Meliora: An Inquiry Based Approach to Learning

03/17/2026

The last time some of our students went to National History Day was 2019, with a documentary on Colleen Moore (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y777PwsGkKc). Today, students advanced to history day with their website on the Grimke sisters (https://93324296.nhdwebcentral.org/). Maybe this is project is the next national contender? So proud of the work these studentts have done, and the work students do every year.

Send a message to learn more

08/21/2025

It's time to get serious about starting a new academic year! Check out our course offerings at https://meliora.edublogs.org/. We work in a virtual environment, so students can attend from anywhere!

Meliora – Project-Based Learning in the Humanities August 15, 2021 / inspirepassion / 0 Comments Meliora is a project-based learning (PBL) practice that offers humanities courses for secondary (ages 12-18) students. PBL is a student- and interest-centered methodology that provides opportunities fo...

08/06/2024

In four weeks, Meliora: An Inquiry Based Approach to Learning will start another academic year. Open to middle and high school aged students, these full-year courses challenge students to dig deep into concepts, themes, and connections between times past and today. If you're not familiar with Meliora, I recommend you acquaint yourself as follows:
Visit the Meliora website overview page. (https://meliora.edublogs.org/.../meliora-project-based.../)
Visit the Meliora website FAQ page. (https://meliora.edublogs.org/faq/)
Visit https://meliora.edublogs.org/history-projects/ and https://meliora.edublogs.org/student-work-literature.../ to view student work from past years.
Ask me to refer you to Meliora parents and/or students to get their perspective.
Email me at [email protected] with any questions.
Course info:
Classes will begin September 5 and end May 8, with a two-hour live class time each Thursday (via Zoom).
Rights & Responsibilities: a comparative study of American and Russian citizens (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UaXPi6biNbe7kMzO5OVMcgO9tIheM-0CeEVsHp82Zs8/edit?usp=sharing) will be held from 10:00am to noon Central time.
Cinema across the ages (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bXJ1TNa-pZvzylbBDUKlKGwNvMfLi-uCyLN-JI8iqM4/edit) will be held from 1:00pm to 3:00pm Central time.
Register at https://meliora.edublogs.org/2024-2025-registration/.

03/02/2024

So proud of this group of who presented their in the form of a at Chicago Metro History Day. To watch their video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10PF9igm4w5PTmgQEQquJ7egESmrJo_up/view

08/10/2023

In four (4) short weeks, Meliora: An Inquiry Based Approach to Learning will launch its 2023-2024 courses. Open to middle and high school aged students, these full-year courses challenge students to dig deep into concepts, themes, and connections between times past and today. If you're not familiar with Meliora, I recommend you acquaint yourself as follows:
Visit the Meliora website overview page. (https://meliora.edublogs.org/.../meliora-project-based.../)
Visit the Meliora website FAQ page. (https://meliora.edublogs.org/faq/)
Visit https://meliora.edublogs.org/history-projects/ and https://meliora.edublogs.org/student-work-literature.../ to view student work from past years.
Ask me to refer you to Meliora parents and/or students to get their perspective.
Email me at [email protected] with any questions.
Course info:
Classes will begin September 7 and end May 9, with live class time each Thursday. I teach via Zoom, with local students gathering at the home of a long-time Meliora family in West Chicago. Since we meet via videoconference, students from other geographies are welcome to participate.
Turning Points in Ancient History (https://docs.google.com/.../1xa.../edit) will be held from 10:00am to noon Central time.
World Mythologies (https://docs.google.com/.../1S7xeVEoWLf3RwNORNrLs8E8.../edit) literature and storytelling (composition) will be held from 1:00pm to 3:00pm Central time.
Register at https://meliora.edublogs.org/2023-2024-registration/.

07/10/2023

Calling all families with middle and high school aged students! Meliora courses for the 2023-2024 academic year are now open for registration. If you're not familiar with Meliora, I recommend you acquaint yourself as follows:
Visit the Meliora website overview page. (https://meliora.edublogs.org/2021/08/15/meliora-project-based-learning-in-the-humanities/)
Visit the Meliora website FAQ page. (https://meliora.edublogs.org/faq/)
Visit https://meliora.edublogs.org/history-projects/ and https://meliora.edublogs.org/student-work-literature-storytelling/ to view student work from past years.
Ask me to refer you to Meliora parents and/or students to get their perspective.
Email me at [email protected] with any questions.
Course info:
Classes will begin September 7 and end May 9, with live class time each Thursday. I teach via Zoom, with local students gathering at the home of a long-time Meliora family in West Chicago. Since we meet via videoconference, students from other geographies are welcome to participate.
Turning Points in Ancient History (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xa-MZJ1LiHl1fN3Cjeouo2Al-3nrxDAkV6UW6AqxIz8/edit) will be held from 10:00am to noon Central time.
World Mythologies (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1S7xeVEoWLf3RwNORNrLs8E8uX6JFvIopWhmVVQ5AVLE/edit) literature and storytelling (composition) will be held from 1:00pm to 3:00pm Central time.
Register at https://meliora.edublogs.org/2023-2024-registration/.

06/23/2023

Coming Fall 2023, a full-year course of Turning Points in Ancient History. Using methods, we will uncover a myriad of events and people who contributed to the shape of our and today. Stay tuned!

It's time for - Turning Points in History - and NHD's 50th anniversary!

Visit nhd.org/theme for ideas and inspiration for the theme.

04/27/2023

So! So! A bunch of Meliora: An Inquiry Based Approach to Learning students competed with their projects at on April 22nd. One project earned the distinction of being a National History Day contender. You can admire the website at https:\\site.nhd.org\49682910.

I am unfailingly proud of the work these young people do in creating persuasive historical arguments and in defending them before the judges with an aplomb far beyond their years.

12/08/2022

On Thursday, December 15, Meliora: An Inquiry Based Approach to Learning literature and storytelling students will showcase their learning. All are invited to attend this event. DM us for a Zoom link!

12/08/2022

On Thursday, December 15, Meliora: An Inquiry Based Approach to Learning history students will showcase their learning. All are invited to attend this event. DM us for a Zoom link!

11/09/2022

I'd forgotten about this awesome innovation. I no longer need a for my daily life, but anyone with kids and/or a classroom should check it out!

One of 2022’s Golden Goose winners, the paper microscope that costs under $2 to produce makes diagnosing diseases affordable and accessible.

09/05/2022

"What does Sophie know about philosophy?" is the driving question we will answer in our inaugural Western Philosophy course, for students aged 14 and older. Using Sophie’s World
(by Jostein Gaarder ) as our core text, we will learn about the major Western philosophers and apply their principles by developing solutions to real-world problems.

Intrigued? Have a 14+ aged student who is interested? Course description: https://bit.ly/3Qbifj6. Questions? DM us. Ready to register? https://bit.ly/3BfojTF

For families registering for Meliora for the 2022-2023Academic Year