Looking for Mind at Work: Eliza and Colonial Women for Little Listeners
In this one time, 45 minute class, we will explore the life of Elizabeth Schuyler and compare her life to ordinary colonial women using the musical Hamilton as a jumping point. This class is intended for little listeners.
Kay Lee
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(168)
What's included
1 live meeting
45 mins in-class hoursClass Experience
I’m excited to bring another installment of the Little Listener series. This time it’s to focus on the women of the show. We will focus on Elizabeth (Eliza) Schuyler, her background and upbringing - her lack of a formal education to her love of wilderness and how that played a part in her life with Hamilton. Students will compare and contrast Eliza and Angelica (using what we know from the musical) and I will supplement with historical information. We use Angelica’s line: “I’ve been reading ‘Common Sense’ by Thomas Paine, Some may say that I’m intense or I’m insane” as a jumping point for this portion. We will then shift to comparing Schuyler sisters to the other colonial women. First with household duties and what women were expected to do. We will compare the daily chores to the cotillion lifestyle that Schuyler sisters would have been through. We will then briefly touch upon the role of slaves in the daily lives of a wealthy family vs. a common colonial woman. Lastly, we will then discuss women’s suffrage using Burr’s line, “Ladies, tell your husbands to vote for Burr!”. The reversal of women’s ability to vote (particularly in NJ) and then having lost that right after the Revolutionary War and how eventually women attained their right to vote. I use a lot of questioning and discussion style teaching to involve students throughout the class. You can often find me singing parts of the musical and using paintings and pictures to engage our little listeners.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
This class is specifically designed for little listeners, ages 6-8. None of the course content will include the more mature topics. I choose the lyrics of the songs we explore VERY carefully. However, I will warn that students may ask questions (e.g. what is a “bastard” or “affair”) to which I will defer the answers to grown ups. My response for these topics will be: That is a question for your grownup to answer.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
We will refer back to the musical quite often in this course, learning about specific lyrics. There are a few “games” thrown in at appropriate times which are largely lyric or musical based.
Teacher expertise and credentials
Hi! My name is Kay. My goal is to capitalize on interests of my kids and deep dive into exploration of topics in history that enhance their understanding of the topic - whether it be economics, psychology, and history.
I am a graduate of Boston University, with a history and psychology major. For five years after college I taught in a traditional high school. I've designed unique lessons for US history, World History, Economics, Psychology and Sociology (and was an assistant marching band director). I love incorporating movies and music into my teaching (and learning) as a springboard to the topic. I find that a spark of interest can ignite a desire to learn and understand. I've also taught hands on summer science camps and worked at the National Constitution Center and love incorporating hands on learning as much as possible with social sciences. I've added freelance graphic design and web design to my resume as well has full time mom (to a 12 and 9 year old).
I am a strong believer in challenging students. I'm a visual learner so I try to teach with direct visuals and guide students through an exploration of the subject with music, art, maps, and hands on learning. I feel strongly that students can passionately love a topic the more they understand and my goal is to excited them and bring understanding through experiences to which they can relate. As a minority, I try to explore with my students the untold stories of history and invite students to challenge the stories of our world.
Aside from loving history, psychology, and my family, I am a music fanatic (especially a cappella!) and love to read. Current obsessions are Hamilton the Musical, true crime podcasts, and JoJo Meyes books. Reviews
Live One-Time Class
$12
per classMeets once
45 min
Completed by 45 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 6-8
3-6 learners per class
