Middle School and High School level courses taught to date:
The Attic Learning Community 2006-Present
*The broad goals, curriculum, and individual lesson plans for each course were individually designed and implemented based on student and instructor interests and needs.
2009-2010
Social Science Foundations: Philosophical Worldviews and Comparative Religion
Instructor: Lee Rottweiler
Grade Level: 10
Content Summary: Reading intensive, advanced high school level course using The Universe Next
Door , by James Sire, and The World’s Religions , by Huston Smith, as its primary texts. Additional authors included Stephen Hawking, Herman Hesse, Lao Tzu, Sigmund Freud, Merlin Stone, and
Douglas Adams. The first semester of this course traced the historical development of the classic questions in ethics, ontology, and epistemology as they appear in monotheism, deism, naturalism, nihilism, existentialism, pantheism, and postmodernism. Building on this philosophical foundation, the second semester examined the core ideas and beliefs of Hinduism, Buddhism, Taosim, Judaism,
Islam, and Christianity. Throughout, students were challenged to set aside pre-conceived notions and authentically consider the world through the unique lens offered by each worldview or religion; only then did the class engage in critical, comparative analysis of each perspective. Student learning was demonstrated through detailed annotation of weekly reading assignments, a 3-5 page first semester essay, an extensive group project, and a 10-12 page final term paper.
History of the Ancient World
Instructor: Lee Rottweiler
Grade Level: 7/8
Content Summary: Middle School level course using A Little History of the World , by E.H.
Gombrich, and Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire , by Simon Baker, as its primary texts.
Broadly, this course explored the civilizations, ideas, patterns, trends, and events that shaped the ancient world - from humanity’s first agricultural settlements through the apex of the Roman Empire.
During the first semester, in groups and individually, students chose aspects of Ancient Egypt, Sumer,
Babylon, Assyria, Judaea, Persia, and Greece to research and present to the class. The second semester focused exclusively on the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire - from its founding in 8 th century
B.C.E to Emperor Hadrian’s Rome in the second century C.E. Students explored the Roman world by participated in a high school level book group; after completing weekly reading, annotation, and writing assignments, the class engaged in high-level discussion and debate, comparing the patterns and trends of ancient Rome to the contemporary world.
Walkabout: Post High School Options II
Instructor: Lee Rottweiler
Grade Level: 12
Content Summary: This course continues explored a wide range of post high school options, with particular emphasis on college and the college application process. In the fall and winter, the course focused on the Common Application, writing the personal essay, and creating and organizing application time-lines, deadlines, and to-do lists. In the spring, the primary focus was on financial aid, how to handle wait-lists, and choosing the best college for each individual student. Through individual and guided study, students explored their options and determined which ones were the best fit for their
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own unique learning styles and life goals. Additionally, the class provided a variety of opportunities for seniors to act as mentors to younger high school students.
2008-2009
Survey of World History: 20th Century-Present
Instructor: Lee Rottweiler
Grade Level: 11/12
Content Summary: Highly reading-intensive, college-level course using The Heritage of World
Civilizations: Volume Two since 1500 as its primary text. Other texts included: They Thought They
Were Free , Maus , A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich , 12 Stories of Russia: A Novel I Guess, The
Kite Runner , Midnight's Children, White Tiger, Three Cups of Tea, Things Fall Apart, and Wild
Swans . Through an examination of the patterns, ideologies and events that shaped the 20th century, this course worked to build a broad foundation of knowledge, providing a clear context for future inquiries into history and social science. Particular emphasis was placed on exploring connections between events and periods with the goal of understanding causal relationships. A series of fiction and nonfiction works allowed students to explore a more personal side history. Student learning was demonstrated through weekly written responses, oral presentations, active participation in group discussion, and comprehensive midterm and final assessments.
Persuasive Writing
Instructor: Lee Rottweiler
Grade Level: 11/12
Content Summary: College preparatory writing course using Being Logical: A Guide to Good
Thinking by D.Q. Mcinerny, Current Issues and Enduring Questions by Sylvan Barnet, and Great
Dialogues of Plato translated by W.H.D. Rouse, as its primary texts. The course focused on building and refining students’ ability to think and write logically. Beginning with a general exploration of logic - basic principles, common logical fallacies, and construction of sound arguments - the course progressed to exploration of Platonic dialogues and examination of the Socratic Method. The art of outlining, drafting, and revision was a consistent focus of this course. Throughout, students wrote extensively, constructing their own persuasive essays and analyzing arguments found in print and visual media. Student understanding was further demonstrated through extensive in class debate and discussion. Students submitted two final projects: a semester long, in-depth research paper presented at a school wide function, and a final writing portfolio containing their strongest writing of the year.
Geography and Peoples of the World
Instructor: Lee Rottweiler
Grade Level: 9
Content Summary: Reading intensive, high school level course using One World Many Cultures,
Three Cups of Tea, Girls of Riyadh, Things Fall Apart, and River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze as its primary texts. This course encouraged students to develop an understanding and appreciation of the world and the diversity of its people. While familiarity and confidence with world maps was an expectation for this course, the primary focus was on exploring the individuals, customs, cultures, and social systems that define our world. Perspective on life outside the U.S. was gained through reading a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction novels, short stories, and essays set in each geographic area of focus. Students were challenged to think with an open mind, discuss, and debate each new custom or belief they encountered. Understanding and growth was demonstrated through numerous research projects, essays, reading responses, map assessments, and annotation of assigned texts.
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Walkabout
Instructor: Lee Rottweiler
Grade Level: 11/12
Content Summary: This course explored a wide range of exciting post high school options: college and the college application process, travel, study abroad, internships, volunteer opportunities, and gap year adventures. Through individual and guided study, students explored their options and determined which ones were the best fit for their own unique learning styles and life goals. The class provided a great deal of structured time for students to individually pursue their own educational and career interests.
Chess
Instructor: Lee Rottweiler
Grade Level: 7-12
Content Summary: This student-led course provided the opportunity for experienced and novice chess players to share their knowledge and skills. Weekly, students met to compare strategies, ideas, and insights into the game. Students also had a great deal of time to practice their skills in head-tohead competition. The last six weeks of the course included a fun, friendly, round robin chess tournament.
2007-2008
Comparative Religion and Current Events
Instructor: Lee Rottweiler
Grade Level: 10/11
Content Summary: Reading intensive, college level course using Comparative Religions Today, by
John L. Esposito et al. as its primary text. Other texts included When God was a Women , by Merlin
Stone, and No god but God , by Reza Aslan. Broadly, this course explored the history, beliefs, and contemporary sociopolitical realities surrounding each of the world's most influential religions.
Beginning with the Pre-Abrahamic Goddess centered religions of the Near and Middle East, the course progressed through an exploration of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
Throughout, emphasis was placed on making connections between the historical development of each faith and the current political events and trends which shape the modern geopolitical landscape.
Student learning was demonstrated through written responses to weekly assigned reading, two 4-5 page essays with revisions, oral presentations, and active participation in group discussion. A substantial amount of reading and independent research was required for effective class participation.
Applied Government
Instructor: Lee Rottweiler
Grade Level: 8
Content Summary : Middle School level course using The Rough Guide to Climate Change , by
Robert Henson, and It's All Connected , by Benjamin Wheeler et al., as its primary texts. This course focused on introducing students to global issues and empowering them to act. Beginning with an in depth exploration of the science, politics, and potential solutions to climate change, the course moved on to explore issues of population, resource scarcity, poverty, global health, and governance. Students created a class government which worked to lobby state and federal elected officials, reduce personal and community carbon footprints, and provide aid for disaster victims. Student learning was demonstrated through written responses to weekly reading, research papers and persuasive essays, oral presentations, leadership, and class participation.
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Physical Fitness and Strength Training
Instructor: Lee Rottweiler
Grade Level: 8-12
Content Summary : This course introduced students to the principals of physical fitness and strength training. Emphasis was on developing safe and healthy exercise habits in the following areas: warmup and stretching, aerobic and anaerobic exercise, and basic and advanced use of free weights.
2006-2007
US History
Instructor: Lee Rottweiler
Grade Level: 9/10
Content Summary: Using Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States as its primary text, this class focused on building a solid understanding of US history. Emphasis was not placed on the memorization of specific names and dates, but rather, on the identification of historical patterns and on understanding the general flow of U.S. history. By comparing the differences between Zinn’s work and several other more mainstream historical texts, students also worked on understanding history as subjective, and on developing the ability to critically analyze various perspectives.
Throughout the course, historical trends and patterns were compared to contemporary events. The class also included a unit on the structure and functioning of the U.S. government. Throughout the year, students answered weekly questions to guide their reading. They also wrote several in depth essays on various historical events. The year culminated with each student giving a short presentation on a chapter of their choosing.
Political Literature (semester)
Instructor: Lee Rottweiler
Grade Level: 9/10
Content Summary: The Primary goal of this course was to create an environment where students could explore, enjoy, appreciate, and critically analyze a series of excellent and thought provoking books. Students responded to weekly questions that helped guide their reading and facilitate a deeper understanding of the texts. Beyond the guided questions, students were asked to journal about broader issues such as: How did each work affect their perceptions of reality? How could the literature be applied to current events? Did it change their opinions of current events, or their expectations for the near future? What might today's society learn from these fictional works? To facilitate connections to contemporary events, selections from current media sources were provided for comparison. This year's course covered Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, and 1984 by George Orwell.
Intro to U.S. Government
Instructor: Lee Rottweiler
Grade Level: 7
Content Summary: Through the creation of a class government modeled after the U.S. government, students learned about the Constitution, Bill of Rights, Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches, checks and balances, and the legislative process. As a functioning government, students were encouraged to assume responsibility for the specific direction and focus of the class. This was accomplished by passing legislation that defined such areas as; class rules and goals, individual student research, class presentations, and community service projects. Students chose to organize and carry out a food and spare change drive that benefited Hope Link and the Red Cross. Students also researched and wrote reports on specific areas of the U.S. government. The year culminated with each student giving an in depth presentation of their research, where the goal was to teach the class about
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their particular area of expertise.
Book Group
Instructor: Lee Rottweiler
Grade Level: 7
Content Summary: This year's class focused on enjoying literature in small groups and as individuals. It involved reading independently and in small groups, and sharing books with others.
Each individual student's reading list varied depending on their particular interests.
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