Chapters

What is "Chapters"?

Chapters is a group for home educated children who love to read and who want to delve deeper into the stories they engage with. Each term we look at a new book and use it as a spring board to find out more about all sorts of topics from Geography and the environment and from Maths to Philosophy. We meet fortnightly to discuss what we have read so far and then to explore the key themes through active and engaging workshops lasting around 2 hours.

Is it only for excellent readers?

Not at all! We enjoy welcoming children of all abilities and skills sets to join in with our learning. Some of our students use audio-books to support them in accessing the text, some read independently and some read with support at home. There are opportunities throughout our learning sessions for children to choose which activities they complete as well as different options for how they present their learning.

What books do you read?

Previously we have read "Floodlands" by Marcus Sedgewick. We used this book to explore some local geography, think about environmental issues as well as considering issues around ethics and human rights. We have also read "The Iliad" and explored Ancient Greece. We found out about Just War Theory, explored different concepts of God, designed field medical packs for the Trojan War and considered the extent to which we are free to choose our actions. Last Christmas we explored Charles Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol" and considered life in Victorian London, the language of flowers, why we fear the future, and how we might try to control it, had great fun trying to learn the Sir Robert de Coverley dance and much, much more. Recently we read War Horse and discovered more about the 1st World War, animal rights and probability before studying Shakepeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream this summer. Check back soon to see some images of the the incredible performances at our Celebration of Learning in the Bishop's Garden.

Chapters is growing!

We are pleased to offer a new creative response session on alternate Thursday mornings. These sessions focus on the arts and encourage collaborative, social learning, whether the group is working on an individual project or in a team.

How do I join in?

Our next book will be "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardobe" by C.S Lewis.
There will be 7 led learning sessions in the Cathedral Centre:
12th September, 26th September, 10th October, 7th November, 21st November*, 5th December, 19th December

* This session will take place in Powcher's Hall due to the Christmas Fair

Each place on the book study costs £55 and includes all learning sessions, a copy of the book, a reading diary and all the resources we use during the learning session. Book study sessions will take place in the Cathedral Centre between 10.00am and 12.00pm. Online booking will open on 1st August.

The creative response sessions will run on alternate Thursday mornings this term. The group will be building their own mini wardrobes and using a range of artistic techniques to build up a 3D diorama of key aspects of the story as they read the book. There will be 6 led learning sessions in the Cathedral Centre:

19th September, 3rd October, 17th October, 14th November, 28th November, 12th December

Each place on the creative response sessions costs £45 for the term and includes all the resources they need to create their wardrobe. These sessions take place in the Cathedral Centre between 10.00am and 12.00pm. It is not essential to do the creative response sessions as well as the book study sessions, but it isn't possible to do the creative response sessions without the book study.

This group is best suited to readers aged 9/10+ and we will make sure that the resources help all children access the text, everyone is welcome regardless of their individual skills set and learning preferences. If you have any questions about next term, please contact us at learning@elycathedral.org

You will be able to book your place from 1st August 2024. Please note that existing members of Chapters may book in advance of this date and should email learning@elycathedral.org for more information. Chapters is always very popular and the places do fill up quickly as we limit the group size to 25 to ensure that everyone has a great learning experience. Please book your place as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Chapters costs £55 per student for the whole term. This will include at least 7 learning sessions, a copy of the book that we are reading, a reading diary and all the resources that we use during the learning sessions. If you wish to join both sessions, the cost will be £100 in total including all of the resources your child will need and 13 led learning sessions.