Walden_Arts,_Language_and

1. Journals: All students will be required to keep a daily journal, recording their reflections, observations, and life experiences. Aside from the value of self-reflection, this will create an intimacy with written expression and prove a resource for their own formal writings.

2. Written Publication: All students will work on the production of their own publication that will include both written and graphic pieces. This will serve as an important foil to the self-reflective writing of the journal, and will help them to develop their own voice that they can share with the community. This activity will also allow the students to have an experiential understanding of writing as a process, as they consider the technical elements of written structure, editing, and revising.

3. Philosophy/Literature Groups: All students will meet on a daily basis with staff from the Walden Project to read a range of ideas expressed by thinkers including Thoreau, Emerson, Plato, Kant, Dewey, Heidegger, Wilber, Niebuhr, Hegel, and other Eastern and Western philosophers. They will also consider a range of literary works which cover a diverse scope of cultural orientation points. Students will develop a strong foundation for looking at the literary and artistic underpinnings of any given work. They will also be asked to lead discussions on authors of their choice. Genres explored will include poetry, short story, drama, novels, and essays.

4. Independent Reading: Students will be required to read independently a range of works of fiction and non-fiction and intelligently discuss the seminal elements of story with the staff. Weekly progress will be monitored with an eye to encourage and develop each student’s own intellectual curiosities and interests.

5. Public Speaking: The Walden Project is designed to foster a sense of individual voice. As a result, students will be required to participate in a range of exercises that require them to intelligently voice their opinion. Students will be asked to present to the group-at-large a synopsis of their work and justify their efforts accordingly. They will also participate in deciding the weekly experiential activities of the school.

6. Cultural Events: Students will go to a variety of local art shows, including the matinees at the Royal Tyler Theater, The Fleming Museum, and other venues for the arts and humanities.

Linked to Vermont Standards: 5.1-5.15, 5.22-5.27