Late Summer 2013

Saving Western civilization one student at a time ...

Late

Summer 2013

Memoria Press

Home of the Classical Core Curriculum www.MemoriaPress.com

letter from the

Editor

by Martin Cothran

I

t is not an exaggeration to say that the Greeks invented education as we know it: To them, schooling was a means to pass on their culture. For the Greeks, the primary instrument for this purpose was one book in particular: Homer’s Iliad. It was their national textbook. From it they learned who they were and what they were for.

In this story of the Trojan War, there is a point of crisis for Achilles, the story’s protagonist. He is approached by his old teacher Phoenix with some sorely needed advice. But as a sort of preface to his words of wisdom, Phoenix says this: “Your father commanded me to teach you how to speak and what to do …”

Those are simple words, but they constitute what may be the first statement in history of the purpose of education—and maybe the best.

An ability to speak presumes an ability to think— language and thought being two sides of the same coin.

The purpose of education, then, is two-fold: how to think and what to do—which is just another way to say wisdom and virtue.

With the rise of modern education, however, these two purposes of education have become effaced, if not eliminated altogether. Modern education, in other words, has changed the very purpose of education. And when you change the purpose of something, as Aristotle observed, you change its very nature.

Modern education has two primary impulses.

The first is the progressivist impulse. It originates in the late-19th century with thinkers like John Dewey who were concerned primarily with social reform.

The political correctness that characterizes modern education theory and the stress on multiculturalism are outgrowths of this movement.

For the progressive educator, the purpose of education is political—its goal is to change the culture.

The second educational impulse in modern education is the pragmatic impulse. It also originates in the 19th century and is an outgrowth of modern scientism. While Dewey was the poster child for

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progressivism, pragmatism was the brain child of the less well-known William Kilpatrick.

Pragmatism is the impulse behind the vocational emphasis in today’s schools. The purpose of education for the pragmatist is to facilitate the industrial economy.

For the pragmatic educator, the purpose of education is instrumental: It is not to change the culture, but to fit a child to the culture.

These two largely inconsistent goals are joined in an unholy alliance that dominates educational thinking.

We need to realize that classical education does a better job of politically grounding students and giving them skills that will help them in their future profession than progressivism or pragmatism, and it is not chiefly about social reform or vocationalism. It is not about changing the culture or fitting a child to the culture; it is about passing on a culture.

Whereas classical education stresses wisdom and virtue, the political and pragmatic goals of modern education have resulted in just the opposite: Instead of education being about how to think and what to do, education is now about what to think and how to do.

As classical educators ponder what classical education is and how it is different from what is done in the modern school, they need to realize that modern education not only conflicts with the classical goals of education; it turns them upside down.

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THE CLASSICAL TEACHER

CONTENTS

Late Summer 2013

FEATURED ARTICLES

2 4 17 30 34 40 43 44

SCIENCE

28

Letter From the Editor by Martin Cothran The Three Methods of Teaching Latin by Cheryl Lowe The Education That Time Forgot by Martin Cothran Two Educational Fallacies by Martin Cothran Is Learning Fun? (Part 2) by Cheryl Lowe Simply Classical: A Beautiful Education for Any Child by Cheryl Swope Latin: A Lustrous Language an essay by David Forman Why Should Christians Read the Pagan Classics?

Reason #6: Government by Cheryl Lowe

32 33

Lesson Plans by Subject New! Primary Curriculum Packages

14 16 24

Grammar School Curriculum Packages 3rd-6th Grades 7th Grade Curriculum Package New! Memoria Press Curriculum Map

36 37

38

45 46

47

Grades 3-12 Grades 1-8 Grades 3-12

29

Grades 3+

Prima Latina Grades 1-4 Latina Christiana Grades 3-6 First Form Latin Series Grades 5-12 Henle Latin Series Grades 8-12 Greek Alphabet Book, NLE Prep Guides Grades 5+ Latin Supplements First Start French I & II Grades 5-8

Christian Studies I-IV The City of God

Grades 9-12 Grades 9-12

Timeline Wall Cards, Flashcards, Composition & Sketchbook, Handbook New! Introduction to Classical Studies, Ancient Wall Maps D’Aulaires’ Greek Myths Grades 3-8 Famous Men Series Grades 3-8 Horatius at the Bridge The Trojan War The Iliad & the Odyssey Dorothy Mills Histories

Grades 6+ Grades 6-8 Grades 7+ Grades 6+

The Aeneid The Divine Comedy eBooksNew!

Grades 8+ Grades 10+

AMERICAN / MODERN

Grades 4-12

CHRISTIAN STUDIES

39

Grades 7-12

Ancient World, Ancient Greeks, Ancient Romans, & Middle Ages

LATIN, GREEK, & FRENCH

6 7 8 10

Grades 5+

Rome, Greece, the Middle Ages, and Modern Times

Kindergarten Science/Social Studies Resource Kit Alphabet Books & Numbers Books, First Start Reading & Classical Phonics, Alphabet Wall Charts New American Cursive 1, 2, & 3 Memoria Press Copybook Series Primary Supplements New!

English Grammar (Grammar Stage)New! Literature Study Guides Poetry Anthologies New! Introduction to Composition Classical Composition

Grades 5+

CLASSICAL STUDIES

New!

LITERATURE, GRAMMAR, & WRITING

16 20 21 35 45

Traditional Logic I & II Aristotle's Material Logic Classical Rhetoric Logic and Rhetoric Supplements:

Jr. K-2nd Grade

Everything you need for one year + daily/weekly lesson plans!

PRIMARY YEARS

28

Grades 4+

Handbook of Christian Apologetics, Socrates Meets Jesus, Aristotle's Rhetoric, Figures of Speech, and How to Read a Book

11 12

27

Grades 3+

LOGIC & RHETORIC

CLASSICAL CORE CURRICULUM

11 26

Book of Astronomy Book of Insects What's That Bird?

J. H. Tiner Series New!

The Story of the Thirteen Colonies & the Great Republic 200 Questions About American History States & Capitals Artner Reader's Guide (American History) Geography I: Middle East, North Africa, & Europe United States Review Geography II: New!

Grades 5-8 Grades 5-8 Grades 3-6 Grades 3-8 Grades 4+ Grades 4+ Grades 5+

Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Oceania, & the Americas

Geography I Review New!

Grades 4+

OTHER

22 42 46

Memoria Press Online Academy Enroll Today!

Classical Latin School Association (CLSA) Liberal Arts Supplements

Grades 3-8 Grades 10-12

Publisher | Cheryl Lowe Editor | Martin Cothran Managing Editor | Tanya Charlton Copy Editor | Jennifer Farrior Senior Graphic Designer | Karah Force

MEMORIA PRESS

© Copyright 2013 (all rights reserved)

www.MemoriaPress.com

www.memoriapress.com/onlineschool

4603 Poplar Level Road Louisville, KY 40213

ONLINE ACADEMY

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The Three Methods of Teaching Latin

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1. Grammar-First Method 1. Grammar forms are presented in a systematic, logical order to aid mastery and memory.

2. Vocabulary is limited initially in order to focus on memorization of the grammar forms. Vocabulary lists provide similar word groups to aid memory.

3. Syntax and translation are limited initially in order to focus on memorization of grammar forms.

The grammar-first method is consistent with the trivium stages of learning and is the traditional method

used throughout history, although it was completely abandoned in the 20th century. The rationale for this method is three-fold: 1) a simultaneous focus on grammar forms, vocabulary, syntax, and translation overwhelms the beginning student 2) mastery of grammar forms is the essential first step in learning Latin 3) to ensure mastery grammar forms must be introduced in a logical order. ÆÆ The First Form Latin Series (see p. 8)

2. Grammar-Translation Method 1. Grammar forms are introduced in an order that facilitates reading and translation, based on their frequency of use rather than their logical place in the grammar. For instance, lessons usually alternate between parts of speech rather than covering one part of speech per unit.

2. Vocabulary is introduced at an accelerated pace in order to facilitate reading and translation. Vocabulary lists consist of mixed parts of speech rather than similar word groups.

3. Syntax and translation are introduced early and covered along with the grammar forms.

The grammar-translation method was developed in the early 1900s. The rationale for this method is that the above grammar-first method is boring and that a greater emphasis on translation increases student motivation and learning. The systematic and logical order of the grammar is sacrificed to increase the development of interesting translation exercises and readings. ÆÆ Wheelock, Jenney, Henle, Latin Prep, Latin for Americans, Latin for Children, Latin Alive, and nearly all homeschool and mainstream Latin texts.

3. Natural/Conversational/Inductive/Reading/Immersion Method 1. Grammar forms are presented after the reading or conversation, usually through inquiry or discovery methods. Grammar forms are usually fragmented.

For instance, the nominative and accusative may be presented without other cases, or two cases from different declensions are presented together.

2. Vocabulary is chosen to facilitate reading or conversation and is often listed in inflected rather than dictionary form.

3. Syntax is presented after the reading or conversation, usually through inquiry or discovery learning.

The natural or conversational method of learning modern languages became popular in the 1960s. The

rationale for this method is that students should learn a foreign language in the natural way that they learned their native language. Attempting this method with Latin has been very recent. ÆÆ Lingua Latina by Hans Orberg The inductive or reading method of learning Latin is similar to the conversational method, though the focus is on reading rather than speaking. It was promoted by Oxford and Cambridge in the 1980s. ÆÆ Ecce Romani, Oxford Latin, and Artes Latinae

The Three Methods of Teaching Latin

1-877-862-1097

Confused?

Here is what we think about the 3 methods:

F

irst let’s briefly consider #3 the natural/ conversational/inductive/reading/immersion method which, in all of its permutations, is highly unsystematic and disordered, thus violating the very goal of teaching: to reveal the underlying order of what appears on the surface to be random and disordered.

This goal is especially important in languages and mathematics, the two cumulative and difficult subjects in the curriculum. Even in subjects like biology, history, and geography, it is bringing order out of chaos, bringing out the meaning and organization of the subject, that makes them memorable and appealing to the human mind. Man is a rational being. Learning must appeal to the human mind, to reason. For a more detailed explanation of the flawed logic of this method, see “The Natural Method is Not Natural” in the Summer 2012 issue of The Classical Teacher (http://www. memoriapress.com/natural-method).

Turning to the other two methods, #1 the grammarfirst method and #2 the grammar-translation method, why is the former superior to the latter? To begin with, the grammar-first method is the traditional method that was used in the golden age of classical education, from the Renaissance to the dawn of the 20th century.

It is only in the last century that the grammartranslation method began to supplant the grammarfirst method, a period which coincided with a drastic decline in Latin learning.

The grammar-first method is time-tested and we know it works. Here’s why.

I. Divide and Conquer!

The grammar-first method minimizes syntax, translation, and vocabulary while students are mastering the grammar. Mastery is the key word here.

In contrast, the grammar-translation method employs a simultaneous study of vocabulary, grammar, syntax, and translation. In an ancient and highly inflected language like Latin, this approach is simply overwhelming. Students become discouraged at constantly looking up what they have failed to master and soon develop that drowning feeling and want to “drop” Latin. Better to do a few things well and take pleasure in them than many things poorly and give up.

Divide the Latin language into its parts, and conquer each in turn.

II. Order or Disorder?

In addition to the challenge of equal coverage of all aspects of language simultaneously, the grammartranslation method has the added disadvantage of a less orderly presentation. Jumping around between different parts of speech, a declension here, a conjugation there, adjectives here, pronouns there, the grammar-translation method sacrifices the orderly presentation of the grammar for the advantage of early translation. But at what cost? At the cost of understanding and retention. Randomness is the enemy of memory.

The sacrifice of the systematic presentation of the Latin grammar creates a tremendous memory burden for the beginning Latin student, one that is difficult to overcome. Whatever the initial benefit of earlier translation may be, it does not make up for the destruction of the beauty and order of the Latin grammar.

In contrast, the grammar-first method focuses on and delights in the grammar as an interesting subject in itself that does not need to be rushed over in a hurry to get to translation, just as a good mathematics program delights in and focuses on arithmetic rather than something to be endured and rushed over in a hurry to get to algebra. Just as a poor foundation in arithmetic causes most of our students to hit a glass ceiling in mathematics, the grammar-translation method builds on a weak foundation that eventually cracks under the load of memory work it must support.

The high towers of a cumulative subject must be built on bedrock.

It is a failure of modern education that lower order skills, such as grammar and arithmetic, are denigrated and sacrificed for the higher order skills of translation and higher math. This is a poor trade-off that ultimately causes most students to reach a plateau in our two difficult and cumulative subjects, languages and mathematics.

There is a reason why non-Western cultures (particularly India, China, Japan) consistently outperform our students in mathematics. They do not have our bias against memorization, drill, and basics. They reach a higher level because they have the patience to build a strong foundation.

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Latin

www.MemoriaPress.com Prima Latina

An Introduction to Christian Latin

by Leigh Lowe Grades 1-4 “We have found that students who start with Prima Latina are much more likely not only to continue Latin, but to love it!”

Are you looking for a gentle introduction to Latin and a course that prepares your young student for a more advanced study of the language? Prima Latina is specifically designed for students and teachers with no Latin background.

Prima Latina $90.90 complete set

$32.95 basic set

(student, teacher, CD, DVDs, flashcards)

(student, teacher, CD)

Student $14.00 | Teacher $14.00 | CD $4.95 | DVDs $45.00 | Flashcards $14.95

Student Book

• 25 lessons + 5 review lessons • Latin vocabulary words with corresponding English derivatives • Latin prayers • Grammar skills appropriate for primary grades • Consistent review

Teacher Manual

• Student book w/ answers keyed • Tests

Pronunciation CD

• Complete verbal pronunciation • Four Lingua Angelica songs

DVDs

• 3 discs, 9 hours (15-20 min./ lesson) • Comprehensive teaching by Leigh Lowe • Recitation & review, vocabulary practice, and explanation of derivatives • On-screen notes, diagrams, & examples • Self-instructive format

Flashcards

• Vocabulary with derivatives • Latin sayings • Conjugations & Declensions

This course was developed for children in 1st-4th grades who are still becoming familiar with English grammar and wish to learn Latin at a slower pace. Its goal is to teach and reinforce an understanding of the basic parts of speech while introducing Latin. It benefits the student by teaching him half of the vocabulary in Latina Christiana I and grounding him in the fundamental concepts of English grammar, the key to Latin study.

The grammar lessons are set forth in a form appropriate for primary grades. The review lessons that follow each unit provide the consistent review needed to master Latin. With clear explanations and easy-to-read lessons in a two-color format, Prima Latina is perfect for those teachers and parents who would like to start their students on an early study of Christian Latin.

Which Latin program is right for your student?

See guide on page 10.

“Order Leigh Lowe’s Prima Latina, along with the accompanying teacher’s guide and supplementary CD.” - Susan Wise Bauer & Jessie Wise “If you are beginning Latin and have no Latin background, this is the curriculum for you.”

- Julie A., www.homeschoolreviews.com “We absolutely LOVE this program!!!”

- Linda, www.homeschoolreviews.com

view samples online: www.MemoriaPress.com

Latin Supplements Prima Latina Copybook NEW! New American Cursive Grades 1-4

$14.95 Help your children practice their Latin while developing their penmanship skills. Includes a cursive vocabulary practice page from each Prima Latina lesson and a cursive Latin prayer practice page for each Prima review lesson.

Lingua Angelica: Latin Songs & Prayers

Song Book* $9.95 | Music CD* $11.95 *Song Book and music CD are used for Lingua Angelica I and II.

Lingua Angelica covers 28 beautiful hymns sung by a six-voice Gregorian chant choir. This song book and cd make a perfect addition to Prima Latina and Latina Christiana. Students will want to add the workbooks to their Latin study when they begin the First Form series, but when they are younger, listening to and learning the songs is a rich experience in itself.

(Full program shown on page 9.)

Latin

1-877-862-1097 Latina Christiana I

Introduction to Christian Latin

by Cheryl Lowe Grades 3-6 Latina Christiana I is, quite simply, the best Latin grammar course available for beginning students. Cheryl Lowe’s clear explanations, easy instructions, and step-by-step approach have led thousands of teachers and students to declare, “I love Latin!”

Latina Christiana I $97.90 complete set

$39.95 basic set

(student, teacher, CD, DVDs, flashcards)

(student, teacher, CD)

Student $15.00 | Teacher $20.00 | CD $4.95 | DVDs $55.00 | Flashcards $14.95

Student Book

• 25 lessons + 5 review lessons • 10 vocabulary words per lesson w/ corresponding English derivatives • Latin sayings, songs, and prayers

Teacher Manual

• Student book w/ answers keyed • Weekly lesson plans • Tests, quizzes, & keys • Comprehensive teaching instructions

Pronunciation CD

DVDs

• 5 discs, 18 hrs. (35-40 min./ lesson) • Comprehensive teaching by Leigh Lowe • Recitation & review, vocabulary practice, and explanation of derivatives • On-screen notes, diagrams, & examples • Self-instructive format

Flashcards

• Vocabulary with derivatives • Latin sayings • Conjugations & Declensions

• Complete verbal pronunciation • Latin Prayers & songs

Latina Christiana II $97.90 complete set

(student, teacher, CD, DVDs, flashcards)

Each lesson consists of a grammar form, ten vocabulary words, and a Latin saying that teaches students about their Christian or classical heritage. Five review lessons help ensure that your student has mastered the material. In addition, every lesson includes simple English derivatives of Latin words to help build English vocabulary.

Exercises reinforce memory work and teach grammar in incremental steps through simple translation. Grammar coverage includes 1st-2nd declension nouns, 1st-2nd conjugation verbs, 1st-2nd declension adjectives, the irregular verb to be, and 1st-2nd person pronouns.

The Teacher Manual includes a complete copy of the student book with overlaid answers and provides detailed weekly lesson plans, comprehensive teaching instructions, tests, weekly quizzes, and keys. The thirty lessons can be completed in a year for young students or in less time for older students.

Move straight to First Form Latin after LC I (see p. 8).

“I have taught my own children using your LC books and Henle, and yours is the best curriculum available.”

- V.B., Latin teacher "The content, excellent quality, and organized layout make this an impressive beginning course ..."

- CHC "You make it so easy and understandable. I cannot commend you enough! Thanks for all you've done to make Latin accessible ..."

- L.F., homeschooling parent

$39.95 basic set (student, teacher, CD)

view samples online: www.MemoriaPress.com

Student $15.00 | Teacher $20.00 | CD $4.95 | DVDs $45.00 | Flashcards $14.95

Latina Christiana I: NEW! Review Worksheets

by Brenda Janke Grades 3-6 Worksheets $9.95 | Answer Key $5.00 These supplemental review worksheets will help your students master the grammar and vocabulary they are learning in Latina Christiana I. Contains 1-2 pages of cumulative review for each LCI lesson.

LC Grammar Charts

$20.00 33’’ x 17” (6 charts total)

Grammar forms organized on wall charts is a great visual aid for Latin students. Our charts are in a large easy-to-read format that helps students see the organization of the Latin grammar at a quick glance.

Ludere Latine: Latin Word Games for Latina Christiana I & II

by Paul O’Brien Grades 3+

$19.95 ea. (Ludere Latine I or II) Additional Copies $7.00 These word game supplements are stuffed with enrichment activities to help your students learn the vocabulary, grammar, and derivatives presented in Latina Christiana.

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Latin

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First Form Latin $115 complete set

(all 5 books, CD, DVDs, flashcards)

$55 basic set

Second Form Latin $115 complete set

(all 5 books + CD)

(all 5 books, CD, DVDs, flashcards)

$55 basic set (all 5 books + CD)

Text $12.50 | Workbook $15.00 | Teacher Manuals (2) $24.95 | Quizzes & Tests $5.00 | CD $4.95 | DVDs $55.00 | Flashcards $14.95

Text $12.50 | Workbook $15.00 | Teacher Manuals (2) $24.95 | Quizzes & Tests $5.00 | CD $4.95 | DVDs $55.00 | Flashcards $14.95

Online Class (p. 22)

Online Class (p. 22)

Latin Grammar Year One

Latin Grammar Year Two

by Cheryl Lowe Grades 5+ (or any age if completed Latina Christiana I) • 5 noun declensions • 1st - 2nd declension adjectives • 1st - 2nd conjugations in 6 tenses (active voice) • sum in 6 tenses • Syntax: nominative and accusative cases; complementary infinitive; subject-verb agreement; noun-adjective agreement; predicate nouns and adjectives

"... I was quite reluctant to change programs, but I'm glad I did!

It is well laid out, presents the information in bite-sized pieces, has a good amount of review and worksheets for each lesson, and explains the grammar and information very well." - Linda

by Cheryl Lowe Grades 6+

• 2nd declension -er -ir nouns and adjectives • 3rd declension i-stem nouns • 3rd declension adjectives of one termination • 1st and 2nd person pronouns and possessive pronoun adjectives • Prepositions with ablative and accusative • Adverbs and questions • 3rd, 3rd –io, and 4th conjugations in 6 tenses (active voice) • Present system passive of 1st - 4th conjugations and -io verbs • Syntax: genitive of possession; dative of indirect object; ablative of means and agent

Based on 20 years of teaching experience, First Form’s grammar-first approach focuses on grammar forms and vocabulary because those are the grammar stage skills suitable for the grammar stage student. However, the First Form series is for students of all ages because all beginners, regardless of age, are in the grammar stage of learning.

Syntax (how to use the grammar) and translation are logic and rhetoric stage skills, respectively, and quickly overwhelm the student unless they are introduced at a slow, gentle pace and taught for mastery. First Form is the ideal text for all beginners, grades 5 and up, or is a great follow-up to Latina Christiana I. "This is the best-structured course on any subject I have ever seen."

- Andrew Pudewa, Institute for Excellence in Writing Student Text

• 34 two-page lessons on facing pages • Small, concise, unintimidating text in an attractive two-color format • Systematic presentation of grammar in five logical units • Appendices with English grammar, prayers, conversational Latin, vocab. index, & more!

Student Workbook

• 4-6 pages of exercises for each lesson • Exercises for practice and mastery • Grammar catechism for daily rapid-fire review

Teacher Manuals

• Key to workbook & quizzes/tests • Copy of student book inset with comprehensive teaching instructions • Recitation schedule • Chalk Talk scripted lessons • FYI notes for teachers w/ limited background

Quizzes & Tests

• Reproducible weekly quizzes & unit tests

Pronunciation CD

• Includes the pronunciation of all vocabulary, sayings, and grammar forms for each lesson

view samples online: www.MemoriaPress.com

DVDs

• 3 discs, 9 hours (15-20 min./lesson) • Superb explanations • On-screen notes, illustrations, & diagrams • Recitations, Latin parties, & more!

Flashcards

• Vocabulary with derivatives • Latin sayings • Conjugations • Declensions

Latin

1-877-862-1097

Third Form Latin $115 complete set

(all 5 books, CD, DVDs, flashcards)

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Fourth Form Latin

$55 basic set

$140 complete set

(all 5 books + CD)

(all 5 books, CD, DVDs, flashcards + Henle I text, key, & grammar)

Text $12.50 | Workbook $15.00 | Teacher Manuals (2) $24.95 | Quizzes & Tests $5.00 | CD $4.95 | DVDs $55.00 | Flashcards $14.95

$80 basic set

(all 5 books, CD + Henle I text, key, & grammar)

Text $12.50 | Workbook $15.00 | Teacher Manuals (2) $24.95 | Quizzes & Tests $5.00 | CD $4.95 | DVDs $55.00 | Flashcards $14.95

Online Class (p. 22)

Online Class (p. 22)

Latin Grammar Year Three

Latin Grammar Year Four NEW!

by Cheryl Lowe Grades 7+

by Michael Simpson & Cheryl Lowe Grades 8+

• Perfect system passive of 1st - 4th conjugations and -io verbs • 4th declension neuter nouns • 3rd declension adjectives of one and three terminations • Imperative mood, vocative case • Nine irregular adjectives • Regular and irregular comparison of adjectives and adverbs • Pronouns: 3rd person, demonstrative, intensive, reflexive • Active and passive subjunctive of 1st - 4th conjugations and -io verbs • Syntax: apposition; adjectives used as nouns; objective and partitive genitive; subjunctive in purpose clauses; exhortations; deliberative questions

• Participles, infinitives, gerunds, and gerundives • Deponent verbs • Irregular verbs, including eo, fero, and volo • Plural nouns • Locative Case • Pronouns: relative and interrogative • Syntax: double accusative; relative clauses; sequence of tenses and indirect questions; impersonal verbs; indirect statements (accusative with infinitive construction); gerundive of obligation

Fourth Form sets without Henle I: $115 complete set $55 basic set (all 5 books, CD, DVDs, flashcards)

(all 5 books + CD)

*Henle Latin is required for Fourth Form.

Latin Supplements Lingua Angelica I: Latin Songs & Prayers

(Translation Course)

by Cheryl Lowe

Latin Grammar Wall Charts First Form $20.00 (4 charts) 33" x 17" Second Form $20.00 (3 charts) 33" x 17"

$39.95 set (student & teacher, Song Book, & CD) Student $11.95 | Teacher $16.95 | Song Book* $9.95 | Music CD* $11.95 Lingua Angelica covers 28 beautiful hymns sung by a six-voice Gregorian chant choir. Because hymns have shorter, simpler sentences and clearer word structure than most Latin literature, the Christian Latin in this course is ideal when beginning Latin translation. In both LA I and II, the student book provides vocabulary work, space for interlinear translation, and grammar word study exercises. The teacher manual has a complete copy of the student book (w/answers) as well as instructions on how to use the course, making the teaching easier.

Lingua Angelica II Student $11.95 | Teacher $16.95

*Song Book and music CD are used for both LA I and II. (see above)

Seeing grammar forms organized on wall charts is a great visual aid for Latin grammar students. They are also a great aid for teachers during Latin recitations.

Our grammar charts are in a large easyto-read format that help students see the organization of the Latin grammar at a quick glance.

First & Second Form Desk Charts $12.95

(First & Second Form together in one package) 8.5" x 11"

We have down-sized our First and Second Form Wall Charts into handy desk charts for individual student use. These are especially handy for homeschoolers who don't have wall space for poster-sized charts.

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Latin & Greek

www.MemoriaPress.com

henle Latin I

Advanced Christian Latin

by Robert Henle Grades 8+

$28.45 Set (Text, Grammar, & Key)

Text $16.95 | Key $5.00 | Henle Grammar (used all 4 years) $9.50

In the First Year text, a limited vocabulary of 500 words allows students to master grammar without being overwhelmed with large vocabulary lists. Repetitious Latin phrases and copious exercises produce mastery rather than frustration, and the mixture of Christian and classical content is appealing to students.

henle Latin II-Iv: Advanced Christian Latin

by Robert Henle Grades 9+ Henle Latin II Henle Latin III Henle Latin IV

Text $15.95 | Key $5.00 Text $15.95 | Key $5.00 Text $15.95 | Key $5.00

Note: Though Henle is considered a Catholic text, its superiority as a teaching resource and the outstanding benefits of its Christian perspective also make it appropriate for Protestants.

Supplements: The Book of Roots, Roots of English, Lingua Angelica, and Lingua Biblica

National Latin NEW! exam Prep Guides

by Cheryl Lowe Grades 5+

Introduction $9.95 | Level I $14.95 | Level II $19.95

Ηenle Latin I: Study Guides Units 1-2 Units 3-5 Units 6-14

NEW!

Study Guide $14.95 | Test/Quiz Package $9.95 Study Guide $14.95 | Test/Quiz Package $9.95 Study Guide $14.95 | Test/Quiz Package $9.95

Need a little more guidance on how to use Henle? Our student guides will tell the student what to do at every step of the way. Each is broken down into 30 weekly lessons with daily student activities. Detailed, thorough, and well-organized, with check-off boxes for completed work, these guides will ease your transition into Henle.

Greek Alphabet Book

by Cheryl Lowe Grades 5+

Student $15.00 | Key $10.00 Though the Greek alphabet is similar to our English alphabet, it is also different enough to be a major impediment to the study of Greek.

Delving into the Greek grammar and learning the alphabet at the same time is overwhelming for almost everyone. Give yourself the time to master the Greek letters and become comfortable with them before you plunge into Greek.

Memoria Press’ Greek Alphabet program is a tour of the Greek letters, their formation, and sounds. A page is devoted to each letter and includes a letter diagram with arrows showing proper formation, printing lines showing placement of letters above and below the lines, letters to trace and copy, interesting facts and hints to help remember the letter’s sound, and questions. Each lesson consists of three letters, a review page, and a quiz.

The National Latin Exam provides an opportunity for students to compare their Latin knowledge with students across the nation. Nearly 150,000 students take this exam annually. Our NLE Student Guides include the vocabulary, grammar, and syntax, as well as the Roman culture, history, mythology, and geography commonly found on these exams.

Guides are broken down for each level, beginning with the Introduction level of the NLE. Our NLE guides, paired with previous exams you can download from the NLE website, make a great preparation for student success on the National Latin Exam. view samples online: www.MemoriaPress.com

An Ideal Latin Sequence TRIVIUM STAGE

Primary Grammar Prep

GRADE

LATIN PROGRAM

2nd

*Prima Latina (Beginning program for grades 1-4)

3rd

*Latina Christiana I (Beginning program for

Grammar Stage

4th

*First Form Latin

Memorize the Latin grammar

5th

Second Form Latin

6th

Third Form Latin

Logic Stage How to use the grammar - syntax & translation skills

Rhetoric Stage Read Latin literature

7th

grades 3-6)

(Beginning program for grades 5-12)

Fourth Form Latin/Henle I (syntax & Caesar prep)

8th

Henle II (Caesar) or *Henle Latin I for those beginning Latin in grades 8+

9th

Henle II

(Caesar)

10th

Henle III

(Cicero)

11th

Ovid

12th

AP Virgil

Classical Core Curriculum

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W h y M emoria Press?

You can now offer your child a complete and comprehensive classical Christian education. Although the

program itself is new, the ideas and practices have been in use at Highlands Latin School for over a decade.

The content your child will study is the curriculum all children in good schools once studied, only made easier to teach. It is a curriculum in which your student will learn the knowledge that once characterized a cultured person, and the core ideas and concepts of what was once called the “Christian West.”

It is a study of our cultural heritage based on a careful selection of texts and focused on the classical model of structure and repetition that ensures mastery in all subject areas, from language to mathematics.

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✓ Lesson Plans ✓ Latin ✓ Classical Studies ✓ Christian Studies ✓ English Grammar ✓ Math ✓ Science ✓ Literature ✓ DVDs ✓ Flashcards ✓ CDs ✓ Reading ✓ Phonics ✓ Writing ✓ Penmanship ✓ Poetry

You asked for it & here it is!

NEW

Lesson Plans by Subject NEW $3.00 - $15.00 per subject

Choose from:

✓✓ Prima Latina ✓✓ Latina Christiana I ✓✓ First Form series ✓✓ Phonics ✓✓ Reading & Literature ✓✓ Math ✓✓ Read-aloud enrichment ✓✓ Copybooks ✓✓ New American Cursive ✓✓ Famous Men series ✓✓ Grammar & Spelling

✓✓ Dorothy Mills books ✓✓ Iliad & Odyssey ✓✓ Aeneid ✓✓ States & Capitals ✓✓ Geography I & II ✓✓ American History ✓✓ Christian Studies I-IV ✓✓ Book of Insects ✓✓ Book of Astronomy ✓✓ What's That Bird? ✓✓ MORE!

One of the nice things about homeschooling is that it gives you the flexibility to choose curricula that specifically meets the needs of your students.

These are the same lesson plans that are in our graded curriculum guides, in a format that will allow you to tailor it to your own needs. These plans retain our standard week-at-a-glance layout, which gives you the standard program for that grade for individual subjects.

Classical Core Curriculum Kindergarten $300.00 Science & Social Studies Resource Kit “The world is so full of a number of things/ I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings.” Those were Robert Louis Stevenson’s words, and how true they are. God’s creation is a fascinating place, and learning the simple truths about it is one of the joys of childhood. Memoria Press’ new Science and Social Studies Resource Kit is a simple way to introduce your children to these simple truths.

The Resource Kit is a supplement to their regular study that includes books on nature and our use of it. Your students will learn how a plant grows, how birds find their way home, what snow is, and the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly. These are wonderful books about wonderful things. Your little kings (and queens) will love it!

The World of Animals $24.99 This book investigates and describes the anatomy, behavior, and habitats of over 1,000 animals. It is a great science resource for use with our Kindergarten, First, and Second Grade Classical Core Curriculum packages.

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Classical Core Curriculum

www.MemoriaPress.com

$140

$290

Jr. Kindergarten

Kindergarten

$140 Complete Set (all books + Lesson Plans) $45 Consumable Books Set (for additional students) $30 Lesson Plans for One Year (only)

$260 Complete Set (all books + Lesson Plans) $80 Consumable Books Set (for additional students) $30 Lesson Plans for One Year (only)

• Jr. Kindergarten Curriculum: Complete Lesson Plans for One Year • Counting With Numbers • Inside and Outside • Prayers for Children • Alphabet Books 1 & 2 • Coloring Books: Alphabet & Numbers • Richard Scarry's Mother Goose • Big Thoughts for Little People (Devotional) • Hailstones and Halibut Bones (Poetry) • Memoria Press Manuscript Wall Charts • Alphabet Flashcards NEW! • The Book of Crafts NEW!

• Kindergarten Curriculum: Complete Lesson Plans for One Year • Kindergarten Enrichment Guide NEW! • Copybook I • Composition & Sketchbook • The Golden Children's Bible • Christian Liberty Nature Reader (Book K) • Animal Alphabet Coloring Book • First Start Reading: A, B, C, D & Teacher Guide • Classical Phonics & SRA Phonics 1 • Primary Phonics Readers (20 books total) • Rod & Staff Beginning Arithmetic 1: Student (Part 1), Teacher, & Practice Sheets • Numbers Books 1 & 2 • Soft and White, Fun in the Sun, & Scamp and Tramp • 1/2" ruled penmanship tablet • Kindergarten Art Cards NEW!

Supplemental Read-Aloud Program $340.00 A set of 34 classic picture books chosen for their beauty in prose and illustration. A great addition to any children's library, one book is read aloud and discussed each week in Jr. Kindergarten.

Supplemental Read-Aloud Program Set $275 | Set with Poetry $295

1st

K

Jr. K

Reading & Phonics

Christian Studies Alphabet Books (p. 26) Alphabet Coloring Book (p. 26) Richard Scarry's Mother Goose Hailstones and Halibut Bones

Prayers for Children Big Thoughts for Little People

SRA Phonics 1 Classical Phonics (p. 26) First Start Reading (p. 26) Animal Alphabet Coloring American Language Readers Nature Reader K Primary Phonics Readers

The Golden Children's Bible (p. 39)

SRA Phonics 2 Classical Phonics (p. 26) 1st Grade Literature Set (p. 20) Supplemental readers

The Golden Children's Bible (p. 39)

2nd

Latin SRA Phonics 3 Classical Phonics (p. 26) 2nd Grade Literature Set (p. 20)

Prima Latina (p. 6)

The Golden Children's Bible (p. 39)

Classical Core Curriculum

1-877-862-1097

$325

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$370

1st Grade

2nd Grade

$325 Complete Set (all books + Lesson Plans) $105 Consumable Books Set (for additional students) $200 Continuing MP Student Set $30 Lesson Plans for One Year (only) • First Grade Curriculum: Complete Lesson Plans for One Year • Copybook II • Composition & Sketchbook • New American Cursive 1 • The Golden Children's Bible • Classical Phonics • SRA Phonics 2 • Rod & Staff Beginning Arithmetic 1: Student (Parts 1-2), Teacher, & Practice Sheets • First Grade Literature: Study Guides w/ Novels • A Little House Christmas Treasury • Christmas in the Big Woods • Winter on the Farm • 1/2" ruled penmanship tablet • First Grade Art Cards NEW! • Alphabet Wall Poster NEW!

$370 Complete Set (all books + Lesson Plans) $125 Consumable Books Set (for additional students) $315 Continuing MP Student Set $30 Lesson Plans for One Year (only) • Second Grade Curriculum: Complete Lesson Plans for One Year • Prima Latina complete set • Prima Latina Copybook • Copybook Cursive Scripture and Poems • Composition & Sketchbook • New American Cursive 2 • The Golden Children's Bible • SRA Phonics 3 • Rod & Staff Math 2: Student (Units 1-5), Teacher, & Blacklines • Classical Phonics • Second Grade Literature: Study Guide Sets w/ Novels • 1/2" ruled penmanship tablet • Second Grade Art Cards NEW!

Supplemental Read-Aloud Program Set $290 | Set with Poetry $305

Supplemental Read-Aloud Program Set $290 | Set with Poetry $305

Writing & Penmanship

Math

Enrichment Numbers Coloring Book (p. 26) Counting With Numbers Inside and Outside

Alphabet Books (p. 26)

Copybook 1 Composition & Sketchbook (p. 27)

Book of Crafts Alphabet Flashcards (p. 27)

Art Cards Kindergarten Enrichment (p. 28)

Numbers Books (p. 26) Rod & Staff Math 1, Part 1

Copybook 2 Composition & Sketchbook New American Cursive 1 (p. 27)

Prima Latina Copybook (p. 6) Copybook Cursive Composition & Sketchbook New American Cursive 2 (p. 27)

Art Cards Alphabet Wall Poster (p. 28)

Rod & Staff Math 1, Parts 1-2

Rod & Staff Math 2

Art Cards (p. 28)

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Classical Core Curriculum

www.MemoriaPress.com

$400

$400

3rd Grade

4th Grade

$400 Complete Set (all books + Lesson Plans) $150 Consumable Books Set (for additional students) $30 Lesson Plans for One Year (only)

$400 Complete Set (all books + Lesson Plans) $150 Consumable Books Set (for additional students) $30 Lesson Plans for One Year (only)

• Third Grade Curriculum: Complete Lesson Plans for One Year • Latina Christiana I complete set + Review Worksheets • Third Grade Literature: Study Guide Sets w/ Novels • D'Aulaires' Greek Myths set • Christian Studies I set • New American Cursive 3 • States & Capitals set • Astronomy set • Rod & Staff Math 3 set • Rod & Staff Spelling 4 set • English Grammar Recitation & Workbook I set • Introduction to Composition set • Poetry for the Grammar Stage • The Best Christmas Pageant Ever • Timeline Program NEW!

• Fourth Grade Curriculum: Complete Lesson Plans for One Year • First Form Latin complete set • Fourth Grade Literature: Study Guide Sets w/ Novels • Famous Men of Rome set • Christian Studies II set • Geography of the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe set • United States Review set • The Book of Insects set • Rod & Staff Math 4 set • Rod & Staff Spelling 5 set • English Grammar Recitation Workbook 2 set • Classical Composition: The Fable Stage set

Poetry for the Grammar Stage $19.95 | Timeline Program $39.95 | English Grammar Recitation $9.95

Supplemental Read-Aloud Program

(supplements for 4th-6th grades; included in 3rd grade package)

Novels (11 books) $150.00 | Picture Books (22 books) $300.00

Summer Reading (before 5th grade): Story of the World, Vol. 2 (p. 46)

Summer Reading (before 4th grade): Story of the World, Vol. 1 (p. 46)

Literature The Moffats Farmer Boy Charlotte's Web (p. 20)

Latina Christiana I (p. 7)

Greek Myths (p. 37)

Christian Studies I (p. 39)

First Form Latin (p. 8)

Famous Men of Rome (p. 37)

Christian Studies II (p. 39)

Lassie Come-Home Heidi The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (p. 20)

Famous Men of the Middle Ages (p. 37)

Christian Studies III (p. 39)

Adam of the Road Robin Hood The Door in the Wall King Arthur (p. 21)

6th

5th

3rd

Classical & Christian Studies

4th

Latin & Greek

Second Form Latin (p. 8)

Third Form Latin (p. 9) Greek Alphabet Book (p. 10)

Famous Men of Greece Trojan War Horatius at the Bridge (pp. 37-38)

Timeline Set (p. 36)

Christian Studies IV (p. 39)

The Hobbit Anne of Green Gables The Bronze Bow Treasure Island (p. 21)

Classical Core Curriculum

1-877-862-1097

$425

$450

5th Grade

6th Grade

$425 Complete Set (all books + Lesson Plans) $150 Consumable Books Set (for additional students) $30 Lesson Plans for One Year (only)

$450 Complete Set (all books + Lesson Plans) $150 Consumable Books Set (for additional students) $30 Lesson Plans for One Year (only)

• Fifth Grade Curriculum: Complete Lesson Plans for One Year • First or Second Form Latin complete set • Fifth Grade Literature: Study Guide Sets w/ Novels • Famous Men of the Middle Ages set • Christian Studies III set • Geography II set • Rod and Staff Arithmetic 5 set • Rod and Staff Spelling 6 & English 5 sets • What's That Bird? set • Exploring the History of Medicine set • Classical Composition: The Narrative Stage set

Golden Children's Bible $17.95

(supplement for 3rd-5th grades; included in K-2nd grade packages; also sold on p. 39)

Summer Reading (before 6th grade): Story of the World, Vol. 3 (p. 46)

English

Spelling

15

Writing

• Sixth Grade Curriculum: Complete Lesson Plans for One Year • First, Second, or Third Form Latin complete set • Sixth Grade Literature: Study Guide Sets w/ Novels • Famous Men of Greece set • Horatius at the Bridge • The Trojan War set • Christian Studies IV set • Rod and Staff Arithmetic 6 set • Rod and Staff Spelling 7 & English 6 set • The Story of the Thirteen Colonies and The Great Republic, 200 Questions About American History, & Everything You Need to Know About American History Homework • Exploring the World of Biology, Tree Book, Peterson First Guide: Trees • Classical Composition: The Chreia/Maxim Stage set • Greek Alphabet Book set

Summer Reading (before 7th grade): Story of the World, Vol. 4 (p. 46)

Modern St.

Math

Science

English Grammar, Workbook I (p. 16)

Rod & Staff Spelling 4

Introduction to Composition (p. 41)

States & Capitals (p. 29)

Rod & Staff Math 3

Book of Astronomy (p. 28)

English Grammar, Workbook II (p. 16)

Rod & Staff Spelling 5

Classical Composition: The Fable Stage (p. 45) Writing, Year 1

Geography I: The Middle East, North Africa, & Europe (p. 29)

Rod & Staff Math 4

Book of Insects (p. 28)

Rod & Staff English 5

Rod & Staff Spelling 6

Classical Composition: The Narrative Stage (p. 45) Writing, Year 2

Geography II: Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Oceania, & the Americas (p. 29)

Rod & Staff Math 5

What's That Bird?

The History of Medicine (p. 28)

Rod & Staff English 6

Rod & Staff Spelling 7

The Thirteen Colonies and the Great Republic (p. 29)

Rod & Staff Math 6

The Tree Book Exploring the World of Biology

Classical Composition: The Chreia/Maxim Stage (p. 45)

16

Classical Core Curriculum

www.MemoriaPress.com

NEW

Introducing

Classical Core Curriculum for 7th Grade!

The Classical Core Curriculum has now graduated to the upper school. In the important step from the 6th grade to the 7th, students need to take the basic skills and knowledge they have mastered in the lower elementary grades and begin converting them into a more advanced command of skills subjects like Latin and math, and into a deeper understanding of history and literature.

Memoria Press’ new 7th Grade Core Curriculum package does just this. Students begin advanced study in Latin grammar, and, having completed arithmetic, begin their study of prealgebra. Having studied the basic characters and events in ancient history, they begin their study of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. In literature, they begin their study of Shakespeare.

7th Grade $475 Complete Set (all books + Lesson Plans) $150 Consumable Books Set (for additional students) $30 Lesson Plans for One Year (only)

And if your student missed some or all of the Classical Core Curriculum before this? No worries. They can begin or continue Latin where they are and still pick up the basic outlines in ancient history and literature in preparation for Homer. In addition, the Shakespeare plays begin in the 2nd semester, allowing the student time to get ready.

Don’t let your student miss out on the only complete and fully developed classical curriculum available.

• Seventh Grade Curriculum: Complete Lesson Plans for One Year • First, Second, Third, or Fourth Form Latin complete set • Seventh Grade Literature: Study Guide Sets w/ Novels • Book of the Ancient Greeks set • Book of the Ancient World set • Iliad & Odyssey set w/ Novels • Poetry for the Seventh Grade • College of the Redwoods Pre-Algebra • Rod and Staff English 7 set • Geography: Exploring & Mapping the World set • Exploring Planet Earth set • Classical Composition: Refutation /Confirmation Stage set

English Grammar English Grammar Recitation NEW! Grades 3+

Memoria Press’ English Grammar Recitation is a manual of approximately 150 grammar questions, answers, and examples designed to be studied and memorized much like a catechism. It is perfect for the serious Latin student who needs an English grammar program that coordinates with his study of Latin over the five years of Latina Christiana through the Form Series. The contents of English Grammar Recitation are thus divided into five sections, each of which has a corresponding workbook, shown opposite, providing thirty lessons to be completed in one year. Each two-page lesson covers two to three grammar questions along with practice exercises.

English Grammar Recitation also covers common capitalization and punctuation rules by means of concise style sheets.

Brief exercises, including some diagramming, do accompany these grammar questions; however, the mastery of the English grammar catechism is the primary goal of this course, not its application. English Grammar Recitation also covers capitalization and punctuation through recitation. Students recite the rules and demonstrate their correct use through dictation of model sentences.

It is hoped that this course can be completed in much less time than the typical English grammar course, leaving more time for composition and Latin.

English Grammar Recitation $9.95 Workbook I (Grades 3+) Student $11.95 | Teacher $12.95 Workbook II (Grades 4+) Student $11.95 | Teacher $12.95

Workbook III (Grades 5+) Workbook IV (Grades 6+) Workbook V (Grades 7+)

Fall 2013 Spring 2014 Spring 2014

1-877-862-1097

The education That Time Forgot

“Get ready for the newest round of permissivist education.”

by Martin Cothran

gets little attention is its commentary on the education of the time, which takes the form of the author's recollections of the changes that were occurring in the classroom of her small-town school.

I

t was called the “Best Novel of the Century” by the Library Journal in 1999. Oprah Winfrey, whose good taste in books belies her otherwise mischievous cultural influence, has called it “our national novel.”

And it won the recent Publisher’s Weekly poll which asked the question, “What is the great American novel?” In doing so, it beat out Huckleberry Finn, The Great Gatsby, and Grapes of Wrath.

The book was, of course, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, which only recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, one of the reasons, perhaps, that its stock has been rising in recent years—that and the fact that it is simply a very, very good book.

This largely autobiographical account of Lee’s own childhood in small-town Alabama in the 1930s is remarkable for many reasons, but one aspect of it that

Martin Cothran, a writer and teacher, is the director of the Classical Latin School Association, an editor of the Classical Teacher magazine, and the author of Memoria Press’ Traditional Logic, Material Logic, Classical Rhetoric, and Lingua Biblica.

The Beginning of the End of American Education

A

mericans have a short memory, and we are tempted to think that the corruption of our schools (like the corruption of so much else) began in the 1960s. In fact, it began much earlier than that.

Scout, the young female protagonist of Lee’s story, is upbraided on the first day of the fall term by her new teacher when she discovers that Scout already knows how to read. A “faint line appeared between her eyebrows” as she “discovered that I was literate and looked at me with more than faint distaste.” Her newly trained teacher was part of the progressivist vanguard that had begun taking over American schools in the 1920s. Part of the change involved replacing phonics instruction with what later came to be called the “look/say” method of reading instruction and which is now a part of what is called “whole language”—the teaching of English word by word rather than by the more efficient system of decoding.

"It’s best to begin reading with a fresh mind," said the young teacher, who went on waving cards at us on which were printed ‘the,’ ‘cat,’ ‘rat,’ ‘man,’ and ‘you.’ No comment seemed to be expected of us, and the class received these impressionistic revelations in silence.

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18

The Education That Time Forgot The teacher, it turns out, was also scandalized by the fact that Scout wrote in cursive: “We don’t write in the first grade, we print. You won’t learn to write until you’re in the third grade.”

And, of course, there was the teacher’s admonition that Scout’s father was no longer to read to her: “You tell him I’ll take over from here and try to undo the damage—” The remainder of my schooldays were no more auspicious than the first. Indeed, they were an endless Project that slowly evolved into a Unit, in which miles of construction paper and wax crayon were expended by the State of Alabama in its well-meaning but fruitless efforts to teach me Group Dynamics. What Jem called the Dewey Decimal System was school-wide by the end of my first year, so I had no chance to compare it with other teaching techniques. I could only look around me: Atticus and my uncle, who went to school at home, knew everything—at least, what one didn’t know the other did. Furthermore, I couldn’t help noticing that my father had served for years in the state legislature, elected each time without opposition, innocent of the adjustments my teachers thought essential to the development of Good Citizenship. Jem, educated on a half-Decimal half-Duncecap basis, seemed to function effectively alone or in a group, but Jem was a poor example: no tutorial system devised by man could have stopped him from getting at books.

Obscured somewhat by the haze of time and seen through the eyes of a six-year-old girl, this is Lee’s description of the rise of “unit studies,” “cooperative education,” and “project-oriented” learning. And Jem’s

“Try to go out and find any teacher’s college that offers a class in how to teach intensive systematic phonics anymore—or in traditional, drill-based math instruction, or how to run an orderly, disciplined classroom.

You will search in vain.”

www.MemoriaPress.com “Dewey Decimal System” was, of course, his conflation of the popular system of library classification with the name of the leader of the progressivist movement in education: John Dewey.

Gussy it up a bit, add a few technological bells and whistles, and you have what is now being called “21st century learning.” It is explained in a recent article in my local newspaper about a school district which purports to have had a bad experience with traditional education and is ready to try something else: “I never know what I’m going to see when I walk by a classroom,” [said one of the teachers].

“This teaching model is a far cry from the traditional 'sit and get,' said Madison County Schools superintendent Tommy Floyd. “[Today’s students’] learning looks a lot different than what [older generations] experienced in school,” Floyd said. “We sat in a row, we listened to somebody do all the talking, we took some kind of a written test and then we went out the door. Why does learning have to stop at 3 o’clock? Why does it have to stop at the door?”

This superintendent has apparently been caught in some kind of time warp. Possibly he fell asleep in the mountains after playing ninepins with a bunch of grizzled men in Dutch clothes. Traditional education of the “sit and get” variety was long ago purged from most public school classrooms. It survives now only in small pockets of resistance—teachers who have closed their doors to quietly traffic in the illicit arts of drill, practice, and memorization.

In most places, traditional education hasn’t been seen or heard of since the demise of the manual typewriter. Anyone who claims to have witnessed it in an actual classroom should probably be classed with those who think they have seen a live plesiosaurus or spotted a Great Auk. Where in the public system are these “sit and get” classrooms that we must now eliminate?

Although many private schools still have them (and work quite nicely, thank you), they are now mostly a phantom in the minds of permissivist propagandists in the education establishment. Virtually every teacher’s college in existence has been doing nothing but training teachers in permissivist techniques since at least the 1940s (maybe even earlier).

Try to go out and find any teacher’s college that offers a class in how to teach intensive systematic phonics anymore—or in traditional, drill-based math instruction, or how to run an orderly, disciplined classroom.

You will search in vain.

The Education That Time Forgot

1-877-862-1097

... “child-centered” learning gets trotted out in this 20-30 year cycle, goes into hibernation in teacher’s colleges, then gets trotted out again when everyone forgets how badly it worked the last time—and the time before that ...”

Progressive Education

1910

T

1920

Life Adjustment

1930

1940

1950

raditional education serves the same role for the educational establishment as the "Brotherhood" in George Orwell’s 1984. The "Brotherhood" is an organization intent on destroying the Party and the State. Members of the Party are brought together at 11:00 a.m. every day for the "Two Minutes Hate," where they are encouraged by Party officials to actively revile the telescreen while it plays the speeches of Emmanuel Goldstein, the leader of the "Brotherhood." They yell and scream and throw things at the images until officials call an end to it.

It is all made up, of course. There is no Emmanuel Goldstein and there is no "Brotherhood," at least not any more. They are inventions of the Party, designed to gain emotional support for the Party and its political teachings.

Traditional education provides the modern educational establishment with an excuse to have its own "Two Minutes Hate." Images of traditional education are called up before the minds of aspiring educators who dutifully work themselves up into a passion against this mostly imaginary enemy.

But the extinction (or near extinction) of traditional education in public schools hasn’t stopped modern educators from continuing to engage in a Quixotic propaganda campaign against it as if it is what schools have been doing all along.

All this in defense of the “newest thing.” But the newest thing is itself an illusion.

The most notable characteristic of the “newest thing” in education is how old it is. It is really the old new thing repackaged. So-called “child-centered” learning gets trotted out in this 20-30 year cycle, goes into hibernation in teacher’s colleges, then gets trotted out again when everyone forgets how badly it worked the last time—and the time before that, and the time before that.

In the 1920s it was called “progressive education”; in the late 1940s and early 50s it was called “Life

Open Classrooms

1960

1970

OutcomeBased

1980

1990

2000

Adjustment” education; in the late 1960s and early 70s it was called “open classrooms”; and the early 1990s version took the name “outcome-based” education.

They were all versions of the same permissivist program that downplays the authority of the teacher, focuses on the psyche of the child, and shuns an intellectual focus in favor of job skills.

It’s kind of humorous how little the rhetoric changes. It always involves an emphasis on: (which manifests itself as nn“child-centeredness” a neglect of skills and subject matter)

importance of “fun” in the classroom nnthe (which manifests itself in the outright ridicule of

memorization, drill, and practice) learning (which ends up meaning nn“cooperative” the shunning of order of any kind, whether in subject matter or classroom management) who “facilitate” rather than, say, teach nnteachers (the ideal permissivist classroom is one run by students instead of the teacher) student activities (as opposed to nn“hands-on” books—remember them?)

You can go back to the 20s and the 40s, and the terms are almost identical. If you go back and look at textbooks from teacher’s colleges from the 1940s, you’ll find exactly the same rhetoric. And if you go back to the 1920s, you’ll find pretty much the same thing.

The newest “newest thing” in public school classrooms today turns out to be Projects and Units, Group Dynamics, and Jem’s Dewey Decimal System.

The only difference is the technological veneer.

If you peel off the label saying “new” from “21st century learning,” what you will find is Scout’s rural classroom in 1930s Alabama.

Little has changed but the name.

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20

Literature

www.MemoriaPress.com

dev eloping su pe rior r e ade rs Reading requires an active, discriminating mind that is challenged to think, compare, and contrast.

Students who have been challenged by good literature will develop into superior readers and will never be satisfied with poor-quality books. Each novel has been carefully selected to nourish your child's reading skills. The study guides focus on vocabulary, spelling, comprehension, and composition skills, which train students to become active readers.

Each lesson includes a word study to help students build vocabulary. The comprehension questions challenge students to consider what they have read,

identify the important content of each story, and compose clear, concise answers (a difficult skill at any age). Writing is thinking, and good questioning stimulates the child to think and write. Each lesson also includes fun enrichment activities such as composition, map work, research, drawing, and much more!

"I tend to want to trust Memoria Press most in all of this simply because I think they have excellent materials and because they provide very cogent articles in support of their position ..." - Brian G.

First Grade Literature $14.95

StoryTime Treasures Student Guide

$14.95

More StoryTime Treasures Student Guide

$10.00 Teacher Key

StoryTime Treasures Set

$40.00

More StoryTime Treasures Set

Student Guide $14.95 Blueberries for Sal $7.99 Little Bear $3.95 Make Way For Ducklings $7.99 Little Bear's Visit $3.95 Caps for Sale $6.99

Student Guide $14.95 Miss Rumphius $7.99 Billy and Blaze $5.99 The Little House $6.95

$52.00

The Story About Ping $3.99 Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie $6.95 Stone Soup $6.99 Blaze and the Forest Fire $5.99

Second Grade Literature $55.00

Literature Guide Set

$99.00

Literature Guide Set w/ Novels

Student Guides: The Courage of Sarah Noble, Little House in the Big Woods, Tales From Beatrix Potter, Mr. Popper's Penguins, and Teacher Key

Student Guides, Teacher Key, & Novels

The Courage of Sarah Noble

Little House in the Big Woods

Tales from Beatrix Potter

Mr. Popper's Penguins

Student Gd. $11.95 Novel $4.99

Student Gd. $11.95 Novel $6.99

Student Gd. $11.95 Stories (ea.) $6.99

Student Gd. $11.95 Novel $6.99

2nd Grade Lit. Teacher Key $12.95

Third Grade Literature $69.00

Literature Guide Set

$93.00

Literature Guide Set w/ Novels

Student & Teacher Guides: Farmer Boy, Charlotte's Web, The Moffats

Student Guides, Teacher Guides, & Novels

Farmer Boy

(Third Grade sets above do not include Homer Price)

Student Gd. Teacher Key Novel

Charlotte's Web $11.95 $12.95 $8.99

Student Gd. Teacher Key Novel

The Moffats $11.95 $12.95 $8.99

Student Gd. Teacher Key Novel

$11.95 $12.95 $6.95

Fourth Grade Literature $69.00

Literature Guide Set

$94.00

Literature Guide Set w/ Novels

Homer Price Beta Student Gd. Teacher Key Novel

Student & Teacher Guides: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; Heidi; Lassie Come-Home

Student Guides, Teacher Guides, & Novels

The Lion, the Witch ...

Heidi

Student Gd. Teacher Key Novel

Student Gd. Teacher Key Novel

$11.95 $12.95 $8.99

Lassie Come-Home $11.95 $12.95 $4.99

Student Gd. Teacher Key Novel

$11.95 $12.95 $6.99

$11.95 $12.95 $5.99

Literature

1-877-862-1097

Fifth Grade Literature $95.00

Literature Guide Set

Student & Teacher Guides: King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table, Robin Hood, Adam of the Road, The Door in the Wall

$118.00 Literature Guide Set w/ Novels Student Guides, Teacher Guides, & Novels

King Arthur Student Gd. Teacher Key Novel

Robin Hood $11.95 $12.95 $4.99

Student Gd. Teacher Key Novel

Adam of the Road $11.95 $12.95 $4.99

Student Gd. Teacher Key Novel

The Door in the Wall NEW! $11.95 $12.95 $6.99

Student Gd. Teacher Key Novel

$11.95 $12.95 $5.99

Sixth Grade Literature $95.00

Literature Guide Set

Student & Teacher Guides: Anne of Green Gables, Treasure Island, The Bronze Bow, The Hobbit

$129.00 Literature Guide Set w/ Novels Student Guides, Teacher Guides, & Novels

Anne of Green Gables

Treasure Island

Student Gd. Teacher Key Novel

Student Gd. Teacher Key Novel

$11.95 $12.95 $9.95

The Bronze Bow $11.95 $12.95 $9.95

Student Gd. Teacher Key Novel

The Hobbit $11.95 $12.95 $6.95

Student Gd. Teacher Key Novel

$11.95 $12.95 $10.99

Seventh Grade Literature $95.00

Literature Guide Set

Student & Teacher Guides: The Wind in the Willows, Robinson Crusoe, As You Like It, A Midsummer Night's Dream

$129.00 Literature Guide Set w/ Novels Student Guides, Teacher Guides, & Novels

Eighth Grade Literature

The Wind in the Willows

Robinson Crusoe

Student Gd. Teacher Key Novel

Student Gd. Teacher Key Novel

$11.95 $12.95 $9.95

As You Like It $11.95 $12.95 $7.95

Student Gd. Teacher Key Novel

A Midsummer Night's Dream NEW! $11.95 $12.95 $9.95

Student Gd. Teacher Key Novel

$11.95 $12.95 $9.95

Beta!

Beowulf Student Gd. Teacher Key Novel

$11.95 $12.95 $10.95

Poetry Poetry for the Seventh Grade $19.95

Poetry for the Grammar Stage

Poems & Short Stories

Poetry: Book 2 $19.95

Elizabethan Age to Neo-Classicism

Grades 3-6

Poetry: Book 3 $19.95

Student $14.95 | Key $10.00 This poetry book is intended for use in the grammar school years as a supplemental study of the poetry students memorize in our literature study guides. Poetry study includes questions to help students analyze the meanings of the poems, including vocabulary work. Poems increase in difficulty as students move through the book over a four-year period.

Romantic to Victorian Age

Poetry Anthologies

NEW!

Grades 7+

Did you ever wish you didn't have to sort through all the thousands of poems that have been written over the years to find the best of the best?

Cheryl Lowe has done the work for you in these three new anthologies, including two volumes of British poetry and one volume of American poetry and short stories from the 19th-20th Centuries (which we use in the 7th grade). These anthologies will be a great supplement to your student's literature studies in these time periods.

21

22

Getting Started ...

1

Obtain a username & password:

Go to the Online Academy website and click on "Login." Next, click "Create new account" to create a username and password. After you've registered, follow the simple instructions in your confirmation email. That's it!

No two students can register under the same email address. Each student will need to have his/her own username, password, and email account.

REVIEWS: "It's amazing how much he learned and how much he enjoyed class!"

"I want to thank you for teaching Latin this year. This class has certainly raised my opinion of what can be accomplished in an online class."

"I just registered my daughter for her second year of Classical Composition III. Thank you so much for offering these composition courses. My daughter went from being a timid writer to an accomplished, beautiful writer in just one year.

Since I have 5 children younger than her, you will see our name often for your courses."

2

Choose a course & explore:

You are ready to explore. Navigate to the home page to find links for information on classes, faculty, enrollment, and more! Once you have chosen a course, you may enroll by clicking "Enroll in ... (Class Title)."

After completing the payment process, you are given access to the course page for your class. It will contain everything you need, including access to the instructor, the virtual classroom, the syllabus, quizzes, final exams, and other class-related documents. There will also be resources for parents to help with common questions like, "What is logic?" or "Why should my child take Latin?"

You do not need a PayPal account to check-out. However, once you click to enroll in your course, you will be directed to use PayPal for a onetime-only transaction with your credit card.

3

virtual classes:

We offer state-of-the-art, live audio/video instruction with high interaction between students and the instructor. Formats naturally vary depending on the course. Some of the activities may include lessons, drills, review, vocal recitation, and in-class discussions about the material. The Online Classical Academy emphasizes thought-provoking dialogue to stimulate thinking and class participation. Both motivate students to be prepared and foster a highquality learning environment.

4

Class times:

Only one class time per week is required for most courses, although some classes require more. Students have access to the instructor, quizzes, grades, and a virtual community of peers.

Additionally, our instructors record and post all classes, so each past lesson can be revisited anytime!

Multiple class times are usually available for our courses. Each student must attend at least one of the scheduled class times. Students only attend one class time, but may attend an additional one with instructor approval. We are here to help students thoroughly and confidently grasp the material.

5

Dedicated support:

Customer service is a priority. You will never have to navigate through automated menus.

During business hours, our team of committed staff members is prepared to take your call directly and answer all your questions.

For help, contact us at: help@memoriapress.com or (877) 862-1097.

Prices range from $199.95 to $550

23

Memoria Press

Online Academy FACULTY & STAFF For detailed descriptions of individual classes, including course materials, please visit us online: www.MemoriaPress.com/OnlineSchool

AP American History AP Modern European History U.S. History

GOVERNMENT & ECON.

✓

Grade

Spring

Fall

These courses teach the basic ideas of political philosophy and economics (the basic structure of and influences on American government), with an emphasis on the differences between classical and modern political and economic philosophy.

✓ 10+ Intro to Classical Economics 10+ Intro to Classical Political Philosophy

Fall

Spring

Grade

Our sequence follows the traditional Aristotelian approach, teaching students to master the science and art of demonstration, as well as the fundamentals of defi nition, classification, and division.

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

4+ 5+ 6+ 6+ 8+ 8+ 8+ 9+ 10+ 4-5 6-7 7-8 7-8 9+

✓ ✓ 7+ ✓ 9+ ✓ 9+ ✓ 10+

Traditional Logic I & II Material Logic with Aristotle Informal Logical Fallacies Classical Rhetoric with Aristotle

MATH & SCIENCE

We offer a complete sequence covering a broad range of topics and use a logical, systematic, mastery approach to teach fundamental procedures and abstract mathematical concepts.

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

✓ 7-9 Pre-Algebra ✓ 9+ Anatomy & Physiology ✓ 9+ Algebra I & II ✓ 9+ Biology

Classical Composition: Fable Stage Classical Composition: Narrative Stage Classical Composition: Chreia/Maxim Stage Middle School Composition I Middle School Composition II High School Composition I High School Composition II High School Composition III Composition: Senior Thesis Grammar School English Literature I Grammar School English Literature II Middle School English Literature I Middle School English Literature II English I/II: The Short Story 9+ English I/II: The Short Novel 10+ English III: The Divine Comedy 11+ English V Senior Seminar: Modernist Fiction & The Christian Response

COLLEGE PREP.

Our College Prep. courses focus on critical reading, math, and writing skills to ensure that students are especially prepared for standardized tests.

✓

Grade

9+ 9+ 6+

LOGIC & RHETORIC

Students will learn how to read, analyze, and discuss literature by gaining a basic understanding of plot, character, and sett ing. Implementing the method of writing instruction used for 1,500 years, students will also learn to express themselves with clarity, precision, and style.

Spring

Grade

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Fall

Spring

Students will have the opportunity to interact with the greatest minds from the greatest cultures of preceding civilizations through the study of the best primary and secondary sources.

✓ 3-5 Latina Christiana I ✓ 4+ First Form Latin ✓ 5+ Second Form Latin ✓ 6+ Third Form Latin ✓ 8+ Fourth Form Latin ✓ 6+ Middle School Latin I-II ✓ 8+ High School Latin I-IV ✓ 11+ High School Latin V: Virgil ✓ 9+ First Form Greek ✓ 9+ Biblical Greek I ✓ --- NLE Preparatory Course (Intro) ✓ --- NLE Preparatory Course (Level I)

ENGLISH

Fall

MODERN STUDIES

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Grade

3+ 3+ 6+ 5+ 10+ 10+ 11+ 10+

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Ms. Parry Instructor

Memoria Press’ grammar-based Latin & Greek programs teach the mother tongues of Western civilization in a clear, incremental, and systematic way.

Fall

✓

Classical Studies I: The Greeks Classical Studies II: The Romans Classical Studies III: Greek Drama Classical Studies IV: Classical Metaphysics D'Aulaires' Greek Myths Famous Men of Rome Famous Men of Greece Famous Men of the Middle Ages Christian Studies: Early Church History Christian Studies: City of God Christian Studies: A Reformation Reader Christian Studies: Fundamentals

Mr. Nygaard Instructor

LATIN & GREEK

Fall

✓ 8+ ✓ 9+ ✓ 9+ ✓ 11+

Mr. Vaden Instructor

Spring

Spring

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Grade

Fall

A careful selection of primary and secondary sources as we take students through the history, thought, and geography of the cultures of Athens, Rome, and Jerusalem.

Spring

CLASSICAL/CHRISTIAN

Mr. King Instructor

Grade

Mr. Brooks Instructor

9+

PSAT Mini-Prep Course

Grade

Mr. Lange Instructor

Spring

Mr. Piland Co-Director

Fall

Mr. Cothran Co-Director

(877) 862-1097 www.MemoriaPress.com/OnlineSchool

Jr. K

K

1st

2nd

3rd

877-862-1097

4th

5th

6th

7th

Literature Guides for Grades 1-7 (pp. 20-21)

Grades 3-8

Grades 4-8

D'Aulaires' Greek Myths (p. 37)

Famous Men of Rome (p. 37)

Grades 5-8

Famous Men of the Middle Ages (p. 37)

Grades 5-8

First Start French (p. 46)

Grades 5-8 Famous Men of Greece (p. 37)

Writing & Grammar

French

Classical Core Curriculum Packages for Jr. K through 7th Grade Everything you need for one year! (pp. 11-15)

Grades 3-6

English Grammar Recitation I & II (p. 16)

Grades 6-8

Famous Men of Modern Times (p. 37)

Grades 6-8 The Trojan War (p. 38)

Latin

Classical

Literature

packages

www.MemoriaPress.com

Grades 3-6

Latina Christiana (p. 7)

Grades 7+

Traditional Logic I & II (p. 32)

Grades 9+

Material Logic (p. 32)

Grades 5+

First Form Latin (p. 8)

Grades 9+

Classical Rhetoric (p. 33)

Grades 6+

Second Form Latin (p. 8)

Christian

Logic

Prima Latina (p. 6)

Rhetoric

Grades 1-4

Grades 7+

Third Form Latin (p. 9)

Grades 3-8

Christian Studies I-IV (p. 39)

Grad

Intro Compo

Gra

Hora Brid

Classical Christian Education for all Ages ...

Grades 4-12

oduction to osition (p. 35)

ades 6+

atius at the dge (p. 37)

Grades 7+

Classical Composition (p. 45)

Grades 6-9

The Book of the Ancient Greeks (p. 38)

Grades 8+

Fourth Form Latin (p. 9)

Grades 6-9

The Book of the Ancient World (p. 38)

Grades K-1

Grades 10+ The City of God (p. 39)

Grades 1-4

First Start Reading (p. 26)

New American Cursive (p. 27)

Iliad & Odyssey (p. 38)

Grades 9+

Grades 5+ Greek Alphabet (p. 10)

Grades 6-9

The Book of the Ancient Romans (p. 38)

Grades 6-9 The Middle Ages (p. 38)

Grades 3-8

Grades 3-6 States & Capitals (p. 29)

Classical education made easier ...

p. 22

Grades 8+

The Aeneid (p. 38)

Grades 10+

Divine Comedy (p. 38)

Grades 5+

Henle Latin w/ Memoria Press Guides (p. 10)

200 Questions About American History (p. 29)

Copybooks (p. 27)

Academy

English Grammar Recitation (p. 16)

Grades 7+

Grades K-2

Online

Science

des 3-6

Grade K

Numbers Books (p. 26)

Greek

Grade Jr. K

Alphabet Books (p. 26)

Modern

Primary

✓Complete curriculum packages ✓Customize your own package ✓Purchase books separately

Memoria Press Science (p. 28)

Grades 4+

Geography I (p. 29)

Grades 5+

Geography II (p. 29)

Grades 5-8

Story of the Thirteen Colonies (p. 29)

26

Primary Education

www.MemoriaPress.com

Alphabet Books NEW! Recommended for Ages 4-5

$30.00 (2 book set) Learning the alphabet is the critical first step in learning how to read. The Alphabet Book teaches letter recognition, letter formation, and pencil grip through repetition and tracing. Activities, created with the younger student in mind, make learning each letter simple and fun. This book also introduces initial and ending sounds, providing a gentle introduction to phonics. The Alphabet Book acts as a great supplement to any primary program or fullyear preschool/kindergarten program.

Coloring Books NEW!

Alphabet & Numbers Recommended for Ages 4-5

$6.00 ea.

Have you been searching high and low for junior kindergarten activities that are fun and instructional?

Look no further! These coloring books have simple line drawings on uncluttered pages! The Alphabet Coloring Book has a 2-page spread for each letter, and the Numbers Coloring Book has two sets of 2-page spreads for numbers 0-12. These books are the perfect supplement to any junior kindergarten program.

Numbers Books NEW!

by Leigh Lowe Recommended for Kindergarten

$30.00 (2 book set) Written by Leigh Lowe (author of Prima Latina), the Numbers Book is the perfect introduction to numbers, counting, and patterns. Lots of tracing practice also makes this book ideal for the slightly older student who has already mastered counting, but still needs extra practice writing numbers. The activities (mazes, coloring, pattern recognition, connect the dots, and more!) are so much fun that your student won't be able to wait for the next lesson!

Alphabet Wall Charts (11''x17'')

Manuscript Charts $14.95 | Cursive Charts $14.95 (New American Cursive font)

Visual aids reinforce each letter of the alphabet while young students learn to read and write or practice their cursive penmanship. With beautiful letters, colors, and hand-drawn illustrations, they also make great educational posters for your home and/or classroom!

First Start Reading: Phonics, Reading, and Printing

by Cheryl Lowe Recommended for Kindergarten

$39.95 set (Books A, B, C, & D + Teacher Guide) Your children can begin reading instantly as they progress through 4 simple student books and 34 phonetic stories. The Teacher Guide includes helpful assessments, tips, and more!

• consonants • short & long vowels • 57 common words • manuscript printing • artist-drawn coloring pictures • drawing pages for every letter FSR is a balanced, age-appropriate approach to phonics and reading, with a serious focus on correct pencil grip and letter formation. Also, while many phonics programs today use the ladder approach (consonant-vowel blending), we prefer the more traditional (vowel-consonant) approach combined with word families. Mastery of short vowels is the sine qua non of phonics programs, but few programs provide adequate practice. *Note: Printing, an important pathway of the learning process, is an integral part of FSR. Some children, however, are reading-ready before their motor skills are developed enough for printing.

If this is the case with your child, you may use FSR without the printing component.

Classical Phonics

A Child's Guide to Word Mastery Grades K-2

$14.95 Classical Phonics consists of phonetically-arranged word lists for students to practice their growing word recognition skills.

In a word list there are no context clues, so the learner must rely on his mastery of letter sounds. For instance, if your child can pronounce each word in this list correctly – pot, pat, pit, put, pet – he knows his short vowel sounds, and you can move on to long vowels! If not, he needs more practice, and Classical Phonics is the most effective tool we know of to address the repetition that young ones need when learning to read. It can be used as a supplement to any phonics program and covers nearly all English phonograms and sounds taught through second grade. Classical Phonics is your go-to resource for phonics practice and for building confident readers.

Classical Phonics is a teacher and student guide all in one. It provides thorough, concise phonics explanations at the bottom of most pages, giving you the background you need to teach phonics even if you never learned it yourself.

Primary Education

1-877-862-1097

Memoria Press Copybook Series

by Cheryl & Leigh Lowe Grades K-2

$39.95 set (Copybooks I-III) Copybook I $14.95 | Copybook II $14.95 | Copybook III $14.95 | These three-in-one wonders include memory passages, copybook exercises, and drawing pages. We have selected Scripture from the King James Bible and classic children’s poems, such as those by Robert Louis Stevenson, which describe the world in charming detail. Our copybooks introduce basic strokes and margin/spacing guidelines, along with alphabet practice pages with traceable characters and instructions for difficult letters.

Copybook Cursive:

Scripture & Poems (New American Cursive)

$14.95 Now get our original Copybook III in cursive!

Filled with the same Scripture and poetry in our original Copybook III, but formatted in the New American Cursive font, our second graders complete this copybook alongside New American Cursive 2. Also a good choice for older students who need cursive practice.

Composition & Sketchbook $7.95

The Book of Crafts

New American Cursive 1

by Iris Hatfield Grades 1-4

$22.95 Some people think computers have made cursive writing skills obsolete, but good handwriting and computers are not mutually exclusive. Should we stop teaching language arts because a child can now text message?

Before the early 1940s, virtually all children were taught cursive in the first grade. Research shows that when third graders begin writing cursive, they return to a first grade speed level. By learning cursive earlier, students can focus more on other subjects once they reach the upper grades.

Simple, clear, & effective! ✓ 8-page teaching guide ✓ 125 Instruction and exercise lessons ✓ Illustrations/Exercises for letter connections ✓ Journaling pages ✓ Practice includes Bible verses and quotes ✓ Simplified classic letter forms ✓ Focus on accuracy and legibility ✓ Natural right slant (easier for beginners & lefties) ✓ Takes only 15 min./day!

New American Cursive 2 Grades 2-4

$22.95 ea. (available in two versions: Scripture passages

For primary students who have gained skill and confidence in writing. Allows each student to write and illustrate compositions.

Each writing page has a full-page illustration box on the facing page. In years to come, these books will provide a treasured journal of your child’s progress in writing.

or quotes from great Americans)

Students continue working on cursive fluency with New American Cursive 2. Practice pages include character-building passages from Scripture or great Americans. As students gain confidence in their cursive, exercises in creative writing are added.

New American Cursive 3 NEW!

for Junior Kindergarten Classical Core Curriculum Supplement

by Tara Luse

$16.95 The creative arts are an essential part of the primary school education. By using the activities in this book, you can reinforce number and letter recognition, strengthen fine motor skills, and foster creativity and confidence. This book is for the youngest crafters and is intended to be a supplement to our Junior Kindergarten curriculum. For easy reference, the crafts are separated into three categories: Literature Crafts, Letter Crafts, and Review Day Crafts.

While the crafts in this book have been carefully chosen to promote skill growth and coordination, the most important component is fun. Enjoy each of your creations and the time spent together making them!

27

Scripture & Lessons on Manners Grades 3-4

$22.95 New American Cursive 3 is designed to enhance the student’s development of cursive writing skills while teaching good manners and correspondence protocol. It combines proven teaching methods with the needs of the contemporary student for a fast, legible script.

Startwrite CD

New American Cursive supplement

$29.95 This New American Cursive supplemental software is available for easy, customizable worksheets to integrate handwriting practice with any subject.

28

New Primary Resources

Kindergarten Enrichment NEW! Classical Core Curriculum Supplement

by Leigh Lowe & Michelle Tefertiller

$19.95 This supplemental guide is organized by week, matching our Classical Core Kindergarten program. It includes an overview of each read-aloud book, author and illustrator biographies, oral reading questions, and a simple language lesson. These activities will help bring each book alive for your student. Also included are resources for the social studies and science lessons, biographies of the artists and composers, and poetry lessons.

Alphabet Flashcards NEW! $10.00 (4¼'' x 5½") These flashcards are modeled after our manuscript Alphabet Wall Charts. Each letter is on one side of the card, and the image beginning with that letter is on the flip side. These are perfect for reinforcing your child's letter recognition and beginning sounds.

www.MemoriaPress.com

Primary Art Cards NEW!

Kindergarten $9.95 | 1st Grade $9.95 | 2nd Grade $9.95 (5½" x 8½") Enrich your child's primary educational experience with beautiful pieces of art from the most influential artistic movements in history including the Renaissance, Romanticism, Impressionism, and more! These supplements are coordinated with our primary Classical Core Curricula.

Alphabet Wall Poster NEW! $7.00 (22'' x 34'') We created this chart upon the request of our homeschool customers.

This poster-sized chart has the alphabet listed in manuscript and cursive. If you don't have the wall space for our Alphabet Wall Charts (p. 26), this poster is the perfect resource for your students!

Science Book of Astronomy Grades 3+

Student $14.95 | Teacher $16.95 This astronomy program covers stars, constellations, and the motion of the earth, as well as the sky as seen throughout all the seasons, including the “Summer Triangle” and seasonal zodiacs. This program was developed with third graders in mind, but it is also great for older students!

Book of Insects Grades 4+

$45.00 set

(reader, student, teacher, Peterson Guide)

Student $14.95 | Teacher $14.95 | Reader $14.95 | Peterson Guide $6.95 This set includes a classic reader that takes a narrative approach to the life of insects and a workbook that takes your student through the different kinds of insects.

What’s That Bird?

Grades 5+

$48.00 set

J. H. Tiner Series NEW!

Complete with Memoria Press Quizzes, Reviews, & Tests Text $13.99 ea. | Quizzes, Reviews, & Tests $8.00 ea.

Choose from: Exploring the History of Medicine Exploring Planet Earth Exploring the World of Mathematics Exploring the World of Chemistry Exploring the World of Physics Exploring the World of Biology

Grades 5+ Grades 6+ Grades 6+ Grades 6+ Grades 6+ Grades ???+

(student, teacher, reader, Peterson Guide, coloring book)

Student $11.95 | Teacher $12.95 | Reader $14.95 | Peterson Guide $6.95 | Coloring Book $7.95 What’s That Bird? teaches students about birds, their anatomy, and how they live. The workbook includes facts to know, comprehension questions, and characteristics of individual birds. Students will learn about 30 common birds, as well as several incredible birds!

Turn this Birds Unit Study into a full-year science course with the addition of J. H. Tiner’s Exploring the History of Medicine.

American/Modern Studies

1-877-862-1097

The Story of the NEW! Thirteen Colonies & the Great Republic Grades 5-8

$39.95 set (text, student, teacher)

Novel $16.95 | Student $17.95 | Teacher $17.95

We have combined Guerber's The Story of the Thirteen Colonies and The Story of the Great Republic into one edited volume that makes it a perfect one-year survey of American history for the middle school years. The study guide includes important facts, vocabulary, and comprehension questions for each chapter, as well as enrichment activities such as mapwork, drawings, research, writing assignments, and more!

States & Capitals Grades 3-6

$30.00 set (text, student, teacher) Text $7.99 | Student $11.95 Teacher $12.95

In this study guide each state is given a 2-page spread that includes a map with room to write the state capital, nickname, abbreviation, and fun facts about the state. By the end of this year-long course, students will be able to map all 50 states and capitals. We recommend that this guide be used with Don’t Know Much About the 50 States.

Geography I: NEW!

The Middle East, North Africa, & Europe Grades 4+

Text $14.95 | Student $11.95 Teacher $12.95 A unique geography program designed for students pursuing a classical education, Geography of the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe covers the area that constituted the ancient Roman Empire. Each region is explored in its historical context in “History’s Headlines” as well as in the present in “Tour of Today.”

The United States NEW!

Review of States & Capitals (shown above) Grades 4+ Workbook $5.00 | Key, Quizzes, Tests $7.95

This study guide will help students retain the knowledge they gained in their study of States & Capitals. This review takes very little time and makes a great companion to Geography I.

$48.00 set

(Geography I Text, Workbook, and Teacher Guide + United States Review Workbook & Teacher Key)

200 Questions About NEW! American History Guide $9.95 | Key $5.00

We have compiled a list of 200 questions that everyone should know about American history. The questions come directly from our newly edited The Story of the Thirteen Colonies & the Great Republic (left), Everything You Need to Know About American History Homework, and Story of the World, Vol. 4.

Everything You Need to Know About American History Homework $9.99 This book, filled with charts, maps, timelines, and short summaries of important facts about American history, makes a great companion to Guerber's The Story of the Thirteen Colonies and the Great Republic (top left).

The Artner Reader's Guide to American History Grades 3-8

$14.95 The Artners have read and researched, selected and catalogued, the best of children’s American history books—both in and out of print.

Geography II: NEW!

Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Oceania, & the Americas Grades 5+ Text $14.95 | Student $11.95 Teacher $12.95

After studying Geography I, students are ready to cover areas of the world outside the ancient Roman Empire. Each lesson includes physical features, history, and culture. Students will continue to deepen their understanding of past and present as they learn about ancient and modern countries.

Geography I Review NEW!

The Middle East, North Africa, & Europe Grades 4+ Workbook $5.00 | Key, Quizzes, Tests $7.95

This study guide will help students retain the knowledge they gained in their study of Geography I. This review takes very little time and makes a great companion to Geography II.

$48.00 set

(Geography II Text, Workbook, and Teacher Guide + Geography I Review Workbook & Teacher Key)

29

30

Practical Logic

www.MemoriaPress.com

Martin Cothran, a writer and teacher, is the director of the Classical Latin School Association,a editor of the Classical Teacher magazine, and the author of Memoria Press’ Traditional Logic, Material Logic, Classical Rhetoric, and Lingua Biblica.

There are two ways

to go wrong when it comes to education. The first is to emphasize the intellect over the affections; the second is to emphasize the affections over the intellect. The first we might call the “Rationalistic Fallacy”; the second we might call the “Romantic Fallacy.” These two fallacies plague all modern intellectual endeavors, but they are most pronounced in the world of professional educators.

The First Fallacy The first of these fallacies is illustrated by Thomas Gradgrind, the stern schoolmaster in Charles Dickens' Hard Times: "Now, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else. You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts: nothing else will ever be of any service to them. This is the principle on which I bring up my own children, and this is the principle on which I bring up these children. Stick to Facts, sir!"

The Rationalistic Fallacy is first of all scientistic.

Gradgrind is concerned exclusively with the scientific and experiential: With a rule and a pair of scales, and the multiplication table always in his pocket, sir, ready to weigh and measure any parcel of human nature, and tell you exactly what it comes to. It is a mere question of figures, a case of simple arithmetic.

The hallmark of this modernist method of education is analysis—the process by which we take whole things apart until we have divided them into their most basic meaningless components (Gradgrind’s “facts”), murdering, or as Wordsworth once said, to dissect.

This fallacy is evidenced in the penchant among modern educators to believe that the learning of students can be adequately quantified through tests.

Educators have always believed that students should be assessed, and some kind of measurement is necessary in order for parents to know whether their children are progressing. But the idea that knowledge or understanding could be fully captured in a number is of very recent historical vintage.

Neil Postman has pointed out in his book Technopoly that it was only in 1993 that any educator even thought of giving a numerical grade to a student paper.

The Rationalistic Fallacy is utilitarian, a characteristic seen in its emphasis on vocationalism.

Students are seen as mere vehicles for out-of-context information conveyed with the aim of promoting industrial production and intended to increase the Gross Domestic Product.

Practical Logic

1-877-862-1097 In Dickens' story, one of the greatest illustrations of the rationalistic fallacy in action, the purpose of education is to provide workers for Coketown, a sort of industrial utopia—“a town,” he says, “of machinery and tall chimneys …”: It contained several large streets all very like one another, and many small streets still more like one another, inhabited by people equally like one another, who all went in and out at the same hours, with the same sound upon the same pavements, to do the same work, and to whom every day was the same as yesterday and tomorrow, and every year the counterpart of the last and the next.

The Coketowns of late 19th century England have been replaced by the Simi Valleys of today, but the philosophy of the rationalists is the same: You go to school to get a job so you can take your place as a cog in the modern economy.

There is “Workforce Development Training” and “STEM” (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Millions of dollars of taxpayer money are expended every year to promote vocational initiatives.

The Second Fallacy The second fallacy—the Romantic Fallacy—is best illustrated in C. S. Lewis’ fictional “Experiment House,” where, as described in Lewis’ The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Eustace Clarence Scrubb is sent by his “teetotalling, non-smoking, vegetarian” parents.

At Experiment House, students are encouraged to “do as they like,” subjects are taught differently, and children who bully others are not “bad,” but simply “interesting psychological cases.”

Experiment House was Lewis’ satire of places like Summerhill, an English school which became the model progressive school in the early and mid-20th century.

Summerhill helped give the progressive movement of the 1920s its characteristic emphasis and its lexicon.

Summerhill was (and is) a place where children “have freedom to be themselves”; where “success is not defined by academic achievement but by the child’s own definition of success”; where issues are dealt with “democratically”; and where students can “play all day if they want to.”

Today’s American schools have become, to a greater or lesser extent, versions of Experiment House. The rhetoric characteristic of Summerhill can now be heard daily in any teacher’s college.

Education is now to be “child-centered” as opposed to “subject-centered”; teachers are to be non-

directive facilitators rather than directive teachers; and classrooms are to be restructured to provide for “learning centers” so that children get to choose what they study.

Projects, unit studies, and hands-on activities are to replace the old classroom, which, with its desks and academically focused activities, was designed for teaching students the mathematical and verbal skills necessary to thrive as thinking human beings.

The progressive, child-centered emphasis would seem to be very much in conflict with the rationalist’s idea of creating “workers for the 21st century.” And indeed it is. In fact, one of the ironies of modern education is that it talks a lot about training students for jobs, but, in fact, its progressive emphasis on the psyche of the student does anything but that.

Modern education uses progressive means to achieve a rationalist end—which is one reason why it never seems to achieve its goals.

Classical education resists these two extremes by engaging in something more fundamental. Through a solid grounding in the fundamental intellectual skills of the liberal arts, it gives students the ability to think—a skill they can use whether they go on to further academic study or get a job. And through teaching students their own cultural heritage through reading classic literature and Western history, they are given the knowledge and ability to make wise judgments as they pursue life as citizens and voters in a Republic.

Classical education avoids both the Scylla of vocational training that narrows the minds of students and the Charybdis of methods that forsake a real understanding of the world and their fellow men in favor of a false sense of self-esteem.

We need to avoid both Mr. Gradgrind and Summerhill.

Suggested Logic Timeline 3rd-6th 7th

Solid grounding in mathematics & Latin: Great preparatory skills for logical thought.

Traditional Logic I: A study of the basic elements of simple arguments.

8th

Traditional Logic II: An advanced course that completes the study of the simple categorical syllogism, covers hypothetical syllogisms, and studies all complex argument forms.

9th

Material Logic: A study of the 10 ways something can exist, the 5 ways of saying something about something else, definition, and classification.

10th 11th-12th

Informal Fallacies: A study of the ways in which argumentation can go wrong so the student can avoid it himself and point it out in the reasoning of others. *Text not yet published, but online course available.

Classical Rhetoric: A study which incorporates logic into the broader context of persuasive communication.

*Students in 9th grade can complete both Traditional Logic books in one year.

Material Logic and informal fallacies can be covered in one year in 10th grade.

31

32

Logic

www.MemoriaPress.com

Traditional Logic I $75.00 complete set (student, key, DVDs, quizzes)

$38.00 basic set (student, key, quizzes)

Material Logic $68.95 complete set (student, key, DVDs)

$31.90 basic set (student, key)

Student $29.95 | Key $6.95 | DVDs $45.00 | Quizzes $5.00

Student $29.95 | Key $1.95 | DVDs $45.00

Online Class (p. 22)

Online Class (p. 22)

Traditional Logic I: Introduction to Formal Logic

Material Logic: A Course in How to Think

by Martin Cothran Grades 7+

by Martin Cothran Grades 9+

The Traditional Logic program is an in-depth study of the classical syllogism. In Book I, students will gain a basic understanding of terms, statements, and simple categorical arguments. (Each book can be used as either a one-semester or one-year course.)

The principles of material logic, an important part of trivium language study, are now almost completely forgotten—a casualty of the almost exclusive modern secular emphasis on the quantitative sciences. This has resulted in the rise of systems of modern logic that are more math than logic. Formal logic was once termed minor (or lesser) logic, while material logic usually went by the name of major (or greater) logic—possibly a measure of how important classical thinkers considered it.

Basic Logical Terms, Concepts, & Procedures • Truth, validity, soundness • 4 ways statements can be opposite • 3 ways statements can be equivalent • Distribution of terms • The 7 rules for validity Clear & Systematic Presentation • Daily exercises to ensure mastery • Historic argument case studies • Emphasis on language, not math A Variety of Learning Strategies • Clear and concise text explanations • Practical application • Creative invention

There is a huge gap between formal logic courses and so-called “thinking skills” courses. Formal logic focuses exclusively on the systematic study of the structure of reasoning. “Thinking skills” courses, on the other hand, tend to suffer from a highly nonsystematic, topic-hopping approach, where the student is unable to see how one principle connects with another. Whether you want a follow-on course to Memoria Press’ popular Traditional Logic program, or simply an introduction to logic for high school students at a little more advanced level, this program is a valuable tool in teaching your student how to think.

“This is the best exposition of Aristotelian logic I have yet seen aimed at homeschoolers ...” - Mary Pride

Traditional Logic II $75.00 complete set (student, key, DVDs, quizzes)

$38.00 basic set (student, key, quizzes)

Student $29.95 | Key $6.95 | DVDs $45.00 | Quizzes $5.00 Online Class (p. 22)

Advanced Formal Logic by Martin Cothran Grades 8+ Book II completes the study of the simple categorical syllogism, advances to hypothetical syllogisms, and continues the study of logic by covering complex argument forms, great arguments from history, and case studies of great arguments.

Rhetoric

1-877-862-1097

33

Handbook of Christian Apologetics:

Hundreds of Answers to Crucial Questions

by Peter Kreeft & Ronald Tacelli

$22.00 *Optional Logic supplement This book is the perfect supplement for Traditional Logic.

Modern skeptical arguments are here in abundance—all logically answered. Students love to see something they have learned incorporated into real books. This book will help your students see how important and useful traditional logic is, and at the same time fortify them in their faith.

Classical Rhetoric $140.00 complete set

(basic set + How to Read a Book & Figures of Speech)

$94.95 basic set

(student, key, DVDs, Aristotle's Rhetoric)

Student $39.95 | Key $4.95 | DVDs $55.00 | Aristotle's Rhetoric $3.50 | How to Read a Book $16.99 | Figures of Speech $29.95 Online Class (p. 22)

Classical Rhetoric

by Martin Cothran Grades 9+

Classical Rhetoric with Aristotle is a guided tour through the first part of the greatest single book on communication ever written: Aristotle’s Rhetoric. With questions that will help the student unlock every important aspect of the book, along with fill-in-the-blank charts and analyses of great speeches, this companion text to Aristotle’s great work will send the student on a voyage of discovery from which he will return with a competent knowledge of the basic classical principles of speech and writing.

This is more than just a course in English or public speaking. It involves a study of the fundamental principles of political philosophy, ethics, and traditional psychology.

A student learns not only the elements of a political speech, but also the elements of good character; not only how to give a legal speech, but also the seven reasons people act; not only how to give a ceremonial speech, but what elicits specific emotions under particular circumstances and why.

• Sample weekly plan • Clear explanation of lesson components • Easy-to-read layout • Reading questions • Figures of speech • Evaluative & analysis questions • How to Read a Book questions • Case studies from Homer, Plato, Shakespeare, Lincoln, Marc Antony, and much more!

"Our study of logic led us to use Martin Cothran’s book on rhetoric ... Our oldest finished it last month and ate it up; he wants to study constitutional law and we are very happy with the foundation he has received because of Cothran’s materials."

- Kendra F.

Socrates Meets Jesus: History’s Greatest Questioner Confronts the Claims of Christ

by Peter Kreeft

$16.00 *Optional Logic supplement In this clever book, Socrates makes mincemeat of the arguments of skeptics who want to abandon reason when it comes to Christianity. Because of the copious use of logical syllogisms, this book makes a great supplement to Traditional Logic.

Aristotle's Rhetoric edited by Edward Corbett

$3.50

*REQUIRED for Classical Rhetoric

This book contains the same Rhys Roberts translation used in Classical Rhetoric. Selected because of its clarity and simplicity, its carefully chosen terminology distinguishes this translation from all others currently available.

How to Read A Book:

A Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading

by Mortimer Adler & Charles Van Doren

$16.99

*Strongly Recommended Rhetoric supplement How to Read a Book contains clear and useful instructions on how to determine what kind of book you are reading, the four levels of reading, and how to read different kinds of books. The principles in this book are applied directly to Aristotle's Rhetoric in Memoria Press' Classical Rhetoric.

Figures of Speech:

60 Ways to Turn a Phrase

by Arthur Quinn

$29.95

*Strongly Recommended Rhetoric supplement This book presents 60 of the most common classical figures of speech and gives examples from classic literature of each. Memoria's Classical Rhetoric contains Figures of Speech exercises at the beginning of each chapter.

34

Is Learning Fun?

www.MemoriaPress.com

In my last article, I ended with the question of the teacher’s role in learning. Does the teacher need to be an entertainer? How does the teacher motivate and make learning engaging and satisfying for students?

T

eachers are often blamed for the lack of learning, along with the lack of interest and motivation in their students. If only teachers would make learning interesting, exciting, and fun! After all, the preschool child loves to learn and explore, and it is our dull unimaginative school culture with its boring textbooks and lack of innovative teachers that takes the natural desire to learn out of the child. There is tremendous pressure on teachers today to make learning fun and exciting.

This is all part and parcel of progressive education, and it is terribly confusing for parents, children, and teachers. It is the impetus for all sorts of foolish learning activities that rob children of a decent education. It is the reason for sitting on the floor, field trips, projects, guest speakers, anything, anything, anything, except pencil and paper, reading, writing, and math, none of which can be turned into fun.

Really effective learning activities resemble work, and since we are all naturally lazy, they aren’t exactly fun.

So what does the teacher do to motivate students to work and learn?

Repetitio mater studiorum. Repetition is the mother of learning. The dictionary definition for the Latin studium is enthusiasm.

Enthusiasm for learning comes from repetition. The student is motivated for learning when he has mastered the content.

It is simple: It is the enthusiasm, passion, and knowledge of the teacher that makes a lesson compelling and motivates students to learn. You don’t have to be charismatic, entertaining, creative, or innovative to be a great teacher. Yes, there are very brilliant people who can hold a room spellbound, but few are in the classroom, and there aren’t enough of them to teach even a fraction of our students anyway.

But all of us can possess enthusiasm and passion for knowledge and motivate students to learn.

Let me give you an example.

In the Methodist Church we attended while my boys were in elementary school, I taught a class of 4th graders that was very popular and well attended. It got the notice of the other teachers and administrative staff.

Even the pastor of this large, prosperous church came by to compliment me. My students seemed to be very motivated to come to Sunday school class, and they enjoyed it. The staff and other teachers thought I was some kind of wizard, since this was so unusual. One teacher down the hall had won the prestigious Public School National Teacher of the Year Award, and even she was amazed, which only added to my reputation.

I had some very bright students in that class, one of whom later won the national teen Jeopardy competition! He showed up one Sunday with his mom, who kind of apologized for her absence that year, but confessed that she always had to drag her son to Sunday school. But the next Sunday she showed up thrilled that Matthew had begged to come back. She brought him faithfully every Sunday that year. He did

1-877-862-1097 not want to miss a class. Why were my students so enthusiastic? Why did they enjoy their Sunday school class so much?

Interestingly, none of the other teachers or administrative staff at church came into my class to see what brilliant, innovative, creative things I was doing. So what did I do to make learning so much fun that students actually wanted to come back each week?

Here is my routine for that Sunday school class. The first thing I did was write a memory verse on the black board for the students to copy on a 3x5 note card. We put the reference on one side and the verse on the opposite.

(A lot of the verses I taught in those years are the ones I included in the Memoria Press Christian Studies program and Copybooks.) We talked about the verse, its interesting words, what it meant, and then recited it together several times. Students came back every week with their clutch of 3x5 cards of memory verses so they could add a new one. They loved it. (It is important to choose verses that appeal to the concrete minds of the students, verses that have drama and poetry. So many times we choose verses that we like as adults that are not very appealing to the young.) Each week, I pulled out cards for students, to see if they could recite old verses.

Most of them studied during the week so they could get their verses right.

Not very creative, was it? But for children who had never before been asked to learn anything in Sunday school, it was downright exciting.

For our Bible story time I used a children’s Bible story book with good text and pictures instead of the bland Sunday school materials they gave me. I had to keep the attention of twenty kids squeezed into a classroom designed for ten. You can’t beat the Bible for dramatic stories, so why use anything else? I wrote questions for all stories on cards to use for review games. I let the Bible story do the teaching and limited the moralizing and preaching which I think detracts from the impact of the story.

We also learned the books of the Bible and recited them often. We did Bible drills to see who could find a book, chapter, and verse first. While we had our Bibles out, I let students read aloud around the room, sections corresponding to the story of the week. Students thought this was very grown-up and were motivated to read the Bible, much more than the childish Sunday school materials they were used to.

I didn't do anything remarkable that anyone else couldn’t easily do—just my usual bag of tricks—content that is concrete, elevated, and meaningful. Lots of review questions, memorization, bees, and drills. Bingo.

Learning is fun. Here is the secret: Learning is more fun when you actually learn something. Most Sunday school

Is Learning Fun?

35

material is weak in content, never getting much beyond "Jesus loves me just as I am." It is the insipid content of our modern curriculum, both religious and secular, that makes learning so dull and boring.

Schools love to show pictures of students doing anything in school except learning. Look at a typical school brochure, and you will see pictures of students in drama, art, music, athletics, labs, debate— anything but sitting at a desk reading or writing, which admittedly doesn’t make a compelling picture.

However, to show enthusiasm for learning, there is only one picture that really works. Do you know what it is? Think about it before you read on.

It is the picture of rows of students with their hands high in the air, facing a teacher at the front of the room.

Why do these children have eager, happy, excited faces with hands reaching for the sky? Why are they so enthusiastic, so engaged, so motivated? Why are they enjoying themselves so much? Why do they look like they’re—dare I say it—having fun? Because they know the answer! The teacher has asked a question and they all know the answer. Kids love to know the answer.

Adults love to know the answer. It is just a good feeling and makes you want to learn more and work harder the next time.

How do you make learning fun? Teach meaningful content and review, review, review—so they all get it, and ask questions. Neither the teacher nor the textbook needs to be clever, funny, original, creative, cutesy, or innovative. In fact, those things usually get in the way. You need to teach meaningful content, presented in a rational, logical way so that students have an ah-ha moment when they actually get it. And then ask questions orally and written so students can demonstrate what they know.

A knowledgeable, enthusiastic, passionate teacher imparting meaningful concrete content makes learning as fun as it’s going to get.

Introduction NEW! to Composition

Grades 3+

Student $10.00 | Key $10.00

Introduction to Composition focuses on the concepts of narration, dictation, and copywork. The goal of this first writing course is to help students become more proficient in listening and writing skills, a great preparation for Classical Composition. Introduction to Composition is composed of 30 lessons, a year-long writing course that goes along perfectly with Memoria Press’ Third Grade Literature Guides (Farmer Boy, Charlott e’s Web, and The Moff ats), but can be used independently as well.

36

Classical Studies

www.MemoriaPress.com

Introduction to $24.90 Classical Studies Grades 3-6

Newly reformatted, this guide now includes a student workbook for easier use.

Designed for use with D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths, Famous Men of Rome, and The Golden Children's Bible, this guide will show you how to teach, learn, and master the stories fundamental to a classical education. The guide contains a three-year reading plan and is a great way for older students to catch up if starting their classical studies late.

Ancient Civilization Wall Maps For All Ages!

Large (24'' x 33'') $35.00 Small (11'' x 17'') $19.95 Make the ancient civilization stories come alive on your classroom walls. These color wall maps are perfect for any classical education classroom. Each set includes individual maps of Greece, Italy, the City of Rome, and the Roman Empire. These maps contain all the hot spots in the classical world, including the famous cities, countries, rivers, lakes, mountains, and oceans.

If you don't begin your classical education until middle or high school, it is

never too late! We would suggest that you start with Year 5 of our Classical Studies Map and move forward from there. Before beginning your study of the classics, it is always helpful if your student has a basic knowledge of Greek mythology (D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths [p. 37]) and has read a retelling of the Trojan War (Olivia Coolidge's The Trojan War [p. 38]).

Timeline Set for the Grammar Stage NEW! Events from Ancient to Modern Times Grades 3-6

$39.95 set (Composition & Sketchbook, Handbook, Wall Cards, Flashcards) We haven't been so excited about a new product in a long time! Our new Timeline program will enable students to master a total of 60 events over the course of four years (3rd6th grades). History is a very unsystematic subject, and time is very abstract. Students need a timeline that they memorize, build on, and recite every year—and Memoria Press is bringing it to you!

Timeline Composition & Sketchbook $9.95 These books will be completed over the four-year period in which this timeline is completed. Each event has a 2-page spread with a picture frame for illustrating the event on one side and a page of blank lines for writing a summary of the event.

Timeline Handbook $9.95 The Timeline Handbook includes teaching guidelines, charts of the dates studied by grade and by time period, and summaries of each event to help students complete their Composition & Sketchbook.

Student Flashcards $12.95 Each student should have his/her own set of flashcards for drill and practice. One side has the date and the reverse side has the event. These cards are color-coded identically to the Timeline Cards on the wall.

Timeline Wall Cards $12.95 (see below) Cards for the wall timeline have the date and event on the same side. Cards are added throughout the year as students study history in Classical/Christian Studies and American Studies. The wall timeline should be in a prominent place in the classroom throughout the year, beginning in grade 3.

Classical Studies Suggested Timeline Year

Program

1

D'Aulaires' Greek Myths (p. 37)

2

Famous Men of Rome (p. 37)

3

Famous Men of the Middle Ages (p. 37)

4

Famous Men of Greece, The Trojan War, and Horatius at the Bridge (pp. 37-38)

5

Iliad and Odyssey (Homer) and The Book of the Ancient Greeks

(p. 38)

6

The Aeneid (Virgil) and The Book of the Ancient Romans (p. 38)

7

Greek Plays (Euripides, Sophocles, Aeschylus)

8

The Divine Comedy (Dante) (p. 38)

Timeline Wall Cards shown above. View more samples online at www.MemoriaPress.com.

Classical Studies

1-877-862-1097

Famous Men of Greece

D'Aulaires' Greek Myths

Grades 5-8

Grades 3-8

$39.95 set

$45.95 set

(text, student, teacher)

(text, student, teacher)

Text $18.95 | Student $17.95 | Teacher $17.95 | Flashcards $12.95

Text $16.95 | Student $17.95 | Teacher $17.95 | Flashcards $12.95

Online Class (p. 22)

Online Class (p. 22)

This is an ideal beginning book for your child’s classical education journey, regardless of age! Superbly written and illustrated, this classic introduces timeless tales that have enchanted people for thousands of years. Because they are everywhere in Western art and literature, Greek myths are the essential background for a classical education. You can hardly read Shakespeare without them!

If the Romans were history’s great men of action, the Greeks were history’s great men of thought. Dive into the lives and minds of thirty-two famous Greeks through stories detailing the rise, Golden Age, and fall of Greece. Learning about the triumphs of Aristotle, Ptolemy, Ulysses, Pericles, Alexander the Great, and many others will enable your students to understand why the scope of Greek accomplishment is still known today as “The Greek Miracle.”

Each of the 30 lessons in the Student Guide presents important facts to know, vocabulary, comprehension questions, and a picture review and activities section. It also points out the many references to Greek mythology in the modern world.

Famous Men of Modern Times Grades 6-8

Famous Men of Rome Grades 4-8

$39.95 set

(text, student, teacher)

Text $16.95 | Student $17.95 | Teacher $17.95 | Flashcards $12.95 Online Class (p. 22) Famous Men of Rome is ideal for beginners of all ages who are fascinated by the action and drama of Rome. Inside are 30 stories, covering all of ancient Rome’s history, from its founding to its demise. Witness the rise and fall of a great civilization through the lives of larger-than-life figures.

Famous Men of the Middle Ages Grades 5-8

$39.95 set

(text, student, teacher)

Text $16.95 | Student $17.95 | Teacher $17.95 | Flashcards $12.95 Online Class (p. 22) The story of the Middle Ages is told through the lives of Attila the Hun, Charlemagne, William the Conqueror, Edward the Black Prince, and Joan of Arc, among others. This course guides students through the turbulent “dark age” of history and illustrates the transition from the end of ancient times to the birth of the modern era. This book is a perfect precursor to Famous Men of Modern Times.

$39.95 set (text, student, teacher)

Text $16.95 | Student $17.95 | Teacher $17.95 | Flashcards $12.95 Online Class (p. 22) Modern history—history, that is, after the fall of Constantinople in 1453—can sometimes seem like a confusing jumble of unrelated events. As a result, many curricula needlessly avoid this exciting period of history. Memoria Press’ Famous Men of Modern Times will bring the events of the last 500 years to life. These stories provide great insight into the foundations of the modern world.

Horatius at the Bridge Grades 6+

$19.95 set

(book, medal, pin)

Book $14.95 | Medal $5.00 | Pin $2.00 This guide contains the complete text of Thomas Babington Macaulay's 70 stanza ballad and a comprehensive study guide, including vocabulary, maps, character and plot synopses, meter, comprehension questions, teaching guidelines, and a test.

Horatius Medals & Lapel Pins Students at Highlands Latin School memorize and recite this entire poem and receive the Winston Churchill Award certificate, medal, and lapel pin. We are now offering the same opportunity to all students.

You can purchase the medal and pin in a set with the book or individually. Send us a recording of your students reciting the poem, and we'll send them a Winston Churchill Award certificate to present with the medal.

37

38

Classical Studies

The Trojan War

by Olivia Coolidge Grades 6-8

Novel $6.95 | Student $11.95 | Teacher $12.95 This retelling of the Trojan War is the best preparation for reading Homer. Each lesson in the study guide has reading notes, vocabulary, comprehension questions, and an enrichment section that includes extra discussion topics, writing projects, art, and map work. After studying The Trojan War with our guide, your student will know Homer's main characters, the gods and goddesses, and the main storyline of the Iliad and Odyssey.

The Iliad & the Odyssey

Samuel Butler translation Grades 7+

Iliad Novel $10.00 | Odyssey Novel $10.00 Student $16.95 | Teacher $16.95 Western civilization begins with the Iliad and Odyssey. This is a perfect place to start your study of the Great Books. Our study guide will help bring Homer’s great works alive for your student. Our Teacher Guide has inset student pages with answers, teacher notes for each lesson, quizzes, and tests, giving the teacher all the background information needed to teach these books.

The Aeneid

David West translation Grades 8+

Novel $12.00 | Student $16.95 | Teacher $16.95 After you have completed your study of Homer, the Aeneid is your next logical Great Book to study. Virgil's epic story of the founding of Rome will come alive when read with the help of our study guide as you continue your quest to master the classics.

After reading Homer and Virgil, your students will have completed their first big step on the road to being classically educated! This is a great preparation for Latin AP Virgil also.

The Divine Comedy Ciardi translation Grades 10+

Novel $20.00 | Student $16.95 Teacher $16.95 | Quizzes $5.00 The Divine Comedy is one of the crown jewels of both Western and Christian literature. This epic, allegorical poem illustrates Dante’s spiritual journey of redemption that takes him through the pit of Hell (the Inferno) to the Beatific Vision of God (the Paradiso). The Student Guide contains helpful study questions, and reading notes for difficult lines.

www.MemoriaPress.com

The Book of the Ancient World

Dorothy Mills Histories Series Grades 6+

$39.95 (novel, student, teacher)

Novel $16.95 | Student $17.95 | Teacher $17.95

Dorothy Mills takes the student on an adventure, exploring the geography, culture, architecture, and most prominent people of Egypt, Persia, the Hittites, Israel, and more. Not only does she teach the valuable history and lessons of the ancient peoples, but she gives the students an understanding of the people and neighbors out of which Christianity sprung.

The Book of the Ancient Greeks

Dorothy Mills Histories Series Grades 6+

$39.95 set (novel, student, teacher)

Novel $16.95 | Student $17.95 | Teacher $17.95

The journey continues, starting in Crete and ending in the Hellenistic Age ushered in by Alexander the Great. Students learn about the development of democracy, the primordial defense of democracy in the Persian wars, the heyday of Athens (also known as the Golden Age), and that sad selfdestruction known as the Peloponnesian wars. But it is not history alone—culture, values, and life lessons are taught.

The Book of the Ancient Romans

Dorothy Mills Histories Series Grades 6+

$39.95 set (novel, student, teacher)

Novel $16.95 | Student $17.95 | Teacher $17.95

After the Greeks, all roads lead to Rome. And like any good Roman course, this one begins with the she-wolf and the legendary founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus. The rise and fall of a monarchy, the embrace of a republic with the simultaneous dislike for kings, and finally the ironic rise of the Roman Empire teach unforgettable principles about human nature and society.

The Book of the Middle Ages Dorothy Mills Histories Series Grades 6+

$39.95 set (novel, student, teacher) NEW!

Novel $16.95 | Student $17.95 | Teacher $17.95 See how Christianity spread out, building a new civilization on the remnants of the Roman Empire. From the foundation of monasteries to the bell towers of universities, from the crowning of Charlemagne to the execution of Joan of Arc, the travel through Christendom unfolds beautifully.

Christian Studies

1-877-862-1097

Christian Studies IV

A Chronological Overview of the Bible Grades 6-8 Student $17.95 | Teacher $20.95

$119.95 set

(Christian Studies I-III: Student Books & Teacher Manuals + The Golden Children's Bible)

Christian Studies I Student $17.95 | Teacher $20.95 All Major Bible Stories up to the Entry into Canaan Grades 3-6 Student $17.95 | Teacher $20.95 Christian Studies II The Rise and Fall of Israel, the Period of the Prophets Grades 4-6

Christian Studies III All Major New Testament Stories Grades 5-6

Christian Studies IV takes students back through the highlights of the Bible, reviewing drill questions, Scripture memory passages, and more! This study guide can serve as a review course for Christian Studies I-III or stand alone as a survey study of the Bible. We give you the Scripture passages where the answers to the drill questions can be found so that you can read through the Bible by touching on the major stories and characters. This course is a great preparation for studying early church history in the upper school years.

Student $17.95 | Teacher $20.95

City of God NEW!

Vernon J. Bourke edition Grades 10-12

Christian Studies I-III Grades 3-6 This three-year series thoughtfully guides your child through The Golden Children's Bible, teaching him/her the fundamentals of Bible stories, history, and geography, with solid detail at a manageable pace. Students do not merely skim the surface; they embark on a three-year Bible reading course that builds faith by teaching Salvation History as real history. Using these guides, your student will be well prepared for the good work of advanced Christian studies.

Students work through one-third of The Golden Children's Bible in each year. The Student Book offers 30 lessons, each comprised of: • • • • •

Weekly memory verses Map and timeline work Review lessons and tests every 5 lessons Comprehension, drill, and discussion questions References The Golden Children's Bible page numbers as well as actual Scripture references

The Teacher Manual offers: • Insight and background information for each lesson • Additional discussion, composition, or research prompts • Helpful notes for the teacher

The Golden Children's Bible $17.95 This book was chosen because of its slightly simplified, but poetically appealing King James text along with its beautiful, accurate, and ageappropriate illustrations. This is important because we believe students should learn to revere the Bible as a sacred book, distinct from stories with cartoon heroes.

"I love the way it is writt en, and the pictures keep my 4-year-old's att ention." - Kim

Novel $13.95 | Student $17.95 | Teacher $20.95 | Quizzes/Tests $5.00 The City of God, arguably Augustine's greatest book, influenced Western society more powerfully than perhaps any other book except the Bible. To study the City of God is to study the source of some of Western society’s greatest and most cherished beliefs. The book serves as the cultural fountainhead of all that followed, and it is unlikely that it will ever be equaled. The study guide aids students in comprehending Augustine's masterpiece. The teacher guide contains helpful chapter summarizations as well as a thorough introduction to teaching this course effectively.

Don't let your students miss the study of this influential book that helped to shape some of the most important intellectual, theological, and political issues of the Western world that are just as relevant today as 1,500 years ago.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. In Chapter 1, Augustine is criticizing the enemies of the City of God. What is the criticism he is leveling against them?

Augustine is criticizing these individuals because they sought safety from the invaders in the __________________________________________________________________________________ sanctuaries of Christian churches, and now they are attacking Christianity itself. They did not hesitate __________________________________________________________________________________ to claim they were Christian in order to be saved, but once they were saved from the attackers, they __________________________________________________________________________________ failed to show gratitude for their safety. __________________________________________________________________________________

2. Summarize Augustine’s point about suffering in Chapter 8.

Suffering has a twofold purpose: __________________________________________________________________________________ 1. It serves as a punishment for the unrighteous. __________________________________________________________________________________ 2. It teaches the good to be patient. __________________________________________________________________________________ The difference, Augustine says, is “not in what people suffer but in the way they suffer.” __________________________________________________________________________________

3. In Chapter 9, Augustine criticizes Christians for not reproving the wicked. Why, in Augustine’s opinion, have Christians failed to do this?

Because of the effort required to do so, because of the fear of antagonizing them, waiting for a more __________________________________________________________________________________ opportune moment, or for fear that a rebuke may actually make them worse. __________________________________________________________________________________

4. In Chapter 19, Augustine presents the case of Lucretia, who committed suicide. What reason does Augustine give for her suicide?

She was unable to bear the burden of shame. The shame comes from a fear that people would think she __________________________________________________________________________________ was a willing participant, and the only way she could prove her innocence was to take her own life. __________________________________________________________________________________ 5. According to Chapter 21, does Augustine ever see a justifiable reason for killing another human being.

If so, what is the reason or reasons?

Yes. When God authorizes killing by a general law, when He gives an explicit commission to an __________________________________________________________________________________ individual for a limited time, or when the State punishes criminals. __________________________________________________________________________________

6. In Chapter 27, Augustine says there may be only one justifiable reason for suicide. What is that reason, and does he ultimately agree with it?

To keep one’s self from falling into sin. Augustine does not agree with this reason. __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________

7. In Chapter 33, Augustine gives a strongly worded reason for why Rome suffered the humiliation of defeat. Describe what Augustine has to say.

He says it is because Rome was already declining from within. He cites the examples of spiritual __________________________________________________________________________________ disease, degeneration, and a decline into immorality and indecency. He asks the opponents of the City __________________________________________________________________________________ of God why they take no responsibility for the tragic situation. Instead of learning from their adversity, __________________________________________________________________________________

view samples online: www.MemoriaPress.com

they remain in sin. __________________________________________________________________________________

4

Book I

Christian Studies Suggested Timeline Grade

Program

3+

Christian Studies I (Major Bible stories up to the entry into Canaan) p. 39

4+

Christian Studies II (Rise and Fall of Israel & Period of the Prophets) p. 39

5+

Christian Studies III (Major New Testament stories) p. 39

6+

Christian Studies IV (Chronological Overview of the Bible) p. 39

7+ 8-9 +

The Book of the Ancient World (Egyptians, Hittites, Assyrians, Babylonians, Phoenicians, Hebrews) p. 38

Early Christian history taught through primary sources

(Luke, Ignatius, Clement, Eusebius, and more)

10 +

City of God (Augustine) p. 39

11 +

Christian Apologetics (Lewis, Chesterton, Kreeft)

39

40

Simply Classical: A Beautiful Education

www.MemoriaPress.com

Teacher, or Not? An excerpt from Cheryl Swope's Cheryl Swope, M.Ed. has homeschooled her 18-year-old adopted special-needs twins from their infancy with classical Christian education. She holds a lifetime K-12 state teaching certificate in the areas of Behavior Disorders and Learning Disabilities.

She has worked with special-needs children, youth, and adults for over thirty years.

Simply Classical: A Beautiful Education for Any Child

E

ver since I was a little girl, I wanted to be a teacher. Even as a child myself, I enjoyed working with other children. I remember when my fourth grade teacher encouraged me to help her explain an especially difficult grammar lesson. “Sometimes they understand it better when another student explains the lesson.�

With many hands raised that day, I traveled from desk to desk. We helped students distinguish transitive verbs (those with direct objects) from intransitive verbs (those without). Teaching seemed simple. Explain a concept. If the student does not understand, explain it in a different way until he does. Use illustrations or examples when needed, but never as gimmicks. Just teach. At church, I enjoyed helping young children appreciate the Christian faith. In high school, I tutored privately in foreign language. When graduation arrived, I hoped to study more. I embarked on a journey to the university. Would I read Plato? Milton? C. S. Lewis? After all, these great men had much to say on education, and I wanted to teach!

How could I have known then that in the Education Department, of all places, I would often find myself so far removed from the true education I sought? I

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Simply Classical: A Beautiful Education

cannot fault the entire department, as many of my education professors proved exceedingly helpful. Many professors in areas of autism and behavior disorders, educational assessment, language disorders, and learning disabilities taught me well. (How grateful I would be to those teachers so many years later in my own home!) Other professors, however, not only strayed so far from classical education as to oppose tradition itself, but they preached with relentless vigor their always-assumed-better educational theories. As many of us young college students sat unsuspecting within their philosophical grasp, these were the theories that infected our thinking. Such professors not only distorted the purpose and methods of education in our malleable minds, but for those of us least prepared, they also eroded our Christian faith.

The most adamant instructors in this new-andimproved pedagogy emphasized the romantic notion of a child’s inner goodness. This changed everything.

I had been taught about the inherent sinfulness of man, specifically from the Apostles’ Creed and Holy Scriptures, but these teachings had already been disputed, or at least marginalized, throughout much of my education prior to my arrival at the university. My foundation already had cracks. Moreover, there was the dark reality that such a theory appealed to us. After all, who does not naturally wish to think himself innately “good,” rather than innately separated from God by his own original and actual sin?

In some of my education classes, with the child’s goodness our incessant backdrop, the classical role of teacher was converted to that of a more “progressive” notion of facilitator. Authority became equated with authoritarianism, something that as teachers we should always try to avoid. Some instructors urged us to “get out of the way,” so the creative, good, and wise child could learn on his own, unimpeded by an interfering adult.

According to these instructors, we were most certainly never to interrupt a child’s need for self-expression.

“Child-directed” became assumed best for all. ~ Saint Augustine ~ Perhaps the only thing more preposterous than the doctrine of man’s unregenerate, innate goodness before God is the correlative insistence that a child can teach himself. Augustine cried with honest humility, “[W]hat am I to myself without Thee, but a guide to my own downfall?”

In his own formative years, Augustine had enjoyed the liberal arts—a truly classical education—with grammar, logic, and rhetoric. He had learned the

classical languages and read the classical authors of Greece and Rome—Plato and Aristotle, Virgil and Cicero. Only later did Augustine understand the need for the Christian faith. Instruction in the liberal arts elevated the mind, but did nothing for the soul. In Book VII of his Confessions, he writes, I prated as one well skilled; but had I not sought Thy way in Christ our Saviour, I had proved to be, not skilled, but killed.

For now I had begun to wish to seem wise, being filled with mine own punishment, yet I did not mourn, but rather scorn, puffed up with knowledge. For where was that charity building upon the foundation of humility, which is Christ Jesus?

… As if in reverse, after my years at the university, by the Holy Spirit's working through a renewed study of God's Word, I finally began to appreciate again the merciful forgiveness of the Christian faith.

But you, O Lord, abide forever, and you are not angry with us forever since you are merciful to dust and ashes, and it was pleasing in your sight to reform my deformity. And you kept stirring me with your secret good to make me restless until you should become clear to the gaze of my soul.

With restored faith, I now needed desperately the liberal arts and the clear structure of a classical education because, after having failed in two classrooms, I had to admit that the "new-and-improved" theories still pervaded my mind. I no longer knew how to teach. ~ A Path for the Future ~ In his book Climbing Parnassus, Tracy Lee Simmons writes, “I do not intend to offer a new gospel. Instead, I hope to direct our gaze behind us, so that we may more securely find our footing on the road ahead.” After years of immersion in the alternative, I needed a clear means of cultivating a student’s mind, teaching academic content, and developing the child’s character in humility and wisdom. In short, I sought a formative education that would also tend to the needs of the child’s soul.

In classical Christian education I found the cohesive pedagogy I had been seeking for years. Given the failures I experienced in the classroom following my years in the university, I knew that if ever I met with true success in teaching, the difference would be the pedagogical approach. As I began to learn of the rich educational heritage available in classical Christian education, I became determined to give this gift to anyone I would ever teach again, including, and especially, my own children.

41

42

CLSA

2012 Memoria Press Classical Education Conference DVD NEW $60.00 Experience last year's conference from the comfort of your home. Expert educators and authors like Cheryl Lowe, Andrew Pudewa, Martin Cothran, and Cheryl Swope will enlighten you on the merits of a classical education and discuss what the Classical Core Curriculum is all about. Learn how to better teach, delight, and move your students while giving them the best education possible.

www.MemoriaPress.com

CLSA

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By David Forman Latin was the language of forgotten emperors, godly saints, and fiery church reformers. This language rose with the Roman army, lived on in the Church, and pervaded the universities of the Middle Ages. Of course, Latin is now a dead language: No one speaks it, and Latin-based jobs seem hard to find. However, Latin is more than communication or occupation. Latin enriches life broadly. Even now, learning Latin is important.

Firstly, the study of Latin trains the mind. The orderliness of Latin accustoms the mind to solidify learning into structures and patterns. A methodical study even teaches how to learn. Latin exercises and builds a student’s learning faculties.

Latin provides more obvious aid also. It strengthens English grammar by teaching similar grammar in a different tongue. Additionally, the Latin vocabulary helps one guess the meaning of

English words such as epistolary and mellifl uous.

Latin vocabulary also prepares a student for scientific and medical professions because Latin still pervades these vocations, especially in their taxonomy. Furthermore, by learning Latin, a student can more easily learn any Romantic language.

In fact, so related are the languages that a Latin student can sometimes read basic Spanish. Thus Latin strengthens related disciplines. From English grammar to medicine, Latin affects common experience.

But above all, Latin enriches life. A reader of Latin can reap the first fruits of Roman civilization. From Cicero’s Oratory to Caesar’s Gallic Wars, the history and the culture of Rome lie waiting to be read in their own language. Moreover, the finest theology and science of the Middle Ages are in Latin. If a student would learn of great thoughts and deeds from original sources, let him study Latin.

And not only the written word—Latin unlocks meaning and beauty in the finest vocal music. How much more gripping are the words “Fili mi, Absalom!” than when they ring as “O my son, Absalom!” Musical masters such as Handel and Bach exquisitely paired melody with meaning. Knowing Latin reveals a new layer of beauty in Latin songs.

And so Latin, a "dead language," is still alive, even though it may be in hiding. It shapes the mind and prepares it for new thoughts. Latin yields practical benefits, but it also enhances life with the fruit of bygone ages. Consequently, Latin is still an important subject in education.

About David Forman, 8th Grade Homeschooler David is finishing Fourth Form Latin. He has always used the instructional DVDs at home (not online). During the kids’ Latina Christiana I years, they did daily Ludere Latine pages that kept pace with what they were learning in LC. Those workbook pages became important for us, and necessary for retention. I also purchased Lingua Angelica. So we learned those along the way too, memorizing songs on road trips and during our “memory time.”

My three children have all done Latin. While my oldest is graduating this year, Tova (10th grade) and David (8th grade) will continue their Latin next fall with the Memoria Press online

Cicero class. They enjoy Latin very much, especially if they learn it together.

I knew a little Latin vocabulary and was confident in the pronunciation of church Latin. But the kids, with all their grammatical drilling, far surpassed my knowledge long ago. I’m just their drillmaster, and use the Teacher Book to help as I hear them deliver their lessons.

David wrote this little essay for a writing assignment in his Rod and Staff language book.

But he picked the topic; my husband and I were pleased that he chose to write about the virtues of Latin.

-Deirdre Forman

David’s Latin Courses Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8 -

Prima Latina Latina Christiana I Latina Christiana II First Form Second Form Third Form Fourth Form

43

44

Why Christians Should Read the Pagans

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The Top 10 Reasons:

Why should

Christians read the

pagan classics?

Reason #6: Government

A

merican government and political science will come alive when you read the Greeks and Romans, the same way that words come alive when you study Latin and Greek. There were many influences on the Founding Fathers, and certainly the modern philosophers—Locke and Hume—were important along with the tradition of English liberty. But separation of powers, mixed government, and checks and balances are the principles that first come to my mind when I think of the genius of the American political system; and where did these concepts come from?

Plato in the Republic describes five types of government and says they are all flawed. Aristotle in his Politics gives a slightly different scheme, which I have reproduced here. The true and the perverted forms of government: monarchy or royalty tyranny aristocracy (rule of best) oligarchy (rule of rich) republic democracy Aristotle prefers the republic but also gives the caveat that all forms of government are unstable and cycle through these different forms with abrupt and often violent changes.

The ideal of a mixed government was popularized by the Roman Polybius, who saw the Roman Republic as a manifestation of Aristotle's theory. Monarchy was embodied by the consuls, the aristocracy in the Senate, and democracy in the assemblies. Each institution complements and checks the others. Sound familiar?

Just as Palladio rediscovered Vitruvius and thus made classical architecture the standard for the last 400 years, the Frenchman Montesquieu read and studied the

by Cheryl Lowe

ancients, especially Polybius, and helped to make the republican form of government, especially separation of powers, the standard for our time in his work, the Spirit of the Laws, which, after the Bible, was the most frequently quoted work by the pre-revolutionary Founding Fathers. It had a great impact on James Madison, the father of the Constitution. There are two triads to remember in government: 1. mixed government

monarchy, aristocracy, democracy (president, senate, house)

2. separation of powers

executive, legislative, judicial

In the English system, one person could hold seats in more than one branch of government, which led to abuses and corruption, a flaw that was corrected by the framers of our Constitution.

Our Founding Fathers were steeped in the ideals of the Roman Republic; they even adopted Roman names. The authors of the Federalist Papers—Madison, Hamilton, and Jay—used the pseudonym Publius, in honor of Publius Publicola, who along with Junius Brutus overthrew the monarchy in 510 B.C. and helped found the Roman Republic.

Your reading assignment Cicero is so much easier to read than Plato’s Republic and Aristotle's Politics, so I am giving you a break and assigning you Cicero's On the Republic. Cicero is great at summarizing the Greeks and all of the relevant ideas of his time and making them all understandable for his Roman audience, who, like us moderns, aren’t as clever as the Greeks.

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Latin Supplements & Classical Composition

Latin Supplements Latin Copybook Cursive: Hymns & Prayers Grades 4+

Classical Composition $14.95

This copybook has simple, clean pages to provide handwriting practice. It starts with an introduction to forming letters and numbers. Then students move to classroom Latin followed by sayings and hymns from Latina Christiana and the First Form Latin series. While improving their handwriting, students will memorize timeless Latin sayings and beautiful hymns.

Latin Grammar for the Grammar Stage

by Cheryl Lowe (All Ages)

$14.95

A Latin grammar is a compendium of grammar forms and syntax in a systematic, concise, and easily accessible reference book. Designed specifically for students, Latin Grammar for the Grammar Stage includes all conjugations and declensions, plus a very basic introduction to Latin syntax (how to use the grammar). An essential resource for mastery and review, it can be used with the First Form series or any other Latin program.

Lingua Biblica: Old Testament Stories in Latin

(Translation Course) by Martin Cothran Grades 9+ Student $19.95 | Teacher $19.95

This is an exciting supplementary translation program based on the Vulgate Bible. It provides a sampling of Bible story translations and exercises that will fortify the student’s knowledge of Latin vocabulary and grammar. A great companion to the Henle series, each lesson includes three levels of study. Level I has the easiest sentence translations.

Level II includes more advanced sentence translations. Finally, Level III includes the entire translation with advanced exercises.

Roots of English: Latin and Greek Roots for Beginners

by Paul O’Brien Grades 6-8

45

$19.95

In order to learn words with Latin and Greek roots and use them appropriately, a young student needs to understand the meanings of their roots, prefixes, and suffixes. Roots of English presents careful analysis of these word elements so that the student learns not only the modern meanings of the words, but also their underlying, ancient meanings. Most of the Latin roots covered in this book correspond to the Latina Christiana I Latin vocabulary set.

by James A. Selby Grades 4+ Fable Stage Student Gd. $19.95 | Teacher Guide $29.95 | DVDs $45.00 Narrative Stage Student Guide $19.95 | Teacher Guide $29.95 Chreia/Maxim Stage Student Guide $19.95 | Teacher Guide $29.95 What if you could teach your child using the same writing program that produced such masters of the language as John Milton, William Shakespeare, and Benjamin Franklin? What if you could have the same composition curriculum used by Quintilian, the greatest teacher of ancient rhetoric, and Cicero, the greatest persuasive speaker of all time?

Jim Selby has blown the dust off of the writing curriculum that was used in schools for over 1,500 years and put it in an easy-toteach format that will revolutionize your home or private school curriculum. Presented clearly and systematically in a structured curriculum, Classical Composition will give you a clear road map to writing excellence.

Ancient writers invented a way of teaching writing known as the progymnasmata, which provided a method of teaching composition that not only taught budding writers a disciplined way to approach communication, but also helped them appeal to the heads of their audience. The progymnasmata gave them the stylistic tools to appeal to their hearts as well.

The greatest communicators of ancient times, Quintilian and Cicero among them, employed the progymnasmata to teach their students the art of communication. The 14 exercises, organized from the simplest and most basic to the most complex and sophisticated, were the core education of a classical speaker, designed to produce what Quintilian once called, "the good man, speaking well."

View samples online: www.MemoriaPress.com

The Book of Roots: Advanced Vocabulary Building From Latin Roots by Paul O’Brien Grades 8+ Student $24.95 | Key $1.95 More advanced than Roots of English, The Book of Roots offers a comprehensive listing of derivatives for Latina Christiana I, along with Latin definitions, English derivatives, and etymology. There is also a section of weekly exercises that provides reinforcement. Ideal as a vocabulary roots course, this book also has significant practical appeal: it is an ideal standardized test prep book, training students to uncover the meanings of words by deciphering parts. A great resource for students who love words!

$75.00 set

(Includes Fable & Narrative Stage student & teacher guides)

Starting Classical Composition Late?

No Problem! We recommend that students begin Classical Composition in 4th or 5th grade, so students beginning in 6th grade or higher may want to complete two courses a year in order to catch up. This set allows students to complete the Fable and Narrative Stages at an accelerated pace in the course of a year, helping them to develop their writing skills quickly.

46

French

www.MemoriaPress.com

First Start French I

Introduction to the French language

by Danielle Schultz Grades 5-8

$39.95 set (student, teacher, pronunciation CD)

Student $17.50 | Teacher $17.50 | Pronunciation CD $4.95

Modeled after the Latina Christiana format, each of the lessons covers 10-15 vocabulary words, a French saying or proverb, a grammar form, and a short dialogue in French. Your students will practice conversation, reading and translation, and are introduced to French culture. The Teacher Manual helps keep you ahead of your student, while quizzes and answer keys make it easy to check progress.

First Start French II

Volume 1: Ancient Times $16.95 (paperback only) From the Earliest Nomads to the Last Roman Emperor Volume 2: The Middle Ages $16.95 (paperback only) From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of the Renaissance Volume 3: Early Modern Times $16.95 (paperback only) From Elizabeth the First to the Forty-Niners Volume 4: The Modern Age $16.95 (paperback only) From Victoria's Empire to the End of the USSR

The Story of the World

$39.95 set (student, teacher, pronunciation CD)

Student $17.50 | Teacher $17.50 | Pronunciation CD $4.95

by Susan Wise Bauer Grades 1-8

We have always been fans of Susan Wise Bauer's Story of the World series, and now we have added it as supplemental summer reading for our Classical Core packages (pp. 8-9). Each volume fits perfectly as an overview to the time period students will be studying in the coming year.

Liberal Arts Supplements

The Story of the World has won numerous awards and continues to stand out as a top pick for homeschoolers.

These books make a great addition to any classroom!

The Great Tradition: Classic Readings in What It Means to Be an Educated Human Being edited by Richard Gamble $17.95

The Latin-Centered Curriculum: A Home Educator's Guide to a Latin-Centered Curriculum

by Andrew A. Campbell

The Great Books: A Journey Through 2,500 Years of the West's Classic Literature

by Anthony O'Hear

Climbing Parnassus: A New Apologia for Greek and Latin

by Tracy Lee Simmons

$17.95

$22.00

$15.00

The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home, 3rd Edition

by Susan Wise Bauer & Jessie Wise $27.95

The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had

by Susan Wise Bauer $25.00

The Trivium: The Liberal Arts of Logic, Grammar, and Rhetoric

by Sister Miriam Joseph, edited by Marguerite McGlinn $18.95

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A Student's Guide to the Disciplines Grades 9+

$99.95 Complete Set $6.95 Natural Science $6.95 Philosophy $6.95 Psychology $6.95 Literature $6.95 The Study of History

$7.95 Music History $7.95 Classics $7.95 Economics $7.95 Religious Studies $7.95 Political Philosophy $7.95 The Study of Law $7.95 U.S. History $7.95 The Core Curriculum $7.95 Liberal Learning $7.95 American Political Thought

Memoria Press eBooks

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NEW eBooks!

Behold, the old has been made new.

$14.00 ea.

•Famous Men Series

(Rome, Greece, Modern Times, or the Middle Ages)

•Story of the Thirteen Colonies & the Great Republic (H. A. Guerber) •Dorothy Mills Series

(Ancient World, Ancient Romans, Ancient Greeks, or the Middle Ages)

•The Latin Centered Curriculum (1st ed.) $7.00 ea.

(Samuel Butler Translations)

•The Iliad •The Odyssey Compatible with virtually all mobile devices! EPUB and MOBI files available.

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