The Sundial Maker | Grade 11 Classical Literature Packet | Cornerstone Academics

The Sundial Maker — Demetrios has been cutting gnomons for fifty-three years in Alexandria and knows the sun the way men know things they have spent a lifetime attending to — not through argument but through a quality of recognition built from daily use. The commission has come from Hypatia, a woman commissioning her own garden piece, which is unusual, and Hypatia is unusual in most respects. He is cutting the gnomon when the city begins to change in 415 AD, and the story is about what a man does with a commission and a relationship when what is changing around him is about to end both.

Each packet includes:

• Original classical short story (complete text)
• Notes on historical setting and literary tradition
• Narration prompts (oral and written)
• Comprehension questions — literal and inferential
• Vocabulary exercises
• Character Constellation graphic organizer (including Character Change Axis)
• Story Arc study (five movements, with attention to subtler turning points)
• Theme & Meaning questions
• Socratic discussion questions
• Literary Analysis (tone, diction, imagery, symbolism, contrast, motif, irony, structure, turning points, foreshadowing, allusion, narrative lens, narrative distance, narrative restraint)
• Copywork and memory work
• Optional writing prompts (reflective, explanatory, creative, analytical)
• Complete parent answer key
• Standards alignment

Written for Grade 11. Suitable for Grades 10–12 with guidance. This packet is available as a digital download only.