it because there are no grades or tests just good dusty fun. I say dusty fun because the core of the experience is historical texts that are either interesting or important, usually both. Some examples would be the Tao Te Ching, The Wealth of Nations, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, A Long Walk to Freedom are important works. Physica, The Book of the Dead, The Jungle, Of Plymouth Plantation are interesting. 

The full course takes four years with twenty-five lessons a year. I ask students to read part or all of a text, and then I have fun activities for the group to explore the work together. I think it would make a great school club as much as it does a homeschool class. My favorite part of it all is an ever changing game called, “Slides.” Making connections between the texts is the most important part of interacting with them, so I continually create challenges to connect one work with the others to earn points, win competitions and build team spirit. It’s a great opportunity for kids to feel smart who might not show up on the school radar.