The HourClass Approach© and STEAM: One Letter at a Time.

We believe in the unity of the disciplines within STEAM. If we were to discuss, study, or simply engage in each STEAM discipline separately, we would destroy the very notion of their interconnectedness. Rather than splitting them apart, we might consider illustrating this fusion of elements within agriculture, health and medicine, industry with its logistics component, and, lastly, mathematics. Arts, thus, being the connective tissue—the linking element bringing these worlds together. Within the pages that follow, we will discover scientific encounters and read of the wonderful technical triumphs of women and men, we will look into the importance of agriculture and realize its overwhelming power. We will dive deeper into the logistics of trade and marine transportation, and last, but not least, learn of the steam engine—a start of a new era in our history. Social narrative, faintly gleaming at us off of the old and fragile pieces of paper, is going to reveal human thirst for both knowledge and money, desire for a better life by either taking care of the families or abandoning them. There will be tragedies and happy moments, grief, and joy—all combined into a myriad of letters, sentences, and paragraphs. It is a truly original journey where history would be our anchor, our grounding for reading comprehension instruction. We invite you to join us on this expedition, for it will be even better if we venture out together.