Course Length: Six weeks
2026 Schedule: Tuesdays with Ms. Mason at 9am CST/3 pm UK
About Summer Courses at Dreaming Spires
Our summer classes are great for homeschoolers who are preparing for high school in the US or exams in the UK, a chance to sample a subject before doing a deep dive for the coming year.
All courses will meet an hour weekly for six weeks. There will be the usual reliance on living books and some homework to ensure good participation, and at the end a certificate will be awarded.
About Spotlight on History: History of the English Language
Have you ever wondered why the English language seems rather a mess? Why do we have apostrophes? Where did our many sayings and weird phrases such as ‘green eyed monster’ come from? And why are English spellings so weird? In ‘The History of the English Language’ summer school, we will endeavour to answer these questions and more! We will journey together on an epic exploration of the evolution of the English Language from its Anglo-Saxon origins right up to the vibrant, international language that it is today. Along the way, we will discover the surprisingly ancient origins of English, and how it slowly developed over 1500 years, visiting Beowulf, Chaucer, Shakespeare and Dickens along the way. We will learn about the weird and wonderful processes which formed the English Language, including the Great Vowel Shift; how words formed and changed, the influence of over sixty other languages, and how 18th century people decided ‘The Rules’.
We will read exciting, living books from experts such as David Crystal and Melvyn Bragg as well as using a variety of examples and original texts from across the last 1500 years. We will also watch some fascinating documentaries, and hear what English sounded like as it developed. Along the way, there will be room for creative writing and artwork, and lots of discussion. Come and join the journey!
Who Teaches Spotlight on History: The World of the Silmarillion?
Yvonne Mason took her undergraduate degree in English
Language and Literature, then an MA in Medieval Studies from
Royal Holloway in London while working as a costumed historical
interpreter at the Tower of London. She has been working as an
online tutor since 2001 in both English and History and is well
known to the UK Home Education community. Together with her
husband, Yvonne home educated her daughter for ten years, and
now works to support and teach home educated students. Yvonne
is a card carrying member of the Tolkien Society, and a committed
Tolkien nerd, as well as being an avid embroiderer, singer and
movie watcher in her spare time.