Education built on primary sources. No ceiling. Ever.
Someone was there. They wrote it down. Most curriculum never shows your child what they said.
Commonplace shows them what people actually said —
and teaches them to decide what it means.
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Primary Sources First
Real documents, real letters, real people. Not summaries of summaries.
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Rich Cultural Connections
Art, music, primary source documents, and streaming content connected to every node where they fit.
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No Ceiling. No Gates.
A curious ten year old gets the same depth as a curious fifteen year old. Always.
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Built for the Parent Too
Companion notes, discussion questions, and a dashboard, before and after every node.
Your First Curriculum
The Arnold Arc — hero to traitor, six nodes.
Benedict Arnold was the most brilliant officer in the Continental Army.
He was also a traitor whose name became a synonym.
Both things are true. The arc shows you why.
1775
Fort Ticonderoga: The First Slight
1776
Valcour Island: He Saved the Republic with a Fleet Made of Junk
1777
Saratoga: Gates Sat in His Tent. Arnold Charged.
1777
The Boot Monument: A Monument to a Leg. No Name.
1778
Philadelphia: Paper Cuts Deeper than Steel
1780
West Point: The Plan Failed. The Name Did Not.
How It Works
Listen first. Or read first. Your choice. Always.
1
Each node has a song
Original music written for this curriculum. The emotional anchor before the curriculum text. Play it or skip it — no pressure, no autoplay.
2
Read the primary sources
Every node includes a document, letter, or account from someone who was actually there. Not a summary. The real thing.
3
Choose where to go next
Follow Arnold. Follow Washington. Follow Knox. Follow a question. The curriculum branches — there is no single correct path.
4
Parents get the companion notes
Behind a PIN. The interesting fact, the discussion question, what to watch for, what the curriculum is trying to do.
A taste, from the West Point node
"Arnold has betrayed us! Whom can we trust now?"
— Alexander Hamilton, letter written the morning the treason was discovered, September 25, 1780