The Five-Year Cycle of Inquiry
Inquiry is a core class keyed to a five-year cycle that spans prehistory to the present day. In the 2023–24 cycle, our curriculum is framed within the historical window of 500 BCE – 1400 CE. Each year divides into six units of inquiry — three devoted to the sciences, three to social studies and the humanities — so every student encounters a broad range of content inside a shared historical framework.
Inquiry Topics by Grade Band
Each column follows one multi-year cohort; each row is one of the six strands. Cells show a representative topic students have taken on.
Upper School — Individualized Inquiry
In Upper School, inquiry becomes increasingly individualized. Project scope and reach broaden with each student's interests, while the historical framework and six strands continue to anchor the work. Two examples from recent years:
The US in World War II
Students conduct individual research in original historical source materials — including interviews with living survivors — then produce "newsreel"-style films on the topics they uncover.
Early Studies of the Atom
Students study subatomic particles, their production methods, and the theory behind them — building physical models of atoms and particles along the way, and staging "rap battles" that argue opposing ideas in physics.