Click here to view the map

Below is an example of some of the things one class at The Renaissance School studied.

Field Studies
Shelburne Point: Archaeology Dig
Ottawa, Ontario
Watershed Project with Brian from UVM Watershed Alliance
Vermont Zen Center
Von Trapp Family Lodge
Explored along the La Platte River
Hiked all the way up Camel’s Hump
Dairy Barns at UVM
Physical Education at Shelburne Commons

Community Service
“CAN”struction: we helped the Vermont Campaign to End Hunger by constructing a “Can of Cans” with over 3,000 cans of food!
Various projects around Shelburne Farms
Sang songs to the residents at The Arbors

Math
Calculated how many cords of wood we stacked
Measured threes with a Biltmore Stick
Measured the sweetness of the sap with a refractometer
Plot sampling and calculated approximately how many trees are in the Sugarbush
Algebra
Geometry
Logic
Added, subtracted, multiplied and divided fractions
Decimals, ratios, proportions and percentages
Mass, volume, acceleration
Elements, subsets
Integers
Point, lines, planes
Mathematical Reasoning
Problem Solving
Counterintuitive Thinking
Occam’s Razor
Differences between cause and correlation

Science
Environmental Conservation and Stewardship
Watersheds
Harvested and made pizza, cracked wheat and corn
Wildlife tracking
Tapped trees
Collected and boiled sap
Made maple candy and maple syrup
Tree and leaf identification
Stacked wood for the sugarhouse
Turning over the earth and Forest recycling
Sediments, rocks, minerals and soil
From rocks to cheese
Made connections between soil and forestry
Helped make cheese here on the farm!
“How do we shape ourselves?”
River terms and what they mean
Effects of snow and run-off
Rotational grazing
Raising chickens, cattle and growing crops
Wind Turbine discussions
Newton’s 3 Laws of Motion
Lots of experiments and labs!
Pancake Breakfast and Gallery with Danielle’s class
La Platte River: Flora and fauna, trees, water quality, vegetation
Water pollution
Water conservation
Science fair

Social Studies
Plotting, mapping, graphing
Names and locations of 50 states and capitals
Seven continents, oceans, rivers, boundaries
Constructed topographic maps of China, Africa and Australia
Wonders of the World
Ancient Civilizations and World History
Cooking projects from around the world
Spread of humans
Ancient African cultures
Land bridges
Sailing myths around Africa
Assyrian invasion
Kush and Axum
Australia, New Zealand, Oceania Place vs. Land
Identification and value of significant sites
Ancient China
Social life, customs, religions, daily life
Dynasties
Myths and legends
The Silk Road and its importance
Inventions
Religions around the world
Forms of government
Peace, Equality, Civil Rights Movement
India
How the sacred Ganges River came to be
Royal elephants
History of money around the world
Daily life during the Indus Valley Civilizations
Instant Run-off Voting
Japan
Maya, Aztecs, Incas
North America
Class Play: The Aztecs

Language Arts
Genre studies
Newbery Presentations
Biography Breakfast
Adventure Brochures
Read discussion of literature
Read and voted on DCF books
Poetry:
Wrote, read and interpreted
Women’s literature studies
Analogies
Thinking outside of the box
Stylistic Devices
Literary Elements
How to take notes
Reflections
Persuasive
Narrative
Friendly Letters
Wrote reports
Wrote about our mathematical reasoning
Fluency and expression
Some work published in The Burlington Free Press