Donna Connolly

BA Philosophy

Donna Connolly taught for several years with LAUSD teaching ESL and with Burbank Unified School District as a substitute school teacher. As a substitute, she had the opportunity to teach many subjects and grade levels. After the birth of her first son, Donna left the workforce to become a full time mom. As a stay-at-home mom, she spent little time at home. For three years, Donna sat on the Scholarship Board at Mission College and worked briefly as the Executive Director and fundraiser. She has volunteered in the field of education and with community organizations, writing posts for education blogs and Letters to the Editor. Donna decided to pull her oldest child out of public school and homeschool. It's been an exciting and wonderful new adventure. As a homeschooler, Donna has taken her love of learning, teaching experience and passion for history and developed a course for HuckleBerry! She is a UCLA graduate with a degree in Philosophy, and believes the number one goal of any instructor is to instill a love of learning in the students he or she is honored to teach.

Story of the World - The Middle Ages

Ages: 7-9

Prerequisite: Ability to write a sentence.

Homework: Not Required. Projects will be completed in the classroom. Some optional Enhancement Activities will be assigned for the children’s benefit

Optional enhancement items/books may be purchased by family. Personal copy of Story of the World is recommended.

History is a fabulous story! In this series of classes we will be listening to wonderful stories about The Middle Ages from Susan Wise Bauer’s Story of the World. Coloring maps, engaging fun activities and projects will help students learn the story of our world. Our Story will start with the collapse of the Roman Empire. We will learn how the spread of the Roman Empire affected people from the Middle East all the way to England. We will learn how the world changed and evolved from the Fall of Rome to the beginning of the Renaissance! We’ll also hear great stories like Shaherezad’s 1001 Arabian Nights and the great plays of Shakespeare.

Each day, we will listen to a section of Story of the World - Volume 2: The Middle Ages along with watching videos and pictures of the historical story. Students will have the opportunity to illustrate and narrate a summary of what they have learned each week. We will also have a weekly activity related to the story we are learning. We will build castles, create a coat of arms, and learn about medieval games we still play today.

Come join us as we explore The Medieval World and make history come alive!

Fall: The Fall of Rome to the Rise of England

Winter: Crusades & New Empires: Journeys Abroad - Richard the Lionhearted to Marco Polo

Spring: Exploration & Innovation

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Donna Connolly