Education For Life Academy

Education For Life Academy

Where Black History Lives!

The Standing on the Shoulders of Giants Curriculum

Classroom Setting or Independent Study?

The curriculum is specially designed for the classroom or independent study. If you are using the curriculum for independent study, feel free to utilize the Teaching Guides and take the daily quizzes for each class to test your knowledge. You may also complete the paper assignments for your own satisfaction, and engage others in discussion of what you are learning for a more enriched educational experience.

Curriculum Format & Class Structure (for classroom instruction or independent study)

The Standing on the Shoulders of Giants "Teach & Learn" curriculum consists of 10 Units plus a short Intro Unit. Each Unit contains approx. 10 Classes. Each class features the following five components: 1.Class Overview, 2. Learning Objectives, 3. Homework Assignment, 4. Teaching Guide and 5. Study Guide. For easy use, each webpage features a Home link that takes you back to the Class's Homepage.

First read the Class Overview and Learning Objectives to get a firm understanding of the content and purpose for each class. Next, complete the Homework Assignment at home, using the Study Guide as a resource. The approximate time it takes to complete a homework assignment is listed next to the assignment in parenthesis. All homework assignments should be able to be completed between 60-90 minutes. The Class Overview should be read aloud to a parent, relative, or friend!

For every class there is supplemental material that may include People to Know, Free E-Books, Supplemental Documentaries, Related Articles or other additional information. This material appears on the right sidebars of selected pages. While this material is not mandatory, students should be encouraged to review it as it supports the core lesson. Teachers may also assign supplemental material for extra credit or use in class to support the core lesson.

Class Quizzes (for classroom instruction or independent study)

There is a short quiz for EVERY Class. Each Class begins with the Class Quiz based on the Homework Assignment for that particular Class. Students receive 15-20 minutes to complete the quiz in class. The Quizzes and Answers are in the Teaching Guide of each class. The quizzes are 1-10 questions and are mostly short answer. Teachers should allow some quizzes to be “Open Curriculum,” meaning the students get to use the EFLA website to answer questions. The purpose of the Quizzes is to ensure that students are completing the homework assignments and are comprehending what they are learning. If you are studying the curriculum independently, use the quizzes to test your knowledge!

Once the quiz is over, the Teacher reviews the answers during the Quiz Review, which consumes the balk of the class period (approx. 30-45 minutes). The Quiz Review constitutes the "discussion" component of our learning model, giving students a voice in the classroom and allowing them the opportunity to be active participants in their education. If time remains after the Quiz Review, students have the opportunity to continue with an expanded discussion of the class material. Or students/teacher can discuss some of the non-assigned supplemental material related to the class.

Papers (for classroom instruction)

We strongly suggest assigning one paper for each Unit of the curriculum. The ability to effectively express one’s ideas in a written capacity is a critical component of education. Teachers should provide a lesson on how to write a scholarly essay prior to assigning the paper. The topic and criteria for the paper will depend upon the grade and skill level of the students. For each Unit EFLA provides one or more suggested paper topics and guidelines based on Common Core ELA Writing Standards. EFLA has also provided an excellent Writing Manual and Style Guide developed by the Howard County Pubic School System. This detailed manual provides a baseline of expectations for writing at the high school level. Suggested paper topics are located in the Teaching & Study Guides of the first class of each Unit.

Class participation (for classroom instruction or independent study)

Class participation and open discussion is a critical component of our curriculum. The class quizzes are structured to spark deeper discussion of the course material and should be utilized each class. We recommend that teachers grade for class participation and that independent study students ask family or friends to quiz them to spark discussion.