What is classical education?
Typically, classical education means teaching according to the learning stages of the trivium, using history as the basis of forming a coherent understanding of the world, and using original source material and classics as texts, rather than textbooks. As you will see, CCL strives to do this with much of the curriculum. It does, however, use a text for the sciences.
What is the Trivium?
The trivium is three stages of learning, usually related to a stage of growth and life. The grammar stage is when the grammar (facts and vocabulary) of a subject is learned. This happens easiest when the child is young and enjoys rote drills and memory games. It is knowledge.
The dialectic stage discovers the why and how of a subject and how it relates to the bigger picture. It is understanding.
The rhetoric stage takes all the afore learned information, analyzes it, forms intelligent deductions and opinions, and communicates them ably, written or orally. It is eloquent wisdom.
While these three stages fit stages of life nicely, all good learning runs through these stages no matter where in life it happens. We will use this three pronged approach to all our subjects. First and second year high school classes will operate in the grammar and dialectic stages primarily, while trying their wings with the rhetoric. Third and fourth year high school classes will use grammar and dialectic stages only as much as necessary to form a foundation from which to move to rhetoric as quickly as their background and abilities will allow.
But... I haven't been teaching "classically." Will my child be way behind?
No. This is designed with that type of home schooled student in mind. We will all grow together from whereever we are. The goal is to learn how to learn following the tried and true methods of the trivium. Tutors will make every attempt to verbalize and teach the process so that the students will be able to apply them in any area of study they pursue.
The Center for Classical Learning is a support for homeschooling families for students of all grade levels. It is a privately run business designed to support local home school families who desire to give their children a classical education with a Christian worldview in the context of a small school setting with the support of professionally qualified and experienced educators. It provides accountability and structure for a student's education, without removing individual flexibility that is so important to home school families.
Students attend classes one day a week to be tutored in all the subjects. The homework for the week is posted on this website. The student does the homework at home all week under the oversight of the parents. The following class day, all homework is brought back to class where reports are given, discussion over things learned takes place, experiments for science are performed, and new instruction is received for the following week.
Families have discovered that CCL provides oversight for an excellent education, classroom experience for the student, a venue for discussion and presentation, a social experience that students crave, and a good group to identify with. An additional bonus for the parent is that CCL takes the work out of choosing a curriculum and administering it, as well as providing you with another authority figure to back up your educational decisions.
For science, history, literature, Bible and writing, it can be your entire curriculum. If you'd rather it was supplemental, you need to commit to a certain level of preparedness so that your child can actively participate in the discussion and activities.
Review history cards: Please plan to run through these at least once each week at home so the sequence will be memorized by end of the year
Review vocabulary: Vocabulary is essential to academics and communication. Plan to spend time working on it.
Ask review questions: These will be paraphrases of the ones in the Review and Narration Exercises in the Story of the World Activities Manual.
Review maps from home: Map done at home from the Activities Manual and brought to class.
Hear reports: Any that apply to history, any show and tell that applies
History craft activity: Some craft every week is the goal.
Handout new history card: It looks forward to the next reading.
Go over new vocabulary words: That look forward to the next reading (if time permits)
Literature: 10-15minutes
Questions or artwork from story: A few questions concerning the reading, or artwork or activity based on the story.
Bible: 20-25 minutes
Recite books of NT – learned in increments, add new each week
Hear memory verses – of amount of family’s choice from version of choice
Review Bible story of the week by various methods and lesson to be learned from it
Social skills and snack time: 10-15 minutes
Read book concerning positive interactions or Bible topic of the week while eating snack .
Exercise and grammar memory: 10 - 15 minutes – a brain building exercise, cards on grammar or math drill appropriate to grade level
Science: One Hour
Hear reports – any pertaining to science topics or show and tell
Do next science experiments or activity – Hope to do two each week.
Bible will be covering Psalms and Proverbs with emphasis on the wisdom of Proverbs.
- Colored pencils for map work (twist-up recommended)
- Twist-up crayons for art work (optional, can use colored pencils)
- 3 glue sticks
- scissors
- 1 large (2 1/2) 3-ring binder divided into two sections with pocket folders OR 2 small (1 1/2") binders for science and history
- pencil
The whole brain exercises that are practiced each class period and sent home for homework are designed to help students' brains and bodies mature to overcome the areas of struggle. The classical method of education, which concentrates on improving memory and vocabulary, is a great way to learn in spite of specific learning struggles. See The Struggling Learner button for more information.
Bible will be covering Psalms and wisdom found in Proverbs.
Science options are listed under the Class Plan / Book List button.
For literature, a variety of readers available to buy or from the library.
For Bible, they just need a Bible.
There is no text for writing, but we use Institute for Excellence in Writing as our guideline.
See booklist below
The whole brain exercises that are practiced each class period and sent home for homework are designed to help students' brains and bodies mature to overcome the areas of struggle. The classical method of education, which concentrates on improving memory and vocabulary, is a great way to learn in spite of specific learning struggles. See The Struggling Learner button for more information.
For junior/senior class, there will be punctuation and grammar review equivalent to what they would receive in the lowest level college composition classes. Their writing will focus on types of essays – descriptive, comparison, contrast, critique, pro and con and persuasive – and a full length research paper.
MO DESE Requirements
The literature selections can be obtained from the library or purchased. For first and second year students, it will be novels, and classics for third and fourth year students.
There is no text for composition.Please see book list for specific texts and editions for all other subjects.
- 2 glue sticks
- One white board marker
- one cleaning item (list available nearer orientation)
- Pens and pencils
- 1 pkg each graphing, notebook, copy paper
- binders - either one large or several small, your choice
- 2 pkg tabbed notebook divider pages
Learning challenges. Learning Differences. Dyslexia. Aspergers/Autism. ADD/ADHD. Cerebral Palsy. Seizure Disorders. Sensory Integration.
Ten years of working with the department of mental health supervising care of persons with mental challenges, nine years of parenting a child with severe learning challenges and health issues, and 11 years of tutoring people of all ages with learning struggles has supplied Mrs. Nina with the knowledge, resources and skills to support families who face daily challenges of a student with learning struggles.
Consultations can provide information for families to formulate a program that is as individual as their needs.
This could include:
- Assessment of learning needs using Structure of Intellect
- A vision, sensory needs, and brain integration screen
- Support options in the Warrensburg community for physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, vision therapy, sensory integration therapy, and other resources
- Writing an Individualized Home Education Plan
- Suggestions for curriculum options that best suit their student's needs
- Suggestions for dietary interventions to support best learning
Structure of Intellect (SOI) is a system of assessment and training to develop intellectual abilities. The SOI is based on the work of J.P. Guilford whose research began in 1940 when the army was selecting men for pilot training. The qualifications were good health, good vision, and IQ scores over 120. Despite meeting these high qualifications, more than 1/3 of these men were failing pilot training. Dr. Guilford developed tests that identified and measured specific abilities needed by pilots. The failure rate reduced from 35% to 5%.
Now SOI is used in schools to identify learning disabilities and giftedness, in colleges to match abilities with careers, and in business and industry to identify untapped potential. It is more than assessment. It advocates that "intelligence can be trained".
For kindergarten through 3rd grade, the SOI assessment is an hour long. It is pencil and booklet, puzzle type activities that evaluate 11 different subskills for good learning.
For 4th through adult ages, the SOI assessment is a three hour long experience. It is also pencil and booklet, puzzle type activities that evaluate 27 subskills for good learning.
Both assessments will tell your brain's preferred learning style, your learning strengths and "holes." It will give suggestions to strengthen your strengths and fill in your "holes."
For older students, an additional evaluation will match your strengths with careers that utilize them.
For more information on SOI, check them out online at: www.soisystems.com
For the 3 hour test (4th thru adult): $70
To add the career assessment: additional $15
(This will include the giving of the assessment, the scoring and report concerning the assessment, and a consultation to go over the results.)